Abstract A miniaturized spatial temperature gradient CE system with automated sampleintroduction for DNA mutation detection was established. Continuous electrokinetic sample injection was achieved by combining an automated slotted vial array sampleintroduction 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...
A novel continuous powder introduction microwave-induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry method (CPI-MIP-AES) has been developed for trace determination of metals in ground and tap water samples after preconcentration on activated carbon. The experimental setup consisted of integrated rectangular cavity TE_1_0_1 and vertically positioned plasma torch. The technical arrangement of the sampleintroductionsystem has been designed based on the fluidized bed concept. The satisfactory signal stability required for sequential analysis was attained owing to the vertical plasma configuration, as well as the plasma gas flow rate compatibility with sampleintroduction flow rate. The elements of interest (Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn) were preconcentrated in a batch procedure at pH 8-8.5 after addition of activated carbon and then, after filtering ...
This chapter consists of some points including an introduction, the basic parts of mass spectroscope device, sampleintroduction into the inductively coupled plasma, pneumatic nebuliser, ultrasonic nebuliser, dry gas cloud system, laser ablation unit, inductively coupled plasma-ion source, extraction of ions from ion source, mass analysis, quad-polar mass spectrometer, dual assembly mass spectrometer, mass spectrometer by calculation of time of flight, ion interferences and the ability of resolution, ion counter, working conditions of inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscope device, efficiency of ion transportation in an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscope device and applications of analysis using mass spectroscope of induced plasma including nuclear, industrial, geological, environmental and archaeological applications, measurement of isotopes ratio and applications in tracing crimes.
Contents include: introduction; river systems; physical processes; chemical processes; estuaries and coastal zone; introduction; physical processes; chemical processes; the role of sediments; introduction; the anoxic layer; major-element chemistry; minor-element chemistry; the oxic-anoxic interface; assessment; introduction; analysis of sediments; modelling.
The stable introduction of therapeutic transgenes into human cells can be accomplished using viral and nonviral approaches. Transduction with clinical-grade recombinant viruses offers the potential...Full Text Available
The application of the large-bore direct injection high efficiency nebulizer (LB-DIHEN) for the determination of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) in urine by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is described. The LB-DIHEN is compared with the standard method using a concentric pneumatic nebulizer and cyclonic spray chamber. In addition to the toxicological significance of As, Cd, Pb, and Hg, these elements represent a cross-section of analytical issues including spectral interferences (e.g., {sup 40}Ar{sup 35}Cl{sup +} on {sup 75}As{sup +} and {sup 98}Mo{sup 16}O{sup +} on {sup 114}Cd{sup +}) and memory effects (Hg). In this study, the low sample consumption of the LB-DIHEN is used to reduce the volume of urine needed for analysis, and to reduce the volume of final diluted sample required for analysis. Eliminating the spray chamber and reducing the dead volume of the nebulizer reduces memory effects, ...
The introduction of prenatal screening requires rapid high-throughput diagnosis of common aneuploidies. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) allows for quick, easily automated multiplex...Full Text Available
Bremstrahlung Isochromat Spectroscopy (BIS). The XES spectra were collected using a Specs electron gun for the excitation and the XES 350 grating monochromator and channel plate system from Scienta as the photon detection. Spectra were collected in 'normal mode,' where the electron gun kinetic energy (KE) and the energy position of the center of the channel plate were both fixed and the energy distribution in the photon (hv) spectrum was derived from the intensities distributed across the channel plate detector in the energy dispersal direction. The polycrystalline Ce sample was oxidized by exposure to air at ambient pressures. After introduction to the ultra-high vacuum system, the oxidized sample was bombarded with Ar, to clean the topmost surface region and stabilize the surface and near surface regions. Although CeO{sub 2} would be the thermodynamically ...
Introduction of geothermal heat pump systems, which depend on temperature differential, is investigated for urban areas, which have large energy demands. Results of the surveys on the current situations of geothermal heat pump (GHP) systems indicate that they have already numbered 300,000 units in USA and totaled more than 50,000 units in Switzerland and Northern European countries, and that they are increasing at an annual rate of higher than 10%. The results also indicate that introduction of these systems are well feasible in Japan, which generally has better topographical conditions than American and European countries, and the GHP system with vertical ground heat exchanger is investigated for its topographical and environmental considerations. These systems could annually abate approximately 52 million tons of CO2 (4.3% decrease), if ...
IntroductionPrevious observations suggest that active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is associated with a prominent erythropoiesis gene-expression signature. The aim...Full Text Available
In analysis of hydrogen in metals and alloys by SIMS, control of the hydrogen blank mainly due to residual gases is a persistent problem. Contrarity, this problem becomes less important in case of deuterium analysis. The prescribed amounts of deuterium were introduced into a pure titanium and a beta-titanium alloy (Ti- 6.6wt%Fe) by the gas reaction method. Intensities of the various secondary ions sputtered from each sample were measured by the Hitachi Ion Microanalyzer with primary ions of Ar"+. Energy distributions of the various secondary ion species were measured with the energy window of about 15eV width. The effects of oxygen gas pressure in the target chamber and the bulk deuterium concentration on the shape of energy distribution curves are discussed. For all samples, intensity of D"- ions is higher than that of D"+ ions, especially at higher energy ranges. With increasing the deuterium concentration: a) intensities of D"+ and D"- ions ...
This paper describes a method for preparing the sample handling and inlet system of a mass spectrometer for analysis of a subsequent sample following analysis of a previous sample comprising the flushing of the system interior with supercritical CO{sub 2} and venting the interior. The method eliminates the effect of system ``memory`` on the subsequent analysis, especially following persistent samples such as xenon and krypton.
Introduction:Single-stream hydro-jet dissection is increasingly used in various laparoscopic procedures, but its use requires special equipment. We describe a simple method for using...Full Text Available
An introduction to time-of-flight neutron spectroscopy is presented in the context of the study of magnetic materials. Examples are taken from the class of rare earth and actinide magnetic materials known as `strongly correlated electron` systems. (author) 11 figs., 24 refs.
Foreward: Preface; Introduction; The natural science of global climate change; Land and water use; Coastal zones and oceans; Energy and industry; Energy and social systems; Technological change; and Sponsoring organizations, International Advisory Board, and project participants.
The aim of this paper is to survey the potential of knowledge systems for the management and modelling of energy systems. The paper starts with a short introduction to knowledge systems. The essence of knowledge systems is summarized and described in terms of modelling. Additionally the application of knowledge systems is compared with the use of conventional software on the one hand and human reasoning on the other. Next, research topics which are important in connection with technological applications of knowledge systems are reviewed. This paper follows with a review of knowledge system applications in the field of energy systems and ends with conclusions on the state of the art and required research and development.
By way of introduction, the author describes the electrical equipment of the power station on the River Traun and then lists the main features of the electrical systems such as generators, transformers, the power transmission systems as, e.g., the generator leads, the 8 kV switch plant, the 110 kV oil-filled cable as well as the station-service, control, protection and monitoring systems. The control of the headwater level and of the mechanical systems of the barrage is described in detail.
Some aspects of metrological provision of X-ray radiometric analyzers for mineral raw composition and gamma-gamma-logging equipment are considered. Standard samples (SS) based on the phenol-formaldehyde resin with the introduced quantities calculated of element compositions in the form of oxides and salts are described. Principles of metrological provision developed are used when carrying out state acceptance tests of X-ray radiometric analyzer RAL-M-102 ''Ehkran'' and gamma-gamma-logging equipmnt RSK-102. Economic benefit from introduction of an SS set is #approx# 60-100 thousand roubles per year.
? Introduction For large trees without a continuous sequence of growth rings in their trunk, such as the African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.), the only accurate method for age determination is radiocarbon dating. As of today, this method was limited to dating samples collected from the remains of dead specimens. ? Methods Our research extends significantly the dating of such trees to large live specimens with inner cavities. The new approach is based on collecting samples from the cavities and their subsequent radiocarbon dating. ? Results The giant two-stemmed Platland tree, also known as Sunland baobab, was investigated by using this new approach. AMS radiocarbon dates of the oldest sample segments originating from the two inner cavities indicate that the large stem I (364.5?m3) is 750...
Boat sampling technique (BST) is a surface sampling technique, which has been developed for obtaining, in-situ, metal samples from the surface of an operating component without affecting its operating service life. The BST is non-destructive in nature and the sample is obtained without plastic deformation or without thermal degradation of the parent material. The shape and size of the sample depends upon the shape of the cutter and the surface geometry of the parent material. Miniature test specimens are generated from the sample and the specimens are subjected to various tests, viz. Metallurgical Evaluation, Metallographic Evaluation, Micro-hardness Evaluation, sensitisation test, small punch test etc. to confirm the integrity and assessment of safe operating life of the component. This paper highlights design objective of boat sampling ...
Lithium tetrachloroaluminate solutions in thionylchloride, methylacetate and their mixtures are studied by "7Li and "2"7Al NMR. It is found that introduction of methylacetate in the LiAlCl_4-SOCl_2 system results in a change of lithium tetrachloroaluminate formation constant. In the ternary system, Li"+ is solvated by methyl-acetate after complete destruction of tetrachloroaluminate anion. Refs. 9, figs. 2.
Information technology plays an important role in medicine because of the advanced decision support systems (DSS) it can provide. We provide an overview of the building blocks necessary for a medical decision support system and introduce seven research articles in this special issue that describe the development and evaluation of individual medical DSS building blocks or complete medical DSS.
There have been no radically new commercial bulk explosives since Atlas Powder Company's introduction of emulsions onto the market in 1968. But the effectiveness, safety and management of these familiar explosives is continuously being improved by the development of blast design techniques, explosives delivery and initiation systems, and monitoring methods. The author looks at developments in blasting technology and discusses experiences with Handibulk emulsion delivery systems.
This paper presents the development of technical requirements for the design of aircraft-mounted sampling equipment for the airborne radioactivity monitoring. A design concept and internal equipments required for the samplingsystem will be described in detail to provide information for the development of technical requirements for aircraft-mounted sampling equipment. This will be followed by description of the exterior designing process. Difficulties of designing exterior of the samplingsystem lie in the fluid dynamics performance of the system. The objective of the design is to maximize the suction flow necessary for achieving high efficiency of radionuclide sampling, while minimizing disturbance to the aircraft which carries the system. The design optimization was performed with the computational ...
The purpose of the course is to present an overview of the power conditioning aspects of energy transfer systems. The objective, then, is to develop an understanding and appreciation of the physical processes that govern the performance of these systems, including the role of such elements as switches, capacitors, inductors, and resistors. Secondly, to discuss where are the sources of information once a problem area has been identified. All the information will be current and state-of-the-art, and directed toward these pulse components, with particular emphasis on the area of high-repetition-rate systems, as these are taking on ever increasing significance.
The introduction of large blast furnaces, oxygen-enriched blast and natural gas firing means that the coke rate is determined mainly by the ability of the coke charge to loosen up the burden and ensure a high level of permeability. Coke strength is now of great importance to the steelmaker, alongside ash and sulphur contents. The article suggests that moisture still offers a useful negotiating base for furnace operators and suppliers. It is important to know the moisture content and a sampling procedure is recommended for determining the moisture desorption time. Such tests also indicate any relationship between different quenching plants and the product.
The Rotary Mode Core SampleSystem (RMCSS) is used to obtain stratified samples of the waste deposits in single-shell and double-shell waste tanks at the Hanford Site. The samples are used to characterize the waste in support of ongoing and future waste remediation efforts. Four sampling trucks have been developed to obtain these samples. Truck I was the first in operation and is currently being used to obtain samples where the push mode is appropriate (i.e., no rotation of drill). Truck 2 is similar to truck 1, except for added safety features, and is in operation to obtain samples using either a push mode or rotary drill mode. Trucks 3 and 4 are now being fabricated to be essentially identical to truck 2.
IntroductionBreast cancer is the most diagnosed and second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. female population. An estimated 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancers are inherited, caused by mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA1/2). As many as 90% of all mutations are nonsense mutations, causing a truncated polypeptide product. A popular and low cost method of mutation detection has been the protein truncation test (PTT), where target regions of BRCA1/2 are PCR amplified, transcribed/translated in a cell-free protein synthesis system and analyzed for truncated polypeptides by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and autoradiography. We previously reported a novel High Throughput Solid-Phase PTT (HTS-PTT) based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format that eliminates the need for radioactivity, SDS-PAGE and subjective interpretation of the results. Here, we report the next ...
Purpose The paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2 (PITX2) gene encodes a transcription factor controlled by the WNT/Dvl/CTNNB1 and Hedgehog/TGFB pathways in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Although PITX2 is reportedly involved in various functions, including tissue development by controlling cell growth, its significance in CRC remains unclear. We report our findings regarding abnormal PITX2 expression in human CRC. Methods PITX2 expression was evaluated in 5 human CRC cell lines and 92 primary CRC samples. Cell growth was evaluated after inhibition of PITX2 expression or after exogenous introduction of PITX2. Results PITX2 expression was seen in all the five CRC cell lines. The study of tissue samples indicated that PITX2 expression was significantly higher in cancer...
Thermophotovoltaics is the science and technology associated with the direct generation of electricity from high temperature heat. Potential applications include combined heat and power, portable and auxiliary power, radioisotope space power, industrial waste heat recovery and concentrated solar power. This book aims at serving as an introduction to the underlying theory, overview of present day components and system arrangements, and update of the latest developments in the field. The emphasis is placed on the understanding of the critical aspects of efficient thermophotovoltaic system design. The aim is to assist researchers in the field. (orig.)
CIRNAT, a one-dimensional code for natural circulation analysis, was described. The homogeneous approach was adopted for the two-phase flow regime and different heat transfer regimes were considered. The code was exhaustively tested for one-phase flow systems. For two phase flows a boiling/condensing system was simulated. The results are qualitatively correct but the oscillations observed at the system were not captured by the model. Other two-phase flow tests must be done to show the limits of the homogeneous approach before the introduction of a more complex model. (author)
CIRNAT, a one-dimensional code for natural circulation analysis, was described. The homogeneous approach was adopted for the two-phase flow regime and different heat transfer regimes were considered. The code was exhaustively tested for one-phase flow systems. For two phase flows a boiling/condensing system was simulated. The results are qualitatively correct but the oscillations observed at the system were not captured by the model. Other two-phase flow tests must be done to show the limits of the homogeneous approach before the introduction of a more complex model. (author)
A method and apparatus for determining the condition of tissue or otherwise making chemical identifications includes exposing the sample to a light source, and using a synchronous luminescence system to produce a spectrum that can be analyzed for tissue condition.
The book is divided into two approximately equal parts. The first four chapters are relatively lengthy and cover the basic principles of radiation biology, carcinogenesis and therapy, along with a brief introduction to radiological physics to orient the reader without background in this specialized related discipline. The remainder consists of twenty-four relatively brief chapters, each covering the radiation biology of a specific organ, tissue, or systems tissues, with emphasis on the tumorigenic and tumoricidal action of ionizing radiations.
Phenomenological accountancy of quanta-electrodynamic corrections by means of introduction into multielectron theory of short-term potential, the parameters whereof are calibrated in such a way that provides for correct reproduction of the Lamb shift of the 1s-orbital energy for a correspondingly selected effective charge is developed by example of d-line of Na-like multicharged ions.
The economic benefits of pulverized coal-injected (PCI) blast furnaces have meant that the number of such furnaces in Japan has steadily increased since their introduction in 1981. Aspects of PCI discussed in the article include: PCI system configuration; evaluation of coals for PCI (e.g. dryability; pulverisability and combustibility) and the possibility of a technical ceiling for pulverized coal rate. 4 refs., 11 figs., 2 tabs.
Early technical history of electric supply to electric railways is briefly reviewed as an introduction to the following seven papers included in this special issue on technologies for saving energy in railway operation. Continuous power supply played a significant role in the early history of railway technologies. The variable voltage variable frequency (VVVF) power electronic technology had also a substantial impact on railway traction systems after 1980s. VVVF technology made it possible to have more efficient drives, downsize rolling stocks, and develop regenerative brakes. Because detailed discussions on each technical development are presented in the following papers, the general remarks of those technologies made in this introduction provide logical links to the ideas presented in th...
The management and combination of uncertain, imprecise, fuzzy and even paradoxical or high conflicting sources of information has always been, and still remains today, of primal importance for the development of reliable modern information systems involving artificial reasoning. In this introduction, we present a survey of our recent theory of plausible and paradoxical reasoning, known as Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT), developed for dealing with imprecise, uncertain and conflicting sources of information. We focus our presentation on the foundations of DSmT and on its most important rules of combination, rather than on browsing specific applications of DSmT available in literature. Several simple examples are given throughout this presentation to show the efficiency and the generality of this new approach.
We consider the effect of distributed delays in neural feedback systems. The avian optic tectum is reciprocally connected with the nucleus isthmi. Extracellular stimulation combined with intracellular recordings reveal a range of signal delays from 4 to 9 ms between isthmotectal elements. This observation together with prior mathematical analysis concerning the influence of a delay distribution on system dynamics raises the question whether a broad delay distribution can impact the dynamics of neural feedback loops. For a system of reciprocally connected model neurons, we found that distributed delays enhance system stability in the following sense. With increased distribution of delays, the system converges faster to a fixed point and converges slower toward a limit cycle. Further, the introduction of distributed delays leads to an increased range of the ...
The study of natural convection flow and heat transfer within a cylindrical annulus has received considerable attention because of its numerous applications, such as in nuclear reactor design, electronic component cooling, thermal storage systems, energy conservation, energy storage, and energy transmission. Here, the effects of multiple geometric perturbations on the inner and outer cylinders of an annulus with impermeable end walls are investigated in this work. A three-dimensional study was done using a numerical scheme based on a Galerkin method of finite element formulation. The nature of the buoyancy-induced flow field has been analyzed in detail. The flow fields for the cases considered were found to be qualitatively similar, and the introduction of each additional perturbation altered the flow field in a regular and recurring manner. The introduction of each perturbation on the outer cylinder causes clockwise and ...
The study of natural convection flow and heat transfer within a cylindrical annulus has received considerable attention because of its numerous applications, such as in nuclear reactor design, electronic component cooling, thermal storage systems, energy conservation, energy storage, and energy transmission. Here, the effects of multiple geometric perturbations on the inner and outer cylinders of an annulus with impermeable end walls are investigated in this work. A three-dimensional study was done using a numerical scheme based on a Galerkin method of finite element formulation. The nature of the buoyancy-induced flow field has been analyzed in detail. The flow fields for the cases considered were found to be qualitatively similar, and the introduction of each additional perturbation altered the flow field in a regular and recurring manner. The introduction of each perturbation on the outer cylinder causes clockwise and ...
The paper gives an introduction to reliability assessment of reliquefaction systems for boil-off gas (BOG) on LNG carriers with focus on redundancy optimization and maintenance strategies. The reliability modeling is based on a time-dependent Markov approach. Four different system options are studied, with varying degree of redundancy. Failures in the reliquefaction system may require flaring of the BOG, and the associated cost is compared with the cost of introducing redundancy and the cost of onboard maintenance. A model for maintenance optimization is developed and exemplified on a main unit of the reliquefaction system. Reliability and maintenance cost data for reliquefaction systems on LNG ships are very scarce. The input data have been collected from the best available data sources and adjusted by expert judgement. A tailor-made computer program has been ...
All Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated from paediatric clinical samples at Heraklion University General Hospital in the 10-year period 2000-2009 were tested for serotype and susceptibility to antimicrobials. Among a total of 258 strains, 159 were isolated in the 5-year period 2000-2004, before the introduction of the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7), and 99 in the post-PCV7 5-year period 2005-2009. The prevalence of PCV7-included serotypes decreased in the post-PCV7 period (p?=?0.0002), but an increase was observed for serotypes 7F (p?=?0.002) and 19A (p?=?0.004). Pan-susceptibility rates and susceptibility to cotrimoxazole increased in the post-PCV7 period (p?=?0.01 and p?=?0.008, respectively), but serotype 19A emerged as a contributor to multi-resistance (p?=?0.007). PCV7 was followed by decreased S. pneumoniae resistance and prevalence of vaccine-related serotypes but increased prevalence of serotypes 7F and 19A. ...
The use of X-ray scattering techniques in pharmaceutical science is increasing, in part through increased collaborations with the materials science community, and through increased availability of instrumentation, particularly synchrotron sources. The ability to understand not only the biopharmaceutical outcome, but also arguably, more importantly, the structural aspects of drugs and drug delivery systems, is essential to progressing pharmaceutical science; this review serves as an introduction to the major techniques and the wide range of areas in which X-ray scattering may be applied in understanding and controlling structure in pharmaceutical systems.
A new on-line monitoring system has been developed for pitting corrosion monitoring of carbon steel tubes in cooling water systems. This monitoring system was found to be quite sensitive to the microbiological activity relating to pitting corrosion on a real-time basis. The value of galvanic current indicates the performance level of pitting corrosion inhibition even in biocide application. In addition, the changes in the galvanic current provide indicative information about the effectiveness in microbiological control program, even when the pressure drop measurement indicates no biofilm formation. It can be also useful in detecting a microbiological control upset. In this paper, an introduction of the new monitoring system as a microbiological control effectiveness monitor and the field test results are discussed.
Visual Sample Plan (VSP) is an easy-to-use visual and graphic statistically-based software tool being developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to help determine the appropriate number and location of environmental samples so that environmental decisions can be made with the required confidence. The VSP software, which is available free at http://dqo.pnl.gov/vsp, is a significant aid in developing probability-based sampling designs (number and location of samples and measurements) using the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) planning process developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). VSP also has the capability of conducted statistical analyses to provide descriptive statistical summaries of data sets, to test whether data are normally distributed, and to compute upper confidence limits on means. This report is the latest in a series of reports that document the ...
A self-optimizing pole-shifting control algorithm has been developed for an adaptive power system stabilizer (APSS) to improve its dynamic performance and autonomous operation. The proposed algorithm deals with the system frequency and time domain characteristics simultaneously to guarantee stability and to enhance the performance of the closed-loop system. The mechanism of discrete control system control limits influencing the closed loop system behaviour is studied. Short-term behaviour is studied by introducing the concept of a short-term behaviour index. With the introduction of dynamic control limits, an effective discrete control system design method is proposed. A PSS oriented power system dynamics simulation package (PSDSP) has been developed. Using the PSDSP, simulation studies were performed with the proposed ...
Abstract Introduction. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an effective procedure for the treatment of neuropathic extremity pain, with success rates approaching 70%. However, mechanical failures, including breakage and migration, can significantly limit the long-term effectiveness of SCS. A systematic analysis of surgical techniques was undertaken by a consensus group, coupled with extensive in vivo and in vitro biomechanical testing of system components. Methods. A computer model based on morphometric data was used to predict movement in a standard SCS system between an anchored lead and pulse generator placed in various locations. These displacements were then used to determine a realistic range of forces exerted on components of the SCS system. Laboratory fixtures were constructed to subj...
Effect of Abdominal Active Can on DFTs. Introduction: Many patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have older lead systems, which are usually not replaced at the time of pulse generator replacement unless a malfunction is noted. Therefore, optimization of defibrillation with these lead systems is clinically important. The objective of this prospective study was to determine if an active abdominal pulse generator (Can) affects chronic defibrillation thresholds (DFTs) with a dual-coil, transvenous ICD lead system. Methods and Results: The study population consisted of 39 patients who presented for routine abdominal pulse generator replacement. Each patient underwent two assessments of DFT using a step-down protocol, with the order of testing randomized. The distal right ...
Introduction: Tumor-derived heat shock protein (HSP)-peptide complexes (HSPPCs) induced immunity against malignancies in preclinical trials, working across tumor types and bypassing the need to identify single immunogenic peptides. These results paved the way for the use of human gp96 obtained from autologous tumor samples as an anti-cancer vaccine. Areas covered: Autologous tumor-derived HSP gp96 peptide complex (HSPPC-96) vaccine is emerging as a tumor- and patient-specific cancer vaccine, with confirmed activity in several malignancies. It has been tested in Phase III clinical trials in advanced melanoma and kidney cancer with evidence for efficacy in patients with earlier stage disease. HSPPC-96-based vaccine demonstrated an excellent safety profile, thus emerging as a novel therapeuti...
We have investigated the effect of excimer laser annealing (ELA) on transient enhanced diffusion (TED) and activation of boron implanted in Si during subsequent rapid thermal annealing (RTA). It is observed that ELA with partial melting of the implanted region causes reduction of TED in the region that remains solid during ELA, where the diffusion length of boron is reduced by a factor of #approx#4 as compared to the as-implanted sample. This is attributed to several mechanisms such as liquid-state annealing of a fraction of the implantation induced defects, introduction of excess vacancies during ELA, and solid-state annealing of the defects beyond the maximum melting depth by the heat wave propagating into the Si wafer. The ELA pretreatment provides a substantially improved electrical activation of boron during subsequent RTA.
The introduction of live insects into human food is rare in developed countries. However, we report, for the first time, an emerging risk that exists from dried fruit in Central Europe. Recently, massive and frequent infestation of dried fruit imported from the Mediterranean region by the mite, Carpoglpyhus lactis L. (Acarina: Carpoglyphidae), has been found. In 180 samples taken from supermarkets, 13% were contaminated; the contamination levels ranged from 0 to 660 mites per g of dried fruit. The contamination was found in dried apricots, figs, plums and raisins. To estimate the risks and food preferences of C. lactis, its growth rate was examined under laboratory conditions. Starting with a hypothetical population of 10 mites per g of dried fruit, the risk level of 1000 mites per g of dr...
The paper describes novel analytical methods developed for the detection of previous neutron irradiation and reprocessing of illicit nuclear materials, which is an important characteristic of nuclear materials of unknown origin in nuclear forensics. Alpha spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma sector-field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS) using solution nebulization and direct, quasi-non-destructive laser ablation as sampleintroduction were applied for the measurement of trace-level "2"3"2U, "2"3"6U and plutonium isotopes deriving from previous neutron irradiation of uranium-containing nuclear materials. The measured radionuclides and isotope ratios give important information on the raw material used for fuel production and enable confirm the supposed provenance of illicit nuclear material.
This manual is intended to provide a free resource on essential network security concepts for non-technical managers of small libraries. Managers of other small nonprofit or community organizations will also benefit from it. An introduction defines network security; outlines three goals of network security; discusses why a library should be concerned with network security; and describes limits of this work. The manual is divided into three main parts. Part One features the management issues related to network security: analyzing risk, developing a security plan and policy, the funding requirements libraries can expect in operating their networks, and implementing adequate security. Part Two describes the areas of computer networks that need to be secured, and provides a description of many of the security measures necessary for adequate security. Part Three presents sample documents that may be help in the library's efforts to secure its ...
Correlation between mechanical stress and hydrogen effects on radiation damage in polycide-gate MOS capacitors was investigated as a function of gate-oxide thickness. The compressive stress magnitude was altered by varying the silicide (TiSi/sub 2/ or WSi/sub 2/) thickness in the polycide-gate electrode, and hydrogen introduction into gate-SiO/sub 2/ film was carried out by diffusion from plasma-deposited silicon-nitride passivation film (SiN-Cap). In a MOS capacitor without passivation film (No-Cap sample), it was found that compressive stress on gate-SiO/sub 2/ reduces both positive charge build-up (..delta..Qot) and interface-trap generation (..delta..Dit). Radiation induced shift, ..delta..Qot exhibits a smaller stress effect as compared with ..delta..Dit. As gate-SiO/sub 2/ thickness decreases, the stress effect on ..delta..Qot increases, while this effect on ..delta..Dit remains nearly constant. This compressive stress effect was ...
In recent years, there has been increasing demand for resource-recycling of waste plastic, especially due to the introduction of legislation on recycling of materials used for packages of household goods. Methods of recycling waste plastic from household goods are currently still under development, and appropriate techniques to deal with such waste are required. Toshiba has developed a technique to dehydrochlorinate plastic containing polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This paper introduces our petrolization and dehydrochlorination system for waste plastic containing PVC. (author)
A model of a solid disordered ortho-parahydrogen mixture with infinite long-range interaction J/sub ij/ between orthomolecules distributed in accordance with a normal law with first moment J/sub 0/ is investigated. It is shown that the introduction of an external electric field gradient ..gamma.. can give rise to a phase transition to an orientational phase. The possible existence of an orientational glass phase is established. The influence of the degeneracy of the hydrogen orthomolecules on the low-temperature thermal properties of these systems is demonstrated, and a condition of stability of the replica-symmetric solution is established. At low temperatures, this solution is stable for a large value of ..gamma.. or J/sub 0/.nctio
Abstract Introduction: The obstructed, infected kidney is a urological emergency. It has been accepted that the management of infected hydronephrosis secondary to ureteric stones is through prompt decompression of the collecting system. However, the optimal method of decompression has yet to be established. Materials and Methods: A PubMed and Medline search was performed of all English-language articles from 1960 using key words ?sepsis,?? ?urosepsis,?? ?obstruction,?? ?obstructive pyelonephritis,?? ?pyonephrosis,?? ?infection and hydronephrosis?? ?decompression,?? ?stent,?? ?nephrostomy,?? and ?management.?? The Cochrane database and National Institute for Clinical Effectiveness guidelines were searched using the terms ?sepsis,?? ?urosepsis,?? ?stent,?? ?nephrostomy,?? or ?obstruction.?? ...
Constantly increasing resource efficiency together with the broad introduction of CCS technologies is fundamental for a continuous use of fossil fuels in power generation against the background of up-coming requirements for CO2 emission reduction. In principle, CCS means up-grading conventional power plant technology with proven CO2 removal processes. However, this leads to additional losses, auxiliary power demand and cost. System integration, development or at least adaption of components and processes are the main requirements in this context. Different technology solutions and recent developments will be addressed as well as challenges when implementing in demonstration projects.
An ideal introduction to the entire process of setting up a Web site using PHP (a scripting language), MySQL (a database management system), and Apache (a Web server)* Programmers will be up and running in no time, whether they're using Linux or Windows servers* Shows readers step by step how to create several Web sites that share common themes, enabling readers to use these examples in real-world projects* Invaluable reading for even the experienced programmer whose current site has outgrown the traditional static structure and who is looking for a way to upgrade to a more efficient, user-f
A micro-computer based fuzzy logic power system stabilizer is applied to a micro-machine system to investigate its efficiency in real time control. The stabilizing signal is determined by using measured speed or real power signals at every sampling time to damp the system oscillations. The results show the proposed stabilizer improves the system damping effectively subject to various types of disturbances.
The K alpha / K beta ratio of Mn KX-rays scattered by metallic samples changed remarkably with the geometry between the sample and the (55)Fe source-Si(Li) detector system. On the contrary, this intensity ratio changed little in the cases of non-metallic scatterer samples such as lucite or mylar. This difference is interpreted as due to the occurrence of strong or weak interference in the coherent scattering photons. PMID:7280291
To investigate the problems of the Hanaro stent (Solco Intermed, Seoul, Korea) when used in the palliative treatment of patients with inoperable malignant biliary obstruction. Between January 2000 and May 2001, the treatment of 46 patients with malignant biliary obstruction involved percutaneous placement of the Hanaro stent. Five patients encountered problems during removal of the stent's introductionsystem. The causes of obstruction were pancreatic carcinoma (n=2), cholangiocarcinoma (n=2), and gastric carcinoma with biliary invasion (n=1). In one patient, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography and stent insertion were performed as a one-step procedure, while the others underwent conventional percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage for at least two days prior to stent insertion. A self-expandable Hanaro stent, 8-10 mm in deameter and 50-100 mm in lengh, and made from a strand of nitinol wire, was used in all cases. Among the ...
Over the last 30 years, a program of R-matrix analyses has been carried out at Los Alamos in the mass range 2 {le} A {le} 18 that gives useful information about the light systems. These analyses provide data for astrophysics, as well as for neutronic and thermonuclear applications, and can yield important constraints from the experimental measurements on the nature of few-body interactions. Following a brief introduction to R-matrix theory, I will describe recent work on reactions in the A=2 (NN) and A=4 systems. Finally, some comments will be made about extending the theory to complex energies in order to obtain information about resonances and other types of S-matrix singularities.
We have prepared high-quality, single crystals of SmB_6 under various conditions to improve sample quality. We have measured the resistivity and magnetic susceptibility from room to liquid-helium temperatures to sort samples. We have applied pulsed magnetic fields as high as 50 T at temperatures as low as 40 mK while measuring resistivity. Our samples are of higher quality than previously known. All solvent-grown, single-crystal samples should be etched to remove a surface conductivity. (orig.).
These notes present a pedagogical introduction to magnetic monopoles, supersymmetry and dualities in gauge theories. They are based on lectures given at the X Jorge Andre Swieca Summer School on Particles and Fields. (author)
The expression levels of many thousands of genes can be measured simultaneously by DNA microarrays (chips). This novel experimental tool has revolutionized research in molecular biology and generated considerable excitement. A typical experiment uses a few tens of such chips, each dedicated to a single sample - such as tissue extracted from a particular tumor. The results of such an experiment contain several hundred thousand numbers, that come in the form of a table, of several thousand rows (one for each gene) and 50 - 100 columns (one for each sample). We developed a clustering methodology to mine such data. In this review I provide a very basic introduction to the subject, aimed at a physics audience with no prior knowledge of either gene expression or clustering methods. I explain what genes are, what is gene expression and how it is measured by DNA chips. Next I explain what is meant by "clustering" and how we analyze ...
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 ...
This report presents the findings of a U.S. DOE Environmental Management technology transfer initiative of waste-reducing ground water samplingsystems between Savannah River Site (SRS) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) which occurred during fiscal years 2001 and 2002. The report describes the collaboration between the two sites, the deployment of the Savannah River Site Purge Water Management System at LLNL, the changes made to that system for use at LLNL, and documents the return-on-investment derived from the system's use at LLNL as well as other benefits generated through this inter-laboratory collaboration. An evaluation of the deployment of the LLNL EasyPump sampling technology at SRS will be covered in a separate report from SRS.
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 ...
The variation in the superconducting properties of various binary alloys of transition metal-germanium systems was surveyed by studying sputter deposited samples prepared under various conditions. The primary interest has been to study the formation of the stoichiometric A-15 compounds T_3Ge.
This paper begins with an introduction to Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station (GNPS) and gives a simple introduction to the operations and maintenance documentation system at GNPS. It then will review the maintenance program guidelines base and the associated problems prior to the application of reliability centered maintenance (RCM). How RCM was implemented at GNPS, how the results of RCM analysis were used to optimize the maintenance program and test program, and what is the interface between RCM and the existing maintenance program will be shown. Next, it will show the successful implementation of RCM at GNPS resulted in the following changes: A new understanding of equipment failure challenges operations and maintenance beliefs, maintenance concepts undergo a large change, maintenance program and periodic testing program are continuously modified and optimized, new on-condition maintenance technologies are ...
Methods: Systemic irradiation of neuroaxis is an essential part in the management of medulloblastoma, stPNET and intracranial germ cell tumors. The introduction of quality assurance programs in radiooncology assures a precise radiotherapy of target volumes and is a prerequisite to improve survival. Results: Hyperfractionated radiotherapy has the potential of increasing dose to tumor more safely without increasing the risk for late adverse effects. Pilot studies revealed excellent tumor control in medulloblastoma with acceptable acute toxicity and a long-term survival of up to 96%. In medulloblastoma stereotactic radiation techniques reveal an acceptable toxicity and promising results in tumor control in recurrent disease or as primary treatment. They are now part of future treatment protocols in case of persisting residual tumor. Radiotherapy alone in pure germinoma is continuously yielding high cure rates. In secreting germ cell tumors ...
Several recent experiments on micro- (or nano-) structured samples of ferromagnetic materials are introduced. Magnetization reversal phenomena are investigated on submicron wire samples of trilayer structure using the giant magnetoresistance effect. Domain wall movements are sensitively monitored by resistivity measurements and the velocity of propagation is determined. The contribution of domain wall to the resistivity is argued from the results on artificially designed samples of a spring-magnet system. In circular dots of permalloy, the existence of vortex magnetization is confirmed and the reversal of the vortex core magnetization is studied from magnetic force microscopy measurements. (author)
In order to substitute expensive cast titanium alloys by powder ones the possibility of introduction of powder additions by mechanical stock mixing is studied. It is shown that microstructure of powder alloys of Ti-Zr(1-9%) system is typical for one-phase cast #alpha#-alloys. The Ti-Mo(1-9%) and Ti-Nb(1-9%) system alloys have microstructure typical for two-phase (#alpha#+#beta#)-alloys. For homogeneous structure to be obtained the high temprature annealing is advisable after hot pressing. Alloying with Mo, Zr and Nb permits to increase considerable the strength of powder titanium products (at 9% Mo more than two times).
The introduction of tolerance to radiation (''radiation-hardness'') into large electronic systems is one of the major tasks to which this Handbook will be put. The practices recommended here for inculcating radiation-tolerance in equipment require advanced physical modeling techniques, precise engineering procedures, and firm assurance procedures. The degree to which these procedures should be used in an equipment project can be measured by the severity of the raw radiation environment, the desired reliability of the system, and the requirement of that project for radiation-sensitive technologies. The balance of device/circuit design versus shielding will depend on whether the radiation is highly penetrating -- as in isotope handling or military environments -- or readily attenuated, as in space. In this chapter the authors have attempted to summarize the essential features of the radiation hardening of large assemblies of ...
The introduction of automation technology into the analytical laboratory holds the promise of higher efficiency, improved productivity, and lower costs. However, the conventional ''laboratory robot'' widely used today may not offer the work envelope or reliability required in a high workload laboratory performing quality control or environmental analytical services. To address this need, a demonstration workcell was assembled utilizing an industrial-class robotics system to automate a standard EPA acid digestion protocol. With further development of graphical user interfaces and error recovery software, the technology will significantly enhance the ability of laboratories to meet increasingly complex environmental demands. 7 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.
First, absorbed dose at entrance surface was measured in routine mammography. Secondly, a possibility of dose reduction after introduction of Fuji computed radiography (FCR) system was examined. In a total of 350 mammographic studies including craniocaudal and medilateral projections, average thickness of compressed breast was less than 4 cm and most frequently recorded absorbed dose was 0.2-0.3 cGy (200-300 mrad). Minimum dose to obtain clinically acceptable mammograms in FCR system was estimated by comparing image quality of routine versus reduced dose studies. It was concluded that absorbed dose could be reduced to 1/4 of routine dose without creating significant drawback in diagnosis. (author).
In the past years I have been dealing with the following aspects of waste planning: a) waste reduction (regarding particularly home composting); b) transformation and reorganisation of waste collection systems; c) experimental introduction of a new way to pay for waste collection and treatment services, from ''tax'' to ''tariff''. In these years, I have been a consultant for municipalities in the planning of these three points. In the city (Venice) and in the Region I come from (''Veneto'') there are some of the most important Italian experiences about them. (orig).
The feasibility study was conducted on a model project in Vietnam, aimed at solving the environmental pollution problems resulting from use of coal by demonstrating and disseminating the Japan's environmental technologies in the Southeast Asian countries. The feasibility study was conducted for the Cua Ong Coal Preparation Enterprise, which has the largest coal preparation capacity in Vietnam and port facilities. It is treating raw coal from 10 coal mines for classification and preparation, and shipping coal of various types that meet the standards for domestic use and export. The survey results point out that unrecovered coal remains in waste water discharged from the coal preparation plants to pollute the sea area, and that quantity of the refuse increases because of the unrecovered coal it contains. The environmental technologies needed to introduce include modification to variable wave pattern type jigging separator, refuse height measuring instrument and automatic ...
A new furnace for neutron diffraction experiments is capable of heating and cooling a sample very rapidly. The rapid heating is done by two circular infrared lamps placed over and under a sample, whose radiation is roughly focused on the sample by a reflector. The rapid cooling is done by high-pressure gas blows against the sample from two circular nozzles which are also placed over and under the sample. This system enables us to obtain the heating rate of over 1000"0C/min and cooling rate of -500"0C/min for an alloy of 10 mm diameter and 30 mm length. The performance is sufficient to carry out some kinetics measurements in real-time neutron diffraction by the use of a position-sensitive detector. This kind of experiment is demonstrated by the observation of the relaxation process of order--disorder transitions in CuZn and Ni_3Mn alloys.
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)
Nowadays there is a growing interest in the study of natural radioactivity levels, mainly of radionuclides; {sup 238}U, {sup 226}Ra, {sup 232}Th, {sup 40}K, and {sup 210}Pb present in the environment. The environmental radioactivity control is very important to obtain information on exposure of humans and vegetables to potential sources on natural radioactive occurrences. Industrial processes involving mining and extraction and production of oil foster concentration of radionuclides, contributing to the occurrence of what is known as 'TENORM' - Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material. This work aims to assess the environmental radiological impact on the estuarine area of the Industrial Park of SUAPE, due the installation of an oil refinery and the consequent introduction on the environment of natural radioactive materials from other regions in that area. The radioisotopes {sup 238}U, {sup 226}Ra, {sup 232}Th , {sup 40}K ...
Implementation of an adaptive power system stabilizer (PSS) based on linear optimal control is described in this paper. The generator is identified in real time, and a special 3rd order discrete Riccati equation is solved in each sample interval. Because the output of the generator is fed back directly, the controller can track the system very fast. Experimental studies on a physical model of a power system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive optimal controller.
This paper discusses the mass spectrometric system that has been developed at the ICPP (Idaho Chemical Processing Plant) to meet the multiple constraints of U accountability, high sample load, and plant process control. The measurement system must produce high-quality accountability results while maintaining high sample throughput and reasonable turnaround time. The mass spectrometric system that has evolved to meet these demands includes extensive operator training, routine quality control checks, and continuing review of performance. 7 refs.
The set of laws developed and presented here is by no means exhaustive. Techniques have been present to aid in the development of additional scaling laws and to combine these and other laws to produce additional useful relationships. Some of the relationships produced here have yielded perhaps surprising results. Examples include the fifth order scaling law for electromagnetic motor torque and the zero order scaling law for capacitive motor power. These laws demonstrate important facts about actuators in small-scale systems. The primary intent of this introduction into scaling law analysis is to provide needed tools to examine possible areas of the research in small-scale systems and direct research toward more fruitful areas. Numerous examples have been included to show the validity of developing scaling laws based on first principles and how real world systems tend to obey these laws even when many ...
Substation machinery foundation works have some features such as a number of work cases second look cases in design, and so forth. The Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. started the development of a system generally supporting the substation machinery foundation design to practical use the Engineering Work Station (EWS) introduced to the civil engineering department as a part of improvement of management efficiency. At first, rigid foundation design support system (TRAD) and slab foundation design support system (KANSAS-IN) automatically conductible with from preparation of design and amount calculation sheet to preparation of design drawing was developed, which was began to operate since March of 1996. As a result, the rigid foundation design became able to execute fully automatic works from preparation of design and its drawing to amount calculation. And, on the slab foundation design, three dimensional FEM analysis could be ...
The K sub(#alpha#)/K sub(#beta#) intensity ratio of Mn KX-rays scattered by metallic samples changed remarkably with the geometry between the sample and the "5"5Fe source-Si(Li) detector system. On the contrary, this intensity ratio changed little in the cases of non-metallic scatterer samples such as lucite or mylar. This difference is interpreted as due to the occurrence of strong or weak interference in the coherent scattering photons. (author).
Inputs on radiological conditions forms the basis of implementation of effective exposure control to plant personnel in nuclear power station. Radiation monitoring system provides this input to the plant operator as well as to health physics group. Several design modifications have been incorporated in the Radiation Monitoring System at Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS 3 and 4) over the similar systems at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) and Kaiga Generating Station (KGS). The radiological monitoring systems installed at TAPS unit 3 and 4 includes on line Radiation Data Acquisition System (RADAS), Emergency samplingsystem, effluent monitoring system and environmental monitoring system. The design changes and the versatile use of these systems are presented in this paper. ...
Corrosion is a materials degradation process that engineering personnel in the pulp and paper industry have had to accept as unavoidable to some degree, due to aggressive processing conditions prevalent in paper mills. The increasing incidence of corrosion-related failures in plant and equipment has resulted in the introduction of new techniques to monitor corrosion rates, since many of the more traditional methods do not provide data that is either recent or accurate enough. Thin layer activation (TLA) is a new corrosion monitoring technique which has recently been employed to measure corrosion trends inside a continuous pulp digester. With TLA a surface is irradiated by a particle beam from a nuclear accelerator, causing it to be labelled with an accurate depth profile and low level radioactivity. By monitoring this activity, it is possible to calculate how much of the surface has been removed by corrosion. 14 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs.
Corrosion is a materials degradation process that engineering personnel in the pulp and paper industry have had to accept as unavoidable to some degree, due to aggressive processing conditions prevalent in paper mills. The increasing incidence of corrosion-related failures in plant and equipment has resulted in the introduction of new techniques to monitor corrosion rates, since many of the more traditional methods do not provide data that is either recent or accurate enough. Thin layer activation (TLA) is a new corrosion monitoring technique which has recently been employed to measure corrosion trends inside a continuous pulp digester. With TLA a surface is irradiated by a particle beam from a nuclear accelerator, causing it to be labelled with an accurate depth profile and low level radioactivity. By monitoring this activity, it is possible to calculate how much of the surface has been removed by corrosion. 14 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs.
Introduction.Microfluidic technology allows fast reactions in a simple experimental setup, while using very low volumes and amounts of starting material. Consequently, microfluidic technology is an ideal tool for radiolabeling reactions involving short-lived positron emitters. Optimization of the complex array of different reaction conditions requires knowledge of the different reaction parameters linked to the microfluidic system as well as their influence on the radiochemical yields. 1-(5-Deoxy-5-fluoro-?-d-arabinofuranosyl)-2-nitroimidazole ([18F]FAZA) is a frequently used radiotracer for PET imaging of tumor hypoxia. The present study describes the radiosynthesis of [18F]FAZA by means of microfluidic technology and subsequent small animal PET imaging in EMT-6 tumor-bearing mice.Methods...
Introduction: Patients in underdeveloped nations have limited access to life-saving medical technology including cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices. We evaluated alternative means to provide such technology to this patient population while assessing the safety and efficacy of such a practice. Methods: Patients in the United States with clinical indications for extraction of CRM devices were consented. Antemortem CRM devices were cleaned and sterilized following a protocol established at our institution. Surveillance in vitro cultures were performed for quality assurance. The functional status of pulse generators was tested with a pacing system analyzer to confirm at least 70% battery life. Most generators were transported, in person, to an implanting institution in Nicaragua. Recipien...
In recent years, the method for unitarizing nonunitary Dyson boson realizations of shell-model algebras has been both generalized and substantially simplified through the introduction of overtly group-theoretical methods. In this paper, these methods are applied to the boson-odd-particle realization of the algebra SO(2..nu..+1) for ..nu.. single-particle levels, adapted to the group chain SO(2..nu..+1) contains SO(2..nu..) contains U(..nu..), which Marshalek first derived by brute force summation of a Taylor expansion and later Okubo by a largely algebraic technique.
The introduction of numerical control (NC) machine tools has made it possible to automate machining in series and small series production. The organization of automated production sections merged NC machine tools with automated transport systems. However, both the one and the other require the presence of an operative at the machine for low skilled operations. Industrial robots perform a number of auxiliary operations, such as equipment loading-unloading and control, changing cutting and auxiliary tools, controlling workpieces and parts, and cleaning of location surfaces. When used with a group of equipment they perform transfer operations between the machine tools. Industrial robots eliminate the need for workers to form auxiliary operations. This underscores the importance of developing robotized manufacturing centers providing for minimal human participation in production and creating conditions for two and three shift operation of ...
To make the Dutch energy system more sustainable as formulated in the objectives of the recently constituted Task Force Energietransitie (Energy Transition), additional investments by the government in sustainable energy are needed. One of the ideas is to start a public-private risk bearing fund that invests in Netherlands based innovation projects in the area of sustainable energy. The ingoing assumption is that there is a shortage of capital supply for innovation projects that are in between the Research and Development phase and the market introduction phase, and that the government can attract further commercial private capital by co-investing itself. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has asked Bain and Company to perform a due diligence on the validity of the in-going assumptions for raising such a Venture Capital fund. This report contains the key conclusions of the study performed in June and the first half of July of 2006.
Introduction The objective of this study was to investigate the in-vitro fluoride release from a glass ionomer orthodontic bonding system (Fuji I, GC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) over a 2-month period and the in-vivo enamel fluoride uptake after 6 months. Methods Ten metal brackets were bonded with either glass ionomer or composite resin (Transbond XT, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif; Light Cure), which served as controls, to recently extracted molars. The bonded teeth, cut at the level of their roots, were stored in distilled water that was renewed after every fluoride measurement at 1, 3, 7, 30, and 60 days. The in-vitro fluoride release was measured by using a fluoride ion-selective electrode, connected to an ion analyzer. Fifteen pairs of premolars were bonded with metal brackets with either ...
To diversify the mix of domestic energy resources and to reduce dependence on imported oil, ethanol is widely investigated for applying in combination with Diesel fuel to reduce pollutants, including smoke and NOx. Present work aims at developing a fumigation system for introduction of ethanol in a small capacity Diesel engine and to determine its effects on emission. Fumigation was achieved by using a constant volume carburetor. Different percentages of ethanol fumes with air were then introduced in the Diesel engine, under various load conditions. Ethanol is an oxygenated fuel and lead to smooth and efficient combustion. Atomization of ethanol also results in lower combustion temperature. During the present study, gaseous emission has been found to be decreasing with ethanol fumigation. ...
IntroductionThe elimination of microorganisms from the root canal system necessitates the use of combination of irrigating solutions to enhance their antimicrobial property. The combination of irrigants and their interaction sometimes could be detrimental to the outcome of the root canal therapy. The purposes of this study were (1) to evaluate the interaction between 7% maleic acid (MA) and 2% chlorhexidine gluconate solution (CHX) and to find out the availability of individual irrigant and (2) to determine the free available chlorine content when 7% MA was mixed with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution. MethodsInteraction between MA and CHX was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Available chlorine content in NaOCl was evaluated by the standard iodine/thiosulfate tit...
Manitoba Hydro's Ice Storm Management Program to reduce ice damage to overhead power lines in the voltage range of 8 kV to 115 kV is described. Overhead power lines are de-iced either by AC ice melting, which involves placing a three-phase short at a calculated point, or ice rolling, which is a process of mechanically stripping ice from conductors. Direct current heating and underground distribution systems are also accepted prevention measures. Advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods of de-icing are reviewed. Material for this paper has been extracted from a workshop manual prepared for the 1993 and 1998 Ice Storm Management workshops organized by Manitoba Hydro through the Canadian Electrical Association. 1 ref.
Abstract:- Significant interest has emerged in the introduction of food packaging materials manufactured from biodegradable polymers that have the potential to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional packaging materials. Current technologies in active packaging enable effective antimicrobial (AM) packaging films to be prepared from biodegradable materials that have been modified and/or blended with different compatible materials and/or plasticisers. A wide range of AM films prepared from modified biodegradable materials have the potential to be used for packaging of various food products. This review examines biodegradable polymers derived from polysaccharides and protein-based materials for their potential use in packaging systems designed for the protection of food ...
Abstract Introduction.- Infection is the worst complication seen with inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP). Both the American Medical Systems (AMS) and Coloplast IPP have infection retardant coatings. AMS is coated at the factory with rifampicin and minocycline (InhibiZone). The Coloplast IPP has a hydrophilic coating covalently bonded to its components that will absorb any aqueous solution before implantation and provides increased surface lubricity to decrease bacterial adherence. Aim.- We tested several antibiotic dips comparing zones of inhibition (ZOI) against five commonly infecting bacteria with coated Coloplast implants. Results were compared with those ZOI created with strips of an AMS IPP precoated with InhibiZone. Methods.- Pieces of sterile Coloplast Titan IPP were dipped in (i) ...
In recent years, the method for unitarizing nonunitary Dyson boson realizations of shell-model algebras has been both generalized and substantially simplified through the introduction of overtly group-theoretical methods. In this paper, these methods are applied to the boson-odd-particle realization of the algebra SO(2#nu#+1) for #nu# single-particle levels, adapted to the group chain SO(2#nu#+1) contains SO(2#nu#) contains U(#nu#), which Marshalek first derived by brute force summation of a Taylor expansion and later Okubo by a largely algebraic technique. (orig.).
Critical experiments have been analyzed to verify a nuclear analysis system for fast reactors used in Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC). The experiments were performed in a collaboration work between JNC and the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering of Russia to dispose Russian surplus weapons plutonium, focusing on the effect of the introduction of uranium-plutonium mixed-dioxide (MOX) fuel and stainless steel reflector into the current BN-600 core that is comprised of UO_2 fuel and blanket. The analysis results agreed well with measured values on most of the nuclear characteristics. The accuracies are comparable to those obtained for the conventional MOX fueled fast reactors. It suggests that the JNC analysis system can analyze accurately nuclear characteristics in uranium fueled cores as well. A significant improvement was achieved on the sodium void reactivity by employing an ultra fine group cell ...
Summary'THE ROLE OF THE UK PLANNING SYSTEM IN PROTECTING AND ENHANCING SOILS PROJECT REF: UKLQ01 APRIL 2004 INTRODUCTION Soil has long been overlooked in environmental planning. Whilst it has sometimes benefited from indirect protection, until recently its importance and vulnerability have not been reflected in more explicit strategies. This study explored the current and potential role of the planning system in protecting and enhancing soils. Soil is the physical material that covers much o [continued...]DescriptionSNIFFER has commissioned this study on behalf of SEPA, SNH, EHS and the Environment Agency for England and Wales. These UK agencies have an interest in protecting soil quality through a combination of direct regulation of emissions to land, protection of designated sites of special value or sensitivity and engaging other regulatory regimes such as land use planning. All UK environment agencies devote ...
The conference reviewed the state of the art of stationary fuel cell systems, concepts, and the next steps to be taken. Fuel cell systems of several hundred kW have been designed and constructed already. Systems for domestic power supply are in the range of several kW. [German] Die in den letzten zehn Jahren gewonnenen Erfahrungen mit den ersten Pilotanlagen sind eine wichtige und unentbehrliche Hilfe den Weg in den Markt fuer die Brennstoffzelle zu ebnen. Der vorliegende Tagungsband soll diese Erfahrungen fuer die stationaer eingesetzten Brennstoffzellen zusammenfassen und ein aktuelles Bild ueber die daraus gewonnenen Konzepte und Vorstellungen fuer die naechsten Schritte aufzeigen. Bei Energieversorgern sind hier Leistungsgroessen von bis zu mehreren 100 kW eingesetzt worden. Der Leistungsbereich, der fuer die Aufgaben der Hausenergieversorgung typisch ist, befindet sich demgegenueber im Bereich einiger kW. (orig.)
A method to control charge transfer reaction in DNA using hybrid nanometer-sized TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles was developed. In this system extended charge separation reflects the sequence of DNA and was measured using metallic silver deposition or by photocurrent response. Light-induced extended charge separation in these systems was found to be dependent on the DNA-bridge length and sequence. The yield of photocatalytic deposition of silver was studied in systems having GG accepting sites imbedded in AT runs at varying distances from the TiO{sub 2} nanoparticle surface. Weak distance dependence of charge separation indicative of a hole hopping through mediating adenine (A) sites was found. The quantum yield of silver deposition in the system having a GG accepting site placed 8.5 {angstrom} from the nanoparticle surface was found to be {Phi} = 0.70 (70%) and {Phi} = 0.56 (56%) for (A){sub n} and (AT){sub ...
Experiments were carried out to determine the adsorption capability of some commercial activated and non-activated charcoal samples with methanol to select the most favourable pair to be used in a solar adsorption refrigeration system. The results obtained are presented. A simple method has been used to enhance the adsorption capability of the lumpwood charcoal. (Author)
It is reported that due to the large demand for electricity in Japanese homes and given the fact that the energy consumption rate of air conditioners to the total energy consumption rate in an average home exceeds 20%, an energy saving-type room air conditioner is essential, also for environmental reasons. Japanese customers ranked high running costs as a major drawback of conventional equipment. Toshiba started developing the first generation energy saving air conditioners in 1993. Improvements to the concept were made and the 1995 model offers a heating COP of 4.65 and a cooling COP of 4.3 at rated conditions, an improvement of more than 30% compared to the conventional model. Various component improvements have led to this high performance including the indoor fan design, a DC compressor motor and inverter using digital sampling, advanced (PMV) control technology, and compact heat exchangers. The latest feature is genetic algorithm control. The latest model also ...
The relationship between processing, microstructure, and properties was studied for A-15 compounds in multifilamentary composites produced by solid-state diffusion and in thin-film samples produced by vapor deposition. Grain sizes of A-15 superconducting compounds were measured by transmission electron microscopy of multifilamentary composites reacted at various temperatures. Critical current densities at 4.2 K and fields up to 6 T were found to be similar for niobium-tin, vanadium-gallium, and vanadium-silicon of the same grain size. Study of the Cu-V-Si phase diagram led to the production of improved multifilamentary vanadium-silicon conductors. The effects of various alloying elements on A-15 layers produced by solid-state diffusion were studied. The most promising new observation was that tantalum can be incorporated into niobium-tin reaction layers, leading to an enhancement of critical currents at high fields. The critical temperature of vapor-deposited, ...
Full text: A Large Sample Neutron Activation Analysis (LSNAA) facility is under development at GRR-1 research reactor, NCSR 'Demokritos'. The LSNAA facility design incorporates sample irradiation in the reactor's graphite thermal neutron column and subsequent measurement of the activity induced at a gamma spectroscopy system with gamma ray transmission measurement options included. Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code MCNP-4C was used to model the facility. Appropriate correction factors accounting for neutron field perturbation during sample irradiation, high purity germanium detector efficiency for the volume source and gamma ray self-absorption within the sample itself were derived. The results of the computations were experimentally verified by activation foil measurements for a set of known materials and a range of sample sizes extending up to 10 ...
In the last 30 years high energy physics could write an impressive story of success. Since the introduction of the Standard Model (SM), it has met every experimental test. However the final confirmation has to prove the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking, which could not be confirmed yet. The most favored theory, which includes the introduction of a Higgs field, could not be verified experimentally. Furthermore there is clear evidence, that the SM is only a low energy description of nature and its principles, as the SM describes only 4 % of the known matter in the universe. There are two different approaches in accelerator driven high energy physics to clarify the open questions. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have a good opportunity to measure some of the missing pieces with its high center of mass energy. The International Linear Collider (ILC) will then measure their parameters with high precision. To guarantee this high precision ...
Bethlehem Steel Corporation (BSC), in conjunction with the Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting a Clean Coal Technology (CCT) project at its Sparrows Point, Maryland Coke Oven Plant. This innovative coke oven gas cleaning system combines several existing technologies into an integrated system for removing impurities from Coke Oven Gas (COG) to make it an acceptable fuel. DOE provided cost-sharing under a Cooperative Agreement with BSC. This Cooperative Agreement requires BSC to develop and conduct and Environmental Monitoring Plan for the Clean Coal Technology project and to report the status of the EMP on a quarterly basis. It also requires the preparation of a final report on the results of the Baseline Compliance and Supplemental Sampling Programs that are part of the EMP and which were conducted prior to the startup of the innovative coke oven gas cleaning system. This report is the Baseline ...
This ETP defines the task and deliverables associated with the design, fabrication and testing of an improved spray wash system for the Rotary Mode Core Sampling (RMCS)Spray Wash Trailer.
We measured and evaluated digital, pre-sampling and overall imaging properties (characteristic curve, modulation transfer function (MTF), Wiener spectrum (WS), noise equivalent quanta (NEQ)) for Cannon's flat-panel detector (FPD), Fuji computed radiography (FCR) and screen-film (S/F) systems, respectively. First, the digital and overall characteristic curves of FPD and FCR systems were more wide dynamic range than that of the S/F system. Second, the pre-sampling and overall MTF of FPD system were better than those of FCR system a little at lower spatial frequencies than 0.8 mm"-"1, but the overall MTF of FPD and FCR systems were worse than that of S/F system a little at all spatial frequencies. Third, the digital and overall WS of FPD system were similar or better than those of ...
We measured and evaluated digital, pre-sampling and overall imaging properties (characteristic curve, modulation transfer function (MTF), Wiener spectrum (WS), noise equivalent quanta (NEQ)) for Cannon's flat-panel detector (FPD), Fuji computed radiography (FCR) and screen-film (S/F) systems, respectively. First, the digital and overall characteristic curves of FPD and FCR systems were more wide dynamic range than that of the S/F system. Second, the pre-sampling and overall MTF of FPD system were better than those of FCR system a little at lower spatial frequencies than 0.8 mm{sup -1}, but the overall MTF of FPD and FCR systems were worse than that of S/F system a little at all spatial frequencies. Third, the digital and overall WS of FPD system were similar or better ...
Analytical methods developed to sample and characterize ambient organic aerosols often face the trade-off between long sampling times and the loss of detailed information regarding specific chemical species present. In the work presented here, high-time resolution ambient measurements (3.5 minutes) are achieved by using the Photoionization Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (PIAMS) in conjunction with the mini-Versatile Aerosol Concentration Enrichment System (m-VACES). Aerosol sampling took place for one week at State of Delaware Air Quality Monitoring Site in Wilmington, Delaware in June 2006. The soft, universal ionization scheme of PIAMS allows for identification of various chemical compounds by a signature ion, often the molecular ion. Meteorological data was used to link some species, such as...
A new experimental technique to measure material shear strength at high pressures has been developed for use on magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) drive pulsed power platforms. By applying an external static magnetic field to the sample region, the MHD drive directly induces a shear stress wave in addition to the usual longitudinal stress wave. Strength is probed by passing this shear wave through a sample material where the transmissible shear stress is limited to the sample strength. The magnitude of the transmitted shear wave is measured via a transverse VISAR system from which the sample strength is determined.
A new external-PIXE system utilizing a differential pumping technique, which can completely protect the accelerator and vacuum pumps when the exit foil breaks down, has been developed. Applications to analyses of liquid and heavily-outgassing samples were successfully achieved. Also, experiments for evaluating the efficiency of the system were performed and results will be presented. (author)
Microfluidic systems and methods are disclosed which are adapted to transport and lyse cellular components of a test sample for analysis. The disclosed microfluidic systems and methods, which employ an electric field to rupture the cell membrane, cause unusually rapid lysis, thereby minimizing continued cellular activity and resulting in greater accuracy of analysis of cell processes.
We outline the process for determining the morphology of subsurface epithelial cell nuclei using depth-resolved light scattering measurements. The measurements are accomplished using a second generation angle-resolved low coherence interferometry system. The new system greatly improves data acquisition and analysis times compared to the initial prototype system. The calibration of the new system is demonstrated in scattering studies to determine the size distribution of polystyrene microspheres in a turbid sample. The process for determining the size of cell nuclei is discussed by analyzing measurements of basal cells in a sub-surface layer of intact, unstained epithelial tissue.
An ion chromatograph has been modified to automatically sample ten liquid water streams from the secondary side of three pressurized water reactors, Calvert Cliffs, Unit One, Rancho Seco and McGuire, Unit 1. Sampling and measurement is semicontinuous with a cycle time of approximately five hours for 10 locations with sensitivities in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 ppb. The efficiency of the condensate polishing system and subsequent transport of sodium, chloride, and sulfate around the system can be readily followed. Sulfate has been shown to have unusual volatility into the steam phase from the steam generator as well as a tendency to pass through the condensate polisher.
The Savannah River Site (SRS), one of several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities, produces nuclear materials for national defense and for other government and civilian uses. SRS ceased production of defense materials in 1988, and the site's main activities now involve waste management and environmental restoration. These programs have generated extensive effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance programs for the Environmental Monitoring Section (EMS), which performs #approx#105,000 radiological analyses on 30,000 samples a year. Gamma spectroscopy is performed on an estimated 10,000 samples annually. This report describes a program to develop and improve the EMS system.
The Vortec Cyclone Melting System (CMS) facility; to be located at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, is designed to treat soil contaminated with low levels of heavy metals and radioactive elements, as well as organic waste. The primary components of Vortec`s CMS are a counter rotating vortex (CRV) reactor and cyclone melter. In the CMS process, granular glass forming ingredients and other feedstocks are introduced into the CRV reactor where the intense CRV mixing allows the mixture to achieve a stable reaction and rapid heating of the feedstock materials. Organic contaminants in the feedstock are effectively oxidized, and the inert inorganic solids are melted. The University of North Dakota Energy {ampersand} Environmental Research Center (EERC) has been contacted to help in the development of sampling plans and to conduct the sampling at the facility. This document is written in a format ...
This report describes the sampling and chemical analyses of smoke gas components for combustion performed in the SP Industry Calorimeter, where continuous measurements of oxygen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are an integrated part of the Calorimeter system. On-line measurements of nitrogen oxides and total amounts of unburnt hydrocarbons were performed. Hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and ammonia in the smoke were sampled and absorbed in impinger bottles and subsequently analyzed using wet chemical techniques. An adsorbent samplingsystem was designed to allow the identification and quantitative analysis of individual organic compounds in the smoke. Gas chromatography was utilized with a mass spectrometric detector for the identification and a FID for quantification of the total amounts as well as individual components. A procedure for cleaning the smoke gas duct in ...
This book describes one approach to building and operating biogas systems. The biogas systems include raw material preparation, digesters, separate gas storage tanks, use of the gas to run engines, and the use of the sludge as fertilizer. Chapters included are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Biogas Systems are Small Factories"; (3) "The Raw Materials of Biogas Digestion"; (4) "The Daily Operation of a Biogas Factory"; (5) "The Once a Year Cleaning of the Digester"; (6) "Tanks and Pipes: Storing and Moving Biogas"; (7) "The Factory's Products: Biogas"; (8) "The Factory's Products: Biofertilizer"; (9) "The ABCs of Safety"; and (10) "Conclusion: Profiting from an Appropriate Technology." Many diagrams are provided throughout this handbook. New ideas, composting, bioinsecticides, ferrocement, facts and figures, sources and resources, feasibility studies, problem solving, and vocabulary are presented in the ...
In the upgrade project of the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider (BEPCII), a novel Detector-Control System (DCS) for the Beijing Spectrometer (BESIII) has been built and started its successful operation for the BESIII Commissioning. The main task of the DCS is to monitor and control the status of the BESIII detector and to guarantee a safe operation of the detector. The DCS must provide a uniform and coherent interface to detector operators even though there are a large number of distributed I/O channels from a large variety of equipments. For this reason, the DCS is hierarchically organized and divided into three layers: front-end layer (FEL), local control layer (LCL) and global control layer (GCL). In the FEL, devices ranging from simple sensors up to complex computer-based devices like embedded systems and programmable logical controllers (PLC) are utilized. A LabVIEW-based software framework has been developed for the LCL. Network ...
The SPring-8 linac has been improved to realize stable top-up injection into the SPring-8 and the NewSUBARU storage rings. The beam energy instability of 0.02% rms in the long term was achieved by means of reducing RF variations, providing beam energy compensation, reinforcement of monitor systems and introduction of beam feedback controls: Variations in the RF power and phase have been reduced by improving the voltage regulation system for the klystron modulator, and by stabilizing the temperature drift of the atmosphere and cooling water in order to reduce the phase variation. A new synchronous oscillator synchronizes a beam trigger pulse and a 2856 MHz reference signal, reducing variation in the beam charge. A beam energy compression system (ECS) was installed to compensate for accidental energy variation and reduce the energy spread. Beam feedback controls compensate for residual long-term ...
The goal of this study is to estimate the relevance and Influence of the Existing Regulation and the RI-PBR to the institutionalization of the regulatory system. This study reviews the current regulatory system and the status of the RI-PBR implementation of the US NRC and Korea based upon SECY Papers, Risk Informed Regulation Implementation Plan (RIRIP) of the US NRC and other domestic studies. In order to investigate the perceptions, knowledge level, ground for the regulatory change, a survey was performed to Korean nuclear utilities, researchers and regulators on the perception on the RIR. The questionnaire was composed of 50 questions regarding personal details on work experience, level of education and specific field of work ; level of knowledge on the risk informed performance based regulation (RI-PBR); the perception of the current regulation, the effectiveness, level of procedure, flexibility, dependency on the regulator and personal ...
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.
Ground-water monitoring near the Raft River site was initiated in 1974 by the IDWR. This effort consisted of semiannual chemical sampling of 22 irrigation wells near the Raft River geothermal development area. This program yielded useful baseline chemical data; however, several problems were inherent. For example, access to water pumped from the wells is limited to the irrigation season (April through September). All the wells are not continuously pumped; thus, some wells that are sampled one season cannot be sampled the next. In addition, information on well construction, completion, and production is often unreliable or not available. These data are to be supplemented by establishing a series of monitor wells in the proposed geothermal withdrawal and injection area. These wells were to be located and designed to provide data necessary for evaluating and predicting the impact of geothermal development on the Shallow ...
These notes intended for use in DTU course 02233 on Network Security give a short introduction to the topic of malware. The most important types of malware are described, together with their basic principles of operation and dissemination, and defences against malware are discussed.
Polyester WPC (wood-polymer composite) systems are one of the promising materials for multiple uses increasing the mechanical properties, provided that their dimensional stability can be improved. Possibility was pursued for the improvement in the dimensional stability of the polyester WPC systems prepared by electron beam irradiation. The impregnation of the mixture of polyester and monomer into both oven-dried beech veneers and preswollen wood was followed by mutual irradiation process. Polymerization was carried out at total dosage of 6 Mrad to the respective surfaces of samples by an electron beam accelerator, and the reaction was completed by heating at 80 deg C for 24 hr. The dimensions of the samples were measured primarily in the tangential direction, and their dynamic modulus and loss modulus were measured by a Rheovibron DDV-2 and the vibrating reed method. The results and the discussion are ...
Polyester WPC (wood-polymer composite) systems are one of the promising materials for multiple uses increasing the mechanical properties, provided that their dimensional stability can be improved. Possibility was pursued for the improvement in the dimensional stability of the polyester WPC systems prepared by electron beam irradiation. The impregnation of the mixture of polyester and monomer into both oven-dried beech veneers and preswollen wood was followed by mutual irradiation process. Polymerization was carried out at total dosage of 6 Mrad to the respective surfaces of samples by an electron beam accelerator, and the reaction was completed by heating at 80 deg C for 24 hr. The dimensions of the samples were measured primarily in the tangential direction, and their dynamic modulus and loss modulus were measured by a Rheovibron DDV-2 and the vibrating reed method. The results and the discussion are ...
This paper describes an electronic imaging system for producing real time neutron radiography from a low power research reactor, which will allow inspections of samples with high efficiency, in terms of measuring time and result analysis. This system has been implanted because of its potential use in various scientific and industrial areas where neutron radiography with photographic film could not be applied. This real time system is installed in neutron radiography facility of Argonauta nuclear research reactor, at the Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear of the Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear, in Brazil. It is adequate to perform real time neutron radiography of static and dynamic events of samples.
This paper describes an electronic imaging system for producing real time neutron radiography from a low power research reactor, which will allow inspections of samples with high efficiency, in terms of measuring time and result analysis. This system has been implanted because of its potential use in various scientific and industrial areas where neutron radiography with photographic film could not be applied. This real time system is installed in neutron radiography facility of Argonauta nuclear research reactor, at the Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear of the Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear, in Brazil. It is adequate to perform real time neutron radiography of static and dynamic events of samples.
Commercial introduction of new polymer materials for use as the electrolyte in solid tantalum and solid aluminum electrolytic capacitors is underway. ...
A novel system has been deployed to obtain geochemical samples of water and gas, at in situ pressure, during a geologic CO2 sequestration experiment conducted in the Frio brine aquifer in Liberty County, Texas. Project goals required high-frequency recovery of representative and uncontaminated aliquots of a rapidly changing two-phase (supercritical CO2-brine) fluid from 1.5 km depth. The datasets collected, using both the liquid and gas portions of the downhole samples, provide insights into the coupled hydro-geochemical issues affecting CO2 sequestration in brine-filled formations. While the basic premise underlying the U-Tube sampler is not new, the system is unique because careful consideration was given to the processing of the recovered two-phase fluids. In particular, strain gauges mounted beneath the high-pressure surface sample cylinders measured the ratio of recovered brine ...
The challenge for truck engine product engineering is not only to fulfill increasingly stringent emission requirements, but also to improve the engine's economical viability in its role as the backbone of our global economy. While societal impact and therefore emission limit values are to be reduced in big steps, continuous improvement is not enough but technological quantum leaps are necessary. The introduction and refinement of electronic control of all major engine systems has already been a quantum leap forward. Maximizing the benefits of these technologies to customers and society requires full use of parameter optimization and other enabling technologies. The next big step forward will be widespread use of exhaust aftertreatment on all transportation related diesel engines. While exhaust gas aftertreatment has been successfully established on gasoline (Otto cycle) engines, the introduction of exhaust ...
This technical memorandum (TM) documents the 1995 characterization of eight underground radioactive waste tanks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). These tanks belong to the Gunite and Associated Tanks (GAAT) operable unit, and the characterization is part of the ongoing GAAT remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) process. This TM reports both field observations and analytical results; analytical results are also available from the Oak Ridge Environmental Information System (OREIS) data base under the project name GAAT (PROJ-NAME = GAAT). This characterization effort (Phase II) was a follow-up to the {open_quotes}Phase I{close_quotes} sampling campaign reported in Results of Fall 1994 Sampling of Gunite and Associated Tanks at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, ORNL/ER/Sub/87-99053/74, June 1995. The information contained here should be used in conjunction with that in the previous TM. ...
Many analytical chemistry methods normally used at the Savannah River site require repetitive procedures and handling of radioactive and other hazardous solutions. Robotics is being investigated as a method of reducing personnel fatigue and radiation exposure and also increasing product quality. Several applications of various commercially available robot systems are discussed involving cold (nonradioactive) and hot (radioactive) sample preparations and glovebox waste removal. Problems encountered in robot programming, parts fixturing, design of special robot hands and other support equipment, glovebox operation, and operator-system interaction are discussed. A typical robot system cost analysis for one application is given.
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)
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.
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.
As part of the demonstration testing of the Purge Water Management System (PWMS) technology at the Savannah River Site (SRS), four wells were equipped with PWMS units in 1997 and a series of sampling events were conducted at each during 1997-1998. Three of the wells were located in A/M Area while the fourth was located at the Old Radioactive Waste Burial Ground in the General Separations Area.The PWMS is a ''closed-loop'', non-contact, system used to collect and return purge water to the originating aquifer after a sampling event without having significantly altered the water quality. One of the primary concerns as to its applicability at SRS, and elsewhere, is whether the PWMS might resample groundwater that is returned to the aquifer during the previous sampling event. The purpose of the present investigation was to compare groundwater chemical ...
Electricity generation from natural gas in gas turbine units can be made substantially more efficient by preliminary methane conversion to a synthesis gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide and/or by the use of some of the synthesis gas produced in industry. An alternative improvement involves the introduction of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and the use of the synthesis gas in them. In this study, a modified scheme of gas turbine cycle that includes an SOFC, a membrane reactor (instead of a traditional combustion chamber), and a catalytic reactor to perform methane conversion to produce hydrogen (synthesis gas) is proposed. Variations of the energy and exergy efficiencies of the integrated system with operating conditions are provided, showing, for example, that SOFC efficiency is enhanced if the fuel cell active area is augmented. The SOFC stack efficiency can be maximized by reducing the steam generation while increasing the stack ...
Using an economic perspective, it is possible to make a case for green buildings and green development practices by placing emphasis on Energy Efficiency and Environmental Design. Several case studies have demonstrated that green buildings save money through reduced consumption of natural resources, electricity and gas both at the building site and at the source of energy. Sound environmental practices and energy efficiency measures improve the environmental conditions throughout the state by reducing power plant emissions and reducing operations and maintenance budgets in the state. The author presented a case study where a green development project was guided and monitored using the Environmental Performance Rating System called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), version 2.0. The work was registered to achieve LEED certification. A brief study on current construction related costs was also included. 2 refs., 1 fig.
For a long time, signal processing applications, and most particularly detection and parameter estimation methods, have relied on the limiting behaviour of test statistics and estimators, as the number n of observations of a population grows large comparatively to the population size N, i.e. n>>N. Modern technological and societal advances now demand the study of sometimes extremely large populations, while simultaneously requiring fast signal processing due to accelerated system dynamics; this results in not-so-large practical ratios n/N, sometimes even smaller than one. A disruptive change in classical signal processing methods has therefore been initiated in the past ten years, mostly spurred by the field of large dimensional random matrix theory. The early literature in random matrix theory for signal processing applications is however scarce and highly technical. This tutorial proposes an accessible methodological introduction to the ...
INTRODUCTION: This study examined the efficacy and safety of selegiline transdermal system (STS) and brief repeated behavioral intervention (BRBI) for smoking cessation in heavy smokers. We hypothesized that the quit rate of subjects who received STS and BRBI would be significantly greater than that of those who received placebo patch and BRBI. METHODS: This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group study in which 246 men and women were randomized to receive either STS (n = 121) or placebo patch (n =125) for 9 weeks. Recruitment targeted heavy smokers, defined as individuals with self-reported use of ?15 cigarettes/day in the 30 days prior to enrollment, who had smoked cigarettes for the past 5 years, and had an expired CO level ?9 ppm during screening. RESULTS: Although STS was well tolerated, the overall results indicated that STS with BRBI was not more effective than placebo plus BRBI for smoking cessation (p = .58). Conclusions: ...
The introduction of positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) systems into medical practice in the foreseeable future may not only lead to a gain in clinical diagnosis compared to PET/computed tomography (CT) imaging due to the superior soft-tissue contrast of the MR technology but can also substantially reduce exposure of patients to ionizing radiation. On the other hand, there are also risks and health effects associated with the use of diagnostic MR devices that have to be considered carefully. This review article summarizes biophysical and biological aspects, which are of relevance for the assessment of health effects related to the exposure of patients to both ionizing radiation in PET and magnetic and electromagnetic fields in MR. On this basis, some considerations concerning the justification and optimization of PET/MR examinations are presented - as far as this is possible at this very early stage. Current safety ...
The object of this report is to assemble information on and describe the situation for the development of hybrid vehicles and various alternatives within this field of development. In the report the description is concentrated mainly on the combination of combustion engine and electric battery, which is the most common combination in present day hybrid vehicles. In order to take a glimpse into the future even the combination of fuel cells and electric battery is described. The light duty electric hybrid vehicles which have been developed up to now are mainly parallel hybrids. If the development of hybrid systems takes place it will most certainly concern light duty vehicles which will come to be parallel hybrids equipped with an Otto or a diesel engine, depending on what the manufacturers wish to back. In the report the use of series hybrid vehicles is estimated to be limited to heavy-duty hybrid vehicles. Hybrids will not be likely to be relevant for heavy-duty ...
This report is a survey of the English language literature of radiation biology between 1947 and 1987, for the purpose of compiling a literature base on the effects of radiation on animals, which have yielded results that can expand our knowledge about similar radiation effects on human beings. Articles were sought that reported exposure of adult mammals to external sources of ionizing radiation, having endpoints that included effects on the brain, the spinal cord, and behavior of the gastrointestinal, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems and the hematopoietic and immune systems. Effects of interest were those that occurred within the first 12 months after exposure. The survey does not include articles reporting chronic or long term delayed effects of radiation unless they provided insight into mechanisms of morphological and/or functional derangement. Information presented in the report is divided into subtopics (i.e., Brain-Morphological ...
An exposure chamber is described for the quantifiable addition of fine and ultrafine aerosol particulate matter directly to cells and used to demonstrate the in vitro cytotoxicity of fine 1,4-naphthoquinone particles to murine lung epithelial cells. The electrostatic particulate dosage and exposure system (EPDExS) operates on the principle of electrostatic precipitation and is shown to deposit fine and ultrafine aerosol particles directly to cells with 100% efficiency for particle diameters in the range of 40-530nm. This range is not limited by the EPDExS, but rather by the aerosolization method used for this study. Numbers of particles deposited onto the cells are counted with a condensation particle counter, negating any need to calculate or estimate particle exposure. The process of particle introduction, assessed using Trypan blue dye exclusion, had no effect on cell viability. In combination with a differential mobility classifier, the ...
In nuclear fuel, in approximately one quarter of the fissions, one of the two formed fission products is gaseous. These are mainly the noble gases xenon and krypton with isotopes of xenon contributing up to 90% of the product gases. These noble fission gases do not combine with other species, and have a low solubility in the normally used uranium oxide matrix. They can be dissolved in the fuel matrix or precipitate in nanometer-sized bubbles within the fuel grain, in micrometer-sized bubbles at the grain boundaries, and a fraction also precipitates in fuel pores, coming from fuel fabrication. A fraction of the gas can also be released into the plenum of the fuel rod. With increasing fission, and therefore burn-up, the ceramic fuel material experiences a transformation of its structure in the 'cooler' rim region of the fuel. A subdivision occurs of the original fuel grains of few microns size into thousands of small grains of sub-micron sizes. Additionally, larger ...
A number of noise equivalent quanta (NEQ(u)) has been used in the evaluation of imaging systems. In this paper, we have evaluated the image quality of Fuji computed radiography (FCR) using of NEQ (u) and considered with the effects of the aliasing error of the FCR. The noise samples of the FCR were made by three different exposure levels, and one of these has the same exposure level of the screen-film system. These samples were set with the same characteristic curve condition as that of the screen-film system. Results indicate that NEQ (u) of the FCR system at low frequencies varies depending on the exposure level. On the same exposure level, NEQ(u) of screen-film system has a higher value than that of FCR in the frequency region over 2.5 cycles/mm. Moreover, the aliasing error of FCR increases at the frequency region over 5 cycles/mm. We ...
A number of noise equivalent quanta (NEQ(u)) has been used in the evaluation of imaging systems. In this paper, we have evaluated the image quality of Fuji computed radiography (FCR) using of NEQ (u) and considered with the effects of the aliasing error of the FCR. The noise samples of the FCR were made by three different exposure levels, and one of these has the same exposure level of the screen-film system. These samples were set with the same characteristic curve condition as that of the screen-film system. Results indicate that NEQ (u) of the FCR system at low frequencies varies depending on the exposure level. On the same exposure level, NEQ(u) of screen-film system has a higher value than that of FCR in the frequency region over 2.5 cycles/mm. Moreover, the aliasing error of FCR increases at the frequency region over 5 cycles/mm. We ...
A system and a related method for non-destructive evaluation of the surface characteristics of a magnetic material. The sample is excited by an alternating magnetic field. The field frequency, amplitude and offset are controlled according to a predetermined protocol. The Barkhausen response of the sample is detected for the various fields and offsets and is analyzed. The system produces information relating to the frequency content, the amplitude content, the average or RMS energy content, as well as count rate information, for each of the Barkhausen responses at each of the excitation levels applied during the protocol. That information provides a contiguous body of data, heretofore unavailable, which can be analyzed to deduce information about the surface characteristics of the material at various depths below the surface.
A novel continuous laminar shear structuring crystallizer with a suitable cooling system was designed and built. This is a new method to continuously crystallize edible fat in the desirable polymorphic form from the melt while being uniformly sheared.The machine consists of four main sections: Feed unit, shearing mechanism, cooling system and power unit. In each of these sections specific design considerations are taken into account which makes the process controllable and continuous. The shearing unit is made of two concentric cylinders. The internal cylinder is stationary and has a cooling system inside for temperature control. The outer cylinder rotates to produce a uniform shear in the sample fluid placed in the 1.5mm gap between the cylinders. The sample's feed rate is controlled whil...
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 ...
Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) can fully use the frequency band and transmit data at high speeds. The ADSP-TS101 is a high performance digital signal processor (DSP) with good properties that include parallel processing and a high speed. Aimed at the real-time processing requirement of the OFDM algorithm, an underwater acoustic communication system with real-time processing capability is carried out. The system is mainly composed of multiple ADSP-TS101s, a multi-channel synchronous sample module and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) chip. The multiprocessor structure is made up of a cluster/data flow associated multiprocessing parallel processing structure as the operation kernel, and a multi-channel synchronous sample module is designed to realize no phase warp amo...
At the reference plant (Wolsung unit No. 1) a manual poison samplingsystem is provided to periodically sample gadolinium from each tank and analyze it in the laboratory to provide assurance that adequate poison concentration in each tank is maintained. The AECB required a continuous, on-line monitoring system. On Wolsung unit No. 2, process piping adapter and new instrument loops added to the Liquid Injection Shutdown System(LISS) which is part of SDS2. The new instrument loops continuously monitor SDS2 poison conductivity and initiate an alarm when the poison concentration is too low. 8 refs., 1 fig. (author).
To monitor the groundwater contamination and the effectiveness of remedial actions, over a thousand monitoring wells are in active operation (i.e., require quarterly or semi-annual sampling) at SRS. Most wells are expected to continue in operation for another 20 to 40 more years. Required sample volumes can range from a less than a liter to 10 liters. To support the long-term groundwater monitoring requirements of these wells, SRS actively seeks technologies that can maximize data acquisition and minimize costs. To meet this end, SRS has implemented the Purge Water Management System (PWMS). The key attributes of this system lie in its ability to reduce or eliminate the generation of purged groundwater, which is costly in terms of the time and management.
We have developed a liquid jet injector system that can be used for hydrated sample delivery at X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) sources and 3rd generation synchrotron sources. The injector is based on the Gas Dynamic Virtual Nozzle (GDVN), which generates a liquid jet with diameter ranging from 300 nm to 20 {\\mu}m without the clogging problems associated with conventional Rayleigh jets. An improved nozzle design is presented here. A differential pumping system protects the vacuum chamber and an in-vacuum microscope allows observation of the liquid jet for diagnostics while it is being exposed to the X-ray beam. A fiber optically coupled pump laser illuminating the jet is incorporated for pump-probe experiments. First results with this injector system have been obtained at the LCLS.
The characteristics of real-time neutron radiography are described briefly in this paper, and the acquirement of neutron flux, the selection of convertor and the structure of the twilight imaging system and the image-sampling and image-processing system in SPRR-300 reactor are also analyzed detailedly. The experimental result of real-time neutron radiograph is too analyzed in this paper
In this study the development of a methodology to detect illicit drugs and plastic explosives is described with the objective of being applied in the realm of public security. For this end, non-destructive assay with neutrons was used and the technique applied was the real time neutron radiography together with computerized tomography. The system is endowed with automatic responses based upon the application of an artificial intelligence technique. In previous tests using real samples, the system proved capable of identifying 97% of the inspected materials.
Corrosion resistance of Cu-W system condensates in tap water was studies. It is shown that with an increase in W concentration in the condensates of the Cu-W system their corrosion in tap water enhances. In the material designated for power supply facilities the optimal tungsten content is up to 6%. Owing to formation of oxide film on the surface of the samples corrosion is stabilitized 40 h after the test start.
The NucliSens easyMAG and BioRot 9604 automated nucleic acid extraction systems were evaluated and compared with the manual QIAamp (Qiagen) extraction method for their abilities to extract nucleic acid...Full Text Available
This practical guide for the agribusiness manager (the farmer, rancher, and other agribusiness people who work with agricultural commodities, supplies, and services) gives a basic understanding of modern management practices. It provides guidelines that can help them make practical business decisions. Chapter 1 is an introduction that highlights farm management efficiency, decision making, and goals and objectives. The following 11 chapters discuss recordkeeping (importance and purposes of keeping records, types of systems, record book components), financial analysis (cash flow, net worth, income statements and their ratios; whole farm and enterprise analysis; relationships of various analyses), budget analysis (introduction to types and uses of budgets, how to use and analyze a partial budget, enterprise budget and whole farm budget, production principles, cost components), cash flow analysis (projections and analysis, ...
The EMP consists of a Compliance Monitoring Sampling Program and a Supplemental monitoring Sampling Program. The Compliance Monitoring Sampling Program will be conducted during a summer and a winter Baseline periods during the Pre-Construction/Construction phases of the Project and during a summer and a winter period following the successful Startup and Operational phase of the completed Project. compliance monitoring consist of conducting all the sampling and observation programs associated with existing required Federal, State, and Local Regulations, Permits and Orders. These include air, water, and waste monitoring and OSHA and NESHAP monitoring. The Supplemental Monitoring Program will also be conducted during a summer and a winter Baseline periods during the Pre-Construction/Construction phases of the Demonstration Facility and during a summer and a winter period following the successful startup ...
The EMP consists of a Compliance Monitoring Sampling Program and a Supplemental monitoring Sampling Program. The Compliance Monitoring Sampling Program will be conducted during a summer and a winter Baseline periods during the Pre-Construction/Construction phases of the Project and during a summer and a winter period following the successful Startup and Operational phase of the completed Project. compliance monitoring consist of conducting all the sampling and observation programs associated with existing required Federal, State, and Local Regulations, Permits and Orders. These include air, water, and waste monitoring and OSHA and NESHAP monitoring. The Supplemental Monitoring Program will also be conducted during a summer and a winter Baseline periods during the Pre-Construction/Construction phases of the Demonstration Facility and during a summer and a winter period following the successful startup ...
Low molecular weight epoxy resin based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A was synthesized and mixed at constant percentages with natural rubber. The rubber epoxy system was cured with various types of curing agents such as ethylene diamine, maleic anhydride as well as the prepared resole phenol formaldehyde. A study of the photo-induced crosslinking of the prepared elastic adhesives and film samples was carried out by exposure to ultraviolet lamp (300 w) for 2 weeks at 20 deg. C. Samples containing ethylene diamine were cured at 25 + - 1 deg. C. for 24 h while samples containing maleic anhydride or resole phenol formaldehyde resins were thermally cured at 150-170 deg. C. for 10 min. Cured adhesive compositions were tested mechanically and physically and evaluated as wood adhesives. While hardness, chemical resistance as well as heat stability of the prepared cured film sample were ...
The H-SAPS (Hydrogen Stand-Alone Power System) project, an EU project within the ALTENER programme in the period 2002-2004, was initiated to determine the potential for the introduction of environmentally benign hydrogen technology in what is believed to be a near-term market, namely stand-alone power systems (SAPS). The objective of the project was to examine the technological, political, social and economical factors affecting the emergence of hydrogen technology in the stand-alone power system market today and in the future. The scope of the project was limited to small and medium sized stand-alone power systems, up to a few hundred kilowatts (kW) power rating and based on renewable energy as the primary energy source. The work was divided into five phases: (1) Inception, (2) Data collection and analysis, (3) Market analysis and barrier removal, (4) Dissemination, and (5) Final ...
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).
Until April 2007 the Major Atmospheric Gamma ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescope used a 300 MSamples/s flash analog-to-digital converter (FADC) system to sample the shaped photomultiplier tube (PMT) signals produced by the captured Cherenkov photons of air showers. Different algorithms to reconstruct the signal from the read-out samples (extractors) have been implemented and are described and compared. Criteria based on the obtained charge and time resolution/bias are defined and used to judge the different extractors, by applying them to calibration, cosmic and pedestal signals. The achievable charge and time resolution have been derived as functions of the number of incident photo-electrons.
The new SUERC AMS Laboratory was described at AMS-9. Since then there have been technological developments, added and improved analysis capability, the formation of additional complementary groups, the purchase of another instrument, and many samples measured. Be, C, Al, Cl, Ca and I-AMS are established with measured species changing weekly. Full-terminal potential running is now routine and 5MV is proving sufficient for all species. Ion detection and evaluation has also been improved by the use of even thinner detector windows as necessary and a more powerful on-line data analysis system. Routine radiocarbon measurement is to 4permil reproducibility at middling current and graphite samples of as little as 100mg C can be accommodated. Even smaller samples can be measured as CO2 using He ca...
A diffuse-reflectance capability for the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer at the Y-12 Plant Laboratory has been implemented. A sample cell with a 25 to 400/sup 0/C temperature-controlled sample stage and an ultrahigh-vacuum-to-atmospheric pressure gas-handling capability has been developed. Absorbance of light from the spectrometer beam, resulting from the beam being scattered from a powder sample, can be measured. This capability of detecting molecular species on and in powders is to be used to study chemisorption on actinide and rare-earth metals, alloys, and compounds. Cell design is described along with experiments demonstrating its performance in detecting moisture absorption on uranium oxide, moisture and carbon dioxide absorption on the lithium hydride/hydroxide system, and carbon dioxide absorption on potassium borohydride. 13 figures.
A new implementation of a shear-force microscope is described that uses a shear-force detection system to perform topographical imaging of large areas (#approx#1x1 mm"2). This implementation finds very interesting application in the study of archeological or artistic samples. Three dc motors are used to move a sample during a scan, allowing the probe tip to follow the surface and to face height differences of several tens of micrometers. This large-area topographical imaging mode exploits new subroutines that were added to the existing homemade software; these subroutines were created in Microsoft VISUAL BASIC 6.0 programming language. With this new feature our shear-force microscope can be used to study topographical details over large areas of archaeological samples in a nondestructive way. We show results detecting worn reliefs over a coin.
Ferrite of system, namely Ni_1_-_xZn_xFe_2O_4 with x = (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0), have been prepared by solid state reaction to investigate the effect of gamma rays irradiations using Co"6"0 source on the cation distribution, structural and magnetic properties. The unirradiated and irradiated samples were then subjected to characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, magnetization and AC susceptibility. The results of these characterizations are found to be different for irradiated from that of the pristine sample. The modifications in respect of irradiated samples are explained in terms of the ion-induced disorder. The important result of #gamma#-irradiation on the cation distribution, structural and magnetic properties is the change of ratio Fe"2"+/Fe"3"+. Possible reasons on the results are proposed.
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 ...
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 ...
This report describes recent extensions to the energy-systems GMM (Global Multiregional MARKAL) model undertaken by the Energy Economics Group (EEG) of the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland (hereon referred to as PSI-EEG) in the context of the SAPIENTIA project sponsored by the European Commission (DG Research) and the Swiss National Centre for Competence in Research on Climate (NCCR-Climate). GMM is a multi-regional 'bottom-up' energy-systems optimization model that endogenizes technology learning. The model has been developed and is used at PSI-EEG. The main extensions undertaken here concern the incorporation of a clusters approach to technology learning, the introduction of an improved representation of the transportation sector with emphasis on the passenger sub-sector and the implementation of marginal abatement curves for CH4 and N2O, two main non-CO2 greenhouse gases. Also, a linear representation of the ...
This paper propose a two-level suboptimal control using fuzzy predication to control large-scale systems. A class of large-scale linear systems composed of interconnected subsystems is investigated. The overall control problem that is posed as a minimization of overall objective function, which is considered to be of quadratic form, is reduced to some optimization problems of lower order (sub)systems. The control input of each subsystem is composed of two signals. The first represents the local control signal (first level) and the second is the predication signal (second level). In fact, the second signals is the prediction of other subsystems. It applies to each subsystem at every specified sample time (coordination sample times ). The fuzzy logic theory is used for interaction prediction, where the prediction single is constructed by a set of fuzzy sets with respect to state ...
The required introduction of on board diagnosis II in the USA from the 94 models onward has led vehicle manufacturers and system suppliers to develop corresponding diagnosis processes at the beginning of the 1990`s. These systems are now in mass production for TLEV and partly for LEV requirements. Based on experience from the wide use of these functions, new knowledge has been obtained, which must be taken into account in the development of future systems. The additionally more severe emission and diagnosis requirements make further minimisation of the overall tolerances on the one hand, and a revision of the existing diagnosis algorithms necessary. In parallel with this, the Law must create the necessary outline conditions, where the requirements for the vehicle manufacturer and system suppliers must also be met. The OBD II development must therefore certainly not be regarded as ...
After the introduction Chapter 2 presents details of the ecological-economic analysis based on the FAO/IIASA agro-ecological zones (AEZ) approach for evaluation of biophysical limitations and agricultural production potentials, and IIASA's Basic Linked System (BLS) for analyzing the world's food economy and trade system. The BLS is a global general equilibrium model system for analyzing agricultural policies and food system prospects in an international setting. BLS views national agricultural systems as embedded in national economies, which interact with each other through trade at the international level. The combination of AEZ and BLS provides an integrated ecological-economic framework for the assessment of the impact of climate change. We consider climate scenarios based on experiments with four General Circulation Models (GCM), and we ...
Atmospheric pressure plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition system is built. The electrical and optical characteristics of the APPECVD system is given. The system is used to deposit conductive polymers and nano composites onto glass and metal surfaces. The morphological, optical, chemical and electrical characteristics of deposited surfaces are investigated using SEM, AFM four probe deposition purposes. The photovoltaic applications of plasma deposited polymers and nonconsumption are compared with deposited with electrochemical methods show different results. The electrical, chemical and morphological structures of the samples will be given.
To encourage the application of robotics technology for routine radiobench applications, a laboratory dedicated to the research and development of contained robotic systems is being constructed. The facility will have several robots located in laminar flow hoods, and the hoods are being designed to allow the possibility for multiple robots to work together. This paper presents both the design features of the hoods and the general layout of the laboratory, and also discusses an application of a robotic system for the routine nuclear counting of gamma tube samples. The gamma tube system is presently operating in one of the routine analysis laboratories. 5 figs.
A gelcasting composition has improved drying behavior, machinability and shelf life in the dried and unfired state. The composition includes an inorganic powder, solvent, monomer system soluble in the solvent, an initiator system for polymerizing the monomer system, and a plasticizer soluble in the solvent. Dispersants and other processing aides to control slurry properties can be added. The plasticizer imparts an ability to dry thick section parts, to store samples in the dried state without cracking under conditions of varying relative humidity, and to machine dry gelcast parts without cracking or chipping. A method of making gelcast parts is also disclosed.
Since the mid-1990s, nuclear power plants in Korea have experienced wall thinning, leaks, and ruptures of secondary side piping caused by flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC). The pipe failures have increased as operating time progresses. In order to prevent the FAC-induced pipe failures and to develop an effective FAC management strategy, KEPRI and KOPEC have conducted a study for developing systematic FAC management technology for secondary side piping of all Korean nuclear power plants. As a part of the study, FAC analyses were performed using the CHECWORKS code. The analysis results were used to select components for inspection and to determine inspection intervals on each nuclear power plant. This paper describes the introduction of the FAC analysis method and the wall thinning trend analysis results by reactor type, system, and water treatment amine. This paper also represents the site application feasibility for secondary side piping ...
#beta#-SiAlON was synthesized from a zeolite by NH_3 gas nitridation and its formation mechanism was investigated using X-ray diffraction and "2"9Si and "2"7Al NMR spectroscopy. It was revealed that most of the Si and Al atoms react to form #beta#-SiAlON via amorphous forms of Si-Al-O-N and O-SiAlON. Nitridation using NH_3 gas is an effective means of preventing mullite formation and promoting the introduction of nitrogen into aluminosilicate materials at lower temperatures than temperatures required by the carbothermal reduction nitridation process. Further, the NMR spectra showed that the siliceous part of the system changed into low z-value of Si_6_-_zAl_zO_zN_8_-_z (#beta#-SiAlON) and the incorporation of Al components into the #beta#-SiAlON was promoted in the later stages of the reaction. (author)
Macrofouling of cooling-water systems is one of the more significant and costly problems encountered in the nuclear power industry. Both marine and freshwater macroinvertebrates can be responsible for losses in plant availability because of plugged intakes and heat transfer equipment. There is a greater diversity of macrofouling organisms in marine waters than in fresh waters. Marine macrofouling organisms include barnacles, mollusks, bryozoans, and hydroids. Barnacles are crustaceans with feathery appendages, which allow them to attach to a variety of surfaces. They are a major cause of severe macrofouling because they can remain attached even after death. The major freshwater macrofouling organisms include the Asiatic Clam (Corbicula fluminea) and the newest freshwater macrofouler, the Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). The introduction of the Zebra Mussel into the Great Lakes has created economic and ecological problems that will not ...
Total quality management strategy and the worldwide introduction of the DIN/ISO 9000 (EN 29 000) series of standards have given new impetus to traditional quality assurance. The most important change must surely be seen in the holistic approach of total quality management and its strict orientation towards customer requirements and satisfaction. International codes and standards for the nuclear industry will also have to be brought into line as part of the process of harmonizing quality assurance system standards. One possible approach is simply to specify a supplementary 'delta' of nuclear-specific requirements to be appended to the broad range of conventional requirements. It is a particular feature of quality-assured procedures in Germany that product and/or component related quality requirements and quality verifications are defined in the specifications of the architect engineer so that full implementation of the requirements from the ...
A natural gas and diesel dual-fuel turbocharged compression ignition (CI) engine is developed to reduce emissions of a heavy-duty diesel engine. The compressed natural gas (CNG) pressure regulator is specially designed to feed back the boost pressure to simplify the fuel metering system. The natural gas bypass improves the engine response to acceleration. The modes of diesel injection are set according to the engine operating conditions. The application of honeycomb mixers changes the flowrate shape of natural gas and reduces hydrocarbon (HC) emission under low-load and lowspeed conditions. The cylinder pressures of a CI engine fuelled with diesel and dual fuel are analysed. The introduction of natural gas makes the ignition delay change with engine load. Under the same operating conditions, the emissions of smoke and NO{sub x} from the dual-fuel engine are both reduced. The HC and CO emissions for the dual-fuel engine remain within the range ...
The focus of the present Great Lakes water quality agreement between Canada and the United States is on transboundary pollution and particularly the injury to health and property from exposures to persistent toxic substances. Several scientists and policy advisors have suggested, on the basis of the Ecosystem Approach and systems theory, that the agenda should move on to other demanding topics, such as the introduction of exotic species, biodiversity, habitat restoration, fisheries management, sustainable development, and governance of the Great Lakes basin. None of these issues, however, poses the same scale of threat to national sovereignty and bilateral interests as does transboundary pollution. Thus, none warrants the degree of attention that has been and should be paid, despite declining budgets, to assessing and controlling releases of persistent toxic substances that continue to injure fish, wildlife, and human health. Instead, it is ...
This Executive Summary, Volume I, of the lower Flathead System Fisheries Study Final Report, was prepared to provide a study overview for persons who are not fisheries scientists. The contents provide an introduction to the study and its objectives, a short description of the study area, a discussion of the major findings and conclusions of the study, and the description of fisheries management alternatives available to managers of the lower Flathead system. Technical reports were prepared for those portions of the study dealing with the lower Flathead River and its tributaries, Volume II, and the South Bay of Flathead Lake, Volume III. The annual hydrographic regime of the Flathead system, consisting of upper rivers, lake and lower river, has been modified by the construction and operation of two major hydroelectric facilities, Hungry Horse Dam on the south fork Flathead River and Kerr Dam at the ...
In production systems where high-resolution harvest data are unavailable there is often a reliance on ancillary information to generate potential management units. In these situations correct identification of relevant sources of data is important to minimize cost to the grower. For three fields in a sweet corn production system in central NSW, Australia, several sets of high-resolution data were obtained using soil and crop canopy sensors. Management units were derived by k-means classification for 2?5 classes using three approaches: (1) with soil data, (2) with crop data and (3) a combination of both soil and crop data. Crop quantity and quality were sampled manually, and the sample data were related to the different management units using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The ...
N-doped TiO2 has been prepared by use of sol?gel systems containing titanium alkoxide, with nitric acid as the nitrogen source. The time needed for gelation of the systems was drastically reduced by ultrasonic irradiation. The peaks assigned to the nitrate and nitrous ions were observed by FT-IR measurement during the sol?gel reaction. The N-doping was confirmed by the observation of N?O peaks in the XPS spectrum of the sample heated at 400??C. The nitrate ion acted as an oxidizer of the ethanol solvent and titanium species. The TiO2 became doped with nitrogen oxide species as a result of reduction of nitrate ion incorporated into the dried gel samples. These results indicated that the added nitric acid was reduced during the sol?gel transition and heating process, and the resulting NO spe...
To more accurately measure fluorescent signals from microarrays, we calibrated our acquisition and analysis systems by using groundtruth samples comprised of known quantities of red and green gene-specific DNA probes hybridized to cDNA targets. We imaged the slides with a full-field, white light CCD imager and analyzed them with our custom analysis software. Here we compare, for multiple genes, results obtained with and without preprocessing (alignment, color crosstalk compensation, dark field subtraction, and integration time). We also evaluate the accuracy of various image processing and analysis techniques (background subtraction, segmentation, quantitation and normalization). This methodology calibrates and validates our system for accurate quantitative measurement of microarrays. Specifically, we show that preprocessing the images produces results significantly closer to the known ground-truth for these ...
Since actinide mononitride has several superior thermal and neutronic properties, nitride fuel is considered as a candidate for future nuclear systems, such as advanced fast reactors and accelerator-driven system. Establishing reprocessing technology is one of key technologies for the development of nitride fuel cycle. In addition to general advantages of pyrochemical process, such as the potential for economy, radiation and proliferation resistance, recycling of N-15 in nitride fuel seems to be practical in comparison with conventional hydro-process. Following the electrochemical measurements of nitride fuel in LiCl-KCl molten salt, the experimental study on closing nitride fuel cycle has been carried out in JAEA by used of TRU nitride and burnup simulated nitride samples. Recent progress of the study is summarized in this paper.
We have performed X-ray magnetic diffraction (XMD) experiment of ferromagnets at the Photon Factory (PF) of the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) in Tsukuba. In this study, we have upgraded the XMD experimental system in order to apply this method to as many samples as possible. Upgrade was made for (1) the X-ray counting system and related measurement program, (2) the electromagnet, and (3) the refrigerator. The performance of the system was enhanced so that (1) the counting rate capability was improved from 104cps to 105cps, (2) the maximum magnetic field was increased from 0.85T to 2.15T, and (3) the lowest sample temperature was reduced from 15K to 5K. The new system was applied to an orbital ordering compound of YTiO3, and we obtained spin magnetic form factor for the reflection plane (010) perpendicular to the b axis. The magnetic field ...
This paper introduces a multichannel digital data acquisition system and examples of measurements with the system in seismic exploration using the high resolution seismic refraction method. The high resolution seismic refraction system performs analyses nearly automatically by using a computer after initial travel time has been read. Therefore, the system requires high-accuracy travel time data, for which a multichannel digital measuring instrument developed recently for seismic exploration using the refraction method has been used for the measurement. The specification specifies the number of channels at 144 as a maximum, a sampling time of 62.5 {mu}sec to 4 m sec, the maximum number of sampling of 80,000 samples, and gain accuracy of {plus_minus} 1%. The system was used for surveying a tunnel having a maximum soil ...
Alpha continuous air monitors (CAMs) will be used at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to measure airborne transuranic radioactivity that might be present in air exhaust or in work-place areas. WIPP CAMs are important to health and safety because they are used to alert workers to airborne radioactivity, to actuate air-effluent filtration systems, and to detect airborne radioactivity so that the radioactivity can be confined in a limited area. In 1993, the Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) reported that CAM operational performance was affected by salt aerosol, and subsequently, the WIPP CAM design and usage were modified. In this report, operational data and current theories on aerosol collection were reviewed to determine CAM quantitative performance limitations. Since 1993, the overall CAM performance appears to have improved, but anomalous alpha spectra are present when sampling-filter salt deposits are at normal to high levels. This ...
The growth of SrBi{sub 2}Ta{sub 2}O{sub 9} (SBT) films on top of Pt electrode substrates is an important issue for the fabrication of ferroelectric based memories. In a recent publication, SBT thin films grown using seeded and unseeded procedures were studied by PIXE and RBS. Difficulties and misfits found in the comparison of results from both techniques were, at that time, overcome by physical considerations. These, although not rendering interpretation impossible, left out the possibility of understanding the exact nature of the differences between the interface behavior in each case. In the present work it is shown that the reanalysis of the same data using the recently developed RBS-PIXE simultaneous and self-consistent calculation present in NDF leads to stronger conclusions on the solid state reaction occurring during the deposition stage for both types of samples. Allowing for the occurrence of solid state reactions between the deposited film and the Pt ...
The information reported is for the period October I to December 31, 1993. During this quarter, activities were undertaken in Task 2. Oxygen concentrations were measured in the post-flame region of the entrained flow reactor. The sampling probe was used for the hot gas tests to sample the gas stream. Samples were injected into a gas chromatograph to determine the oxygen concentration. Results agreed with thermoequilibrium calculations that yield equilibrium compositions based on the stoichiometry of the feed gases. The axial temperature distribution along the reactor centerline was measured using a silica-coated platinum-rhodium thermocouple. Two coating techniques were tested and it was found that flame-plating silica to the thermocouple wires produced a thinner coating than a ceramic adhesive technique and therefore a smaller radiation correction. Other activities this quarter included the fabrication of a solids ...
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 ...
Contagious diseases are a threat to animal health and productivity, both nationally and at the farm level. This makes implementation of biosecurity measures to prevent their introduction and...Full Text Available
INTRODUCTION:Postprandial lipemia is characterized by an increased concentration of circulating lipids after fat intake and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease....Full Text Available
IntroductionThe outbreak of cholera in Zimbabwe intensified interest in the control and prevention of cholera. While there is agreement that safe water, sanitation, and personal...Full Text Available
IntroductionShoulder pain covers a wide range of problems and affects up to 20% of the population. It is not a specific diagnosis. Shoulder pain can be caused by problems with the...Full Text Available
Typing Workshop": [Introductions] [Intro, DNA Basics, and Historical Perspective] [DNA Extraction] [Validation and QA/QC] [DNA Quantitation] [PCR Amplification] [STR Loci and Kits]...
IntroductionSpontaneous recurrent pneumothorax during pregnancy is a rare condition. Few cases have been reported previously in the literature. There is no universal guideline for...Full Text Available
... CVn) consisting of a dM3 star and a cool white dwarf that must have evolved through the common-envelope stage of binary star evolution (Else van ...
Fungal and oomycete populations and their dynamics were investigated following the introduction of the biocontrol agent Pythium oligandrum into the rhizosphere of tomato plants grown...Full Text Available
... Experts ( Appendix 5 ), and the NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Graduate Fellowship Program ( Appendix 6) . The Task Force consisted of one representative from NMFS Headquarters and 1-2 rep...
X-Plain Heart Valve Replacement Reference Summary Introduction Sometimes people have serious problems with their heart valves. A heart valve repair or ...
The invention of the microscope disclosed a whole new world, that of the hitherto invisibly small. Histologic evidence as revealed by the microscope has become a cornerstone of medical diagnosis, and...Full Text Available
Dynamic clamp is a powerful method that allows the introduction of artificial electrical components into target cells to simulate ionic conductances and synaptic inputs. This method is based...Full Text Available
Introduction: Generally agreed outcome criteria in psychosis are required to evaluate the effectiveness of new treatment strategies. The aim of this study is to explore clinical recovery...Full Text Available
Introduction:The purpose of this study was to utilize an in vitro biofilm model of subgingival plaque to investigate resistances in subgingival biofilm...Full Text Available
Following a brief overview of the terrestrial distribution of boron in rocks, soil, and water, the history of the discovery, early utilization, and geologic origin of borate minerals is summarized....Full Text Available
IntroductionThe development of novel diagnostic agents for the detection of breast cancer microcalcifications requires a reliable animal model. Based on previous...Full Text Available
A method, system and a radiation detector system for use therein are provided for determining the depth distribution of radiation-emitting material distributed in a source medium, such as a contaminated field, without the need to take samples, such as extensive soil samples, to determine the depth distribution. The system includes a portable detector assembly with an x-ray or gamma-ray detector having a detector axis for detecting the emitted radiation. The radiation may be naturally-emitted by the material, such as gamma-ray-emitting radionuclides, or emitted when the material is struck by other radiation. The assembly also includes a hollow collimator in which the detector is positioned. The collimator causes the emitted radiation to bend toward the detector as rays parallel to the detector axis of the detector. The collimator may be a hollow cylinder positioned so that its ...
It is proved that the mid-point grid, which is composed of samples obtained at ground track locations midway between crossover points (thus a subset of the full sampling), has the same resolving power as the full set; i.e., they resolve the same three-dimensional spectral space. The resolving power of the mid-point grid as derived previously by Tai (1995, 1998) is characterized by the Nyquist frequency ? c=? /T (where T is the repeat period of the exact-repeat satellite), and by (in local Cartesian coordinates) the zonal and meridional Nyquist wavenumber kc=2? /X and lc=2? /Y respectively (where X and Y are the east-west and north-south separation between adjacent parallel ground tracks). Here we re-derive this result in simplified terms. First, it is shown through the sampling theorem as demonstrated previously by Tai (1999) that even though samples of the real mid-point grid are not taken ...
The uptake of "2"3"8U and "2"3"2Th in different parts of some selected plants used in traditional treatment of hypertension and diabetes in south-eastern Morocco (Errachidia area) has been studied using two different types of solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) LR-115 type II and CR-39. Plant uptake of radionuclides is one of many vectors for introduction of contaminants into the human food chain. Thus, it is critical to understand soil-plant relationships that control nuclide bioavailability. Soil concentrations of uranium ranged from 6.10 to 11.62 ppm, with a mean of 7.90 ppm. Soil concentrations of thorium ranged from 2.70 to 4.80 ppm, with a mean of 3.41 ppm. Mean uranium specific activities were 8.38 Bq kg"-"1 in root tissue, 5 Bq kg"-"1 in stem tissue and 6.02 Bq kg"-"1 in leaf tissue. Mean thorium specific activities were 2.53 Bq kg"-"1 in root tissue, 1.64 Bq kg"-"1 in stem tissue and 1.96 Bq kg"-"1 in leaf tissue. The transfer factors of "2"3"8U ...
Introduction. This study used Item-Response Theory (IRT) to model the psychometric properties of a false belief picture sequencing task. Consistent with the mental time travel hypothesis of paranoia, we anticipated that performance on this deductive theory of mind (ToM) task would not be associated with the presence of persecutory delusions but would be related to other clinical, cognitive, and demographic factors. Method. A large (N=237) and diverse clinical and nonclinical sample differing in levels of depression and paranoid ideation performed 2 ToM tasks: the false belief sequencing task and a ToM stories task that was used to assess the validity of the false belief sequencing task as a measure of ToM. Results. A unidimensional IRT model was found to fit the data well. Latent ToM ability as measured by the false belief sequencing task was negatively related with age and positively with IQ. In contrast to the ToM stories measure, there was ...
INTRODUCTION. We searched for a pathophysiologically based feature of major water electrolytes, which may define water quality better than the water hardness, respecting urinary calculus formation. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Utilizing a multistage stratified sampling, 2310 patients were diagnosed in the imaging centers of the provincial capitals in Iran between 2007 and 2008. These were composed of 1755 patients who were settled residents of 24 provincial capitals. Data on the regional drinking water composition, obtained from an accredited registry, and their relationships with the region's incidence of urinary calculi were evaluated by metaregression models. The stone risk index (defined as the ratio of calcium to magnesium-bicarbonate product in drinking water) was used to assess the risk of calculus formation. RESULTS. No correlation was found between the urinary calculus incidence and the amount of calcium, bicarbonate, or the total hardness ...
The processes which are currently studied in the fabrication of B-doped ultra shallow junctions (USJ) usually involve a preamorphization step to reduce B channelling effect during implantation and to improve B electrical activation. At this stage a high amount of Si interstitial atoms (Is), which dramatically increases the B diffusivity, is introduced. The introduction of voids in Si is a promising tool to control B transient enhanced diffusion (TED), because of their ability to capture Is. In this work the efficiency of a cavity band to reduce B TED is checked in silicon interstitial supersaturation conditions, obtained by high dose Si implantation. He is implanted either at 10 keV or at 50 keV with a fluence of 5 x 10"1"6 cm"-"2. Conventional techniques to introduce and activate the B (conventional ion implantation and rapid thermal annealing (RTA)) are applied in order to have a better control of the technological process to focus on the benefit of the cavity ...
Objectives: To investigate optical coherence tomography consistency on foveal thickness, foveal volume, and macular volume measurements in patients with and without diffuse diabetic macular edema. Introduction: Optical coherence tomography represents an objective technique that provides cross-sectional tomographs of retinal structure in vivo. However, it is expected that poor fixation ability, as seen in diabetic macular edema, could alter its results. Several authors have discussed the reproducibility of optical coherence tomography, but only a few have addressed the topic with respect to diabetic maculopathy. Methods: The study recruited diabetic patients without clinically evident retinopathy (control group) and with diffuse macular edema (case group). Only one eye of each patient was evaluated. Five consecutive fast macular scans were taken using Ocular Coherence Tomography 3; the 6 mm macular map was chosen. The consistency in measurements of foveal thickness, ...
As part of the national survey to evaluate natural radioactivity in the environment, concentration levels of natural uranium and "2"2"6Ra have been analyzed in over 300 drinking water samples taken from different locations in Argentina. "2"2"6Ra was determined by "2"2"2Rn emanation and liquid scintillation counting, and natural uranium by a fluorimetric procedure. Values ranging from 0.03 to 24 #mu#g.l"-"1 of natural uranium and from 0.06 to 50 #mu#g.l"-"1, were measured on drinking water samples taken from tap water systems and private wells, respectively. Concentrations up to 15 mBq.l"-"1 and to 22 mBq.l"-"1 of "2"2"6Ra were found in drinking water samples taken from tap water systems and private wells, respectively. These values are compared with the reference values accepted for drinking water. Based on the water intake rate, the age distribution and the measured concentrations, ...
Fact sheet on an analysis system for dyebath processes in the carpet manufacturing industry written for the NICE3 Program. The Georgia Institute of Technology (G.I.T.) has developed an effective automated dyebath analysis and reuse system that improves the energy, environmental, and economic performance of dyehouse batch operations. The new system enables dyeing solutions to be accurately monitored and adjusted for reuse. According to industry estimates, 160 pounds of water are used to produce each pound of textile product. The current wasteful batch dyeing process requires all water and residual chemicals, as well as the energy required to heat the mixture for dyeing, to be dumped after one application. Spent dyebaths can only be reused after they are sampled, analyzed, and reconstituted, a process requiring labor and expertise that are unavailable in the dyehouses. Therefore, successful commercial ...
Full text: Research reactors have been playing a multi dimensional role in areas of nuclear fuel cycle programme, radio-isotope productions, neutron beam research etc. To ensure an efficient, smooth and safe operation of a nuclear research reactor, many reactor physics evaluations are required on routine basis. As part of reactor core management the important activities are maintaining core reactivity status, core power distribution, xenon estimations, safety evaluation of in-pile irradiation samples and experimental assemblies and assessment of nuclear safety in fuel handling/storage. In-pile irradiation requires a prior estimation of the reactivity load due to the sample, heating rate and the activity developed in it during irradiation. For the safety of the personnel handling irradiated samples the dose rate at the surface of shielded flask housing the irradiated sample should be less than 200 mR/Hr. ...
This paper describes the National Research Council (NRC) Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) system, as applied to the English Lexical Sample (ELS) task in Senseval-3. The NRC system approaches WSD as a classical supervised machine learning problem, using familiar tools such as the Weka machine learning software and Brill's rule-based part-of-speech tagger. Head words are represented as feature vectors with several hundred features. Approximately half of the features are syntactic and the other half are semantic. The main novelty in the system is the method for generating the semantic features, based on word \\hbox{co-occurrence} probabilities. The probabilities are estimated using the Waterloo MultiText System with a corpus of about one terabyte of unlabeled text, collected by a web crawler.
This report describes the LIFECC computer program developed for the purpose of calculating the cost of energy produced by wind systems according to the principles of life cycle costing (LCC). Following a brief explanation of the LCC concept and its advantages, input variables to the program and their importance to various program users, including manufacturers and designers, utilities, various institutions and consumers, are explained. A detailed user's guide to the program is then provided, together with a sensitivity analysis which discusses the impact of key variables on wind system cost of energy and the importance of cash flow to the wind system purchaser. Sample cases of program output and an LIFECC program listing are provided.
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)
The application of a Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager to assessment and monitoring of lakes in a lignite open cast mining area in central Germany is described. The imager was used in combination with additional ground experiments, such as field spectroscopy and water sampling. The spectral characteristics of an instrument under development for monitoring geochemical and hydrological processes are presented. Summary form only.
Heavy-ion irradiation technique has been developed for the evaluation of single-event effects on semiconductor devices. For the uniform irradiation of high energy heavy ions to device samples, we have designed and installed a magnetic beam-scanning system in a JAERI cyclotron beam course. It was found that scanned area was approximately 4 x 2 centimeters and that the deviation of ion fluence from the average value was less than 7%. (author)
Theoretical description of Raman scattering in disordered alloys of Ti and Zr with transition metals of groups 5-8 of the Mendeleev Periodic System in critical range of concentrations (CRC) is given. Results of Raman scattering experiment in the system Ti_1_-_xF_x at 0.0005samples, are presented. The order of the values of hybridization potential and energy of impurity zone, as well as their concentrational dynamics, are determined. Qualitative adequacy of the hybridization model to the alloys studied near CRC is shown.
A discrete time control algorithm using the damped least squares is introduced for acceleration and energy exchange controls in nonlinear vibrating systems. It is shown that the damping constant of least squares and sampling time step of the controller must be inversely related to insure that vanishing the time step has little effect on the results. The algorithm is illustrated on two linearly coupled Duffing oscillators near the 1:1 internal resonance. In particular, it is shown that varying the dissipation ratio of one of the two oscillators can significantly suppress the nonlinear beat phenomenon.
This study presents the data of an evaluation of the automated Nuclisens easyMAG and EasyQ systems versus the Roche AmpliPrep-AMPLICOR combination for testing of high-volume human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) load. This represents a follow-up of a previous study investigating the performance of the real-time Nuclisens assay using the semiautomated NucliSENS miniMAG extraction procedure. Three hundred eighteen patient samples were analyzed using both methods. The easyMAG-EasyQ HIV type 1 system has a higher sensitivity and broader dynamic range than the Cobas AmpliPrep-AMPLICOR system when the standard Roche assay is used alone, 25 to 3,000,000 IU/ml versus 400 to 750,000 HIV RNA copies/ml, respectively. There was significant correlation between the assays (0.93; P < 0.0001), with good accuracy (percent similarity mean ? = 96%), good precision (percent similarity standard deviation = 4.97%), and ...
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, ...
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 as an analytical ...
Full Text: Smallstage Dualbeam (SDB) systems, that is a Focussed Ion Beam column coupled with a SEM column, have been around for about five years now. There impact on the Semiconductor industry has been enormous, with virtually every lab having a SDB to produce, characterise and analyse cross sections and TEM samples on the Nano-scale. But what about other industries? What else can SDB system be used for? The SEM column in itself is a very powerful tool for sample characterisation, modification and analysis. An electron beam from a Tungsten or Thermal Field Emission source has enough current to allow sophisticated patterns to be created in photo-resist samples, a process known as lithography. The current is also high enough to allow for a process known as Electron Beam Induced Deposition (EBID), where the beam interacts with an introduced gas and material is deposited in a ...
Molecular simulation aims at simulating particles in interaction, describing a physico-chemical system. When considering Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling in this context, we often meet the same problem of statistical efficiency as with Molecular Dynamics for the simulation of complex molecules (polymers for example). The search for a correct sampling of the space of possible configurations with respect to the Boltzmann-Gibbs distribution is directly related to the statistical efficiency of such algorithms (i.e. the ability of rapidly providing uncorrelated states covering all the configuration space). We investigated how to improve this efficiency with the help of Artificial Evolution (AE). AE algorithms form a class of stochastic optimization algorithms inspired by Darwinian evolution. Efficiency measures that can be turned into efficiency criteria have been first searched before identifying parameters that could be ...
Technical innovations such as the availability of movable patient platforms and the introduction of 32-channel systems have made whole-body MRI for tumor staging feasible. In addition, the development of dual-modality PET/CT systems offers the opportunity to perform anatometabolic tumor staging with whole-body coverage in a single session. Based on an increase in patient survival when applying a stage-adapted therapy in different malignant diseases the relevant question relates to the accuracies of whole-body MRI and whole-body PET/CT for TNM staging. This review article addresses whole-body tumor staging with MRI and FDG-PET/CT with special emphasis on diagnostic accuracies for staging different malignant diseases. (orig.) [German] Technische Neuerungen, wie die Verfuegbarkeit beweglicher Tischaufsaetze oder die Einfuehrung von 32-Kanal-Systemen, haben die Ganzkoerperbildgebung mit der MRT ermoeglicht. Die Entwicklung ...
Failure of multiple components due to a common cause represents one of the most important issues in evaluation of system reliability or unavailability. The frequency of such events has relatively low expectancy, when compared to random failures, which affect individual components. However, in many cases the consequence is a direct loss of safety system or mitigative safety function. For this reason, the modeling of a common cause failure (CCF) and its presentation in fault tree structure is of the uttermost importance in probabilistic safety analyses (PSA). Amongst the different techniques available to reduce the impact of common cause failures, the most important operations related technique, is that of staggered testing. In the TAPP 3,4 Level-1 PSA it was found that the contribution of Common Cause Failures to the Core Damage Frequency (CDF) was significant. The Common Cause Failures were modeled using the Alpha Factor Model. This model is ...
Introduction: Development of agonist positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands for the 5-HT neurotransmitter system is an important target to enable the understanding of human 5-HT function in vivo. ["1"1C]CUMI-101, proposed as the first 5-HT_1_A receptor agonist PET ligand, has been reported to behave as a potent 5-HT_1_A agonist in a cellular system stably expressing human recombinant 5-HT_1_A receptors. In this study, we investigate the agonist properties of CUMI-101 in rat brain tissue. Methods: ["3"5S]-GTP#gamma#S binding studies were used to determine receptor function in HEK (human embryonic kidney) 293 cells transfected with human recombinant 5-HT_1_A receptors and in rat cortex and rat hippocampal tissue, following administration of CUMI-101 and standard 5-HT1A antagonists (5-HT, 5-CT and 8-OH-DPAT). Results: CUMI-101 behaved as an agonist at human recombinant 5-HT_1_A receptors (pEC_5_0 9.2). However, ...
Use of an adaptive optimal control algorithm for two realtime control applications, optimal excitation control of a synchronous generator (OEC) and power system stabilizer (PSS) is described in this paper. Experimental studies on a physical model of a power system show that the proposed OEC and PSS can track the controlled system by parameter identification at different operating conditions. The proposed control algorithm is based on the linear optimal control theory and a special 5th order discrete Riccati equation is solved in each sampling period. The proposed OEC and PSS can always guarantee that in closed loop the controlled system is stable based on the identified parameters. As the actual output of the controlled system and control are directly used in the controller, no observer is required. Also, the proposed OEC and PSS can track the controlled ...
The application of neural networks, alone or in conjunction with other advanced technologies (expert systems, fuzzy logic, and/or genetic algorithms), to some of the problems of complex engineering systems has the potential to enhance the safety, reliability, and operability of these systems. Typically, the measured variables from the systems are analog variables that must be sampled and normalized to expected peak values before they are introduced into neural networks. Often data must be processed to put it into a form more acceptable to the neural network (e.g., a fast Fourier transformation of the time-series data to produce a spectral plot of the data). Specific applications described include: (1) Diagnostics: State of the Plant (2) Hybrid System for Transient Identification, (3) Sensor Validation, (4) Plant-Wide Monitoring, (5) Monitoring of Performance and ...
The application of neural networks, alone or in conjunction with other advanced technologies (expert systems, fuzzy logic, and/or genetic algorithms), to some of the problems of complex engineering systems has the potential to enhance the safety, reliability, and operability of these systems. Typically, the measured variables from the systems are analog variables that must be sampled and normalized to expected peak values before they are introduced into neural networks. Often data must be processed to put it into a form more acceptable to the neural network (e.g., a fast Fourier transformation of the time-series data to produce a spectral plot of the data). Specific applications described include: (1) Diagnostics: State of the Plant (2) Hybrid System for Transient Identification, (3) Sensor Validation, (4) Plant-Wide Monitoring, (5) Monitoring of Performance and ...
Implementation of an adaptive power system stabilizer (APSS) and experimental studies are presented in this paper. The APSS consists of an adaptive linear element (ADALINE) based identifier that identifies the power system as a third-order discrete auto-regressive moving average (ARMA) model and a pole-shift controller. The ADALINE is modeled so that its weights have a one-to-one relationship with the ARMA model parameters. The weights are updated at each sampling interval to track the dynamic characteristics of the actual system. The on-line updated ARMA parameters are used in the PS control algorithm to calculate the new closed-loop poles of the system that are always inside the unit circle in the z-plane. The calculated control is such that it achieves regulation of the system to a constant setpoint in the shortest interval of time. Experimental studies on a ...
Introduction:Exposure to secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in non-smokers and indoor smoke-free policies have become increasingly prevalent worldwide. Although...Full Text Available
We report Sr, Pd and Ag abundances for a sample of metal-poor field giants and analyze a larger sample of Y, Zr, and Ba abundances. The [Y/Zr] and [Pd/Ag] abundance ratios are similar to those measured for the r-process-rich stars CS 22892-052 and CS 31082-001. The [Pd/Ag] ratio is larger than predicted from the solar-system r-process abundances. The constant[Y/Zr] and [Sr/Y] values in the field stars places strong limits on the contributions of the weak s-process and the main s-process to the light neutron-capture elements. Stars in the globular cluster M 15 possess lower [Y/Zr] values than the field stars. There is a large dispersion in [Y/Ba]. Because the r-process is responsible for the production of the heavy elements in the early Galaxy, these dispersions require varying light-to-heavy ratios in r-process yields.
Real-time neutron powder diffraction and small-angle scattering techniques have been developed on the TOF diffractometer DN-2 at the IBR-2 pulsed reactor at JINR (Dubna) with a total flux on the sample of 10{sup 7} neutrons cm{sup -2}s{sup -1} and a resolution of about 1%. A special arrangement of the detector system ensures a high counting rate of diffracted neutrons. Depending upon sample type and experimental conditions, the measuring time t{sub s} of one neutron pattern varies from a few minutes to several seconds. The performance of the diffractometer is discussed and typical data are shown to demonstrate current achievements using real-time techniques at a pulsed reactor. (orig.).
Real-time neutron powder diffraction and small-angle scattering techniques have been developed on the TOF diffractometer DN-2 at the IBR-2 pulsed reactor at JINR (Dubna) with a total flux on the sample of 10"7 neutrons cm"-"2s"-"1 and a resolution of about 1%. A special arrangement of the detector system ensures a high counting rate of diffracted neutrons. Depending upon sample type and experimental conditions, the measuring time t_s of one neutron pattern varies from a few minutes to several seconds. The performance of the diffractometer is discussed and typical data are shown to demonstrate current achievements using real-time techniques at a pulsed reactor. (orig.).
The Fe-based copper oxide Formula Not Shown exhibits superconductivity around 50K only when it is properly annealed in Formula Not Shown atmosphere and subsequently in Formula Not Shown atmosphere. In contract Formula Not Shown does not exhibit superconductivity even if it is annealed along the same process as Formula Not Shown . We have synthesized the polycrystalline samples of Formula Not Shown solid solution system Formula Not Shown to investigate the Nd substitution effects. DC magnetization measurements have shown that, the samples in a range of Formula Not Shown exhibit superconductivity and Formula Not Shown was reduced with increasing the Nd content. However, we could not observe the superconductivity for Formula Not Shown and 1. Rietveld refinement results revealed that due to th...
Elemental analysis of some medicinal plants used in the Indian Ayurvedic system was performed by employing instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) techniques. The samples were irradiated with thermal neutrons in a nuclear reactor and the induced activity was counted by gamma ray spectrometry using an efficiency calibrated high resolution high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. Most of the medicinal plants were found to be rich in one or more of the elements under study. The variation in elemental concentration in same medicinal plants samples collected in summer, winter and rainy seasons was studied and the biological effects of these elements on human beings are discussed. (orig.)
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) develops and maintains the USDA National Nutrient Databank System (NDBS). Data are released from the NDBS for scientific and public use through the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) ( http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl ). In 1997 the NDL initiated the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) to update and expand its food-composition data. The program included: 1) nationwide probability-based sampling of foods; 2) central processing and archiving of food samples; 3) analysis of food components at commercial, government, and university laboratories; 4) incorporation of new analytical data into the NDBS; and 5) dissemination of these data to the scientific community. A key feature and...
The growth of silver chloride nanoparticles on ancient textile was achieved by sequential dipping steps in alternating bath of potassium chloride and silver nitrate under ultrasound irradiation. The effect of ultrasound irradiation and sequential dipping steps in growth of the AgCl nanoparticles has been studied. These systems depicted a decrease in the particles size accompanying a decrease in the sequential dipping steps. The samples were characterized with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy. XRD analyses indicated that the prepared AgCl nanoparticles on fiber were crystalline. The textile samples containing AgCl nanoparticles were tested for their antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli and were found to possess significant antibacterial activity.
The microstructure evolution of nine samples from three Ir-base ternary systems, Ir-Nb-Hf, Ir-Nb-Ta, and Ir-Nb-Ti, was investigated by microstructure observation using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), composition map-analysis using electron probe microscopy analysis (EPMA), and phase determination using X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The fcc/L1{sub 2} two-phase structure was detected in all the samples. Lattice misfits between fcc and L1{sub 2} phases were calculated. Ir-Nb-Ta and Ir-Nb-Ti alloys exhibited a microstructure quite similar to that of Ni-base superalloys, and the cuboidal L1{sub 2} precipitates in Ir-Nb-Ta and Ir-Nb-Ti alloys could maintain up to 1900 {sup o}C.
A test bench was designed and assembled to carry out impact tests on samples and components. The system allows simple and rapid adjustment of the test parameters, such as the shot size and air pressure, with good repeatability of the results. Tests on steel and light alloys were carried out under both as-produced condition and on thin hard-coated samples. Significant reductions in dimple dimensions were seen after coating. FE models simulating the experiments overestimated the dimple depths, although the parameter trend was satisfactorily captured. The residual stresses from coating and shot peening determined numerically are believed to have been proven effective against fatigue.
Leafy samples often used as medicine in the Indian Ayurvedic system and vegetables were analyzed for 20 elements (As, Ba, Br, Ca, Ce, Cr, Cs, Co, Eu, Fe, K, La, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sr, Th, Zn) by employing Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). The samples were irradiated at the 100 kW TRIGA-MAINZ nuclear reactor and the induced activities were counted by gamma ray spectrometry using an efficiency calibrated high resolution High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. The concentration of the elements in the medicinal and vegetable leaves and their biological effects on human beings are discussed.
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...
The iodinated oil lipiodol is commonly used as a carrier for in situ delivery of drugs or radioactivity to hepatic tumors. Recently, we reported a new kit formulation for high-activity labeling of lipiodol with the {beta}-emitting radionuclide Re-188. Since the whole preparation involves different steps and complex manipulations of high-activity samples, we describe here an automated synthesis module that allows the easy preparation of sterile and pyrogen-free samples of Re-188 lipiodol ready to be administered to the patient. Important advantages include the possibility to incorporate high Re-188 activity into the lipiodol hydrophobic phase and a sharp reduction of radiation exposure of the operator assisting the labelling procedure. Application of this modular reaction system could be also extended to the preparation of other Re-188 radiopharmaceuticals and to compound labelled with different {beta}-emitting therapeutic ...
We have measured the redshift evolution of the density of Lyman limit systems (LLSs) in the intergalactic medium over the redshift range 0 < z < 6. We have used two new quasar samples to (1) improve coverage at z #approx# 1, with GALEX grism spectrograph observations of 50 quasars with 0.8 < z_e_m < 1.3, and (2) extend coverage to z #approx# 6, with Keck ESI spectra of 25 quasars with 4.17 < z_e_m < 5.99. Using these samples together with published data, we find that the number density of LLS per unit redshift, n(z), can be well fit by a simple evolution of the form n(z) = n_3_._5[(1 + z)/4.5]"#gamma# with n_3_._5 = 2.80 #+-# 0.33 and #gamma# = 1.94"+"0"."3"6_-_0_._3_2 for the entire range 0 < z < 6. We have also reanalyzed the evolution of damped Ly#alpha# systems (DLAs) in the redshift range 4 < z < 5 using our high-redshift quasar sample. We find a ...
The central research question of this thesis is: What is the potential of multi-functional biomass systems to improve the costs and the land use efficiency of saving non-renewable energy consumption and reducing GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions in quantitative terms? Therefore, in the following chapters the performance of multi-functional biomass systems is quantified. Biomass system costs are investigated from a societal perspective using e.g. low discount rates. A main focus will be on the review of methodologies for accounting GHG emissions, non-renewable energy consumption, agricultural land use and costs as well as the adaptation of these methodologies to special aspects of multifunctional biomass use. The analysis of the potential benefits of multi-functional biomass systems is carried out by several case studies of biomass systems including various waste treatment ...
Gas-insulated systems employing SF/sub 6/ are utilized in a variety of applications in power delivery systems. Because electric arcs, sparks or corona can decompose SF/sub 6/ into by-products having chemical properties different from SF/sub 6/, environmental concerns arise regarding inadvertent human exposures to electrically-decomposed SF/sub 6/. Biological assays in our laboratory using mammalian cell culture systems have revealed that SF/sub 6/, spark-decomposed under specific experimental conditions, can produce cell death. Chemical analysis of spark-decomposed SF/sub 6/ has identified the major decomposition pathways and by-products. Biological testing of individual by-products or by-product mixtures has indicated that these major decomposition products may not account for the majority of the cell killing effects seen in our assays. Further experiments have suggested that S/sub 2/F/sub 10/ may be produced and ...
An on-line cell disruption system for at-line monitoring of the intracellular concentration of recombinant human superoxide dismutase (rhSOD) in a genetically modified Escherichia coli strain, HMS174(DE3) (pET11a/rhSOD), in bioreactor cultivations is described. The sampled bacteria were disrupted on-line by rapid mixing with a nonionic detergent. The recombinant protein content of the lysed bacterial sample was quantitated by a subsequent surface plasmon resonance biosensor with a specific monoclonal antibody. Extraction efficiency of the monitoring system was optimized with respect to the flow rate ratio of the cell suspension and the detergent at relevant cell densities with the aim to attain rapid monitoring. Monitoring was demonstrated for a shake flask culture and a glucose-limited fed-batch cultivation. The results are compared with a traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method showing a ...
The real-time dose assessment system under development has been updated and the technology for tracer experiment has been established. The calculation of external gamma dose is the most difficult and time-consuming part of the dose calculations. The characteristics of external gamma exposure have been investigated and the method for reducing the calculation time has been devised. The internal exposure via the ingestion of the contaminated foodstuffs is one of the important pathways to the total radiological exposure. In the emergency, it is necessary to take an action such like food ban to protect the internal exposure. An algorithm for the interface between the real-time system and the food chain model has been provided. The second field tracer experiment over flat terrain has been carried out on a plain in Iksan city in Junrabook-Do. Sequential tracer sampler which can be sampled the tracer gas over arbitrary 12 time ...
Strong perpendicular anisotropy systems consisting of Co/Pt multilayer stacks that are antiferromagnetically coupled via thin Ru or NiO layers have been used as model systems to study the competition between local interlayer exchange and long-range dipolar interactions [1,2]. Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) studies of such systems reveal complex magnetic configurations with a mix of antiferromagnetic (AF) and ferromagnetic (FM) phases. However, MFM allows detecting surface stray fields only and can interact strongly with the magnetic structure of the sample, thus altering the original domain configuration of interest [3,4]. In the current study they combine magnetometry and state-of-the-art soft X-ray transmission microscopy (MXTM) to investigate the external field driven FM phase evolution originating from the domain boundaries in such antiferromagnetically coupled perpendicular anisotropy films. MXTM ...
For neutron radiography (NR), photographic techniques have been mainly used for many years. To observe a dynamic event and to test many samples, the real-time neutron radiography (i.e. neutron television - NTV) system has been introduced at the E-2 experimental tube of the Kyoto University Research Reactor (KUR). The NTV system has been practically applied to penetrating the side plates containing boron burnable poison to test MTR type reactor fuel, to investigation of moving objects and to neutron computed tomography (NCT). New approaches using some advanced neutron converters, a high sensitive and resolution TV camera and a high performance image processing system are being undertaken for standard indicators, visualization on air-water two-phase flow, NCT and so on. (author).
In the food, chemical and safety industry there is a demand for gas detectors for process control applications, like quality control of food or leakage control in chemical plants. Gas sensor array systems have the potential to be used in this areas, with the advantage of being also affordable systems compared to other systems like gaschromatographs (GC) or infrared detectors (NIR, FTIR). One of the main drawbacks of the gas sensors is their response to non interesting ambient factors like temperature, pressure and humidity. Metal oxide sensors (MOS) have a low ambient temperature and pressure dependency. Some of them (SnO + dopands) have some sensitivity to humidity. In many cases the response of the sensors is often non-linear, which implies a concentration dependant pattern of the samples. (orig.)
A new exhaust cleaning system is introduced, aiming to remarkably reduce NOx emission using a type of EGR method (hybrid EGR) of feeding back the exhaust from an exhaust cleaning ternary catalyst provided gasoline engine to the Diesel engine intake on one hand and, on the other hand, aiming to reduce even the emitted particulates using an exhaust supplying gasoline engine driven supercharger for an enhanced Diesel engine supercharging. The hybrid EGR system used here can uniformly reduce the emitted NOx under any load conditions and, as compared with the conventional type, is two to three times more effective, with the EGR rate kept constant. The exhaust concentration is approximately 10%. An sample of the hybrid EGR was simulated, and it was shown, as compared with the original non-supercharged Diesel engine, that the emitted NOx decreased to 1/3 or 1/4, that the exhaust concentration was approximately the same, and that ...
SYVAC3 (Systems Variability Analysis Code, generation 3) is a computer program that implements a method called systems variability analysis to analyze the behaviour of a system in the presence of uncertainty. This method is based on simulating the system many times to determine the variation in behaviour it can exhibit. SYVAC3 specializes in systems representing the transport of contaminants, and has several features to simplify the modelling of such systems. It provides a general tool for estimating environmental impacts from the dispersal of contaminants. This report describes the use and structure of SYVAC3. It is intended for modellers, programmers, operators and reviewers who deal with simulation codes based on SYVAC3. From this manual they can learn how to link a model with SYVAC3, how to set up an input file, and how to extract results from output files. ...
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 ...
GaAs1-xPx p-n junction structures were grown on the epi-ready n-type GaAs(100) substrate by solid source MBE system for different phosphor compositions. To obtain the lattice-match sample structure was applied graded growth procedure. The structural and optical properties of the sample structures with different P concentration were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). In addition, The range of lattice parameters in the graded epilayer and phosphorous composition were determined from the HRXRD rocking curve simulation. We analyse dielectric function spectra of disordered GaAs1-xPx junction structures measured using spectroscopic ellipsometry at room temperature in the 0.6-4.7 eV photon energy region. The critical energy points such as band gap energy and spin-orbit-split energy of these structures were determined using SE data. It is detected that E0, E1 ,E2 energies of the ...
Mixtures of organic-inorganic substances are studied for their performance as energy storage media. Use is made of the fact that organic substances give higher amounts of energy but within a wide range of temperature on the one side and the fact that inorganic substances give lower amounts of energy at constant temperature on the other side. Mixtures of both types of substances, in different ratios, are investigated for the object of determining that optimum composition which stores a higher amount of energy and, meanwhile, releases it at a constant temperature or within a narrow range of temperature. The mixtures used are composed of Glauber`s salt (Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4}.10H{sub 2}O) and stearic acid in different proportions. The effect of cooling fluid flow rate and ambient temperature as well as the effect of addition of a nucleating agent is studied. The results showed that the highest amount of energy stored could be obtained from a mixture containing 40% stearic acid and 60% ...
Stearic acid (C{sub 1}8H{sub 36}O{sub 2}) was treated into Ar and Ar-O{sub 2}(10%) pulsed DC discharge created by a cathode-anode confined system. The samples were placed at the floating potential. The results show that the mass variation of the stearic acid samples after Ar-O{sub 2} plasma exposure is more important than the pure Ar plasma treatments. This comportment demonstrate that the oxygen actives species (O and O{sub 2} in all states) strongly enhance the etching process with regards to A{sup *} species, regardless of their concentration. After treatment by Ar and Ar-O{sub 2} plasma, analyses by X-ray diffraction show a significant structural modification of the samples surface, utilizing Ar-O{sub 2} plasma the modification was more pronounced. The chemical composition evolution shows that the acid function is etched preferentially in the beginning of the treatment (about 5 min) and that after ...
The goal of this project was to develop a new technology for preparing samples for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on the basis of ion fine beam processing. For this purpose processes of ion-beam-assisted removal (sputtering), separation, sample handling and ion-beam-assisted chemical etching as well of system-inherent components were examined. As an alternative to a Ga-source a liquid-metal ion source based on a AuGeSi alloy was developed, characterised and used in the FIB 4400. [German] Aufgabe des Projektes war die Entwicklung einer neuen Technologie zur Probenpraeparation fuer die Transmissions-Elektronenmikroskopie (TEM) auf der Basis der Ionenfeinstrahlbearbeitung. Dazu wurden Prozesse der ionenstrahlgestuetzten Abtragung (Sputtern), der Abscheidung, des Probenhandling, des ionenstrahlgestuetzten chemischen Aetzens sowie systemeigener Komponenten untersucht. Als Alternative zur Ga-Quelle wurde eine ...
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, ...
A new dedicated UHV STM for investigations at T#<=#5 K is presented. To achieve such low temperatures and to ensure a high thermal stability, the low-temperature (LT) STM described here has a concentric system of bath cryostats. There are openings for tip and sample exchange at low T, and windows with an infrared radiation shield for optical access, which can both be closed by a door mechanism for LT-STM measurements. Efficient vibration isolation is realized by using spring suspension with eddy current damping. With the 3-d coarse positioning unit any region of interest within 5 mm by 5 mm on the sample is accessible even at 5 K. For short turn-around cycles the sample and tip can both be exchanged at low temperatures. Atomically resolved images of Au(111) at 5 K in UHV demonstrate the excellent performance of this LT STM. As a typical application example the appearance of a charge-density wave on ...
Two branches of research are conducted in this thesis. The first deals with nonlinear combustion response as a mechanism for triggering combustion instabilities in solid rocket motors. A nonlinear wave equation is developed to study a wide class of combustion response functions to second-order in fluctuation amplitude. Conditions for triggering are derived from analysis of limit cycles, and regions of triggering are found in parametric space. Introduction of linear cross-coupling and quadratic self-coupling among the acoustic modes appears to be how the nonlinear combustion response produces triggering to a stable limit cycle. Regions of initial conditions corresponding to stable pulses were found, suggesting that stability depends on initial phase angle and harmonic content, as well as the composite amplitude, of the pulse. Also, dependence of nonlinear stability upon system parameters is considered. The second part of this thesis presents ...
Purpose: Treatment results and the pattern of relapse were evaluated in the multimodal treatment of Ewing's sarcomas of the chest wall. Methods and Materials: In a retrospective analysis, 114 patients with non-metastatic Ewing's sarcoma of the chest wall were evaluated. They were treated in the CESS 81, CESS 86, or EICESS 92 studies between January 1981 and December 1993. The treatment consisted of polychemotherapy (VACA, VAIA, or EVAIA) and local therapy, either surgery alone (14 patients), radiotherapy alone (28 patients) or a combination of both (71 patients). The median follow-up was 46.6 months (range 5-170). A relapse analysis for all patients with local or combined relapses was performed. Results: Overall survival was 60% after 5 years, event-free survival was 50%. Thirty-seven patients had a systemic relapse (32.4%), 11 patients had a local relapse alone (9.6%), and 3 patients had a combined local and systemic relapse (2.6%). The risk ...
The full text follows. A thermal neutron imaging facility (TNIF) capable of real time neutron radiography and computed tomography was developed for the University of Texas TRIGA Mark II (UT-TRIGA) reactor from 1994-1998. The facility was developed with a through reactor beam port capable of producing a 5.2 x 10{sup 6} n/cm{sup 2}/s thermal neutron flux with a gamma dose rate of less than 1 mR/s after collimation. The original TNIF included the UT-TRIGA reactor, neutron collimation array, sample positioning system, neutron image intensifier tube, video camera, computerized image acquisition system, and a radiation shield. A 0.7 mm slit in cadmium was easily detectable using neutron radiography, and 1.4 mm diameter holes bored in an aluminum block were easily resolved using computed neutron tomography. Precise lower limits of the system resolution have hot been determined. The TNIF is currently being ...
Amorphous materials in the system xLi{sub 2}S{center_dot}(100-x)SiS{sub 2}, where x ranged from 50 to 70 mol %, and (100-y) (0.6Li{sub 2}S{center_dot}0.4SiS{sub 2}){center_dot}yLi{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}, where y ranged from 0 to 10 mol %, were synthesized by mechanical milling of crystalline starting materials, Li{sub 2}S, SiS{sub 2} and Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}. At the compositions with large amounts of Li{sup +} ions, a part of crystalline Li{sub 2}S used as a starting material remained in the milled powder samples. It was found that the milled powder samples in both systems obtained by mechanical milling exhibited high conductivities in the order of 10{sup -4}S{center_dot}cm{sup -1} at room temperature in spite of the presence of small amounts of Li{sub 2}S crystals. The conductivity values of the pelletized samples of xLi{sub 2}S{center_dot}(100-x)SiS{sub 2} powders maximized at the ...
Under different sintering temperatures(340 degrees C, 440 degrees C, 540 degrees C, 640 degrees C), four TiO2 particles were prepared. The crystal types of all four samples were found to possess anatase structures by XRD. It was obtained by N2 experimental adsorption at low temperature (77K) that their surface areas and average pore size were between 79 and 124 m2/g, 56.8 and 254.8 A respectively. The pore structure of TiO2 particles was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The tests of adsorption dynamics for FGD and the performance of SO2 removal were investigated in a fixed-bed system for different samples. The results show that SG540 sample which made at 540 degrees C sintering temperature had the most quality among the four samples. It can adsorb SO2 of 38.9 mg for one gram SG540 sample. Different operating conditions for SG540 such as ...
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 summarized in Section 4.0 and analytes not ...
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 summarized in Section 4.0 ...
Sulfuric acid and its partially or completely neutralized salts with ammonia are believed to result from the oxidation of sulfur dioxide in cloud water and in other heterogeneous media present in the atmosphere. Due to the natural abundance of ammonia and the ubiquitous presence of sulfur in the atmosphere, (NH/sub 4/)/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ is commonly the dominant chemical species in the ambient aerosol. The amounts of ammonium sulfates are expected to be very low in areas far removed from anthropogenic emissions of sulfur dioxide. The chemical composition of submicrometer aerosol particles was determined at the Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) on Mauna Loa in Hawaii during an eight-day period in August 1986. The MLO site was selected for this measurement because it is the only ground-based aerosol observatory in the remote Pacific Ocean that allows extended sampling of aerosols in the free troposphere. Measurements were made using an attenuated total internal reflection ...
Most of the synthetic gypsum generated from wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubbers is currently being used for wallboard production. Because oxidized mercury is readily captured by the wet FGD scrubber, and coal-fired power plants equipped with wet scrubbers desire to benefit from the partial mercury control that these systems provide, some mercury is likely to be bound in with the FGD gypsum and wallboard. In this study, the feasibility of identifying mercury species in the FGD gypsum and wallboard samples was investigated using a large sample size thermal desorption method. Potential candidates of pure mercury standards including mercuric chloride (HgCl2), mercurous chloride (Hg2Cl2), mercury oxide (HgO), mercury sulfide (HgS), and mercuric sulfate (HgSO4) were analyzed to compare their results with those obtained from FGD gypsum and dry wallboard samples. Although any of the thermal ...
This article considers the fundamentals of what happens in asolid when it is impacted with a medium energy gallium ion. The study ofthe ion/sample interaction at the nanometer scale is applicable to mostfocused ion beam (FIB) based work even if the FIB/sample interaction isonly a step in the process, e.g., micromachining or microelectronicdevice processing. Whereas the objective in other articles in this issueis to use the FIB tool to characterize a material or to machine a deviceor transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample, the goal of the FIB inthis article is to have the FIB/sample interaction itself become theproduct. To that end, the FIB/sample interaction is considered in threecategories according to geometry: below, at, and above the surface.First, the FIB ions can penetrate the top atom layer(s) and interactbelow the surface. Ion implantation and ion damage on flat ...
This is a slide-based oral presentation given to the COG/IAEA: Fifth technical committee meeting on 'Exchange of operating experience of pressurized heavy water reactors' held in Mangalia, Romania on 7-10 September 1998. Since energization of Wolsung Unit 3 station service transformer on July 12, 1996 a line of initial test program was conducted as follows: 1. ILRT/SIT; 2. Pre-operational and Hot Functional testing with a Light Water and without Fuel in Systems; 3. Load D_2O in Moderator System; 4. Initial fuel loading; 5. Load D_2O in PHT System; 6. Hot Functional Testing with Heavy Water and Fuel in Systems; 7. Criticality and Low Power Physics Testing; 8. Power Ascension Test and, then finally, phase-D test; the plant acceptance test was accomplished after having a Mini-Overhaul to prepare for Commercial Operation. These documents contain not only both overall introduction of ...
In a future power system with a high proportion of distributed and intermittent generation, it will be difficult and costly to ensure short-term security of supply if demand is unable to react to fluctuations on the supply side. At present, most power consumers in the EU, with the exception of the largest consumers such as energy intensive industries, buy their power on fixed tariffs. Fixed tariffs provide no incentives for consumers to alter their patterns of power consumption. This calls for more interaction between the supply and demand sides, which in turn would allow better matching of demand to intermittent supply. The development of cheap and reliable electronic communication technologies has made this a realistic option, so we are left with the general question of how the demand side can become more active in the future power market. Liberalisation of the wholesale power markets has introduced market-based pricing for the marginal electricity supply. Prices ...
{sup 14}C is a is a long-lived beta-emitting nuclide (T{sub 1/2} = 5730 years) produced naturally in the upper atmosphere as a result of reactions between neutrons and stable {sup 14}N({sup 14}N(n,p){sup 14}C). Although in a lesser extent, nuclear power plants produce {sup 14}C as well during their routine operation. Since it is converted in {sup 14}CO{sub 2} and mixed throughout the atmosphere, it is incorporated into plant tissues, via photosynthesis process, and hence in food chain. Because of the biological importance of {sup 14}C and long half-life, it is of interest to quantify the amounts released by nuclear industry. The Brazilian nuclear central named Nuclear Central Admiral Alvaro Alberto (CNAAA) has two nuclear reactors of PWR type in operation, Angra I (657 MWe) and Angra II (1350 MWe), and one under construction, Angra III (1309 MWe PWR). The aim of this study was to determine the strength of the sources and the {sup 14}C content in the environment through analyses of air, ...
...Marine Flatworms provides a fascinating introduction to the intriguing world of polyclad flatworms, a group of large, free-living marine Platyhelminthes, which are found throughout the world but are most colourful in tropical waters. Although not related to molluscs, they are often mistaken for sea slugs ...com Marine Flatworms provides a fascinating introduction to the intriguing world of polyclad flatworms, a group of large, free-living marine Platyhelminthes, which are found throughout the world but are most colourful in tropical waters. Although not related to molluscs, they are often mistaken for sea ...the world Over 300 stunning full colour photographs Brings together polyclads worldwide Newly developed key to polyclad families Introduction The world of worms Flatworms (Phylum:Platyhelminthes) Segmented Worms (Phylum: Annelida) Round worms (Nematoda) Other worms The polyclad body Habitat and lifestyle Colours and ...
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is interested in developing tools and methods for potential U.S. use in designing and evaluating safeguards systems. For this goal several DOE National Laboratories are defining the characteristics of typical facilities of several size scales, and the safeguards measures and instrumentation that could be applied. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is providing systems modeling and analysis of facility and safeguards operations, diversion path generation, and safeguards system effectiveness. The constituent elements of diversion scenarios are structured using directed graphs (digraphs) and fault trees. Safeguards indicator probabilities are based on sampling statistics and/or measurement accuracies. Scenarios are ranked based on value and quantity of material removed and the estimated probability of non-detection. Significant scenarios, especially those involving ...
This work assesses the performance of a modified two-dimensional gamma scan system in spent fuel pin studies. The techniques for a two-dimensional gamma scan studied have been developed at the Hot Cell of Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER). Samples are acquired from the spent fuel pin, TPC-SP-C1, which was irradiated in a commercial reactor core (the first of its kind in Taiwan) for 2 years and then deposited in a cooling pool for 10 years. The spent fuel pin was then transferred into INER for further examination. The gamma scanning system was driven by a step motor which had an accuracy within 0.1 mm in both X-Y directions. Data obtained from this system are presented in both an isotopic distribution and contour plot. Results in this study closely correspond to those in other investigations, thereby confirming the effectiveness of this modified system. (author)
The neutron radiography system installed at the E-2 experimental hole of the KUR (Kyoto University Reactor) has been used for some NDT applications in the nuclear field. The on-line video image processing system of this facility is introduced in this paper. A 0.5 mm resolution in images was obtained by using a super high quality TV camera developed for X-radiography viewing a NE-426 neutron-sensitive scintillator. The image of the NE-426 on a CRT can be observed directly and visually, thus many test samples can be sequentially observed when necessary for industrial purposes. The video image signals from the TV camera are digitized, with a 33 ms delay, through a video A/D converter (ADC) and can be stored in the image buffer (32 KB DRAM) of a microcomputer (Z-80) system. The digitized pictures are taken with 16 levels of gray scale and resolved to 240 x 256 picture elements (pixels) on a monochrome CRT, ...
A newly developed discrete-time adaptive sliding mode power system stabilizer (PSS) is proposed in this paper. Because the proposed PSS is developed in the pure discrete-time domain it is able to maintain the stability with the rather slower smapling frequency compared to discretized conventional continuous-time sliding mode PSS. The proposed PSS has the three main superiorities to the conventional PSS. First, because the proposed PSS utilizes the sliding mode control method, it has the strong robustness to the variations of the system parameters. Hence, it can overcome the minor disturbances such as identification errors, modeling errors, etc. Second, the proposed PSS needs only input/output measurements as feedback signals. Hence, it does not need the measurements of the state variables as the conventional sliding mode PSS or PSS based on the linear quadratic control method does. Finally, because the proposed PSS have the adaptive property, ...
The neutron radiography system installed at the E-2 experimental hole of the KUR (Kyoto University Reactor) has been used for some NDT applications in the nuclear field. The on-line video image processing system of this facility is introduced in this paper. A 0.5 mm resolution in images was obtained by using a super high quality TV camera developed for X-radiography viewing a NE-426 neutron-sensitive scintillator. The image of the NE-426 on a CRT can be observed directly and visually, thus many test samples can be sequentially observed when necessary for industrial purposes. The video image signals from the TV camera are digitized, with a 33 ms delay, through a video A/D converter (ADC) and can be stored in the image buffer (32 KB DRAM) of a microcomputer (Z-80) system. The digitized pictures are taken with 16 levels of gray scale and resolved to 240 x 256 picture elements (pixels) on a monochrome CRT, ...
A new spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of trace amount of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). Using europium (Eu{sup 3+})-tetracycline (TC) complex as a fluorescent probe, in the buffer solution of pH 7.60. NADP can remarkably enhance the fluorescence intensity of the Eu{sup 3+}-TC complex at {lambda} = 612 nm and the enhanced fluorescence intensity of Eu{sup 3+} ion is in proportion to the concentration of NADP. Optimum conditions for the determination of NADP were also investigated. The dynamic range for the determination of NADP is 4.4 x 10{sup -7} to 2.2 x 10{sup -6} mol l{sup -1} with detection limit of 6.9 x 10{sup -8} mol l{sup -1}. This method is simple, practical and relatively free interference from coexisting substances and can be successfully applied to determination of NADP in synthetic water samples and in serum samples. Moreover, the enhancement mechanisms of the fluorescence ...
Orientational constraints obtained from solid state NMR experiments on anisotropic samples are used here in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for determining the structure and dynamics of several different membrane-bound molecules. The new MD technique is based on the inclusion of orientation dependent pseudo-forces in the COSMOS-NMR force field. These forces drive molecular rotations and re-orientations in the simulation, such that the motional time-averages of the tensorial NMR properties approach the experimentally measured parameters. The orientational-constraint-driven MD simulations are universally applicable to all NMR interaction tensors, such as chemical shifts, dipolar couplings and quadrupolar interactions. The strategy does not depend on the initial choice of coordinates, and is in principle suitable for any flexible molecule. To test the method on three systems of increasing complexity, we used as constraints some deuterium ...
Orientational constraints obtained from solid state NMR experiments on anisotropic samples are used here in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for determining the structure and dynamics of several different membrane-bound molecules. The new MD technique is based on the inclusion of orientation dependent pseudo-forces in the COSMOS-NMR force field. These forces drive molecular rotations and re-orientations in the simulation, such that the motional time-averages of the tensorial NMR properties approach the experimentally measured parameters. The orientational-constraint-driven MD simulations are universally applicable to all NMR interaction tensors, such as chemical shifts, dipolar couplings and quadrupolar interactions. The strategy does not depend on the initial choice of coordinates, and is in principle suitable for any flexible molecule. To test the method on three systems of increasing complexity, we used as constraints some deuterium ...
Orientational constraints obtained from solid state NMR experiments on anisotropic samples are used here in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for determining the structure and dynamics of several different membrane-bound molecules. The new MD technique is based on the inclusion of orientation dependent pseudo-forces in the COSMOS-NMR force field. These forces drive molecular rotations and re-orientations in the simulation, such that the motional time-averages of the tensorial NMR properties approach the experimentally measured parameters. The orientational-constraint-driven MD simulations are universally applicable to all NMR interaction tensors, such as chemical shifts, dipolar couplings and quadrupolar interactions. The strategy does not depend on the initial choice of coordinates, and is in principle suitable for any flexible molecule. To test the method on three systems of increasing complexity, we used as constraints some deuterium ...
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.
Samples of 100Cr6 steel were treated by different ion beams in order to study the evolution of their tribological properties. A strong correlation was found between the amount of surface carbon, whatever its origin (contamination, direct C implantation or ion-beam mixing of a deposited carbon layer), and the reduction of the friction coefficient as well as the improvement of the wear resistance. These results are discussed in the framework of a recent statistical model founded on the asperity concept and describing the tribological behaviour of bilayer systems.
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.
Phase transformations in TiD_#approx#_0_._7_5 subjected to high-pressure treatment were investigated by simultaneous real-time measurements of neutron diffraction and small-angle neutron scattering. The neutron spectra were taken on heating the samples in temperature ranges 100 to 300 K and 300 to 870 K. A sequence of structural transitions was observed, which involves 7 different phases and intermediate states with hcp, fcc, fco or bcc metal sublattices and hydrogen atoms. 30 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.
British Columbia is rich in resources of coal but is deficient in resources of liquid petroleum. The overall objective of the B.C. Research Coal Liquefaction Program is to provide sufficient technical data to identify and evaluate coal conversion opportunities in the province. In this first quarterly report, liquefaction test systems are discussed and results from the testing of equipment, procedures and analytical methods using coal samples from Sukunka (N.E. coal) and Hat Creek (central interior) are presented. The proposed program to be undertaken over the next four years is outlined.
The procedure followed by the Laboratorio de Metrologia Nuclear in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the standardization of {sup 242g} Am is described. The calibration system was composed of a 4 {pi} gas-flow proportional counter coupled to a pair of NaI(Tl) crystals operating in coincidence. The samples were produced by irradiating dried aliquots of {sup 241} Am with thermal and epithermal neutrons at the IEA-R1 research reactor. The efficiency tracer technique has been applied using {sup 60} Co as tracer. The beta detection efficiency was changed by external absorbers and extrapolated to unity by linear least square fitting applying covariance methodology. (author)
The magnetic susceptibility of single and polycrystalline samples of the A-15 compounds (Vsub(1-x)Crsub(x))_3Si (0 <= x <= 1) is measured at temperatures between 4.2 and 320 K. The magnitude and the temperature dependence of the susceptibility diminish with increasing Cr concentration. Applying a peak model for the density of electronic states it is found that the change of the temperature dependence of the susceptibility with increasing Cr concentration is caused mainly by broadening of the peak in the density of electronic states. (author).
The purpose of this article was to study the dissipation rate of carfentrazone-ethyl in soil and its terminal residue in wheat field eco-system. The results showed that carfentrazone-ethyl dissipated rapidly in soil after application. Its half-lives in soil were 5.8 and 3.8?h in Beijing and Jilin, respectively. The terminal residues of carfentrazone-ethyl in soil samples were very low (around 0.003?0.005?mg/kg), and the residues in wheat grain were not detectable. The use of carfentrazone-ethyl in wheat could be considered to be safe.
The objectives of this paper are to document the physicochemical and aquatic toxicological quality of a beneficial-use produced-water discharge and its effect on a receiving stream in Wyoming. Fish and water-flea survival, growth, and reproduction tests indicated that the discharge and all other sampling stations passed the state effluent biomonitoring acute toxicity testing endpoints. while benthic macroinvertebrates were absent at the discharge point designated by the Natl. Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), productive and reproducing populations were present at all other downstream and mixing-zone stations. This investigation confirmed the validity of the beneficial-use subcategory for this oilfield discharge.
The automatic interpretation of apparent resistivity curves from horizontally layered earth models is carried out by the curve-fitting method in three steps: (1) the observed VES data are interpolated at equidistant points of electrode separations on the logarithmic scale by using the cubic spline function, (2) the layer parameters which are resistivities and depths are predicted from the sampled apparent resistivity values by SALS system program and (3) the theoretical VES curves from the models are calculated by Ghosh's linear filter method using the Zhody's computer program. Two soundings taken over Takenoyu geothermal area were chosen to test the procedures of the automatic interpretation.
Long-Range Alpha Detector (LRAD) systems are designed to monitor alpha contamination by measuring the number of ions in the air. Alpha particles are a form of ionizing radiation and a typical 5-MeV alpha particle will create about 150,000 ion pairs in air. Field tests at various DOE sites have shown that LRAD Surface Soil Monitors (SSM), Sample Monitors, and Object Monitors are faster and more sensitive than traditional alpha detectors for measuring alpha contamination. This paper discusses the various applications of LRAD technology to low-level radioactive waste management.
A database has been designed for storing, retrieving and analyzing information about samples, experimental conditions and results obtained by neutron activation analysis and gamma-ray spectrometry. It has been created using Microsoft ACCESS 2002 under a Windows operating system. The database has been designed not only for saving information but also for quality assurance and quality control purposes. The structure of the relational design has been discussed and demonstrated with a new graphical feature of ACCESS 2002 called PIVOTCHART. (author)
We present the results of Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) imaging of a sample of 19 high-mass passively evolving galaxies with 1.2 < z < 2, taken primarily from the Gemini Deep Deep Survey (GDDS). Around 80% of galaxies in our GDDS sample have spectra dominated by stars with ages #approx#>1 Gyr. Our rest-frame R-band images show that most of these objects have compact regular morphologies which follow the classical R "1"/"4 law. These galaxies scatter along a tight sequence in the size versus surface brightness parameter space which defines the Kormendy relation. Around one-third (3/10) of the massive red objects in the GDDS sample are extraordinarily compact, with effective radii under 1 kpc. Our NICMOS observations allow the detection of such systems more robustly than is possible with optical (rest-frame UV) data, and while similar systems ...
We present a femtosecond Laser Two-Photon Polymerization (LTPP) system of large scale three-dimensional structuring for applications in tissue engineering. The direct laser writing system enables fabrication of artificial polymeric scaffolds over a large area (up to cm in lateral size) with sub-micrometer resolution which could find practical applications in biomedicine and surgery. Yb:KGW femtosecond laser oscillator (Pharos, Light Conversion. Co. Ltd.) is used as an irradiation source (75 fs, 515 nm (frequency doubled), 80 MHz). The sample is mounted on wide range linear motor driven stages having 10 nm sample positioning resolution (XY--ALS130-100, Z--ALS130-50, Aerotech, Inc.). These stages guarantee an overall travelling range of 100 mm into X and Y directions and 50 mm in Z direction and support the linear scanning speed up to 300 mm/s. By moving the sample three-dimensionally ...
Applying a total energy absorption {gamma}-ray detector composed of 12 bricks (5x5 cm{sup 2}, 7.5 cm thick) of Bi{sub 4}Ge{sub 3}O{sub 12}(BGO) scintillators, the absolute measurement of capture cross sections for Au and Sb has been made in an energy region between 0.01 eV and 10 eV using the linac time-of-flight method. Incident thermal neutron flux was absolutely determined by using the BGO detection system with a Sm sample. To extend the neutron flux measurement from the thermal neutron region to higher neutron energy, the {sup 10}B(n, {alpha} {gamma}) reaction was applied. Absolute capture yield for the relevant capture sample was obtained by the saturated capture yield at a large resonance of the sample. Gold was selected to investigate the application of the BGO detection system to the absolute measurement of the capture cross sections, since the {sup 197}Au(n, {gamma}){sup ...
Radiochemical results ("2"3"4U, "2"3"8U, "2"2"6Ra and "2"2"8Ra activities; "2"3"4U/"2"3"8U, "2"2"8Ra/"2"2"6Ra and "2"2"6Ra/"2"3"8U activity ratios) are reported for 31 drinking water samples collected from 8 wells, 12 hot mineral springs, 5 cold springs, and 6 tap water samples. Activities of the Ra isotopes were measured by gamma spectrometry using a low background and high efficiency well type germanium detector. The U isotopes were counted in an alpha spectrometer. The results show that "2"3"8U activity varies between 4.46 and about 308 mBq l"-"1 in wells, 0.59 and 17.88 mBq l"-"1 in hot springs, 2.19 and 3.21 mBq l"-"1 in cold springs, and between 2.5 and 15.70 mBq l"-"1 in tap water samples. "2"3"4U/"2"3"8U activity ratio is generally higher than 1 which is the equilibrium activity ratio value in closed systems. It varies in the ranges 0.79-2.11 in wells, 0.97-7.39 in hot springs, 2.53-8.30 in cold ...
October 2010; in revised form: 12 November 2010 / Accepted: 30 November 2010 / Published: 1 December 2010 Abstract: For a comprehensive study ...1.Introduction ...In a previous work [1], it has been demonstrated that the prepreg composition, molding
Introduction and hypothesisThis study seeks to evaluate axial variation, comparisons with current technology, performance during dynamic conditions, and patient tolerability of the...Full Text Available
The recent introduction of several transposable elements in zebrafish opens new frontiers for genetic manipulation in this important vertebrate model. This review discusses transposable elements as...Full Text Available
IntroductionOut-of-school adolescents are often neglected when planning for tobacco prevention programmes whereas they are more vulnerable. Few studies exist in Nigeria about their...Full Text Available
Introduction:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health problem. It imparts a substantial economic burden on individuals and society. Acute exacerbations...Full Text Available
This paper considers the time dependent Stefan problem with convection in the fluid phase governed by the Stokes equation, and with adherence of the fluid on the lateral boundaries. The existence of a weak solution is obtained via the introduction of a te...
As the presence of humans in space expands in scope and duration, the quality of life in space as well as on Earth becomes pertinent. .... Military uses of space, such as the introduction of space-based laser or particle beam weapons, may have a major impact on the way people think and relate to .... AIAA Student Journal. ...
IntroductionSevere obstructive sleep apnea has been associated with sexual dysfunction; however, it is unclear whether milder forms of sleep disturbances might also...Full Text Available
IntroductionMale sexual dysfunction is a common complication of diabetes (DM), but the relative impact of erectile dysfunction (ED), orgasmic dysfunction (OD), and/or...Full Text Available
IntroductionIrradiation of normal, non-malignant bone during cancer therapy can lead to atrophy and increased risk of fracture at several skeletal sites, particularly...Full Text Available
IntroductionResearch is an essential tool in facing the challenges of scaling up interventions and improving access to services. As in many other countries, the translation of research...Full Text Available
IntroductionRecent Food and Drug Administration legislation enables the mandating of product performance standards for cigarette smoke and the evaluation of manufacturers’...Full Text Available
IntroductionAcute lung injury (ALI) may arise both after sepsis and non-septic inflammatory conditions and is often associated with the release of fatty acids, including oleic acid...Full Text Available
IntroductionHealth information on the Internet undergoes no quality control at the stage of production, thus its quality is highly variable, making it difficult...Full Text Available
IntroductionPersistent lymphatic drainage following retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testicular tumor is an uncommon complication.Case presentationWe...Full Text Available
Separate abstracts were prepared for 60 papers in this volume of conference proceedings. None other papers in the proceedings were previously abstracted for EDB. Also included in the proceedings but not indexed separately are six workshop summaries and a session introduction. (LEW)
IntroductionWe report an unusual presentation of primary biliary cirrhosis.Case presentationWe present the case of a 66-year-old white British woman...Full Text Available
IntroductionPatients undergoing selective minor emergency and elective procedures are followed up by a nurse-led structured telephone review six weeks post-operatively in our hospital....Full Text Available
... Some OA publishers (such as BMC and PLoS) waive the fee for all researchers affiliated with institutions that have purchased an annual membership. A common misunderstanding is that all OA journals use an \\
The introduction and survival of zoonotic bacterial pathogens in poultry farming have been linked to bacterial association with free-living protozoa. To date, however, no information is available on...Full Text Available
IntroductionPrimary tumors of the breast containing bone and cartilage are extremely rare, and an osteogenic sarcoma arising from a cystosarcoma phyllodes is exceptional.Case...Full Text Available
IntroductionIn the last few years, various studies have underlined a correlation between thyroid function and male sexual function, hypothesizing a direct action of thyroid hormones...Full Text Available
IntroductionSeizures with or without trauma may cause fractures that occur commonly in epileptic seizures. Fracture risk is less reported in non-epileptic seizures. Some metabolic...Full Text Available
IntroductionWhile epidemiological methods have grown in sophistication during the 20th century, their application in historical occupational (and environmental) health...Full Text Available
IntroductionThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions on muscle tissue oxygenation, oxygen metabolism and microvascular reactivity in...Full Text Available
IntroductionKluyvera ascorbata has become increasingly significant due to its potential to cause a wide range of infections, as well as its ability to transfer gene...Full Text Available
BackgroundWithin the last 25 years, after the introduction of the swimbladder nematode Anguillicoloides crassus from East-Asia to Europe, a body of work has aggregated...Full Text Available
IntroductionNormal and neoplastic breast tissues are comprised of heterogeneous populations of epithelial cells exhibiting various degrees of maturation and differentiation. While...Full Text Available
IntroductionTerror attacks in Southeast Asia were almost nonexistent until the 2002 Bali bomb blast, considered the deadliest attack in Indonesian history. Further attacks in 2003...Full Text Available
station in flowmeter used for mass flow calculation. Introduction. THE design .... length (as a result of a less conservative boundary-layer separation criterion), 2) slight ..... ical Flow, AGARD Conference Proceedings, No. 30, 1968. 5Kantrowitz ...
Introduction: Selective dissemination of information (SDI) services regularly alert users to new information on their chosen topics. This type of service can increase a user's ability to...Full Text Available
IntroductionThe presence of erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction may indicate physical problems; however, individual perceptions (e.g., sexual satisfaction) may reflect...Full Text Available
Offers comprehensive coverage of the field of electrical double layer (EDL) research. This work discusses theoretical models used with EDL and demonstrates how they can be applied to typically encountered real-world problems including those that must be considered in modern industrial applications.
Exosomes are small membrane vesicles secreted from various types of cells. Tumor-derived exosomes contain MHC class I molecules and tumor-specific antigens, receiving attention as a potential cancer...Full Text Available
In a series of comprehensive tests lasting 18 months the relationship between the CO-content of the waste gas from a hot-blast cupola furnace and the amount of secondary blast was determined. The additional CO-combustion by means of the secondary blast an...
A workshop on alternative toxicological testing methodologies was convened by the Scientific Group on Methodologies for the Safety Evaluation of Chemicals (SGOMSEC) 26-31 January 1997 in Ispra, Italy,...Full Text Available
IntroductionThe aim of the study was to assess and classify incidents of electromagnetic interference (EMI) by second-generation and third-generation mobile phones on critical care...Full Text Available
IntroductionIn lung cancer surgery, large tidal volume and elevated inspiratory pressure are known risk factors of acute lung (ALI). Mechanical ventilation with low tidal volume...Full Text Available
IntroductionThe murine air pouch is a bursa-like space that resembles the human synovial membrane. Injection of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals into the pouch elicits an acute inflammatory...Full Text Available
Wet-weather flow (WWF), including combined-sewer overflow (CSO, sanitary-sewer overflow, and stormwater (SW), is a significant contributor of microbial contamination to surface water and ground water. By using effective wastewater or SW disinfection, introduction of pathogen con...
INTRODUCTION:Gynura procumbens has been shown to decrease blood pressure via inhibition of the angiotensin‐converting enzyme. However, other mechanisms that...Full Text Available
IntroductionThe objective of this study was to examine age-, hormone-, and sex-dependent differences to the behavioral effects of nicotine using place-conditioning...Full Text Available
IntroductionColorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, but currently available non-invasive screening programs have achieved only...Full Text Available
The objectives of this study were to investigate the flocculation/flotation characteristics of combined sewer overflow through laboratory and field testing. The concept involves the introduction of chemicals and buoyant flotation aids into the overflow and the subsequent cofloccu...
Contents: Introduction; Design Criteria for a Green Building; Comparison of Energy Efficiency Measures; Whole House Energy Efficiency; Built Examples of Energy Efficient Houses; and Product Energy of Building Elements.
IntroductionIntrarenal pseudoaneurysm is a rare, yet clinically significant, complication of percutaneous nephrolithotomy. A high index of clinical suspicion is necessary in order...Full Text Available
A pedagogical introduction to the equivalence theorem for longitudinal vector bosons in electroweak theories is given and the problem of tree-level unitarity at high energies in models of electroweak interactions is briefly reviewed. To make the treatment self-containded, the basic of the Standard Model are summarized in an appendix.
IntroductionRadiotherapy outcomes might be further improved by a greater understanding of the individual variations in normal tissue reactions that determine tolerance. Most published...Full Text Available
IntroductionFlow diversion is a new approach to the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms which uses a high density mesh stent to induce sac thrombosis. These devices...Full Text Available
IntroductionIn critically ill patients the relationship between the storage age of red blood cells (RBCs) transfused and outcomes are controversial. To determine if duration of RBC...Full Text Available
IntroductionChest pain with ST-segment elevation is a rare clinical problem during dobutamine stress testing. Although beta-agonists treatment prior to dobutamine stress testing...Full Text Available
IntroductionTyrosine phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (pStat3) is expressed in numerous cancers and is required for mediating tumorigenesis. Autocrine...Full Text Available
This document is a technical background document for proposed regulations to limit effluent discharges to waters of the United States and introductions of pollutants into publicly owned treatment works from facilities engaged in porcelain enameling. The p...
BackgroundPosttransfusion hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection still occurs although its incidence has been substantially reduced since the introduction of screening of hepatitis B...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe State of Victoria in Australia introduced Chinese medicine practitioner registration in 2000 and issued its education guidelines in late 2002 for introduction in 2005....Full Text Available
IntroductionThe optimal dialysis dose for the treatment of acute kidney injury (AKI) is controversial. We sought to evaluate the relationship between renal replacement therapy (RRT)...Full Text Available
BackgroundAlthough the health benefits of breastfeeding are well established, early introduction of formula remains a common practice. Cultural beliefs and practices can have an...Full Text Available
... Search Help? Coping with Test Pain, Discomfort, and Anxiety Introduction | Be Prepared | Know Your Tests | Relax | Conclusion ... though they may feel some embarrassment, discomfort, or anxiety at the outset. If undergoing medical tests makes ...
Car-producers compete in launching hybrids and electric cars, but this does not mean the end for the good old combustion engine.The challenge is the introduction of more complexed costs and weight in the new technology. (AG)
IntroductionColonoscopic perforation is a rare but serious complication of colonoscopy. Factors known to increase the risk of perforation include colonic strictures, extensive diverticulosis,...Full Text Available
IntroductionAutologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT) is a routine technique to regenerate focal cartilage lesions. However, patients with osteoarthritis (OA) are lacking an appropriate...Full Text Available
Introduction:Although radical prostatectomy (RP) is an effective treatment for prostate cancer, it has potentially deleterious effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL)....Full Text Available
IntroductionApproximately 25–30% of breast cancers are assumed to be HER-2/neu positive. It is well known that HER-2/neu-positive cancers after treatment with trastuzumab...Full Text Available
This brief paper is an introduction to the concept of designing residential warm air furnaces without combustion chambers. This is possible since some small burners do not require the thermal support of a combustion chamber to complete the combustion process.
IntroductionBRAF (v raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homologue B1) is a serine-threonine kinase involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway, known...Full Text Available
IntroductionThe goal of this study was to identify serum markers that are modulated by treatment with golimumab with or without methotrexate (MTX) and are associated with clinical...Full Text Available
Introduction:Smoking behaviors, including heaviness of smoking and smoking cessation, are known to be under a degree of genetic influence. The enzyme catechol O-methyltransferase...Full Text Available
IntroductionTransfusion is a common treatment in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Studies in adults suggest that prolonged storage of red blood cell units is associated with...Full Text Available
An introduction to the properties and behaviour of tachyons is presented. The extension of special relativity to include superluminal frames is discussed and the generalized Lorentz transformation is considered. The consequences of the existence of tachyous for general relativity and astrophysics are also summarised. (W.D.L.).
IntroductionMale circumcision is being promoted for HIV prevention in high-risk heterosexual populations. However, there is a concern that circumcision may impair...Full Text Available
AbstractThis study investigated the distribution of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in herds of cattle in Ireland over the years 1996 through 2000, prior to the introduction of...Full Text Available
IntroductionLaparoscopic distal pancreatectomy has been described for more than a decade now and has been considered technically feasible, safe, and with reproducible outcomes. It...Full Text Available
Systematic observations of man/water contact in a valley endemic for S. mansoni in St Lucia were carried out prior to the introduction of a household water supply. The observations...Full Text Available
IntroductionA rare side effect of antipsychotic medication is neuroleptic malignant syndrome, mainly characterized by hyperthermia, altered mental state, haemodynamic dysregulation,...Full Text Available
IntroductionVarious multigene predictors of breast cancer clinical outcome have been commercialized, but proved to be prognostic only for hormone receptor (HR) subsets overexpressing...Full Text Available
Presently, industrial maturity can be claimed for two fuel cycle strategies, viz. the 'Once Through Fuel Cycle' (OTC), and the 'Reprocessing Fuel Cycle' (RFC) in which plutonium and very limited uranium quantities are being recycled. It is helpful to recall some key data that set the stage for any discussion of fuel cycle options: 1. Worldwide, the annual spent fuel discharge is in the range of 10500-11000 t heavy-metal (HM), while the industrial reprocessing capacity amounts to #approx# 5000 t HM (OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY, Accelerator-driven Systems (ADS) and Fast Reactors (FR) in Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles: a Comparative Study, Paris, 2002). Hence, less than 1/2 of the discharged spent fuel can be processed. 2. Worldwide, the cumulative inventory of stored spent fuel is estimated to be #approx# 190000 t HM, and the amount of reprocessed spent fuel is estimated to be #approx# 70000 t HM. The latter inventory has been transformed into high-level waste (HLW) and ...
The operation of the Bullhouse Minewater System, used to treat iron-rich minewaters discharged from long-abandoned coal mines, was studied to minimise pollution of the Upper Don river in the UK. Tests were carried out to determine optimal operating conditions. Ochre flocculation with polyacrylamide was efficient in batch tests as the ochre self-flocculated and sedimented in the lagoon without the need for chemical enhancement. The rate of accretion of the pipework in the system was modified by partial dewatering, reshaping and hardening of the deposits during ageing. Samples of ochre recovered from the drying beds and sump deposits were converted to ferric sulphate coagulant by dissolution with sulphuric acid and used with a polyelectrolyte to successfully purify reservoir water and pretreat wastewater. There was considerable local interest in the scheme with educational opportunities for schools and colleges.
Metallic nanoparticles was synthesized in SiO{sub 2} matrices by means of a process of two stages. The first one proceeded via sol-gel, incorporating the metallic precursors to the reaction system before the solidification of the matrix. Later on, the samples underwent a thermal treatment in atmosphere of H{sub 2}, carrying out the reduction of the metals that finally formed to the nanoparticles. Then it was detected the presence of smaller nanoparticles than 20 nm, dispersed and with the property of being liberated easily of the matrix, conserving a free surface, chemically reactive and with response to external electromagnetic radiation. The system SiO{sub 2}-Pd showed an important thermoluminescent response. (Author)
Research highlights: ? Reports a high protection system for the alloy in corrosive environment. ? Describes an interfacial process with self-healing properties. ? Reports the influence of substrate pre-treatment in the coating performance. - Abstract: In this paper the interface of poly(vinylidene fluoride) coatings prepared by the dip coating method and HF-treated AZ31 magnesium alloy was evaluated. The best performance of this system in corrosion tests compared to ground, as-received and acetic acid cleaned substrates is related to an acid-base interaction at the interface and to interfacial reactions which resulted in a self-healing process. The protectiveness of the samples was investigated using impedance and immersion tests while the coating morphology and interface stability were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and adhesion tests.
In this work, we address the problem of road interpretation for driver assistance based on an early cognitive vision system. The structure of a road and the relevant traf?c are interpreted in terms of ego-motion estimation of the car, independently moving objects on the road, lane markers and large scale maps of the road. We make use of temporal and spatial disambiguation mechanisms to increase the reliability of visually extracted 2D and 3D information. This information is then used to interpret the layout of the road by using lane markers that are detected via Bayesian reasoning. We also estimate the ego-motion of the car which is used to create large scale maps of the road and also to detect independently moving objects. Sample results for the presented algorithms are shown on a stereo image sequence, that has been collected from a structured road.
Twelve powders of TiO_2-Y_2O_3-ZrO_2 solid solution of the methodically changed composition were prepared by a coprecipitation-calcination technique. After mixing with phenol-formaldehyde resin, the powders were calcinated for 2 hours at 1200"oC in vacuum. The resultant composite powders contained TiC and non-reacted carbon. Green compacts were sintered in vacuum at 1500"oC for 2 hours. A temperature increase was stopped at 1200"oC to react remains of carbon. There were two carbides in the composites TiC and ZrC. TiC non-stoichiometry depended on carbon content in the system. Phase composition of the depended on of titania and yttria in zirconia solid solution. The majority of the samples showed two tetragonal zirconia phases differing in lattice parameter and tetragonality. (author)
This study serves to investigate the uptake of POPs in the different trophic levels (scrapers, collectors, predators, shredders) of macroinvertebrate communities sampled from a glacial and a non-glacial stream in the Italian Alps. The presented results show that the contaminant concentrations in glacial communities are generally higher compared to those from non-glacial catchments, highlighting the importance of glaciers as temporary sinks of atmospherically transported pollutants. Moreover, the data also suggests that in mountain systems snow plays an important role in influencing macroinvertebrate contamination. The main chemical uptake process to the macroinvertebrates is considered to be bioconcentration from water, as similar contaminant profiles were observed between the different trophic levels. The role of biomagnification/bioaccumulation is thought to be absent or negligible. The enrichment of chemicals observed in the predators is ...
Abstract Voltage sag caused by faults on an electric power transmission line is one of the most intractable power quality issues for both utility companies and customers. The fault in power system randomly exists along transmission lines due to the combination of many uncertain factors. To predict and assess the annual expected sag frequency (ESF) deriving from the faults along lines, a stochastic based method that employs maximum entropy principle, namely the maximum entropy probability method (MEPM), has been introduced in this paper. Moreover, various types of faults have been considered systematically. With the fault line intervals and the sample moments taken into account, the discrete values of distribution probability of fault locations along the transmission lines have been estimat...
A multivariate logistic regression model, based upon National Automotive SamplingSystem Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) data for calendar years 1999-2008, was developed to predict the probability that a crash-involved vehicle will contain one or more occupants with serious or incapacitating injuries. These vehicles were defined as containing at least one occupant coded with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of greater than or equal to 15, in planar, non-rollover crash events involving Model Year 2000 and newer cars, light trucks, and vans. The target injury outcome measure was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-led National Expert Panel on Field Triage in their recent revision of the Field Triage Decision Scheme (American College of Surgeons, 2006). The ...
A series of SiAlON materials with a cordierite-based matrix were annealed for different lengths of time to cause crystallization of the glass phase. Their fracture toughness, hardness, and elastic modulus were measured from room temperature up to 1100"0C. The fracture toughness generally decreased with temperature. Short time annealing raised toughness at lower temperatures, while further annealing lowered it back to the value for as-hot pressed materials. At higher test temperatures annealing had no effect on toughness. This annealing behavior is significantly different from that previously reported in the system SaAlON-YAG. Hardness decreased monotonically with temperature for all samples. Both hardness and the elastic modulus were not affected by the annealing treatment. At elevated temperatures appreciable scatter of modulus results allowed only a rough trend of decrease with temperature to be observed.
Gamma-ray spectrometric analysis was employed to determine the nuclides formed in thorium by neutron irradiation. Thorium sample was irradiated by neutron from a pure thermal neutron field, neutron field of Cd ratio of about 4, and epithermal neutron field, respectively. The former irradiation was carried out in a thermal neutron column provided for medical uses of neutrons, and the latters were done in the F-ring position of TRIGA II research reactor of Musashi Institute of Technology. The gamma-ray spectra were obtained and analyzed by employing a fully automatic gamma-ray analysis system named ''GAMA: giant frog:-SYSTEM'' developped by Musashi Institute of Technology. The formation of Pa-233 (U-233) was discussed quantitatively with respect to the difference of the neutron field. (author).
A micropositioning stage for use with an x-ray microscope has been developed to scan samples over a 100 {mu}m{times}100-{mu}m area with a resolution of 100 A. The stage employs flexure hinges driven by piezoelectric actuators to achieve this high positioning accuracy. Due to the severe geometry of the hinges, stresses and deflections are determined (via finite element methods) to ensure a credible design. Since the stage is to be used in a stepping capacity, natural frequencies are computed to identify resonant conditions which could potentially cause excessive deflections. The finite element models show that the stage responds like a discrete lumped-mass system for the lower modes, and a continuous system with flexural characteristics for the higher modes.
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 ...
{The determination of cluster masses is a complex problem that would be aided by information about the cluster shape and orientation (along the line-of-sight).} {It is in this context, that we have developed a scheme for identifying the intrinsic morphology and inclination of a cluster, by looking for the signature of the true cluster characteristics in the inter-comparison of the different deprojected emissivity profiles (that all project to the same X-ray brightness distribution) and by using SZe data when available.} {We deproject the cluster X-ray surface brightness profile under the assumptions of four different geometry and inclination configurations for the observed system; these 4 configurations correspond to four extreme geometry+inclination scenarios. The deprojection in question is performed by the non-parametric algorithm DOPING. The formalism is tested with model systems and then is applied to a sample of 24 ...
The Cs-137 radioactivity of a neutron-irradiated nuclear fuel sample has been measured by means of a micro-gamma scanning system which is associated with a high purity Ge detector. Subsequently the burn-up has been calculated from the Cs-137 radioactivity data and then compared with the values from the theoretical computation and chemical anaylsis. The burn-up value obtained with the gamma-scanning system seems to be reasonably agreeable with that of the chemical anaylsis provided that the statistical error in the experiments is taken into account. It is revealed that the burn-up data from the theoretical approach is slightly higher than those of micro-gamma scanning and chemical analysis methods. (Author).
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.
The early Miocene Pedregoso Formation is one of the numerous formations rich in organic matter within the stratigraphic record of the Urumaco Trough, in the central area of the Falcon Basin. Due to its lithological characteristics and stratigraphic position, this formation is of great interest regarding the basin's petroliferous systems. The evaluation of various inorganic and organic geochemical parameters indicates that the organic matter is primarily of marine origin, deposited in a marine carbonate environment typical of reefal systems, under oxic-to-dysoxic conditions. The low variability in the TOC concentrations and in the distributions of the biomarkers extracted from the samples suggests that the paleoenvironmental conditions and the organic-matter supply remained approximately co...
Computed tomography (CT) has been incorporated in an industrial Diode-Array Digital Radiography (DADR) system. An input data size of 512 pixel points x 400 projections yielded a 400x400 output image matrix. Reconstruction algorithms used are the filtered backprojection (FBP) and the direct Fourier reconstruction (DFR). Various filters were used in the FBP reconstruction process and their effects on image quality were evaluated. A spatial resolution of 100 {mu}m was measured with a block of plates and a minimum detectable feature size in the range of 10-100 {mu}m was measured using thin wires. Industrial specimens imaged have included ceramic samples, ball bearings and integrated circuits. A number of engineering problems have been solved, such as adjustment of the X-ray source, centering of the rotator spindle in the view field and beam-hardening corrections. (orig.).
Sandwich panels have a very high stiffness to weight ratio, which makes them particularly useful in the aerospace industry where carbon fibre reinforced plastics and lightweight honeycomb cores are being used in the construction of floor panels, fairings and intake barrel panels. In the latter case, the geometry of the panels can be considered doubly curved. This paper presents an introduction to an ongoing study investigating the dynamic response prediction of acoustically excited composite sandwich panels which have double curvature. The final objective is to assess and hopefully produce an up to date set of acoustic fatigue design guidelines for this type of structure. The free vibration of doubly curved composite honeycomb sandwich panels is investigated here, both experimentally and theoretically, the latter using a commerically available finite element package. The design and manufacture of three test panels is covered before presenting experimental results ...
Purpose: Reconstruction of radiation doses for the thoracoabdominal babygram and the abdomen X-ray from radiographic settings and exposure data acquired at Dr. von Hauner's Kinderspital (children's hospital of the University of Munich, DvHK) between 1976 and 2007; comparison of these dose values with values reported in the literature; recommendation of a reference dose value for the thoracoabdominal babygram. Materials and Methods: The data from all X-ray examinations performed since 1976 at DvHK were stored electronically in a database. After 30 years of data collection, the database now includes 305 107 radiological examinations (radiographs and fluoroscopies), especially 1493 thoracoabdominal babygrams and 3632 abdomen X-rays of newborns and young infants. With the computer program PAeDOS, a specific dose reconstruction algorithm was developed. Results: the entrance dose values of thoracoabdominal babygrams and abdomen X-rays in DvHK could be reduced in the last 30 ...
Purpose: Reconstruction of radiation doses for the thoracoabdominal babygram and the abdomen X-ray from radiographic settings and exposure data acquired at Dr. von Hauner's Kinderspital (children's hospital of the University of Munich, DvHK) between 1976 and 2007; comparison of these dose values with values reported in the literature; recommendation of a reference dose value for the thoracoabdominal babygram. Materials and Methods: The data from all X-ray examinations performed since 1976 at DvHK were stored electronically in a database. After 30 years of data collection, the database now includes 305 107 radiological examinations (radiographs and fluoroscopies), especially 1493 thoracoabdominal babygrams and 3632 abdomen X-rays of newborns and young infants. With the computer program PAeDOS, a specific dose reconstruction algorithm was developed. Results: the entrance dose values of thoracoabdominal babygrams and abdomen X-rays in DvHK could be reduced in the last 30 years by a factor ...
The Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor (RMWR) is a next generation water-cooled reactor, based on the experienced light water reactor (LWR) technology, aiming at effective utilization of uranium resources, high burn-up and long operation cycle and plutonium multiple recycling. These characteristics can be achieved by the high conversion ratio from {sup 238}U to {sup 239}Pu resulted from the higher neutron energy spectrum in comparison to conventional LWRs. Considering the extension of LWR utilization, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) started the research on it in 1997 and then started a collaboration in the conceptual design study with the Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) in 1998, under technical cooperation with three Japanese reactor vendors. In the core design study of the RMWR, several basic core designs with the high conversion ratio more than 1 and the negative void reactivity coefficient have been proposed, and then, subsequent investigation on the effects of ...
In the present work, the introduction of alternative energy of biogas in agricultural communities for the sustainable development was studied through exploitation of residual biomass and also getting as by-product the biological fertilizer. A fast composting of the domestic residue with the organic was made possible where part of this residue after processing was taken together with effluent to the biodigester. The bibliographical research on the processes of generation of biogas, about composting and the equipment for processing had been carried through. The projects engineering with the use of computational tools had been developed with the software Super Pro 4,9 Design and ORC GPEC 2004 by our research group. Five case studies had been elaborated, where different scenes related with our innovation, that uses of the residue for the composting together with domestic effluent for digestion. Several economic parameters were obtained and our work proved the viability ...
PETROBRAS/TRANSPETRO Pipelines and Terminals have 500 regular employees and 5.064 out sourced workers in its Southeast Division. The out sourced employees work under 125 contracts involving a wide range of activities such as maintenance, pipeline operation, pipeline launching, engineering, administrative and auxiliary services. Among these workers, 1.200 peoples are subjected to occupational exposure, which may be present in the industrial process or in the products transported in our pipelines, e.g. industrial noise, sulfidric gas, toluene, xylene and benzene (recognized as a carcinogen according to ACGIH and Brazilian Ministry of Labour). Our PPRA (acronym in Portuguese for Occupational Exposure Prevention Program) involves the workforce and fosters health by anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of the situations that may result in injuries. Further actions include the procurement of equipment for detection of these agents not only in the air but also diluted in liquids ...
This thesis contains the candidate's original work on excitonic structure and energy transfer dynamics of two bacterial antenna complexes as studied using spectral hole-burning spectroscopy. The general introduction is divided into two chapters (1 and 2). Chapter 1 provides background material on photosynthesis and bacterial antenna complexes with emphasis on the two bacterial antenna systems related to the thesis research. Chapter 2 reviews the underlying principles and mechanism of persistent nonphotochemical hole-burning (NPHB) spectroscopy. Relevant energy transfer theories are also discussed. Chapters 3 and 4 are papers by the candidate that have been published. Chapter 3 describes the application of NPHB spectroscopy to the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex from the green sulfur bacterium Prosthecochloris aestuarii; emphasis is on determination of the low energy vibrational structure that is important for understanding the ...
In order to make it easy for the reader to see the specific research carried out and the progress made, the following report of progress is done by topic. Each item has a format layout of Topic, Investigators, Objective, Significance, and Description of Progress, followed at the end by the relevant references. As is clear from the topics listed, the emphasis of the GW nuclear theory group has been on the structure and electromagnetic interactions of few-body nuclei. Both low- and intermediate-energy electromagnetic disintegration of these nuclei is considered, including coherent photoproduction of {pi} mesons. When the excitation energy of the target nucleus is low, the aim has been to handle the continuum part of the theoretical work numerically with no approximations, that is, by means of full three- or four-body dynamics. When structure questions are the issue, numerically accurate calculations are always carried through, limited only by the underlying two-body or three-body ...
Background and purpose: A series of phase I/II clinical trials are being initiated in several UK centres to explore the use of dose-escalated schedules for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Among them the IDEAL-CRT trial (ISRCTN12155469) will investigate the introduction of individualised 'isotoxic' treatment schedules based on the relative mean lung normalised total dose (rNTDmean), an estimator related to lung toxicity. Since treatment planning will be performed using different treatment planning systems (TPSs), for the quality assurance of the trial we have carried out work to quantify the influence of dose calculation algorithms based on the determination of rNTDmean and on the choice of individualised prescription doses. Material and methods: Twenty-five patient plans with stage I, II and III NSCLC were calculated, with the same prescription dose, using the Adaptive Convolve (AC) and Collapsed Cone (CC) algorithms of the ...
The helium-cooled HTGR (High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor) will take an important position in the global energy strategy. It is expected to supply not only electricity but also high quality thermal energy for various industries and local utilities without exhausting any green house effect gas or acid rain gas. The key R and D issue of the HTGR is economical competitiveness, particularly against light water reactors. Due to the poor heat transfer of the single phase helium, the HTGR's volumetric power density is restricted to tenth of corresponding PWR's value so that increasing the power density by improving heat transfer is strongly desired. The standstill can be broken through by adopting gas-solid suspension medium. Its heat transfer performance is quite excellent. Its heat capacity can be increased drastically without excessive pressurization. Although the thermal radiation is a dominant heat transfer mode in high temperature region, the helium which is always used in high ...
The paper begins with an introduction on the reasons that lead to the use of HVDC submarine cable links. The main aspects for the choice of direct current are presented as well as the advantages deriving from the utilization of submarine cables. The second part is dedicated to a discussion on the various type of insulation that could be used in power cables and their possible application to HVDC submarine cables. In the following there is a description of the main characteristics and technical details of some particular project that at present time (1995) are in progress. Two projects are briefly presented: Spain-Morocco, a 26 km long interconnection for the transmission, in a first phase, of 700 MW from Spain to Morocco at 400 kV a.c. by means of three cables, plus one spare, of the fluid filled type. The cables are designed for a future change to d.c. 450 kV, allowing a transmission of 500 MW each (i.e., 2 GW total). One of the peculiarities of the link is the ...
Feasibility study is conducted for introduction of a top pressure recovery turbine (TRT) in China's Panzhihua Iron and Steel (Group) Company, Sichuan Province, for the potential project to simultaneously contribute to abatement of the greenhouse effect gases and to sustainable economic development of the counterpart country. This project considers to adopt the TRTs in 3 blast furnaces (No.1 to 3) of the 4 furnaces in service at the works, producing 2,500,000 t/y of crude steel, where the No.4 furnace is already provided with the model system and not considered in this project. According to the feasibility study results, the total fund required is 5.46 billion yen (Japan-made facilities: 4.172 billion yen, and China-made facilities: 1.288 billion yen), energy-saving effect is 36,467 t/y as crude, greenhouse effect gas emission abatement effect: 112,830 t/y as CO2, and pay-off period is 8.3 years. This plan considers to adopt almost the ...
In the present work, the introduction of alternative energy of biogas in agricultural communities for the sustainable development was studied through exploitation of residual biomass and also getting as by-product the biological fertilizer. A fast composting of the domestic residue with the organic was made possible where part of this residue after processing was taken together with effluent to the biodigestor. The bibliographical research on the processes of generation of biogas, about composting and the equipment for processing had been carried through. The projects Engineering with the use of computational tools had been developed with the Software Super Pro 4,9 Design and ORC GPEC 2004 by our research group. Five case studies had been elaborated, where different scenes related with our innovation, that uses of the residue for the composting together with domestic effluent for digestion. Several economic parameters were obtained and our work proved the viability ...
According to the LeChatelier-Braun principle, when a closed quiescent system initially in an equilibrium or unstressed steady state is subjected to an externally imposed ``stress'' it responds in a manner tending to alleviate that stress. Use of this entropically based qualitative rule, in combination with the notion of Maxwell thermal stresses existing in nonisothermal gases and liquids, enables one to (i) derive Maxwell's thermal-creep boundary condition prevailing at the boundary between a solid and a fluid (either gas or liquid) and (ii) rationalize the phenomenon of thermophoresis in liquids, for which, in contrast with the case of gases, an elementary explanation is currently lacking. These two objectives are achieved by quantitatively interpreting the heretofore qualitative LeChatelier-Braun notion of stress in the present context as being the fluid's stress tensor, the latter including Maxwell's thermal stress. In effect, thermophoretic particle motion is ...
Full text: A semiempirical algorithm for absorbed dose calculation at off-axis points in irregular beams was implemented. It is well known that semiempirical methods are very useful because of their easy implementation and its helpfulness in dose calculation in the clinic. These methods can be used as independent tools for dosimetric calculation in many applications of quality assurance. However, the applicability of such methods has some limitations, even in homogeneous media, specially at off axis points, near beam fringes or outside the beam. Only methods derived from tissue-air-ratio (TAR) or scatter-maximum-ratio (SMR) have been devised for those situations, many years ago. Despite there have been improvements for these manual methods, like the Sc-Sp ones, no attempt has been made to extend their usage at off axis points. In this work, a semiempirical formalism was introduced, based on the works of Venselaar et al. (1999) and Sanz et al. (2004), aimed to the Sc-Sp separation. This ...
Methods: Systemic irradiation of neuroaxis is an essential part in the management of medulloblastoma, stPNET and intracranial germ cell tumors. The introduction of quality assurance programs in radiooncology assures a precise radiotherapy of target volumes and is a prerequisite to improve survival. Results: Hyperfractionated radiotherapy has the potential of increasing dose to tumor more safely without increasing the risk for late adverse effects. Pilot studies revealed excellent tumor control in medulloblastoma with acceptable acute toxicity and a long-term survival of up to 96%. In medulloblastoma stereotactic radiation techniques reveal an acceptable toxicity and promising results in tumor control in recurrent disease or as primary treatment. They are now part of future treatment protocols in case of persisting residual tumor. Radiotherapy alone in pure germinoma is continuously yielding high cure rates. In secreting germ cell tumors ...
The objective of this research project is to demonstrate sensing, communication, information and control technologies to achieve a seamless integration of multivendor distributed energy resource (DER) units at aggregation levels that meet individual user requirements for facility operations (residential, commercial, industrial, manufacturing, etc.) and further serve as resource options for electric and natural gas utilities. The fully demonstrated DER aggregation system with embodiment of communication and control technologies will lead to real-time, interactive, customer-managed service networks to achieve greater customer value. Work on this Advanced Communication and Control Project (ACCP) consists of a two-phase approach for an integrated demonstration of communication and control technologies to achieve a seamless integration of DER units to reach progressive levels of aggregated power output. Phase I involved design and proof-of-design, and Phase II involves ...
...225J Einstein, Oppenheimer, Feynman: Physics in the 20th Century Fall 2002 8.231 Physics of Solids I Fall 2002 8.251 String Theory for Undergraduates Spring 2003 8.261J Introduction to Computational Neuroscience Spring 2002 8.282J Introduction to Astronomy Spring 2003 8.321 Quantum Theory I Fall 2002 8.322 Quantum Theory II Spring 2003 8.323 Relativistic Quantum Field Theory I Spring 2003 8.324 Quantum Field Theory II ...
The introduction prior to series of papers on the application of neutrons for materials science (MS) in this issue starts with a brief summary of neutron scattering research history in Japan; from the individual activity by Motoharu Kimura at RIKEN early around 1940s to those at present era of world leading neutron science facilities of both JRR3 research reactor and JPARC of the largest proton Accelerator complex in Tokai. Then physical properties of low energy neutrons applied to MS as well as such neutron sources are also reviewed (http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jvsj2). (author)
This report briefly describes the background to colliery engineering maintenance, past experience in machine condition monitoring within coal preparation and the introduction of condition-based maintenance. A role model scheme has been developed for the introduction of condition-based maintenance into coal preparation plants. The report describes the instrumentation and monitoring methods suitable for application to most mineral processing plants, the use of specialist companies to monitor, gather, process and analyse the information and the actions taken by the colliery. Examples of the benefits of operating such a scheme are given in terms of safety, performance and finance. Other problematical aspects of coal processing are examined which have a direct effect on plant condition and availability.
Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs) have experienced a healthy growth during the last decade. However, improvement in properties is necessary to increase their utility for structural applications. The toughness of WPCs can be improved by creating a fine cellular structure while reducing the density. Extrusion processing is one of the most economical methods for profile formation. For our study, rectangular profiles were extruded using a twin-screw extrusion system with different grades of HDPE and with varying wood fibre and lubricant contents together with maleated polyethylene (MAPE) coupling agent to investigate their effects on WPC processing and mechanical properties. Work has been done to redesign the extrusion system setup to achieve smoother and stronger profiles. A guiding shaper, submerged in the water, has been designed to guide the material directly through water immediately after exiting the die; instead of passing it through a water ...
This report presents the status of development of a three-dimensional conceptual model for the unconfined aquifer system at Hanford. A conceptual model is needed to support development of a realistic three-dimensional numerical model for predicting ground-water flow and the transport of contaminants. The report focuses on developing a hydrogeologic framework, assessing available hydraulic property data, describing flow-system boundaries, and evaluating areal recharge and leakage. Geologic descriptions of samples obtained during well drilling were used to prepare cross sections that correlate relatively continuous layers. The layers were defined based on textural differences that are expected to reflect differences in hydraulic properties. Assigning hydraulic properties to the layers is a critical part of the conceptual model. Available hydraulic property data for the study area were compiled and were correlated with the ...
High precision, fast computation speed, as well as a good capability of fault tolerant and reconstruction are required more and more for spacecraft attitude determination system. To realize the above requirement, an approach was presented to the synthesis of federated filters using sigma point technique. In this algorithm, the sigma point technique brought the algorithm a high precision, while the federated structure significantly enhanced the filters' capability of multi-rate information fusion, fault tolerance, and system modularity. Within consideration of computation consumption, a simple information-sharing formulation was derived to adapt to the special property of sigma point distribution, and a dynamical information sharing strategy for multi-rate fusion was developed. A numerical simulation example was employed to give the algorithm a test, where the simulated system contained a suit of gyroscopes; a three-axis ...
Based on a recently introduced phase X-ray imaging approach, a dual-detector prototype was developed for in-line X-ray phase imaging and phase retrieval utilizing a micro-focus X-ray source and two computed radiography (CR) cassette detectors. The system was built on a horizontal optical rail to facilitate manual adjustment of the positions of the X-ray source, the sample and the detectors. The novel design of the detector-1 is essential, it detects a portion of radiation to form an attenuation image; allows the rest of radiation to reach the detector-2 to form a phase contrast image, and the two images are used to retrieve a phase map. The two detectors are balanced for optimal phase-retrieval with reasonable radiation dose to the object to be imaged. The system was examined in terms of the linearity, the fractions of the X-ray photons detected by the two detectors, respectively and the imaging quality of phantoms. ...
A glovebox was designed, fabricated, and mocked-up for the WIPP Gas Generation Experiments (GGE) being conducted at ANL-W. GGE will determine the gas generation rates from materials in contact handled transuranic waste at likely long term repository temperature and pressure conditions. Since the customer`s schedule did not permit time for performing R&D of the support systems, designing the glovebox, and fabricating the glovebox in a serial fashion, a parallel approach was undertaken. As R&D of the samplingsystem and other support systems was initiated, a specification was written concurrently for contracting a manufacturer to design and build the glovebox and support equipment. The contractor understood that the R&D being performed at ANL-W would add additional functional requirements to the glovebox design. Initially, the contractor had sufficient information to design the glovebox shell. ...
Recently, the public has become aware of keywords like ''Quantum computer'' or ''Quantum cryptography''. Regarding their potential application in solid state based quantum information processing and their overall benefit in fundamental research quantum dots have gained more and more public interest. In this context, quantum dots are often referred to as ''artificial atoms'', a term subsuming their physical properties quite nicely and emphasizing the huge potential for further investigations. The basic mechanism to be considered is the theoretical model of a two-level system. A quantum dot itself represents this kind of system quite nicely, provided that only the presence or absence of a single exciton in the ground state of that structure is regarded. This concept can also be expanded to the presence of two excitons (bi-exciton). ...
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 ...
Transmission line faults must be located accurately to allow maintenance crews to arrive at the scene and repair the faulted section as soon as possible. Rugged terrain and geographical layout cause some sections of power transmission lines to be difficult to reach. In the past, a variety of fault location algorithms were introduced as either an add-on feature in protective relays or stand-alone implementation in fault locators. In both cases, the measurements of current and voltages were taken at one terminal of a transmission line only. Under such conditions, it may become difficult to determine the fault location accurately, since data from other transmission line ends are required for more precise computations. In the absence of data from the other end, existing algorithms have accuracy problems under several circumstances, such as varying switching and loading conditions, fault infeed from the other end, and random value of fault resistance. Most of the one-end algorithms were ...
In many parts of the United States, as well as other regions of the world, competing demands for fresh water or water suitable for desalination are outstripping sustainable supplies. In these areas, new water supplies are necessary to sustain economic development and agricultural uses, as well as support expanding populations, particularly in the Southwestern United States. Increasing the supply of water will more than likely come through desalinization of water reservoirs that are not suitable for present use. Surface-deployed seismic and electromagnetic (EM) methods have the potential for addressing these critical issues within large volumes of an aquifer at a lower cost than drilling and sampling. However, for detailed analysis of the water quality, some sampling utilizing boreholes would be required with geophysical methods being employed to extrapolate these sampled results to non-sampled regions ...
Thermo-reactive diffusion chromizing followed by pulsed plasma nitriding were carried out on AISI 52100 and 8620 bearing steels. The chromized samples were pulse-plasma nitrided for 5 h at 500 deg. C in various N_2-H_2 gas mixtures. The coated steels were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and microhardness testing. The unlubricated wear behaviors of only chromized and duplex treated steels were investigated in ball-on-disc system tests at room temperature. X-ray diffraction patterns of the duplex treated samples containing H_2 indicated the formation of dominant CrN and Cr_2N nitrides as well as the formation of Cr_3C_2 and Cr_7C_3 carbides. Gas mixtures in the plasma nitriding, which was performed after chromizing, have a significant influence on the wear rate of the duplex treated steels. The wear and friction tests showed that the lowest friction coefficient and wear rates were observed ...
A potentially new use for Illinois coal is as a fuel injected into a blast furnace to produce molten iron as the first step in steel production. Because of its increasing cost and decreasing availability, metallurgical coke is now being replaced by coal injected at the tuyere area of the furnace where the blast air enters. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the combustion of coal during the blast furnace injection process and to delineate the optimum properties of the feed coal. This investigation is significant to the use of Illinois coal in that the limited research to date suggests that coals of low fluidity and moderate to high sulfur and chlorine contents are suitable feedstocks for blast furnace injection. During the first phase of this project a number of the objectives were realized, specifically: (1) a blast furnace samplingsystem was developed and used successfully to collect samples inside an active ...
Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) has been proposed several years ago as an approach for quantitative analysis of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra. Recently developed refinement of the spectral processing method is described in the present work. Accurate quantitative results have been demonstrated for several metallic alloys. However, the degree of accuracy that can be achieved with Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy analysis of generic samples still needs to be thoroughly investigated. The authors have undertaken a systematic study of errors and biasing factors affecting the calculation in the Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra processing. These factors may be classified in three main groups: 1) experimental aberrations (intensity fluctuations and inaccuracy in the correction for spectral efficiency of a detection system), 2) inaccuracy in theoretical ...
Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) has been proposed several years ago as an approach for quantitative analysis of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra. Recently developed refinement of the spectral processing method is described in the present work. Accurate quantitative results have been demonstrated for several metallic alloys. However, the degree of accuracy that can be achieved with Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy analysis of generic samples still needs to be thoroughly investigated. The authors have undertaken a systematic study of errors and biasing factors affecting the calculation in the Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra processing. These factors may be classified in three main groups: 1) experimental aberrations (intensity fluctuations and inaccuracy in the correction for spectral efficiency of a detection system), 2) inaccuracy in theoretical ...
Acquisition of three-alternative simultaneous matching-to-sample and oddity-from-sample was investigated. Five goldfish were trained on matching and five on oddity for a minimum of 70 days. Subsequently,...Full Text Available
This Waste Management Plant (WMP) for the Bear Creek Valley Treatability Study addresses waste management requirements for the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. The study is intended to produce treatment performance data required to design a treatment system for contaminated groundwater. The treatability study will consist of an evaluation of various treatment media including: continuous column tests, with up to six columns being employed to evaluate the performance of different media in the treatment of groundwater; an evaluation of the denitrifying capacity and metal uptake capacity of a wetland system; and the long-term denitrifying capacity and metal uptake capacity of algal mats. The Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) covers the project description, technical objectives, procedures, and planned work activities in greater detail. The Health and Safety Plan (HASP) addresses the health and safety concerns and requirements for the ...
Mixed-conducting ceramic oxides have potential uses in high-temperature electrochemical applications such as solid oxide fuel cells, advanced batteries, sensors, and oxygen-permeable membranes. The Sr-Fe-Co-O system combines high electronic/ionic conductivity with appreciable oxygen permeability at elevated temperatures. Dense ceramic membranes made of this material can be used to separate high-purity oxygen from air without the need for external electrical circuitry, or to partially oxidize methane to produce syngas. Samples of Sr{sub 2}Fe{sub 3{minus}x}Co{sub x}O{sub y} (with x = 0, 0.6, 1.0, and 1.4) were prepared by solid-state reaction in atmospheres with various oxygen partial pressures (pO{sub 2}) and were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electrical conductivity measurements. Phase components of the samples are dependent on cobalt concentration and synthesis pO{sub 2}. Total ...
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 samples ...
Purpose: The predictive potential of tumor cell kinetic parameters may be improved when they are studied in relation to other microenvironmental parameters. The purpose of this investigation was to quantitatively categorize human tumor samples according to proliferation patterns. Second, it was examined whether these characteristics are retained after xenotransplantation. Methods and Materials: Fifty tumor samples from head-and-neck cancer patients were immunohistochemically stained for Ki-67 and vessels. Also, parts of the samples were transplanted into nude mice. Tumors were categorized according to previously described patterns of proliferation. Vascular and proliferation patterns were analyzed using an image processing system. Results: The 50 tumors were categorized into four patterns of proliferation by visual assessment: marginal (6), intermediate (10), random (21), and mixed (12). One tumor could ...
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 ...
The overall goal of the proposed project is to explore the use of partitioning tracers to characterize dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) in aquifer systems. Bulk-phase partitioning tracers will be investigated to detect and determine DNAPL saturation, while interface partitioning tracers will be investigated to measure the area of the DNAPL-water interface. The specific objectives that will be addressed to accomplish this goal are: (1) Investigate the use of partitioning tracers to detect and determine both the saturation and interfacial area of DNAPLs in saturated porous media. (2) Investigate the effect of rate-limited mass transfer on the transport behavior of partitioning tracers. (3) Investigate the effect of porous-media heterogeneity on the transport behavior of partitioning tracers. (4) Develop and evaluate mathematical models capable of simulating the transport of partitioning tracers in complex systems. This proposal outlines an ...
A solid-state precipitation process was used to prepare superconducting tapes containing an A15 phase, V/sub 3/Ga or Nb/sub 3/Al, in a ductile niobium or vanadium containing BCC matrix. Ingots weighing as large as 30 to 50 gms of V-(14 approx. 19 at. %) Ga and Nb-(13 approx. 22 at. %) Al were prepared by arc-melting, homogenized, quenched, warm-rolled over 99% into tape, and aged at temperatures in the range 600/sup 0/C to 1000/sup 0/C to precipitate the superconducting A15 phase. The features demonstrated by the process are very attractive for practical applications. In the V-Ga system, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies revealed the A15 precipitates in an elongated form. However, for the Nb-Al samples, deformed and aged at 750/sup 0/C, TEM studies revealed A15 precipitation in fine equi-axed particles which formed as a semi-continuous network over sub-grain boundaries formed by the recovery of deformation-induced dislocations. In ...
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 ...
The objective of the Coastal Habitat Injury Assessment study was to document and quantify injury to biota of the shallow subtidal, intertidal, and supratidal zones throughout the shoreline affected by oil or cleanup activity associated with the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The results of these studies were to be used to support the Trustee`s Type B Natural Resource Damage Assessment under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). A probability based stratified random sample of shoreline segments was selected with probability proportional to size from each of 15 strata (5 habitat types crossed with 3 levels of potential oil impact) based on those data available in July, 1989. Three study regions were used: Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet/Kenai Peninsula, and Kodiak/Alaska Peninsula. A Geographic Information System was utilized to combine oiling and habitat data and to select the probability ...
The behavior of lead in the graphite furnace during the individual steps of the temperature program was investigated by means of /sup 203/Pb as a radiotracer. The matrix systems include HCl and HNO/sub 3/ solutions, 1% NaCl solution, blood, serum, urine, and the solid samples bovine liver and orchard leaves. Without matrix modificaton, a pyrolysis temperature of up to 500/sup 0/C can be used for all samples. Significant stabilization effects can be achieved in the preatomization steps by using NH/sub 4/H/sub 2/PO/sub 4/ and ammonia as matrix modifiers and by addition of hydrogen to the flowing argon gas. It was found that the use of a L'vov platform also helps to eliminate the matrix effects. With respect to lead stabilization and elimination of matrix effects, optimum experimental conditions are achieved by simultaneous use of a L'vov platform and NH/sub 4/H/sub 2/PO/sub 4/ as the matrix modifier. 34 ...
The behavior of lead in the graphite furnace during the individual steps of the temperature program was investigated by means of "2"0"3Pb as a radiotracer. The matrix systems include HCl and HNO_3 solutions, 1% NaCl solution, blood, serum, urine, and the solid samples bovine liver and orchard leaves. Without matrix modificaton, a pyrolysis temperature of up to 500"0C can be used for all samples. Significant stabilization effects can be achieved in the preatomization steps by using NH_4H_2PO_4 and ammonia as matrix modifiers and by addition of hydrogen to the flowing argon gas. It was found that the use of a L'vov platform also helps to eliminate the matrix effects. With respect to lead stabilization and elimination of matrix effects, optimum experimental conditions are achieved by simultaneous use of a L'vov platform and NH_4H_2PO_4 as the matrix modifier. 34 references, 5 figures, 1 table.
The properties of wood plastic composites (WPC) based on Pinus Radiata D. Don impregnated with methylmethacrylate and subsequently polymerized with gamma radiation were studied. Different systems of impregnation were utilized, in order to obtain partial and shell loads. The minimum irradiation dose uses was 16 kGy. The following tests were made to the material: static bending, compression strenght parallel to grain, hardness, sheer strength, toughness, water absorption, dimensional stability and flame propagation index. To evaluate the testing, the results of the samples were separated according final density in the ranges: R_1 = 429-483 kg/m3 (without treatment); R_2 = 500-650 kg/m3 and R3 = 651-850 kg/m3. In general, the best results were obtained for samples of high density. The most important results were achieved for dimensional stability, water absorption and hardness. (Author).
The Si_3N_4-rich corner of the phase diagrams for neodymia and ytterbia containing sialons has been investigated by a systematic variation of the m and n values for compositions between 0.5 and 2.0 with a step size of 0.5. Samples requiring nitrides of the rare earth elements have not been prepared. Sintering has been performed at 1800 C for one hour in a nitrogen atmosphere of 1 MPa. The sintered samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis to identify the crystalline phases in equilibrium with sialon. #alpha#- and #beta#-sialon, the 21R AlN polytypoid, and N-melilite M' were found in the Nd containing system. Materials with Yb showed the formation of #alpha#- and #beta#-sialon, and the AlN polytypoids 12H and 21R. The m and n values of the #alpha#-sialon phase have been calculated via their lattice parameters that were refined by a least squares routine. The occurrence and composition of the phases were used ...
Recently there has been much concern with the ability of plants to uptake heavy metals from their surroundings. With the development of instrumental techniques with low detection limits such as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), attention is shifting toward achieving faster and more elegant ways of oxidizing the organic material inherent in environmental samples. Closed-vessel microwave dissolution was compared with conventional methods for the determination of concentrations of cerium, samarium, europium, terbium, uranium and thorium in a series of samples from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and from fields in Idaho. The ICP-MS technique exhibited detection limits in parts-per-trillion and linear calibration plots over three orders of magnitude for the elements under study. The results obtained by using nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide in a microwave digestion system for the ...
Previous behavioral and pharmacological studies have implicated endorphins in radiation-induced locomotor hyperactivity of the C57BL/6J mouse. However, the endogenous opiate(s) responsible for this behavioral change have not been identified. The present study measured beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity (beta-END-LI) in brain, blood, and combined brain and pituitary samples from irradiated and sham-irradiated C57BL/6J mice. After radiation exposure, levels of beta-END-LI decreased significantly in the brain. A similar, but not statistically significant, decline was measured in combined brain and pituitary samples. Concentrations of blood beta-END-LI were not changed by irradiation. These radiogenic changes in beta-END-LI are in some ways similar to those observed after other stresses. However, radiation-induced locomotor hyperactivity may be mediated more by alterations of beta-END-LI in the brain than in the periphery. Other endogenous opiate ...
An in-depth industrial hygiene survey was conducted to evaluate worker exposures to phosphine during fumigation of grain at the Early and Daniel Co. grain elevator in Louisville, Kentucky. Stored grain was fumigated using aluminum phosphide. Aluminum-phosphide pellets were also added directly to the grain by the blender as it was poured into the storage containers. Local exhaust ventilation was used at points in the grain-moving system where grain dust was generated. Air samples were taken during full-shift periods at the breathing zone of the weighmaster, two bin floormen, and the blender. Area monitoring samples were also taken. If the operators spend considerable time in the vicinity of a bin which is being filled with grain, there is a likelihood of far greater exposure levels being noted. According to the author, further studies of the use of phosphide products at other elevators should be conducted to determine the ...
Abnormal intracellular deposition of aggregated ?-synuclein is the characteristic feature of a number of neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD). Although ?-synuclein is typically known as a cytosolic protein, a small amount is secreted by exocytosis in both monomeric and aggregated forms. The extracellular forms of ?-synuclein in human body fluids, such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood plasma, might be a diagnostic target for PD and related diseases. Here, we characterized a new set of monoclonal antibodies against ?-synuclein, and using different combinations of antibodies, we established ELISA systems to specifically detect human ?-synuclein, mouse and human ?-synuclein together, and multimeric forms of ?-synuclein in biological samples. By employing the Tyramide signal amplification method, the sensitivity of the assay was significantly improved to detect a concentration as low as ?12.5 pg/ml. These assays might be ...
Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique has been employed to perform elemental analysis of K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br and Sr for Syrian medicinal plants used traditionally to enhance the body immunity. Plant samples were prepared in a simple dried base. The results were verified by comparing with those obtained from both IAEA-359 and IAEA-V10 reference materials. Relative standard deviations are mostly within {+-}5-10% suggest good precision. A correlation between the elemental content in each medicinal plant with its traditional remedial usage has been proposed. Both K and Ca are found to be the major elements in the samples. Fe, Mn and Zn have been detected in good levels in most of these plants clarifying their possible contribution to keep the body immune system in good condition. The contribution of the elements in these plants to the dietary recommended intakes (DRI) has been evaluated. Advantages and ...
The steady state surfaces of ion bombarded 3C-, 4H- and 6H-SiC samples were studied by means of reflected electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS). The REELS exhibit a well-defined loss peak in the region of about 20 eV. The position of the maximum of the loss peak depends on the bombarding ion energy (decreasing with increasing ion energy), and on the primary electron beam energy (increasing with increasing primary energy). This behavior can be explained if we suppose that the plasmon energy in the altered layer (produced by ion bombardment) is different from that of the unaltered bulk. In this case the measured loss peak is the sum of two overlapping plasmon peaks. With modeling the system as a homogeneous altered layer and a homogeneous unaltered substrate the plasmon energy in the altered layer was derived to be 19.8 eV. The large change of the plasmon energy with respect to the bulk value of 23 eV is explained by a thin low density ...
Determination of americium (Am) is one of the requirements of chemical quality assurance of plutonium (Pu) bearing fuel materials. Though many methods are published for determining Am at picogram to femtogram levels in environmental and biological matrices, yet a few of them are used routinely for Pu based nuclear fuel samples. This paper gives a brief summary of the different analytical methods available and presents results of our experiments on the determination of Am in Pu bearing fuels using gamma spectroscopy. The methods utilizing gamma emissions from "2"4"1Am and Pu isotopes are fast as they do not involve chemical separation of Pu and Am, do not require an accurate knowledge of the efficiency values of the detector systems and are not dependent on the availability of a radiometric standard for "2"4"1Am. In addition, for aged Pu samples containing large amounts of "2"4"1Am, there is no need for dilution and this ...
Counting is among the most fundamental operations in computing. For example, counting the pth frequency moment has been a very active area of research, in theoretical computer science, databases, and data mining. When p=1, the task (i.e., counting the sum) can be accomplished using a simple counter. Compressed Counting (CC) is proposed for efficiently computing the pth frequency moment of a data stream signal A_t, where 0= 0, which includes the strict Turnstile model as a special case. For natural data streams encountered in practice, this restriction is minor. The underly technique for CC is what we call skewed stable random projections, which captures the intuition that, when p=1 a simple counter suffices, and when p = 1+/\\Delta with small \\Delta, the sample complexity of a counter system should be low (continuously as a function of \\Delta). We show at small \\Delta the sample complexity (number of projections) k = ...
Most of the tissue banks in the Asia Pacific region have been using ionising radiation at 25 kGy to sterilise human tissues for save clinical usage. Under tissue banking quality system, any dose employed for sterilisation has to be validated and the validation exercise has to be a part of quality document. Tissue grafts, unlike medical items, are not produced in large number per each processing batch and tissues relatively have a different microbial population. A Code of Practice established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2004 offers several validation methods using smaller number of samples compared to ISO 11137 (1995), which is meant for medical products. The methods emphasise on bioburden determination, followed by sterility test on samples after they were exposed to verification dose for attaining of sterility assurance level (SAL) of 10{sup -1}. This paper describes our experience in using the IAEA ...
Macroinvertebrate communities in Rietvlei nature reserve wetland area and their relationship with water quality were studied with the aim to evaluate their use as potential indicators of pollution. Sampling locations were selected to include outlets from swage effluent, agricultural and informal residential runoff. A large increase in nutrient concentrations was observed downstream from discharged treated sewage with an associated decrease in species richness. Bioassays performed included: Daphnia magna, Hydra attenuate, Lactuca sativa, Allium cepa and Pyxicephalus adspersus. The highest percentage of lethality response to a screen (100% concentration) of sampled wetland water by test specimens were observed at the point source input of the Hartbeespoort treated sewage plant. Data generated from the AUSRIVAS method and multitrophic level bioassays revealed the deterioration of the wetland possibly due to factors such as increasing urbanization, ...
A method of the correction for sample self attenuation used in segmented gamma scanner (SGS) is described. The method of calibration for assaying the uranium and plutonium contents of each category of heterogeneous process residues and wastes in nuclear facilities is studied. The effect of variable measurement parameter on measurement results is also studied. The measurement results of SGS assay is compared with that of the destructive assay (DA), which is aimed at evaluating SGS method for assaying uranium and plutonium content in process residues and wastes. The deviation of two assay results is 3.6%. The SGS assay results and DA assay results both are coincided well in error limits. Four category of heterogeneous process residues and wastes in nuclear facilities have assayed successfully in physical inventory. The uncertainty of measurement results for uranium and plutonium content in process residues and wastes is 5% with 68.3% of confidence level
Distance protection, differential protection and directional comparison schemes are presently used for protecting transmission lines. Directional comparison relays are set to respond to faults in the protection zone without intentional time delay and are, therefore, used where high-speed fault clearing is needed. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) can handle most situations which cannot be defined sufficiently for finding a deterministic solution. The design and testing of an ANN for directional comparison protection of transmission lines are presented in this paper. Training patterns were generated using voltage and current samples for faults at various locations along a transmission line. The faults were simulated using an electromagnetic transient program and a sample three-phase power system. The performance of the proposed discriminator was checked using data simulated for testing and the fault data recorded from 240 kV ...
In laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS), the properties of laser-generated aerosols, such as size and composition, are crucial for matrix-independent quantification. In this study, the aerosol particle morphology and elemental composition generated by two state-of-the-art laser systems (ArF excimer nanosecond-UV laser and Ti:sapphire femtosecond-IR laser) were investigated by electron microscopic techniques. Electrostatic sampling of the aerosols directly onto transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids allowed us to study the morphology and elemental composition of the aerosols using TEM and TEM-EDX (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) analyses, respectively. The results of the electron microscopic studies were finally compared to the LA-ICPMS signals of the main matrix components. The investigations were carried out for non-conducting materials (glass and zircon), metallic samples ...
Full text: During JET operations, tritium contaminated waste is generated principally but not exclusively from 'intervention' work and from removing or replacing redundant items. It is essential for JET and for any future fusion plant to have available a route for managing each waste stream however large or small, both during operation and decommissioning of the plant. The long term outcome is to have for each tritiated waste stream from JET a route for its management leading to its eventual disposal or recycling (and thus to be available for similar waste streams which will be produced by ITER operations). Since several years SCK#centre dot#CEN has been developing techniques for the treatment of tritiated waste. Amongst them, technologies for water detritiation, for the treatment of tritiated organic liquids and for the decontamination of several types of solid tritiated waste. Our R and D focuses on the development of a system to decontaminate surface ...
Comparisons were made between various LH and FSH radioimmunoassays currently being used to measure avian hormones. The two LH assays were the homologous chicken system of Follett et al. (1972) and the turkey assay of Burke et al. (1979). These assays were also used in heterologous arrangement by interchanging the iodinated LH fractions and antisera. Five FSH assays were analyzed: two homologous chicken systems (Scanes et al., 1977; Sakai and Ishii, 1980) an assay based on mammalian materials (rat FSH and anti-ovine FSH antiserum, and one using labelled turkey FSH (Burke et al., 1979) with an anti-chicken FSH antiserum. The potencies of purified chicken and turkey gonadotrophin preparations and of a range of plasma samples from Japanese quail were measured in each assay. The two LH systems showed some degree of species specificity, such that chicken LH was more active than turkey LH in the chicken assay, ...