QFD analysis of RSRM aqueous cleaners

Science.gov (United States)

Marrs, Roy D.; Jones, Randy K.

1995-01-01

This paper presents a Quality Function Deployment (QFD) analysis of the final down-selected aqueous cleaners to be used on the Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) program. The new cleaner will replace solvent vapor degreasing. The RSRM Ozone Depleting Compound Elimination program is discontinuing the methyl chloroform vapor degreasing process and replacing it with a spray-in-air aqueous cleaning process. Previously, 15 cleaners were down-selected to two candidates by passing screening tests involving toxicity, flammability, cleaning efficiency, contaminant solubility, corrosion potential, cost, and bond strength. The two down-selected cleaners were further evaluated with more intensive testing and evaluated using QFD techniques to assess suitability for cleaning RSRM case and nozzle surfaces in preparation for adhesive bonding.

Evaluation of the cleaner technology programme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Mikael Skou; Jørgensen, Ulrik

The report presents an independent evaluation of the Danish development programme for cleaner technology 1986-1989 and of the Action Plan for Cleaner Technology 1990-1992. The evaluation focuses on the results of technology development and implementation projects, on an examination...... of the dissemination of cleaner technology solutions achieved in six industrial branches, and on the overall programme and its effects, in particular environmental impacts, but also results in the form of employment, environmental export, strenghtening of Danish know-how etc....

Evaluation of sampling schemes for in-service inspection of steam generator tubing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanlen, R.C.

1990-03-01

This report is a follow-on of work initially sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Bowen et al. 1989). The work presented here is funded by EPRI and is jointly sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The goal of this research was to evaluate fourteen sampling schemes or plans. The main criterion used for evaluating plan performance was the effectiveness for sampling, detecting and plugging defective tubes. The performance criterion was evaluated across several choices of distributions of degraded/defective tubes, probability of detection (POD) curves and eddy-current sizing models. Conclusions from this study are dependent upon the tube defect distributions, sample size, and expansion rules considered. As degraded/defective tubes form ''clusters'' (i.e., maps 6A, 8A and 13A), the smaller sample sizes provide a capability of detecting and sizing defective tubes that approaches 100% inspection. When there is little or no clustering (i.e., maps 1A, 20 and 21), sample efficiency is approximately equal to the initial sample size taken. Thee is an indication (though not statistically significant) that the systematic sampling plans are better than the random sampling plans for equivalent initial sample size. There was no indication of an effect due to modifying the threshold value for the second stage expansion. The lack of an indication is likely due to the specific tube flaw sizes considered for the six tube maps. 1 ref., 11 figs., 19 tabs

Design of Agricultural Cleaner Production Technology System

OpenAIRE

Hu, Jun-mei; Wang, Xin-jie

2009-01-01

Based on the introduction of agricultural cleaner production, technology system design of planting cleaner production is discussed from five aspects of water-saving irrigation technology, fertilization technology, diseases and insects control technology, straw comprehensive utilization technology and plastic film pollution control technology. Cleaner production technology system of livestock and poultry raise is constructed from the aspects of source control technology, reduction technique in...

Mitigation effects of radon decay products by air cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazuki Iwaoka; Tetsuo Ishikawa; Hidenori Yonehara; Shinji Tokonami

2013-01-01

One of the most effective methods for reducing exposure is the use of air cleaners. In this study, a dose mitigation of a commonly-used Japanese air cleaner under conditions in which aerosols are continuously supplied was investigated. Although the values of the EERC during an operation of air cleaner decreased, values of the f p increased with the use of air cleaner. An effective dose was calculated on the basis of our experimental results, resulting in the dose mitigation of about 40 % by the air cleaner. Air cleaners can be regarded as an effective tool for the dose mitigation under with conditions in which aerosols are continuously supplied. (author)

Drivers for Cleaner Production in Malaysian Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wangel, Arne

2003-01-01

This working paper tries to piece together information on regulatory initiatives promoting cleaner production (CP) in Malaysian industry, as well as points of discussion on environmental performance in the sector. It draws upon initial data collection by the team of the research project ‘A Study...... on Promotion and Implementation of Cleaner Production Practices in Malaysian Industry - Development of a National Program and Action Plan for Promotion of Cleaner Production’, which is coordinated by Institute of Environmental and Resource Management, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; the objective of this study...... is ‘to formulate, establish and develop a comprehensive "National Cleaner Production Promotion Program" for Malaysia’....

The U-tube sampling methodology and real-time analysis of geofluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freifeld, Barry; Perkins, Ernie; Underschultz, James; Boreham, Chris

2009-01-01

The U-tube geochemical sampling methodology, an extension of the porous cup technique proposed by Wood (1973), provides minimally contaminated aliquots of multiphase fluids from deep reservoirs and allows for accurate determination of dissolved gas composition. The initial deployment of the U-tube during the Frio Brine Pilot CO 2 storage experiment, Liberty County, Texas, obtained representative samples of brine and supercritical CO 2 from a depth of 1.5 km. A quadrupole mass spectrometer provided real-time analysis of dissolved gas composition. Since the initial demonstration, the U-tube has been deployed for (1) sampling of fluids down gradient of the proposed Yucca Mountain High-Level Waste Repository, Armagosa Valley, Nevada (2) acquiring fluid samples beneath permafrost in Nunuvut Territory, Canada, and (3) at a CO 2 storage demonstration project within a depleted gas reservoir, Otway Basin, Victoria, Australia. The addition of in-line high-pressure pH and EC sensors allows for continuous monitoring of fluid during sample collection. Difficulties have arisen during U-tube sampling, such as blockage of sample lines from naturally occurring waxes or from freezing conditions; however, workarounds such as solvent flushing or heating have been used to address these problems. The U-tube methodology has proven to be robust, and with careful consideration of the constraints and limitations, can provide high quality geochemical samples.

7 CFR 2902.48 - General purpose household cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false General purpose household cleaners. 2902.48 Section... PROCUREMENT Designated Items § 2902.48 General purpose household cleaners. (a) Definition. Products designed... procurement preference for qualifying biobased general purpose household cleaners. By that date, Federal...

The U-tube: A new paradigm in borehole fluid sampling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freifeld, B. M.

2009-10-01

Fluid samples from deep boreholes can provide insights into subsurface physical, chemical, and biological conditions. Recovery of intact, minimally altered aliquots of subsurface fluids is required for analysis of aqueous chemistry, isotopic composition, and dissolved gases, and for microbial community characterization. Unfortunately, for many reasons, collecting geofluids poses a number of challenges, from formation contamination by drilling to maintaining integrity during recovery from depths. Not only are there substantial engineering issues in retrieval of a representative sample, but there is often the practical reality that fluid sampling is just one of many activities planned for deep boreholes. The U-tube geochemical sampling system presents a new paradigm for deep borehole fluid sampling. Because the system is small, its ability to integrate with other measurement systems and technologies opens up numerous possibilities for multifunctional integrated wellbore completions. To date, the U-tube has been successfully deployed at four different field sites, each with a different deployment modality, at depths from 260 m to 2 km. While the U-tube has proven to be highly versatile, these installations have resulted in data that provide additional insights for improving future U-tube deployments.

Beyond symbiosis: cleaner shrimp clean up in culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Militz, Thane A; Hutson, Kate S

2015-01-01

Cleaner organisms exhibit a remarkable natural behaviour where they consume ectoparasites attached to "client" organisms. While this behaviour can be utilized as a natural method of parasitic disease control (or biocontrol), it is not known whether cleaner organisms can also limit reinfection from parasite eggs and larvae within the environment. Here we show that cleaner shrimp, Lysmata amboinensis, consume eggs and larvae of a harmful monogenean parasite, Neobenedenia sp., in aquaculture. Shrimp consumed parasite eggs under diurnal (63%) and nocturnal (14%) conditions as well as infectious larvae (oncomiracidia) diurnally (26%). Furthermore, we trialled the inclusion of cleaner shrimp for preventative parasite management of ornamental fish, Pseudanthias squamipinnis, and found shrimp reduced oncomiracidia infection success of host fish by half compared to controls (held without shrimp). Fish held without cleaner shrimp exhibited pigmentation changes as a result of infection, possibly indicative of a stress response. These results provide the first empirical evidence that cleaner organisms reduce parasite loads in the environment through non-symbiotic cleaning activities. Our research findings have relevance to aquaculture and the marine ornamental trade, where cleaner shrimp could be applied for prophylaxis and control of ectoparasite infections.

Household vacuum cleaners vs. the high-volume surface sampler for collection of carpet dust samples in epidemiologic studies of children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buffler Patricia A

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Levels of pesticides and other compounds in carpet dust can be useful indicators of exposure in epidemiologic studies, particularly for young children who are in frequent contact with carpets. The high-volume surface sampler (HVS3 is often used to collect dust samples in the room in which the child had spent the most time. This method can be expensive and cumbersome, and it has been suggested that an easier method would be to remove dust that had already been collected with the household vacuum cleaner. However, the household vacuum integrates exposures over multiple rooms, some of which are not relevant to the child's exposure, and differences in vacuuming equipment and practices could affect the chemical concentration data. Here, we compare levels of pesticides and other compounds in dust from household vacuums to that collected using the HVS3. Methods Both methods were used in 45 homes in California. HVS3 samples were collected in one room, while the household vacuum had typically been used throughout the home. The samples were analyzed for 64 organic compounds, including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, using GC/MS in multiple ion monitoring mode; and for nine metals using conventional microwave-assisted acid digestion combined with ICP/MS. Results The methods agreed in detecting the presence of the compounds 77% to 100% of the time (median 95%. For compounds with less than 100% agreement, neither method was consistently more sensitive than the other. Median concentrations were similar for most analytes, and Spearman correlation coefficients were 0.60 or higher except for allethrin (0.15 and malathion (0.24, which were detected infrequently, and benzo(kfluoranthene (0.55, benzo(apyrene (0.55, PCB 105 (0.54, PCB 118 (0.54, and PCB 138 (0.58. Assuming that the HVS3 method is the "gold standard," the extent to which the household vacuum cleaner method yields relative risk

7 CFR 2902.49 - Industrial cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Industrial cleaners. 2902.49 Section 2902.49... Items § 2902.49 Industrial cleaners. (a) Definition. Products used to remove contaminants, such as..., floors, walls, and other production-related work areas. The cleaning products within this item are...

Inert medium (helium) irradiation testing of pressure tube samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ancuta, M.; Radu, V.; Stefan, V.; Preda, M.

2001-01-01

Irradiation tests currently performed in C-5 capsule aim at obtaining data and information concerning behavior to irradiation of pressure tubes of CANDU type fuel channel, to evidence the factors limiting operation life span. A calculation code for analysis and prediction of pressure tube behavior should be based upon periodical inspection results, post irradiation examination of the removed from reactor pressure tubes as well as on the experimental results obtained with materials subjected to irradiation conditions identical with the operational ones. Mechanical behavior analysis should focus both complex thermal-mechanical type stresses and mechanical properties alteration under irradiation. The experimental results should be applied: - to evaluate the irradiation effects upon mechanical properties of Zr-2.5% Nb exposed to fluences up to 10 21 n·cm -2 ; - to gather data concerning the real stress / real deformation characteristic from which characteristic quantities can be deduced as, for instance, elasticity modulus, plasticity modulus, exponent of stress term in the Tsu-Berteles relation, to be used within the CANTUP simulation code describing pressure tube behavior, currently developed at INR Pitesti; - to develop prediction methods of pressure tube behavior and merging with in-service inspection procedure in order to forecast the life span and the proper timing for replacement before major failures occur. The samples irradiated in C-5 capsule were extracted from the ends of Zr-2.5% Nb pressure tubes resulting from Cernavoda NPP Unit 1. The samples for tensile tests were extracted on longitudinal and transversal directions of the pressure tube. The tests were carried out under following conditions: - test environment temperature, 260 - 280 deg.C; - testing medium, helium at 1 - 6 b pressure; - neutron flux (E n > 1 MeV), 1 - 2 · 10 13 ncm -2 s -1 ; - neutron fluence (E n > 1 MeV), 4 · 10 20 ncm -2 . The following characteristics were obtained from tensile

RELATION BETWEEN FUNCTION AND FORM IN VACUUM CLEANERS DESIGN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RADU Ștefan

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The paper analyses how robotic vacuum cleaner works, describing their cleaning capabilities and additional features. The paper illustrates advantages of using robotic vacuum cleaners that have intelligent programming and a vacuum cleaning system, the components of a robotic vacuum cleaner. The paper develops aspects concerning to create 2D scale models for the evaluation of specific features of the new components for a prototype robotic vacuum cleaner.

Reconstructing the image of the cleaner

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jorcho van Vlijmen; Toine van den Hoogen

2013-01-01

Purpose: The article shows the relevance of an insider’s perspective on workers in the cleaning industry (cleaners). It explains how the ways in which cleaners create meaning in their work can be explored. These findings help to create added value for FM. Theory: Organisational theory describes a

Tube closure device, especially for sample irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klahn, F.C.; Nolan, J.H.; Wills, C.

1979-01-01

Device for closing the outlet of a bore and temporarily locking components in this bore. Specifically, it concerns a device for closing a tube containing a set of samples for monitoring irradiation in a nuclear reactor [fr

Inventory on cleaner production education and training

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard; Pöyry, Sirkka; Huisingh, Donald

Analysis and presentation of the data from an international inventory on cleaner production education and training......Analysis and presentation of the data from an international inventory on cleaner production education and training...

Health disparities between immigrant and Danish cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Marie B; Rasmussen, Charlotte D N; Carneiro, Isabella G

2011-01-01

hundred and fifty-one cleaners, consisting of 166 Danes (88% women) and 179 immigrants (74% women) (6 with unknown ethnicity), from 9 workplaces in Denmark participated in the study. Health and work ability were obtained by objective (e.g., BMI and blood pressure) and self-reported measures (e.g., work......PURPOSE: It is unknown whether immigrants working in the cleaning industry have a poorer health and work ability than cleaners from the native population. The main aim was to investigate differences in objective and self-reported health measures between immigrant and Danish cleaners. METHODS: Three...... ability, self-rated health, and musculoskeletal symptoms). In order to investigate differences between Danish and immigrant cleaners, logistic regression analyses and General Linear Models were performed. RESULTS: When controlling for age, sex, workplace, job seniority, and smoking, more Danish compared...

Materials Compatibility Testing in RSRM ODC: Free Cleaner Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Keen, Jill M.; Sagers, Neil W.; McCool, Alex (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Government regulations have mandated production phase-outs of a number of solvents, including 1,1,1-trichloroethane, an ozone-depleting chemical (ODC). This solvent was used extensively in the production of the Reusable Solid Rocket Motors (RSRMs) for the Space Shuttle. Many tests have been performed to identify replacement cleaners. One major area of concern in the selection of a new cleaner has been compatibility. Some specific areas considered included cleaner compatibility with non-metallic surfaces, painted surfaces, support materials such as gloves and wipers as well as corrosive properties of the cleaners on the alloys used on these motors. The intent of this paper is to summarize the test logic, methodology, and results acquired from testing the many cleaner and material combinations.

Evaluation of sampling plans for in-service inspection of steam generator tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurtz, R.J.; Heasler, P.G.; Baird, D.B.

1994-02-01

This report summarizes the results of three previous studies to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of sampling plans for steam generator tube inspections. An analytical evaluation and Monte Carlo simulation techniques were the methods used to evaluate sampling plan performance. To test the performance of candidate sampling plans under a variety of conditions, ranges of inspection system reliability were considered along with different distributions of tube degradation. Results from the eddy current reliability studies performed with the retired-from-service Surry 2A steam generator were utilized to guide the selection of appropriate probability of detection and flaw sizing models for use in the analysis. Different distributions of tube degradation were selected to span the range of conditions that might exist in operating steam generators. The principal means of evaluating sampling performance was to determine the effectiveness of the sampling plan for detecting and plugging defective tubes. A summary of key results from the eddy current reliability studies is presented. The analytical and Monte Carlo simulation analyses are discussed along with a synopsis of key results and conclusions

Cleaner Production in the mining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinto Martinez, Elias

2004-01-01

The control politics of the environmental contamination have substantially changed from the 80, toward new preventive tendencies that make the question. That we make with the residuals? What can we make for not generating residuals? On this position, the topic of clean production, it really indicates environmentally a production cleaner, to generate a more respectful final product with the environment, as a result of a process that incorporates in each one of the phases of the life cycle of products the best environmental practices. The national politics of cleaner production was approved in August of 1997 by the environmental national advice, it was formulated like an answer to the solution of the environmental problem of the productive sectors that looks for fundamentally to prevent the contamination in its origin, instead of treating her once generated, with significant results for the construction of the real possibilities of sustainability and competitiveness. Their implementation requires of the government like of the productive sectors, fundamentally, because the environmental problems have become very complex for its control, only through direct regulation, and because to reach the sustainable development of the productive activities implies to face the new challenges of the national and international competitiveness, considering that the environmental administration is a source of opportunities and not an obstacle. In the practice the application of the concept of cleaner production, so much in the current systems of production like in the products and services, it doesn't mean a substitution in strict sense for other different, but improving them continually, under the expert that the new technologies will be cleaner. Of here that production cleans it profiles as the goal that will be reached with the new investments, as long as the systematic search of the continuous improvement, corresponds to the concept of cleaner production that obeys a dynamic and

Determination of Ammonia in Household Cleaners: An Instrumental Analysis Experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Richard C.; DePew, Steven

1983-01-01

Briefly discusses three techniques for assessing amount of ammonia present in household cleaners. Because of disadvantages with these methods, the thermometric titration technique is suggested in which students judge the best buy based on relative cost of ammonia present in samples. Laboratory procedures, typical results, and reactions involved…

The Development Of Cleaner Production Practices Between Environmental

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wangel, Arne; Mohamed, Maketab; Agamuthu, P.

2003-01-01

(DANCED), Ministry of Environment and Energy. Small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) were targeted within three sectors: Textile, food and electroplating industries. The paper illustrates the change process from the perspective of electroplating SMEs by reviewing the cleaner production options chosen......, presenting figures on the results achieved, and discussing the experiences gained. Reviewing the approach and results of the Centre, as well as the status of cleaner production (CP) in Malaysia, the paper outlines the challenges for national policy making, when moving from promotion by project intervention...... towards sustainable practices in the SME sector at large. The paper draws upon data collection conducted by the research project ‘A Study on Promotion and Implementation of Cleaner Production Practices in Malaysian Industry - Development of a National Program and Action Plan for Promotion of Cleaner...

Electronic air cleaners and the indoor environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krafthefer, B.

1986-01-01

The growing awareness over the quality of air in the indoor environment is driving the search for effective control methods for the contaminants of concern. Electronic air cleaners can control such pollutants as dust, pollen, tobacco smoke, radon decay products, and other particulates. This paper presents an examination of the various types of electronic air cleaners and their effects on indoor pollutants. It also examines the mechanism for contaminant removal, the relationship of the efficiency to the characteristics of the contaminant, and what type of contaminants can be controlled with the electronic air cleaner, with particular emphasis placed on the removal of radon decay products. From a study on radon product removal in residences, the electronic air cleaner was found to have an efficiency of up to 70%. Not only was there a reduction in the residential working level, but the fluctuations in the working level were also reduced. With this information, they can better understand how to solve the air treatment problem of the inhabited space. 17 references, 8 figures

Evaluation of electrolytic alkaline cleaners by evaporative-rate analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, C.B.

1975-01-01

A method has been developed by which electrolytic alkaline cleaners used in large volumes in steel mills can be evaluated for their ability to clean rolling oil from steel strip without the necessity of large-scale mill trials. The method is evaporative-rate analysis, which can be used to determine the relative amount of residual oil on steel strip after cleaning. The procedure consists in placing a droplet of a solution of a volatile, radioactive, carbon-14 tagged organic compound dissolved in a more volatile solvent, on the surface of the metal, where it forms a ternary solution with any oil on the surface. The amount of oil in this ternary solution affects the rate of evaporation of the tagged compound. The rate of evaporation, monitored by a Geiger-Mueller detector, is a measure of the cleanliness of the surface. A number of commercial alkaline cleaners, both solids and liquids, were evaluated over a range of concentrations. Results indicated that the effectiveness of commercial alkaline cleaners varies greatly, and is a function of the cleaner concentration, cleaner composition, and polarity of cleaning. The presence of antifoaming agents also affects cleaning ability. The results of this study indicate that evaporative-rate analysis is a rapid and effective method for evaluating cleaners

Hospital trash: cleaners speak of their role in disease prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Messing, K

1998-06-01

Feminist researchers have contrasted the caring provided by women in hospitals with a more fragmented "curing" approach, which they identify with the predominantly male professions of medicine and surgery. The author spoke with hospital cleaners about their jobs and their health. Several themes emerged: the invisibility of the cleaning function, lack of respect for cleaners, representations of cleaning as undemanding, and assumptions that women's work in cleaning is particularly easy. Cleaners use various strategies to combat these stereotypes but receive little help from administrators or fellow employees. There is a hierarchy in the status of Québec hospital workers with curing (doctors) at the top, followed by caring and healing (nurses, therapists, and attendants), and hygiene (cleaners, sterilizers, and launderers) at the bottom. Authority hierarchies in health care are not related to gender in a simple way, although there is discrimination against women cleaners. The fact that cleaning, especially cleaning performed by women, is invisible to managers, other hospital personnel, and patients has important consequences for cleaners' and for patients' health.

Occupational exposures and health outcomes among Latina hotel cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Yu-Chin Jerrie; Apostolopoulos, Yorghos; Hatzudis, Kiki; Sönmez, Sevil

2014-01-01

The poor working conditions of Latina hotel cleaners render them particularly vulnerable to elevated occupational hazards that lead to adverse health outcomes. This article presents a comprehensive review of occupational risks (including physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial risk factors) and health outcomes (including musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory diseases, dermatological diseases and allergies, and psychological disorders) for Latina hotel cleaners, within their unique sociocultural contexts. Preventive interventions for improving Latina hotel cleaners' work and health conditions are recommended.

Cutting cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elsen, R.P.H. van; Smits, M.

1991-01-01

This paper presents the results of a long term field test of the Cutting Cleaner, which is used for the treatment of wet oil contaminated cuttings (WOCC) produced when drilling with Oil Based Mud (OBM). It was concluded that it is possible to reduce the oil content of cuttings to an average of 1 - 2%. The recovered base oil can be reused to make new oil based mud

Metal cleaner poisoning

Science.gov (United States)

... do so by poison control or a health care provider. If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes. If the person swallowed the metal cleaner, give them water or milk right away, unless a provider tells you not ...

Epidemiology of occupational injury among cleaners in the healthcare sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Alamgir, Hasanat; Yu, Shicheng

2008-09-01

The cleaning profession has been associated with multiple ergonomic and chemical hazards which elevate the risk for occupational injury. This study investigated the epidemiology of occupational injury among cleaners in healthcare work settings in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Incidents of occupational injury among cleaners, resulting in lost time from work or medical care, over a period of 1 year in two healthcare regions were extracted from a standardized operational database and with person-years obtained from payroll data. Detailed analysis was conducted using Poisson regression modeling. A total of 145 injuries were identified among cleaners, with an annual incidence rate of 32.1 per 100 person-years. After adjustment for age, gender, subsector, facility, experience and employment status, Poisson regression models demonstrated that a significantly higher relative risk (RR) of all injury, musculoskeletal injury and cuts was associated with cleaning work in acute care facilities, compared with long-term care facilities. Female cleaners were at a higher RR of all injuries and contusions than male cleaners. A lower risk of all injury and allergy and irritation incidents among part-time or casual workers was found. Cleaners with >10 years of experience were at significantly lower risk for all injury, contusion and allergy and irritation incidents. Cleaners were found to be at an elevated risk of all injury categories compared with healthcare workers in general.

Metal-Detergent/Cleaner Compatibility

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hindin, Barry

1994-01-01

...) such as CFC-1 13 or 1,1,1 Trichioroethane (TCA) in their cleaning and degreasing procedures. During the last few years, AGMC has been evaluating alternative, environmentally acceptable chemicals to replace their ODC cleaners...

Cleaner Technology in Denmark - support measures and regulatory efforts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Ulrik

2005-01-01

Danish cleaner technology support policies have been successful in fostering innovations that reduce the invironmental impact of products and production. But the lack of enforcement support for cleaner technology in environmental permits has limited the overall impact....

Controlled chloride cracking of austenitic stainless steel tube samples

OpenAIRE

Raseroka, M.S.; Pistorius, P.C.

2009-01-01

An experimental rig has been constructed to produce chloride stress corrosion cracks in Type 304L stainless steel tube samples. The samples are to be used to test possible in situ repair methods in future work. The factor which influences the time to failure most strongly is the sample temperature; the distribution of cracks within the sample is affected by local temperature variations and by the position of the water line. Low-frequency oscillations in stress, caused by the on-off temperatur...

Laser cleaner development for decontamination of the primary water cooling system at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minehara, Eisuke

2010-01-01

We recently have performed the feasibility studies to develop laser cleaners utilizing several laser oscillator and amplifier systems like femto-second free-electron lasers, water-jet guided lasers, Q-switched YAG lasers, fiber lasers. Whenever we used to clean the RI-contaminated surface using the lasers, we should focus enough laser power in the surface to evaporate instantly without melting. Therefore, as the contaminated being deeply located into the surface could be removed using any one set of the lasers, we found that every trial of laser cleaning could remove very well the RI contamination being located deeply. Our cold decontamination test using a model sample being Cobalt plated successfully has been performed to show a very high decontamination factor. In order to develop an usable laser cleaner, we plan to develop the prototype laser cleaner next year. (author)

Inhomogeneous electric field air cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuster, B.G.

1976-01-01

For applications requiring the filtration of air contaminated with enriched uranium, plutonium or other transuranium compounds, it appears desirable to collect the material in a fashion more amenable to recovery than is now practical when material is collected on HEPA filters. In some instances, it may also be desirable to use an air cleaner of this type to substantially reduce the loading to which HEPA filters are subjected. A theoretical evaluation of such an air cleaner considers the interaction between an electrically neutral particle, dielectric or conducting, with an inhomogeneous electric field. An expression is derived for the force exerted on a particle in an electrode configuration of two concentric cylinders. Equations of motion are obtained for a particle suspended in a laminar flow of air passing through this geometry. An electrical quadrupole geometry is also examined and shown to be inferior to the cylindrical one. The results of two separate configurations of the single cell prototypes of the proposed air cleaner are described. These tests were designed to evaluate collection efficiencies using mono-disperse polystyrene latex and polydisperse NaCl aerosols. The advantages and problems of such systems in terms of a large scale air cleaning facility will be discussed

Tubing For Sampling Hydrazine Vapor

Science.gov (United States)

Travis, Josh; Taffe, Patricia S.; Rose-Pehrsson, Susan L.; Wyatt, Jeffrey R.

1993-01-01

Report evaluates flexible tubing used for transporting such hypergolic vapors as those of hydrazines for quantitative analysis. Describes experiments in which variety of tubing materials, chosen for their known compatibility with hydrazine, flexibility, and resistance to heat.

Cleaner technology diffusion: case studies, modeling and policy. Editorial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montalvo Corral, C.; Kemp, R.

2008-01-01

The development and application of cleaner technologies (environmental technologies) offer multiple benefits for the adopter: reduced emissions, less waste and cost savings from reduced resource use and savings on waste costs. The question here is: if cleaner technologies offer such great benefits

Does Pneumatic Tube System Transport Contribute to Hemolysis in ED Blood Samples?

Science.gov (United States)

Phelan, Michael P; Reineks, Edmunds Z; Hustey, Fredric M; Berriochoa, Jacob P; Podolsky, Seth R; Meldon, Stephen; Schold, Jesse D; Chamberlin, Janelle; Procop, Gary W

2016-09-01

Our goal was to determine if the hemolysis among blood samples obtained in an emergency department and then sent to the laboratory in a pneumatic tube system was different from those in samples that were hand-carried. The hemolysis index is measured on all samples submitted for potassium analysis. We queried our hospital laboratory database system (SunQuest(®)) for potassium results for specimens obtained between January 2014 and July 2014. From facility maintenance records, we identified periods of system downtime, during which specimens were hand-carried to the laboratory. During the study period, 15,851 blood specimens were transported via our pneumatic tube system and 92 samples were hand delivered. The proportions of hemolyzed specimens in the two groups were not significantly different (13.6% vs. 13.1% [p=0.90]). Results were consistent when the criterion was limited to gross (3.3% vs 3.3% [p=0.99]) or mild (10.3% vs 9.8% [p=0.88]) hemolysis. The hemolysis rate showed minimal variation during the study period (12.6%-14.6%). We found no statistical difference in the percentages of hemolyzed specimens transported by a pneumatic tube system or hand delivered to the laboratory. Certain features of pneumatic tube systems might contribute to hemolysis (e.g., speed, distance, packing material). Since each system is unique in design, we encourage medical facilities to consider whether their method of transport might contribute to hemolysis in samples obtained in the emergency department.

Self-Compensation of Astigmatism in Mode-Cleaners for Advanced Interferometers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barriga, P; Zhao Chunnong; Ju Li; Blair, David G [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA6009 (Australia)

2006-03-02

Using a conventional mode-cleaner with the output beam taken through a diagonal mirror it is impossible to achieve a non-astigmatic output. The geometrical astigmatism of triangular mode-cleaners for gravitational wave detectors can be self-compensated by thermally induced astigmatism in the mirrors substrates. We present results from finite element modelling of the temperature distribution of the suspended mode-cleaner mirrors and the associated beam profiles. We use these results to demonstrate and present a self-compensated mode-cleaner design. We show that the total astigmatism of the output beam can be reduced to 5x10{sup -3} for {+-}10% variation of input power about a nominal value when using the end mirror of the cavity as output coupler.

Planning of the evaluation of cleaner production experiences in the CEPITA companies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

1998-01-01

The report describes the theoretical and methodological background for the evaluation in 1998 of the cleaner production implementation in a nu,mber of Tanzanian companies taking part in a DANIDA financed cleaner production develeopment project in 1994-95......The report describes the theoretical and methodological background for the evaluation in 1998 of the cleaner production implementation in a nu,mber of Tanzanian companies taking part in a DANIDA financed cleaner production develeopment project in 1994-95...

Sudden death involving inhalation of 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) with spray cleaner: three case reports.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Kentaro; Maruyama-Maebashi, Kyoko; Takatsu, Akihiro; Fukui, Kenji; Nagai, Tomonori; Aoyagi, Miwako; Ochiai, Eriko; Iwadate, Kimiharu

2011-03-20

Spray cleaner is a cleaning product containing compressed 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) to blow dust off electric devices and other sensitive equipment; however, it is also inhaled to induce euphoria. This report describes three cases of death involving HFC-152a inhalation with spray cleaner under different circumstances. In case 1, death was during inhalation for euphoria with which led to having frostbite. In case 2, death may have been associated with suicidal intention. Case 3 was also considered an accidental autoerotic death. In all three cases, HFC-152a was detected at 99.2-136.2mg/l in blood samples, 94.5-191.9 mg/l in urine samples and 3.6-18.4 mg in the gastric contents according to gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. To prevent death associated with HFC-152a inhalation from spray cleaner, the danger of the sudden death should be announced to people, given the ready availability of commercial products containing HFC-152a. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does Pneumatic Tube System Transport Contribute to Hemolysis in ED Blood Samples?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fredric M. Hustey

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Our goal was to determine if the hemolysis among blood samples obtained in an emergency department and then sent to the laboratory in a pneumatic tube system was different from those in samples that were hand-carried. Methods: The hemolysis index is measured on all samples submitted for potassium analysis. We queried our hospital laboratory database system (SunQuest® for potassium results for specimens obtained between January 2014 and July 2014. From facility maintenance records, we identified periods of system downtime, during which specimens were hand-carried to the laboratory. Results: During the study period, 15,851 blood specimens were transported via our pneumatic tube system and 92 samples were hand delivered. The proportions of hemolyzed specimens in the two groups were not significantly different (13.6% vs. 13.1% [p=0.90]. Results were consistent when the criterion was limited to gross (3.3% vs 3.3% [p=0.99] or mild (10.3% vs 9.8% [p=0.88] hemolysis. The hemolysis rate showed minimal variation during the study period (12.6%–14.6%. Conclusion: We found no statistical difference in the percentages of hemolyzed specimens transported by a pneumatic tube system or hand delivered to the laboratory. Certain features of pneumatic tube systems might contribute to hemolysis (e.g., speed, distance, packing material. Since each system is unique in design, we encourage medical facilities to consider whether their method of transport might contribute to hemolysis in samples obtained in the emergency department.

Primary DNA Damage in Dry Cleaners with Perchlorethylene Exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Azimi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Perchloroethylene is a halogenated solvent widely used in dry cleaning. International agency of research on cancer classified this chemical as a probable human carcinogen. Objective: To evaluate the extent of primary DNA damage in dry cleaner workers who were exposed to perchloroethylene as compared to non-exposed subjects. The effect of exposure modifying factors such as use of personal protective equipment, perceived risk, and reported safe behaviors on observed DNA damage were also studied. Methods: 59 exposed and non-exposed workers were selected from Yazd, Iran. All the 33 exposed workers had work history at least 3 months in the dry cleaning shops. Peripheral blood sampling was performed. Microscope examination was performed under fluorescent microscope (400×. Open comet software was used for image analysis. All biological analysis was performed in one laboratory. Results: Primary DNA damage to leukocytes in dry cleaners was relatively high. The median tail length, %DNA in tail, and tail moment in exposed group were significantly higher than those in non-exposed group. There was no significant difference between smokers and nonsmokers in terms of tail length, tail moment, and %DNA in tail. There was no significant correlation between duration of employment in dry cleaning and observed DNA damage in terms of tail length, tail moment and %DNA in tail. Stratified analysis based on exposed and nonexposed category showed no significant relationship between age and observed DNA damage. Conclusion: Occupationally exposure to perchloroethylene can cause early DNA damage in dry cleaners.

Development of self-running underwater cleaner for nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Haruo; Mizutani, Takeshi; Miki, Masamichi

1979-01-01

A self-running underwater cleaner for removing sediment accumulated on the bottoms of water tanks in nuclear power stations by remote operation was developed. This cleaner is used in the state maintaining the shielding effect of water against radiation as water is filled in equipment pits, and by the remote operation using cables, it runs freely in water and sucks bottom sediment. The sediment is transported through a drain hose to a treating facility in a power station, and treated in a lump. The cleaner is composed of the carriage with electric steering wheels and driving wheels and a high head submerged pump. Front and rear suction mouths are provided, and suck sediment with high speed water flow while scraping with rubber boards. The cleaner can be used in the water depth of 7 m, and as the results of practical test, it was confirmed that the decontaminating effect and maneuverability were very good so that the sediment at the corner was scarcely left behind, and the effects of labor saving and the reduction of exposure of employees were large. The fundamental experiments were carried out on the running mechanism, the coefficient of friction in water, and the construction of suction mouth. The trial manufacture of the under water cleaner, the water tank experiment and the test in the Mamaoka No. 1 plant are reported. (Kako, I.)

Development of a Modified Vacuum Cleaner for Lunar Surface Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Toon, Katherine P.; Lee, Steve A.; Edgerly, Rachel D.

2010-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission to expand space exploration will return humans to the Moon with the goal of maintaining a long-term presence. One challenge that NASA will face returning to the Moon is managing the lunar regolith found on the Moon's surface, which will collect on extravehicular activity (EVA) suits and other equipment. Based on the Apollo experience, the issues astronauts encountered with lunar regolith included eye/lung irritation, and various hardware failures (seals, screw threads, electrical connectors and fabric contamination), which were all related to inadequate lunar regolith mitigation. A vacuum cleaner capable of detaching, transferring, and efficiently capturing lunar regolith has been proposed as a method to mitigate the lunar regolith problem in the habitable environment on lunar surface. In order to develop this vacuum, a modified "off-the-shelf' vacuum cleaner will be used to determine detachment efficiency, vacuum requirements, and optimal cleaning techniques to ensure efficient dust removal in habitable lunar surfaces, EVA spacesuits, and air exchange volume. During the initial development of the Lunar Surface System vacuum cleaner, systematic testing was performed with varying flow rates on multiple surfaces (fabrics and metallics), atmospheric (14.7 psia) and reduced pressures (10.2 and 8.3 psia), different vacuum tool attachments, and several vacuum cleaning techniques in order to determine the performance requirements for the vacuum cleaner. The data recorded during testing was evaluated by calculating particulate removal, relative to the retained simulant on the tested surface. In addition, optical microscopy was used to determine particle size distribution retained on the surface. The scope of this paper is to explain the initial phase of vacuum cleaner development, including historical Apollo mission data, current state-of-the-art vacuum cleaner technology, and vacuum cleaner testing that has

Cleaner shrimp use a rocking dance to advertise cleaning service to clients.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Justine H A; Curtis, Lynda M; Grutter, Alexandra S

2005-04-26

Signals transmit information to receivers about sender attributes, increase the fitness of both parties, and are selected for in cooperative interactions between species to reduce conflict [1, 2]. Marine cleaning interactions are known for stereotyped behaviors [3-6] that likely serve as signals. For example, "dancing" and "tactile dancing" in cleaner fish may serve to advertise cleaning services to client fish [7] and manipulate client behavior [8], respectively. Cleaner shrimp clean fish [9], yet are cryptic in comparison to cleaner fish. Signals, therefore, are likely essential for cleaner shrimp to attract clients. Here, we show that the yellow-beaked cleaner shrimp [10] Urocaridella sp. c [11] uses a stereotypical side-to-side movement, or "rocking dance," while approaching potential client fish in the water column. This dance was followed by a cleaning interaction with the client 100% of the time. Hungry cleaner shrimp, which are more willing to clean than satiated ones [12], spent more time rocking and in closer proximity to clients Cephalopholis cyanostigma than satiated ones, and when given a choice, clients preferred hungry, rocking shrimp. The rocking dance therefore influenced client behavior and, thus, appears to function as a signal to advertise the presence of cleaner shrimp to potential clients.

16 CFR 501.3 - Replacement bags for vacuum cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Replacement bags for vacuum cleaners. 501.3... REQUIREMENTS AND PROHIBITIONS UNDER PART 500 § 501.3 Replacement bags for vacuum cleaners. Replacement bags for..., provided: (a) The quantity of contents is expressed in terms of numerical count of the bags; (b) A...

Reputation management promotes strategic adjustment of service quality in cleaner wrasse.

Science.gov (United States)

Binning, Sandra A; Rey, Olivia; Wismer, Sharon; Triki, Zegni; Glauser, Gaétan; Soares, Marta C; Bshary, Redouan

2017-08-21

Adjusting one's behaviour in response to eavesdropping bystanders is considered a sophisticated social strategy, yet the underlying mechanisms are not well studied. Cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, cooperate by eating ectoparasites off "client" fishes, or cheat (i.e. bite) and eat client mucus. Image scoring by bystander clients generally causes cleaners from socially-complex (i.e. high cleaner and client abundance; high client species richness) habitats to increase levels of cooperation. However, some individuals may periodically provide tactile stimulation to small resident clients, which attract bystanders close that are bitten, a form of tactical deception. Cortisol injection can reproduce this pattern. Here, we tested whether cleaners from socially-complex versus simple habitats respond differently to cortisol injections in terms of their cleaning interactions with clients. We found that only cleaners from the socially-complex habitat respond to cortisol injection with strategies functioning as tactical deception: i.e. increased tactile stimulation to small clients and increased cheating of large clients relative to small ones. At the socially-simple site, where reputation management is less important, cortisol-treated fish increased their overall levels of cheating, especially of small clients. Thus, strategic adjustments to cooperative behaviour and tactical deception are likely context-dependent, forming part of general reputation management abilities in cleaner wrasse.

COREXIT 9580 shoreline cleaner: Development, application, and status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canevari, G.P.; Fiocco, R.J.; Lessard, R.R.; Fingas, M.

1995-01-01

This paper will describe research on chemical beach cleaners for treatment of oiled shorelines that was initiated in support of the cleaning activities in Prince William Sound (PWS) following the Valdez oil spill in March 1989. The concept for using beach cleaners for shoreline cleanup is to apply a pre-soak to the weathered crude oil on shore and then flush with sea water to wash the oil into a boomed area for subsequent recovery. Criteria imposed on the use of chemical beach cleaners for the cleanup of the Valdez spill were: (1) effective rock cleaning agents should have very little or no toxicity to marine and terrestrial life, (2) there should be no dispersion of the oil washed from the shoreline into the water column; oil was to be recovered by techniques such as skimming or sorbents, and (3) the agents should be on the EPA National Contingency Plan (NCP) list. A laboratory-scale rock washing test was developed to measure cleaner effectiveness and dispersion. A large number of commercially available formulated products were evaluated, as well as development formulations. The commercial products included all of the available NCP-listed products which could function as cleaners. None of the commercial products completely satisfied all the requirements established by the agencies for beach cleaning. However, a new formula, called COREXIT 9580, consisting of two surfactants and a solvent was developed. It exhibited low fish toxicity, low dispersancy and effective rock cleaning capability. The paper reviews the laboratory and field testing to explore the potential use of the COREXIT 9580 to save and restore oiled vegetation

Cleaner products : new tools, players and relationships

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Remmen, Arne

focus in the Product Oriented Environmental Initiative. The purpose of this evaluation has been to assess experience from the initiatives to date against the intentions of the action plan, and to provide constructive input to help flesh out a future product-oriented initiative, including the activities...... linked to the new programme for cleaner products. The evaluation has focused on three selected sectors and on inter-sector product-oriented projects carried out under the Action Plan for Cleaner Technology 1993-97. The investigation has been carried out at the request of the Council for Recycling...

Selectivity and limitations of carbon sorption tubes for capturing siloxanes in biogas during field sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

Tansel, Berrin; Surita, Sharon C

2016-06-01

Siloxane levels in biogas can jeopardize the warranties of the engines used at the biogas to energy facilities. The chemical structure of siloxanes consists of silicon and oxygen atoms, alternating in position, with hydrocarbon groups attached to the silicon side chain. Siloxanes can be either in cyclic (D) or linear (L) configuration and referred with a letter corresponding to their structure followed by a number corresponding to the number of silicon atoms present. When siloxanes are burned, the hydrocarbon fraction is lost and silicon is converted to silicates. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of activated carbon gas samplers for quantitative analysis of siloxanes in biogas samples. Biogas samples were collected from a landfill and an anaerobic digester using multiple carbon sorbent tubes assembled in series. One set of samples was collected for 30min (sampling 6-L gas), and the second set was collected for 60min (sampling 12-L gas). Carbon particles were thermally desorbed and analyzed by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The results showed that biogas sampling using a single tube would not adequately capture octamethyltrisiloxane (L3), hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (D3), octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6). Even with 4 tubes were used in series, D5 was not captured effectively. The single sorbent tube sampling method was adequate only for capturing trimethylsilanol (TMS) and hexamethyldisiloxane (L2). Affinity of siloxanes for activated carbon decreased with increasing molecular weight. Using multiple carbon sorbent tubes in series can be an appropriate method for developing a standard procedure for determining siloxane levels for low molecular weight siloxanes (up to D3). Appropriate quality assurance and quality control procedures should be developed for adequately quantifying the levels of the higher molecular weight siloxanes in biogas with sorbent tubes

Opportunities application of cleaner production practices in paint industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammed, Y. S. Y.

2010-08-01

There are releases of volatile organic compounds VOC from paint manufacturing process steps and from cleaning operations in El Mohandas Paint Factory. These emission can cause health, safety and productivity problems in the work area. Hence cleaner production application is necessary in this case. Some of the manufacturing processes and equipment used to accomplish these manufacturing are analyzed and generate cleaner production opportunities, implement some of cleaner production solutions of VOC emission control by some of the methods used by paint facilities in reducing emissions. It was found that there is no control available for emissions factors in paints manufacturing process, so that VOC emission based on raw material consumption rather than calculation emission from processes or equipment by alternative method. (Author)

Application of new pre-isolation techniques to mode cleaner design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barriga, Pablo [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Woolley, Andrew [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Zhao Chunnong [Computer and Information Science, Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley, WA 6050 (Australia); Blair, David G [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia)

2004-03-07

Two very low frequency pre-isolation stages can greatly reduce the residual motion of suspended optical components. In a mode cleaner this can reduce the control forces required on the mirrors, simplifying lock acquisition and reducing noise injection through control forces. This paper describes a 12 m triangular suspended mode cleaner under construction for the AIGO high optical power interferometer. A novel and very compact multistage isolator supports the cavity mirrors. It combines an inverse pendulum in series with a low-mass Roberts linkage, both with pendulum frequencies below 0.1 Hz. The suspension chain is connected to the Roberts linkage via a Euler spring stage and a cantilever spring assembly for vertical isolation. We present an analysis of the mode cleaner, emphasizing the advantage of the improved mode-cleaner suspension and its power-handling capability. The effect of seismic noise on the residual velocity of the mirrors and the predicted frequency stability of the optical cavity are presented.

Application of new pre-isolation techniques to mode cleaner design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barriga, Pablo; Woolley, Andrew; Zhao Chunnong; Blair, David G

2004-01-01

Two very low frequency pre-isolation stages can greatly reduce the residual motion of suspended optical components. In a mode cleaner this can reduce the control forces required on the mirrors, simplifying lock acquisition and reducing noise injection through control forces. This paper describes a 12 m triangular suspended mode cleaner under construction for the AIGO high optical power interferometer. A novel and very compact multistage isolator supports the cavity mirrors. It combines an inverse pendulum in series with a low-mass Roberts linkage, both with pendulum frequencies below 0.1 Hz. The suspension chain is connected to the Roberts linkage via a Euler spring stage and a cantilever spring assembly for vertical isolation. We present an analysis of the mode cleaner, emphasizing the advantage of the improved mode-cleaner suspension and its power-handling capability. The effect of seismic noise on the residual velocity of the mirrors and the predicted frequency stability of the optical cavity are presented

An overview of cleaner fish use in Ireland.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolton-Warberg, M

2017-11-21

Sea lice infestations represent one of the most significant challenges facing the salmon farming industry, giving rise to lost production, additional costs of treatment and potential negative interactions with wild stocks. At present, cleaner fish, which actively remove lice from salmon, are an effective, biological, long-term option which has been adopted by many countries. In Ireland, several key studies were conducted in the 1990s on the use of wild-caught wrasse (corkwing, goldsinny and rock cook) as cleaner fish in experimental and commercial scale trials. More recently, the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), at their marine research facility in Carna (CRS), has undertaken applied research on ballan wrasse and lumpsucker. Currently, CRS is providing lumpsucker juveniles and research and development for the Irish salmon industry with support from BIM (Ireland's Seafood Development Agency) and Marine Harvest Ireland. There is a large amount of research currently being carried out in this area in all countries that are utilizing cleaner fish technology. The current focus in Ireland is the development of a native lumpsucker broodstock to facilitate its sustainable production. The aim of this article was to provide an overview of the research, challenges and use of cleaner fish in Ireland. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Fish Diseases Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Nuclear criticality safety calculations for a K-25 site vacuum cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shor, J.T.; Haire, M.J.

1997-02-01

A modified Nilfisk model GSJ dry vacuum cleaner is used throughout the K-25 Site to collect dry forms of highly enriched uranium (HEU). When vacuuming, solids are collected in a cyclone-type separator vacuum cleaner body. Calculations were done with the SCALE (KENO V.a) computer code to establish conditions at which a nuclear criticality event might occur if the vacuum cleaner was filled with fissile solution. Conditions evaluated included full (12-in. water) reflection and nominal (1-in. water) reflection, and full (100%) and 20% 235 U enrichment. Validation analyses of SCALE/KENO and the SCALE 27-group cross sections for nuclear criticality safety applications indicate that a calculated k eff + 2σ eff + 2σ ≥ 0.9605 is considered unsafe and may be critical. Critical conditions were calculated to be 70 g U/L for 100% 235 U and full 12-in. water reflection. This corresponds to a minimum critical mass of approximately 1,400 g 235 U for the approximate 20.0-L volume of the vacuum cleaner. The actual volume of the vacuum cleaner is smaller than the modeled volume because some internal materials of construction were assumed to be fissile solution. The model was an overestimate, for conservatism, of fissile solution occupancy. At nominal reflection conditions, the critical concentration in a vacuum cleaner full of UO 2 F 2 solution was calculated to be 100 g 235 U/L, or 2,000 g mass of 100% 235 U. At 20% 235 U for the 20.0-L volume of the vacuum cleaner. At 15% 235 U enrichment and full reflection, critical conditions were not reached at any possible concentration of uranium as a uranyl fluoride solution. At 17.5% 235 U enrichment, criticality was reached at approximately 1,300 g U/L which is beyond saturation at 25 C

Continuous Passive Sampling of Solutes from Agricultural Subsurface Drainage Tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Lindblad Vendelboe, Anders; de Jonge, Hubert; Rozemeijer, Joachim; Wollesen de Jonge, Lis

2015-04-01

Agricultural subsurface tube drain systems play an important role in water and solute transport. One study, focusing on lowland agricultural catchments, showed that subsurface tube drainage contributed up to 80% of the annual discharge and 90% of the annual NO3 load from agricultural fields to the receiving water bodies. Knowledge of e.g. nutrient loads and drainage volumes, based on measurements and modelling, are important for adequate water quality management. Despite the importance of tube drain transport of solutes, monitoring data are scarce. This scarcity is a result of the existing monitoring techniques for flow and contaminant load from tube drains being expensive and labor-extensive. The study presented here aimed at developing a cheap, simple, and robust method to monitor solute loads from tube drains. The method is based on the newly developed Flowcap, which can be attached to existing tube drain outlets and can measure total flow, contaminant load and flow-averaged concentrations of solutes in the drainage. The Flowcap builds on the existing Sorbicell principle, a passive sampling system that measures average concentrations over longer periods of time (days to months) for various compounds. The Sorbicell consists of two compartments permeable to water. One compartment contains an adsorbent and one contains a tracer. When water passes through the Sorbicell the compound of interest is absorbed while a tracer is released. Using the tracer loss to calculate the volume of water that has passed the Sorbicell it is possible to calculate the average concentration of the compound. When mounting Sorbicells in the Flowcap, a flow-proportional part of the drainage is sampled from the main stream. To accommodate the wide range of drainage flow rates two Flowcaps with different capacities were tested in the laboratory: one with a capacity of 25 L min-1 (Q25) and one with a capacity of 256 L min-1 (Q256). In addition, Sorbicells with two different hydraulic

Psychosocial work factors and shoulder pain in hotel room cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Burgel, Barbara J; White, Mary C; Gillen, Marion; Krause, Niklas

2010-07-01

Hotel room cleaners have physically demanding jobs that place them at high risk for shoulder pain. Psychosocial work factors may also play a role in shoulder pain, but their independent role has not been studied in this group. Seventy-four percent (941 of 1,276) of hotel room cleaners from five Las Vegas hotels completed a 29-page survey assessing health status, working conditions, and psychosocial work factors. For this study, 493 of the 941 (52%) with complete data for 21 variables were included in multivariate logistic regression analyses. Fifty-six percent reported shoulder pain in the prior four weeks. Room cleaners with effort-reward imbalance (ERI) were three times as likely to report shoulder pain (OR 2.99, 95% CI 1.95-4.59, P = 0.000) even after adjustment for physical workload and other factors. After adjustment for physical workload, job strain and iso-strain were not significantly associated with shoulder pain. ERI is independently associated with shoulder pain in hotel room cleaners even after adjustment for physical workload and other risk factors. 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

TESTING ANTIMICROBIAL CLEANER EFFICACY ON GYPSUM WALLBOARD CONTAMINATED WITH STACHYBOTRYS CHARTARUM

Science.gov (United States)

Reducing occupant exposure to indoor mold growth is the goal of this research, through the efficacy testing of antimicrobial cleaners. Often mold contaminated building materials are not properly removed, but instead surface cleaners are applied in an attempt to alleviate the prob...

ENERGY STAR Certified Room Air Cleaners

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Certified models meet all ENERGY STAR requirements as listed in the Version 1.2 ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Room Air Cleaners that are effective as of July...

Effect of temperature on the breakthrough of a charcoal tube during vinyl chloride monomer sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

Roh, J; Park, Y J; Kim, C N; Lim, N G; Lee, S H; Song, J S; Won, J U; Talaska, G

2000-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of temperature on breakthrough of two standard collection media at various concentrations during vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) sampling. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) methods were evaluated. To determine whether breakthrough of VCM would occur at the extremes of exposure and temperature that might be encountered in some workplaces, air samples containing 4 ppm (10.24 mg/m3), 8 ppm (20.45 mg/m3), 16 ppm (40.98 mg/m3), and 32 ppm (81.80 mg/m3) of VCM were collected at temperatures of 4, 22, and 40 degrees C. Five liters of air was sampled at the rate of 0.05 L/min for 100 min using the activated charcoal tube recommended by NIOSH. A second tube was added to the sampling train to collect any VCM that might not have been absorbed in the first tube. To collect VCM air samples by the OSHA method, two carbon molecular sieve tubes were connected serially and 3 L of air was sampled at the rate of 0.05 L/min for 60 min. A gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector and ultra 2 capillary column was used to analyze VCM. Significant breakthrough was found when sampling at higher temperatures with the NIOSH method. No breakthrough was found when samples were collected using the OSHA media at different temperatures and concentrations. Therefore, under hot ambient conditions (>22 degrees C), the possibility of breakthrough should be considered when sampling VCM by the NIOSH method.

Participation of Danish and immigrant cleaners in a 1-year worksite intervention preventingphysical deterioration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Charlotte D N; Jørgensen, Marie B; Carneiro, Isabella G

2012-01-01

differences in participation among immigrant and Danish cleaners throughout a 1-year randomised controlled study tailored to cleaners and carried out in predominantly female workplaces. No significant differences in ethnicity were found in consent and participation throughout the 1-year intervention. Dropout...... was equally distributed among Danish and immigrant cleaners. This study indicates that a worksite health promotion intervention among a female-dominated, high-risk occupation such as cleaning can be equally appealing for Danes and immigrants. Statement of Relevance: This study provides insight about...... participation of Danish and immigrant cleaners in a worksite health promotion intervention in a predominantly female occupation. For attaining high participation and low dropout in future worksite health promotion interventions among cleaners, the intervention ought to not only target the ethnic background...

A tube seepage meter for in situ measurement of seepage rate and groundwater sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Solder, John; Gilmore, Troy E.; Genereux, David P.; Solomon, D. Kip

2016-01-01

We designed and evaluated a “tube seepage meter” for point measurements of vertical seepage rates (q), collecting groundwater samples, and estimating vertical hydraulic conductivity (K) in streambeds. Laboratory testing in artificial streambeds show that seepage rates from the tube seepage meter agreed well with expected values. Results of field testing of the tube seepage meter in a sandy-bottom stream with a mean seepage rate of about 0.5 m/day agreed well with Darcian estimates (vertical hydraulic conductivity times head gradient) when averaged over multiple measurements. The uncertainties in q and K were evaluated with a Monte Carlo method and are typically 20% and 60%, respectively, for field data, and depend on the magnitude of the hydraulic gradient and the uncertainty in head measurements. The primary advantages of the tube seepage meter are its small footprint, concurrent and colocated assessments of q and K, and that it can also be configured as a self-purging groundwater-sampling device.

Evaluation of several air cleaners for reducing indoor radon progeny

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopke, P.K.; Jensen, B.; Montassier, N.

1994-01-01

Over the past several years, studies have been made of the effectiveness of several kinds of air cleaners in removing radon decay products from indoor air using a recently developed automated, semi-continuous measurement system that can determine the activity-weighted size distributions in occupied homes. Measurements of activity-weighted size distributions and radon concentrations were made every 90 min in a home with a high air exchange rate. A week-long series of measurements was made for the home with no cleaner operating and a similar set of measurements were made for each of the air cleaners. Two different types of air cleaners were tested in this study; filtration units (two different designs from two different manufacturers) and two ion generator/fan systems (identical design NO-RAD systems, but from two different manufacturers). It was found that the filtration units resulted in a median reduction in exposure of 15% and 36% for the two units and corresponding dose reductions of 32% and 53%. The two NO-RAD systems produced 37% and 10% reductions in the median exposure, but the reductions in the median dose were 49% and 46%. (author)

Fatigue testing on samples from Zircaloy-4 tubes type SEU-43

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olaru, V.; Ionescu, V.; Nitu, A.; Ionescu, D.; Voicu, F.

2016-01-01

The paper presents the testing of samples worked from Zicaloy-4 tubes (as-received.. metallurgical state), utilized in the composition of the CANDU SEU-43 fuel bundle. These tests are intended to simulate their behaviour in a power cycling process inside the reactor. The testing process is of low cycle fatigue type, done outside of the reactor, on ''C-ring'' samples, cut along the transversal direction. These samples are tested at 1%, 2% and 3% amplitude deformation, at room temperature. The calibration curves for both types of tube (small and big diameter) are determined by using the finite element analyses with the ANSYS computer code. The cycling test results are in the form of a fatigue life curve (N-e) for zircaloy-4 used in the SEU-43 fuel bundle. The curve is determined by the experimental dependency between the number of cycles to fracture and the deformation amplitude. The low cycle fatigue mechanical tests done at room temperature together with electronic microscopy analyses have reflected the characteristic behaviour of the zircaloy-4 metal in the given environment conditions. (authors)

Environmental Technology Verification: Supplement to Test/QA Plan for Biological and Aerosol Testing of General Ventilation Air Cleaners; Bioaerosol Inactivation Efficiency by HVAC In-Duct Ultraviolet Light Air Cleaners

Science.gov (United States)

The Air Pollution Control Technology Verification Center has selected general ventilation air cleaners as a technology area. The Generic Verification Protocol for Biological and Aerosol Testing of General Ventilation Air Cleaners is on the Environmental Technology Verification we...

Does aerobic exercise improve or impair cardiorespiratory fitness and health among cleaners?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korshøj Larsen, Mette; Lidegaard, Mark; Skotte, Jørgen H

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: It is unknown if aerobic exercise overloads or improves the cardiovascular system among workers with high occupational physical activity. This was investigated in a worksite randomized controlled trial (RCT) of aerobic exercise among cleaners. METHODS: We randomized 116 cleaners betwee...

76 FR 71342 - Proposed CERCLA Administrative Cost Recovery Settlement; River Forest Dry Cleaners Site, River...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-17

... Settlement; River Forest Dry Cleaners Site, River Forest, Cook County, IL AGENCY: Environmental Protection... response costs concerning the River Forest Dry Cleaners site in River Forest, Cook County, Illinois with... code: C-14J, Chicago, Illinois 60604. Comments should reference the River Forest Dry Cleaners Site...

A Study on Promotion and Implementation of Cleaner Production Practices in Malaysian Industry - Development of a National Program and Action Plan for Promotion of Cleaner Production. Progress Report 1

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wangel, Arne

This Progress Report presents the initial findings of the research project 'A Study on Promotion and Implementation of Cleaner Production Practices in Malaysian Industry - Development of a National Program and Action Plan for Promotion of Cleaner Production. Progress Report' funded...

Evaluation of stomach tubes and gastric lavage for sampling diets from blue catfish and flathead catfish

Science.gov (United States)

Waters, D.S.; Kwak, T.J.; Arnott, J.B.; Pine, William E.

2004-01-01

We compared the ability to extract all stomach contents by using stomach tubes or gastric lavage to sample diets from blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus and flathead catfish Pylodictus olivarus. Pulsed gastric lavage (PGL) removed a significantly greater proportion of stomach content mass (95.6%) from blue catfish than did stomach tubes (14.6%). Percent mass of flathead catfish contents removed with PGL (96.0%) was not significantly different from that removed with stomach tubes (86.9%). Based on the greater effectiveness of PGL for blue catfish, combined with a shorter mean time required per sample (69 versus 118 s) and the better preservation of extracted diet material, we recommend using PGL as a nonlethal technique to collect diet samples from large catfishes.

Short-term respiratory effects of cleaning exposures in female domestic cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Medina-Ramón, M; Zock, J P; Kogevinas, M; Sunyer, J; Basagaña, X; Schwartz, J; Burge, P S; Moore, V; Antó, J M

2006-06-01

Symptoms of obstructive lung disease in domestic cleaners have been related to the use of bleach and other irritant cleaning products. The short-term effects of cleaning exposures on respiratory symptoms and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were investigated in domestic cleaners with respiratory disorders. In a panel study, 43 female domestic cleaners with a recent history of asthma and/or chronic bronchitis completed a 2-week diary, collecting information on respiratory symptoms, PEF and cleaning exposures. Mixed regression models were used to assess daily changes in symptoms and PEF associated with specific cleaning exposures. The probability of having work-related asthma was individually assessed by a computerised diagnostic system and an occupational asthma expert. Lower respiratory tract symptoms were more common on working days and were predominantly associated with exposure to diluted bleach, degreasing sprays/atomisers and air fresheners. Associations with upper respiratory tract symptoms and PEF were less apparent. Eleven (30%) subjects scored positively for work-related asthma. It is concluded that exposure to certain irritant cleaning products aggravates lower respiratory tract symptoms in female domestic cleaners with asthma or chronic bronchitis.

Introduction of sample tubes with sodium azide as a preservative for ethyl glucuronide in urine.

Science.gov (United States)

Luginbühl, Marc; Weinmann, Wolfgang; Al-Ahmad, Ali

2017-09-01

Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a direct alcohol marker, which is widely used for clinical and forensic applications, mainly for abstinence control. However, the instability of EtG in urine against bacterial degradation or the post-collectional synthesis of EtG in contaminated samples may cause false interpretation of EtG results in urine samples. This study evaluates the potential of sodium azide in tubes used for urine collection to hinder degradation of ethyl glucuronide by bacterial metabolism taking place during growth of bacterial colonies. The tubes are part of a commercial oral fluid collection device. The sampling system was tested with different gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial species previously observed in urinary tract infections, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterecoccus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Inhibition of bacterial growth by sodium azide, resulting in lower numbers of colony forming units compared to control samples, was observed for all tested bacterial species. To test the prevention of EtG degradation by the predominant pathogen in urinary tract infection, sterile-filtered urine and deficient medium were spiked with EtG, and inoculated with E. coli prior to incubation for 4 days at 37 °C in tubes with and without sodium azide. Samples were collected every 24 hours, during four consecutive days, whereby the colony forming units (CFU) were counted on Columbia blood agar plates, and EtG was analyzed by LC-MS/MS. As expected, EtG degradation was observed when standard polypropylene tubes were used for the storage of contaminated samples. However, urine specimens collected in sodium azide tubes showed no or very limited bacterial growth and no EtG degradation. As a conclusion, sodium azide is useful to reduce bacterial growth of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. It inhibits the degradation of EtG by E. coli and can be used for

Clean, cheap, convenient: promotion of Electronic cigarettes on YouTube.

Science.gov (United States)

Sears, Clara G; Walker, Kandi L; Hart, Joy L; Lee, Alexander S; Siu, Allison; Smith, Courteney

2017-04-01

Videos promoting electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) can be easily accessed on YouTube. Marketing claims present in YouTube videos may help shape the public's opinion of e-cigarettes. Thus, it is important to understand the most frequent marketing claims and video sources. The objectives of this study were to 1) identify marketing claims in YouTube videos that are commonly made on e-cigarette retail websites and 2) compare the frequency of marketing claims in user-generated and professional YouTube videos. Through content analysis, this study evaluated six marketing claims and descriptive information about YouTube videos (n = 50) related to "electronic cigarettes" and "vape". Overall, the most frequent marketing claim promoted e-cigarette use as better than traditional tobacco use (52%). Approximately 65% of videos appeared to be user-generated and 35% were professionally-produced. Compared to user-generated videos, significantly more professional videos made claims that e-cigarettes are cleaner (p YouTube promote e-cigarettes as safer than other tobacco products. Videos appearing to be user-generated contained different marketing claims compared to professional videos. Further research is necessary to assess how the perceived source of the video impacts the ways these marketing claims shape public perception and influence use.

Air bubbles and hemolysis of blood samples during transport by pneumatic tube systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Mullins, Garrett R; Bruns, David E

2017-10-01

Transport of blood samples through pneumatic tube systems (PTSs) generates air bubbles in transported blood samples and, with increasing duration of transport, the appearance of hemolysis. We investigated the role of air-bubble formation in PTS-induced hemolysis. Air was introduced into blood samples for 0, 1, 3 or 5min to form air bubbles. Hemolysis in the blood was assessed by (H)-index, lactate dehydrogenase (LD) and potassium in plasma. In an effort to prevent PTS-induced hemolysis, blood sample tubes were completely filled, to prevent air bubble formation, and compared with partially filled samples after PTS transport. We also compared hemolysis in anticoagulated vs clotted blood subjected to PTS transport. As with transport through PTSs, the duration of air bubble formation in blood by a gentle stream of air predicted the extent of hemolysis as measured by H-index (pair space in a blood sample prevented bubble formation and fully protected the blood from PTS-induced hemolysis (ptransport and was partially protected from hemolysis vs anticoagulated blood as indicated by lower LD (ptransport. Prevention of air bubble formation in blood samples during PTS transport protects samples from hemolysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen concentration determination in pressure tube samples using differential scanning calorimetry (dsc)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marinescu, R.; Mincu, M.

2015-01-01

Zirconium alloys are widely used as a structural material in nuclear reactors. It is known that zirconium based cladding alloys absorb hydrogen as a result of service in a pressurized water reactor. Hydrogen absorbed (during operation of the reactor) in the zirconium alloy, out of which the pressure tube is made, is one of the major factors determining the life time of the pressure tube. For monitoring the hydrides, samples of the pressure tube are periodically taken and analyzed. At normal reactor operating temperature, hydrogen has limited solubility in the zirconium lattice and precipitates out of solid solution as zirconium hydride when the solid solubility is exceeded. As a consequences material characterization of Zr-2.5Nb CANDU pressure tubes is required after manufacturing but also during the operation to assess its structural integrity and to predict its behavior until the next in-service inspection. Hydrogen and deuterium concentration determination is one of the most important parameters to be evaluated during the experimental tests. Hydrogen present in zirconium alloys has a strong effect of weakening. Following the zirconium-hydrogen reaction, the resulting zirconium hydride precipitates in the mass of material. Weakening of the material, due to the presence of 10 ppm of precipitated hydrogen significantly affects some of its properties. The concentration of hydrogen in a sample can be determined by several methods, one of them being the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The principle of the method consists in measuring the difference between the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a sample and a reference to a certain value. The experiments were made using a TA Instruments DSC Q2000 calorimeter. This paper contains experimental work for hydrogen concentration determination by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) method. Also, the reproducibility and accuracy of the method used at INR Pitesti are presented. (authors)

The Life, Work and Recreational Physical Activity of Female Cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenneis, Verena

The main aim of this article-based PhD thesis was to explore the recreational physical activity participation of female cleaners – an occupational group mainly consisting of minority ethnic women from non-western countries. As the PhD project was integrated in and financially supported...... by the Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, a part of the PhD project was to organize and evaluate a workplace physical activity programme that used team games as the main form of exercise. Via participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 42 cleaners and their supervisors I gained insights...... and employed different theories, they drew a coherent picture: the interviewees’ everyday lives as migrant cleaners in Denmark had a decisive influence on their opportunities to engage in recreational physical activity: most women struggled with the demands of a physically exhausting job and an extensive...

A study on the sound quality evaluation model of mechanical air-cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ih, Jeong-Guon; Jang, Su-Won; Jeong, Cheol-Ho

2009-01-01

In operating the air-cleaner for a long time, people in a quiet enclosed space expect low sound at low operational levels for a routine cleaning of air. However, in the condition of high operational levels of the cleaner, a powerful yet nonannoying sound is desired, which is connected to a feeling...... of an immediate cleaning of pollutants. In this context, it is important to evaluate and design the air-cleaner noise to satisfy such contradictory expectations from the customers. In this study, a model for evaluating the sound quality of air-cleaners of mechanical type was developed based on objective...... and subjective analyses. Sound signals from various aircleaners were recorded and they were edited by increasing or decreasing the loudness at three wide specific-loudness bands: 20-400 Hz (0-3.8 barks), 400-1250 Hz (3.8-10 barks), and 1.25- 12.5 kHz bands (10-22.8 barks). Subjective tests using the edited...

Cleaner production - a tool for sustainable environmental development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, I.; Batool, S.

2005-01-01

Industrial Development and Production with no regard for environmental impacts creates water and air pollution, soil degradation, and large-scale global impacts such as acid rain, global warming and ozone depletion. To create more sustainable methods of industrial production, there needs to be a shift in attitudes away from control towards pollution prevention and management. Cleaner Production (CP) refers to a management process that seeks out and eliminates the causes of pollution, waste generation and resource consumption at their source through input reductions or substitutions, pollution prevention, internal recycling and more efficient production technology and processes for sustainable environmental development. The objective of cleaner production is to avoid generating pollution in the first place, which frequently cuts costs, reduces risks associated with liability, and identifies new market opportunities. Introducing cleaner production has become a goal to improve the competitiveness through increased eco-efficiency. CP is a business strategy for enhancing productivity and environmental performance for overall socio-economic development. The environmental and economic benefits can only be achieved by implementing cleaner production tools. The CP assessment methodology is used to systematically identify and evaluate the waste minimization opportunities and facilitate their implementation in industries. It refers to how goods and services are produced with the minimum environmental impact under present technological and economic limits. CP shares characteristics with many environmental management tools such as Environmental Assessment or Design for Environment by including them among the technological options for reducing material and energy intensiveness in production, as well as facilitating ruse trough remanufacturing and recycling. It is thus an extension of the total quality management process. The CP program has been successfully implemented in

Combined exposures to workplace psychosocial stressors: relationships with mental health in a sample of NZ cleaners and clerical workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lilley, R; Lamontagne, A D; Firth, H

2011-05-01

A combined measure of two common psychosocial stressors, called job pressure has previously been shown to be strongly associated with poor mental health in high status workers. This study tests the generalizability of this association to lower status workers. A national random sample of cleaners and clerical workers was obtained from the New Zealand (NZ) electoral roll by occupational title (n = 596). Cross-sectional data on job stressors, demographics, and mental health (GHQ-12) was collected by computer-assisted telephone interviews. Combined exposure to low job control, high job demands, and job insecurity (high job pressure) was associated with markedly elevated odds (13-fold or higher) of poor mental health after adjustment for age, sex, occupation, and education. Combined with previous findings this suggests simultaneous exposure to more than one occupational psychosocial stressor may greatly increase the risk of poor mental health among both lower and higher status workers. This report adds to the larger literature in this area, supporting the need for expanded policy and practice intervention to reduce job stressors across the working population. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Measurement of Passive Uptake Rates for Volatile Organic Compounds on Commercial Thermal Desorption Tubes and the Effect of Ozone on Sampling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maddalena, Randy [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Parra, Amanda [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Russell, Marion [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Lee, Wen-Yee [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2013-05-01

Diffusive or passive sampling methods using commercially filled axial-sampling thermal desorption tubes are widely used for measuring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air. The passive sampling method provides a robust, cost effective way to measure air quality with time-averaged concentrations spanning up to a week or more. Sampling rates for VOCs can be calculated using tube geometry and Fick’s Law for ideal diffusion behavior or measured experimentally. There is evidence that uptake rates deviate from ideal and may not be constant over time. Therefore, experimentally measured sampling rates are preferred. In this project, a calibration chamber with a continuous stirred tank reactor design and constant VOC source was combined with active sampling to generate a controlled dynamic calibration environment for passive samplers. The chamber air was augmented with a continuous source of 45 VOCs ranging from pentane to diethyl phthalate representing a variety of chemical classes and physiochemical properties. Both passive and active samples were collected on commercially filled Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes over an 11-day period and used to calculate passive sampling rates. A second experiment was designed to determine the impact of ozone on passive sampling by using the calibration chamber to passively load five terpenes on a set of Tenax tubes and then exposing the tubes to different ozone environments with and without ozone scrubbers attached to the tube inlet. During the sampling rate experiment, the measured diffusive uptake was constant for up to seven days for most of the VOCs tested but deviated from linearity for some of the more volatile compounds between seven and eleven days. In the ozone experiment, both exposed and unexposed tubes showed a similar decline in terpene mass over time indicating back diffusion when uncapped tubes were transferred to a clean environment but there was no indication of significant loss by ozone reaction.

GUIDE TO CLEANER TECHNOLOGIES: ORGANIC COATING REMOVAL

Science.gov (United States)

A cleaner technology is a source reduction or recycle method |applied to eliminate or significantly reduce hazardous waste generation. Source reduction includes product changes and source control. Source control can be further characterized as input material changes, technology...

Measurement of concentration and size distribution of radon decay products in homes using air cleaners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montassier, N.; Hopke, P.K.; Shi, Y.; McCallum, B.

1992-01-01

By removing particles, air cleaners can also eliminate radon decay products. However, by removing the particles, the open-quotes unattachedclose quotes fraction of the radon progeny is increased leading to a higher dose per unit exposure. Thus, both the concentration and size distributions of the radon decay products are needed to evaluate air cleaners. Three types of room air cleaners, NO-RAD Radon Removal System, Electronic Air Cleaner and PUREFLOW Air Treatment System were tested in a single family home in Arnprior, Ontario (Canada). Semi-continuous measurements of radon gas concentration and radon decay product activity weighted size distribution were performed in the kitchen/dining room under real living conditions. The effects of air cleaners on both the concentration and size distribution of the radon decay products were measured, and their impact on the dose of radiation given to the lung tissue were examined

Removing seed coat fragments with a lint cleaner grid bar air knife

Science.gov (United States)

Seed coat fragments (SCF) in ginned lint cause spinning problems at the textile mill and undesirable defects in finished goods. Work continued on developing an air knife that may help remove SCF from ginned lint. The air knife is mounted on the 1st lint cleaner grid bar of a saw-type lint cleaner,...

Employee participation and cleaner technology: learning processes in environmental teams

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Remmen, Arne; Lorentzen, Børge

2000-01-01

The approach to pollution prevention in Danish industries in the late-1980s and in the beginning of the 1990s met criticism, because the cleaner technology projects focused too narrowly on technical solutions implemented by experts. The objective of the project “Employee Participation in the Impl...... to improve the firms' environmental activities (e.g. setting up environmental policies, targets and action plans, implementing new procedures and technologies).......The approach to pollution prevention in Danish industries in the late-1980s and in the beginning of the 1990s met criticism, because the cleaner technology projects focused too narrowly on technical solutions implemented by experts. The objective of the project “Employee Participation...... in the Implementation of Cleaner Technology” was to develop a more active role for employees in the environmental activities of companies. Based on practical experiments in five Danish firms within different industrial sectors, the project concluded that employee participation can have a strong effect on changing...

40 CFR 761.378 - Decontamination, reuse, and disposal of solvents, cleaners, and equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... of solvents, cleaners, and equipment. 761.378 Section 761.378 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL...-Porous Surfaces § 761.378 Decontamination, reuse, and disposal of solvents, cleaners, and equipment. (a) Decontamination. Decontaminate solvents and non-porous surfaces on equipment in accordance with the standards and...

GUIDE TO CLEANER TECHNOLOGIES: ORGANIC COATING REPLACEMENTS

Science.gov (United States)

This guide describes available and emerging cleaner technologies that can be used to reduce emissions and wastes from paint and coatings applications. Environmental concerns and increasing costs of organic chemicals and metals are leading to changes in the formulation of organic ...

Education and Manpower development for Cleaner Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

1996-01-01

An overview of the needs for education and training for dissemination and implementation of cleaner production. Expericne from training in companies and training of officials from public authorities and from integration into engineering, business and management and social science curricula...

Cleaner Production Practices, Environmental Management and National Policy Development in Malaysia for Electroplating Enterprises

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wangel, Arne; Mohamed, Maketab; Agamuthu, P.

2004-01-01

-operation for Environment and Development (DANCED), Ministry of Environment and Energy. SMEs were targeted within three sectors: Textile, food and electroplating industries. The paper illustrates the change process from the perspective of electroplating SMEs by reviewing the cleaner production options chosen, presenting...... figures on the results achieved, and discussing the experiences gained. Reviewing the approach and results of the Centre, as well as the status of cleaner production (CP) in Malaysia, the paper outlines the challenges for national policy making, when moving from promotion by project intervention towards...... sustainable practices in the SME sector at large. The paper draws upon data collection conducted by the research project 'A Study on Promotion and Implementation of Cleaner Production Practices in Malaysian Industry - Development of a National Program and Action Plan for Promotion of Cleaner Production'....

Visibility and social recognition as psychosocial work environment factors among cleaners in a multi-ethnic workplace intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Hviid, Kirsten; Smith, Louise Hardman; Frydendall, Karen Bo; Flyvholm, Mari-Ann

2012-12-24

This article focuses on the psychosocial work environment of immigrant cleaners at a Danish workplace. Today, many cleaners working in Danish cleaning jobs are women from the established immigrant communities, but also labour migrants from the newer EU member states have found their way to the cleaning industry. Studies have drawn attention to immigrants' low position in the cleaning industry and their increased risk of work injuries. This article is based on a case study of an intervention called "Make a Difference" designed to improve the work environment among cleaners at a multi-ethnic workplace. We used semi-structured interviews, photo logs, observation and participation to investigate how the cleaners experienced their work environment. The cleaners reported an overload of heavy work, related to the concept of a classroom's "readiness for cleaning", and they expressed strained social relations and communication in addition to a lack of social recognition and invisibility at the workplace, a school. We analysed these psychosocial work environmental problems by investigating the different forms of social relationships and communication within the group of cleaners, and between the cleaners and the teachers and pupils at the school. Moreover, we discussed why the intervention, based on training of language and cleaning skills and social interaction, only partially improved the cleaners' psychosocial work environment problems. In this article, we argue that social divisions based on ethnicity between the new and the established group of cleaners, combined with their marginal position and poor work organisation at the school, reinforced the cleaners' experiences of psychosocial work environment problems. This article suggests that increased effort towards social inclusion at work and improved work organisation, especially for the new labour migrants from newer EU-countries, should be considered.

Aerobic exercise reduces biomarkers related to cardiovascular risk among cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korshøj, Mette; Ravn, Marie Højbjerg; Holtermann, Andreas

2016-01-01

PURPOSE: Blue-collar workers have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Accordingly, elevated levels of biomarkers related to risk of cardiovascular disease, such as high-sensitive C-reactive protein, have been observed among blue-collar workers. The objective was to examine whether...... an aerobic exercise worksite intervention changes the level of inflammation biomarkers among cleaners. METHODS: The design was a cluster-randomized controlled trial with 4-month worksite intervention. Before the 116 cleaners aged 18-65 years were randomized, they signed an informed consent form...

Life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of European regulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro, E-mail: alejandro.gallegoschmid@manchester.ac.uk; Mendoza, Joan Manuel F.; Jeswani, Harish Kumar; Azapagic, Adisa

2016-07-15

Energy efficiency of vacuum cleaners has been declining over the past decades while at the same time their number in Europe has been increasing. The European Commission has recently adopted an eco-design regulation to improve the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. In addition to the existing directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the regulation could potentially have significant effects on the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. However, the scale of the effects is currently unknown, beyond scant information on greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, this paper considers for the first time life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of the implementation of these regulations at the European level. The effects of electricity decarbonisation, product lifetime and end-of-life disposal options are also considered. The results suggest that the implementation of the eco-design regulation alone will reduce significantly the impacts from vacuum cleaners (37%–44%) by 2020 compared with current situation. If business as usual continued and the regulation was not implemented, the impacts would be 82%–109% higher by 2020 compared to the impacts with the implementation of the regulation. Improvements associated with the implementation of the WEEE directive will be much smaller (< 1% in 2020). However, if the WEEE directive did not exist, then the impacts would be 2%–21% higher by 2020 relative to the impacts with the implementation of the directive. Further improvements in most impacts (6%–20%) could be achieved by decarbonising the electricity mix. Therefore, energy efficiency measures must be accompanied by appropriate actions to reduce the environmental impacts of electricity generation; otherwise, the benefits of improved energy efficiency could be limited. Moreover, because of expected lower life expectancy of vacuum cleaners and limited availability of some raw materials, the eco-design regulation should

Life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of European regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro; Mendoza, Joan Manuel F.; Jeswani, Harish Kumar; Azapagic, Adisa

2016-01-01

Energy efficiency of vacuum cleaners has been declining over the past decades while at the same time their number in Europe has been increasing. The European Commission has recently adopted an eco-design regulation to improve the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. In addition to the existing directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the regulation could potentially have significant effects on the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. However, the scale of the effects is currently unknown, beyond scant information on greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, this paper considers for the first time life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of the implementation of these regulations at the European level. The effects of electricity decarbonisation, product lifetime and end-of-life disposal options are also considered. The results suggest that the implementation of the eco-design regulation alone will reduce significantly the impacts from vacuum cleaners (37%–44%) by 2020 compared with current situation. If business as usual continued and the regulation was not implemented, the impacts would be 82%–109% higher by 2020 compared to the impacts with the implementation of the regulation. Improvements associated with the implementation of the WEEE directive will be much smaller (< 1% in 2020). However, if the WEEE directive did not exist, then the impacts would be 2%–21% higher by 2020 relative to the impacts with the implementation of the directive. Further improvements in most impacts (6%–20%) could be achieved by decarbonising the electricity mix. Therefore, energy efficiency measures must be accompanied by appropriate actions to reduce the environmental impacts of electricity generation; otherwise, the benefits of improved energy efficiency could be limited. Moreover, because of expected lower life expectancy of vacuum cleaners and limited availability of some raw materials, the eco-design regulation should

Associations between psychosocial work environment and hypertension among non-Western immigrant and Danish cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Kasper Vinther; Carneiro, Isabella G; Jørgensen, Marie B

2012-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Non-Western cleaners have reported better psychosocial work environment but worse health compared with their Danish colleagues. The aim of this study was to compare the association between psychosocial work environment and hypertension among non-Western immigrant cleaners and Danish...

The Effect of Pneumatic Tube Systems on the Hemolysis of Biochemistry Blood Samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Cakirca, Gokhan; Erdal, Huseyin

2017-05-01

Pneumatic tube systems (PTSs) are widely used in many hospitals because they lead to reduced turnaround times and cost efficiency. However, PTSs may affect the quality of the blood samples transported to the laboratory. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the PTS used in our hospital on the hemolysis of the biochemical blood samples transported to the laboratory. A total of 148 samples were manually transported to the laboratory by hospital staff, 148 samples were transported with the PTS, and 113 were transported with the PTS without use of sponge-rubber inserts (PTSws). Hemolysis rates and the levels of biochemical analytes for the different transportation methods were compared. No significant difference was found between the samples transported manually and with the PTS with regard to hemolysis rate and the levels of biochemical analytes. However, the samples transported with the PTSws showed a significant difference compared with the samples transported manually and with the PTS with regard to hemolysis rate and potassium and lactate dehydrogenase levels. The percentages of the samples that exceeded the permissible threshold for the hemolysis among the samples transported manually, with the PTS, and with the PTSws were 10%, 8%, and 47%, respectively. A PTS can be used safely for transporting biochemistry blood samples to the laboratory. However, a sponge-rubber insert that holds sample tubes must be used with the PTS to prevent the hemolysis of blood samples. Copyright © 2016 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Blood Sampling in Newborns: A Systematic Review of YouTube Videos.

Science.gov (United States)

Bueno, Mariana; Nishi, Érika Tihemi; Costa, Taine; Freire, Laís Machado; Harrison, Denise

Objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of YouTube videos showing neonatal blood sampling, and to evaluate pain management and comforting interventions used. Selected videos were consumer- or professional-produced videos showing human newborns undergoing heel lancing or venipuncture for blood sampling, videos showing the entire blood sampling procedure (from the first attempt or puncture to the time of application of a cotton ball or bandage), publication date prior to October 2014, Portuguese titles, available audio. Search terms included "neonate," "newborn," "neonatal screening," and "blood collection." Two reviewers independently screened the videos and extracted the following data. A total of 13 140 videos were retrieved, of which 1354 were further evaluated, and 68 were included. Videos were mostly consumer produced (97%). Heel lancing was performed in 62 (91%). Forty-nine infants (72%) were held by an adult during the procedure. Median pain score immediately after puncture was 4 (interquartile range [IQR] = 0-5), and median length of cry throughout the procedure was 61 seconds (IQR = 88). Breastfeeding (3%) and swaddling (1.5%) were rarely implemented. Posted YouTube videos in Portuguese of newborns undergoing blood collection demonstrate minimal use of pain treatment, and maximal distress during procedures. Knowledge translation strategies are needed to implement effective measures for neonatal pain relief and comfort.

A technique of taking samples from inside the pressure tube along the axis of the fuel channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyongyosi, T.

2005-01-01

Full text: The ageing process through its complex mechanisms affects in time more or less the component parts, the systems and the structures of the nuclear power plant. For CANDU type nuclear power plant the main component part in operation is the pressure tube, made from Zr - 2,5% Nb alloy, used in extreme hard operation conditions (static and dynamic loading from high pressure and temperature and high neutron flux). The pressure tube endures, in time, changing of the material and of the geometry. Additionally, the excessive hydrogen uptake initiates the Delayed Hydride Cracking (DHC) mechanism on the pressure tubes. For checking the evolution of the hydride / deuteration phenomena in the material of the pressure tube and especially to establish the real lifetime as compared to design lifetime it is useful to initiate, develop and apply a technology and a complex equipment for taking samples directly from inside the pressure tube, this enabling the determination of the hydrogen content. In the paper are showed briefly: - the evolution in time of the techniques for axial taking of the samples from inside of the pressure tube used in the CANDU 6 NPP; - the reasons that determined us to develop one of these technologies; - the technological facilities needed to apply it. (author)

A technique of taking samples from inside the pressure tube along the axis of the fuel channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyongyosi, T.

2005-01-01

The ageing process through its complex mechanisms affects in time more or less the component parts, the systems and the structures of the nuclear power plant. For CANDU type nuclear power plant the main component part in operation is the pressure tube, made from Zr - 2,5% Nb alloy, used in extreme hard operation conditions (static and dynamic loading from high pressure and temperature and high neutron flux). The pressure tube endures, in time, changing of the material and of the geometry. Additionally, the excessive hydrogen uptake initiates the Delayed Hydride Cracking (DHC) mechanism on the pressure tubes. For checking the evolution of the hydride/deuteration phenomena in the material of the pressure tube and especially to establish the real lifetime as compared to design lifetime it is useful to initiate, develop and apply a technology and a complex equipment for taking samples directly from inside the pressure tube, this enabling the determination of the hydrogen content. In the paper are showed briefly: - the evolution in time of the techniques for axial taking of the samples from inside of the pressure tube used in the CANDU 6 NPP; - the reasons that determined us to develop one of these technologies; - the technological facilities needed to apply it. (author)

Life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of European regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro; Mendoza, Joan Manuel F; Jeswani, Harish Kumar; Azapagic, Adisa

2016-07-15

Energy efficiency of vacuum cleaners has been declining over the past decades while at the same time their number in Europe has been increasing. The European Commission has recently adopted an eco-design regulation to improve the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. In addition to the existing directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the regulation could potentially have significant effects on the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. However, the scale of the effects is currently unknown, beyond scant information on greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, this paper considers for the first time life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of the implementation of these regulations at the European level. The effects of electricity decarbonisation, product lifetime and end-of-life disposal options are also considered. The results suggest that the implementation of the eco-design regulation alone will reduce significantly the impacts from vacuum cleaners (37%-44%) by 2020 compared with current situation. If business as usual continued and the regulation was not implemented, the impacts would be 82%-109% higher by 2020 compared to the impacts with the implementation of the regulation. Improvements associated with the implementation of the WEEE directive will be much smaller (impacts would be 2%-21% higher by 2020 relative to the impacts with the implementation of the directive. Further improvements in most impacts (6%-20%) could be achieved by decarbonising the electricity mix. Therefore, energy efficiency measures must be accompanied by appropriate actions to reduce the environmental impacts of electricity generation; otherwise, the benefits of improved energy efficiency could be limited. Moreover, because of expected lower life expectancy of vacuum cleaners and limited availability of some raw materials, the eco-design regulation should be broadened to reduce the impacts from raw materials, production and end

Increased Participation Among Cleaners as a Strategy to Improve Quality and Occupational Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Therese Öhrling

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Like many other industries, today the cleaning industry is affected more than ever by competition and pressure toward low prices, which leads to a nonadvantageous situation for cleaners. These days many Swedish municipalities choose to outsource cleaning service in order to save money, although the situation for the cleaners appears to be worsening. The aim of this paper is to evaluate an alternative organizational structure within a Swedish public cleaning division to investigate how good work environment for cleaners can be combined with economical savings for a municipality. Like many other cleaning organizations, both national and international, the present cleaning division has been struggling for a long time with high levels of sick leave and early retirements. After years of unsuccessful attempts to improve the situation by reducing the physical load, cleaning managers made a decision to broaden their strategy by changing the structure of their organization. In this study, both qualitative and quantitative methods have been applied to identify and understand the effects of the organizational change, both on an individual level and on an organizational level. The results show that the organizational change, which leads to increased participation and autonomy for the cleaners, in combination with a high degree of social support, had a positive effect on job satisfaction, work motivation, and pride among the cleaners. Sick leave within the division has decreased, and both the quality and efficiency of the cleaning service have increased. It can be concluded that there are other alternative organizational structures that could be applied within the public sector and prove advantageous, both for the individual cleaners and for the municipality. Further research of similar organizational structures within the private cleaning sector is recommended.

Use of a holder-vacuum tube device to save on-site hands in preparing urine samples for head-space gas-chromatography, and its application to determine the time allowance for sample sealing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawai, Toshio; Sumino, Kimiaki; Ohashi, Fumiko; Ikeda, Masayuki

2011-01-01

To facilitate urine sample preparation prior to head-space gas-chromatographic (HS-GC) analysis. Urine samples containing one of the five solvents (acetone, methanol, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone and toluene) at the levels of biological exposure limits were aspirated into a vacuum tube via holder, a device commercially available for venous blood collection (the vacuum tube method). The urine sample, 5 ml, was quantitatively transferred to a 20-ml head-space vial prior to HS-GC analysis. The loaded tubes were stored at +4 ℃ in dark for up to 3 d. The vacuum tube method facilitated on-site procedures of urine sample preparation for HS-GC with no significant loss of solvents in the sample and no need of skilled hands, whereas on-site sample preparation time was significantly reduced. Furthermore, no loss of solvents was detected during the 3-d storage, irrespective of hydrophilic (acetone) or lipophilic solvent (toluene). In a pilot application, high performance of the vacuum tube method in sealing a sample in an air-tight space succeeded to confirm that no solvent will be lost when sealing is completed within 5 min after urine voiding, and that the allowance time is as long as 30 min in case of toluene in urine. The use of the holder-vacuum tube device not only saves hands for transfer of the sample to air-tight space, but facilitates sample storage prior to HS-GC analysis.

Integrated Technology Air Cleaners (ITAC): Design and Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisk, William J.; Cohn, Sebastian; Destaillats, Hugo; Henzel, Victor; Sidheswaran, Meera; Sullivan, Douglas P.

2013-09-13

The primary objective of this project was to design, build, and test an air cleaner for residential use with the potential to substantially improve indoor air quality, or maintain indoor air quality unchanged, when outdoor air ventilation rates are reduced to save energy. Two air cleaners were designed and fabricated. The design targets for airflow rate, fan power, and projected cost were met. In short term laboratory studies, both units performed as expected; however, during field studies in homes, the formaldehyde removal performance of the air cleaners was much lower than expected. In subsequent laboratory studies, incomplete decomposition of some indoor air volatile organic compounds, with formaldehyde as a product of partial decomposition of volatile organic compounds, was confirmed as the explanation for the poor formaldehyde removal performance in the field studies. The amount of formaldehyde produced per unit of decomposition of other volatile organic compounds was substantially diminished by increasing the amount of catalyst on the filter and also by decreasing the air velocity. Together, these two measures reduced formaldehyde production, per unit destruction of other volatile organic compounds, by a factor of four, while increasing the removal efficiency of volatile organic compounds by a factor of 1.4. A company with a southern California office is conducting studies in conjunction with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with the goal of incorporating the ITAC catalytic air cleaning technology in their future commercial products.

The local implementation of clean(er) fuels policies in Europe. A Handbook with guidelines. Final version

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mulder, F.; Amara, Sliman Abu; Uustal, M.; Pelkmans, L.; Devriendt, N.; Rogulska, M.; Defranceschi, P.

2009-05-01

This handbook aims to guide the local/regional governments all over Europe who are involved in implementing clean(er) fuel policies in transport. The general challenge these governments are facing is how local policies on clean(er) fuels and vehicles can be made operational. Hence, how can the step be made from a vision on the strategic policy level, to a vision on the implementation of these policies. A local/regional policy on clean(er) fuels and vehicles is commonly part of the larger category 'sustainable transport policy', which in itself is part of a broader local environmental policy. The encompassing local/regional sustainable mobility policy will in most cases be based on the three well known main policy aims in this area: CO2 reduction; Improving the local air quality; and Improving the security of supply (locally often less stressed). This handbook will focus on the actual implementation of a clean(er) fuels and vehicles policy. It will describe the main challenges and how these can be overcome. It will describe how the market conditions for clean(er) fuels and vehicles can be created by establishing the vital market elements and which process is required to do so. And it will show how local enterprises can be involved and what the role of the local governments in this process can be. In order to identify the local success factors in overcoming the main challenges for implementation, case studies have been carried out in three European cities, namely Stockholm (Sweden), Graz (Austria) and Lille (France). The choice of these cities was based on their successes in implementing clean(er) fuel policies (although they followed different paths) and the fact that they managed to achieve ambitious clean(er) fuel/ clean(er) vehicle targets. These cities may thus be considered as ?good practice examples?. The case studies are based on existing literature, on multiple stakeholders? interviews in all three cities, and on two small surveys. The objectives of this

Pumping time required to obtain tube well water samples with aquifer characteristic radon concentrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ricardo, Carla Pereira; Oliveira, Arno Heeren de

2011-01-01

Radon is an inert noble gas, which comes from the natural radioactive decay of uranium and thorium in soil, rock and water. Radon isotopes emanated from radium-bearing grains of a rock or soil are released into the pore space. Radon that reaches the pore space is partitioned between the gaseous and aqueous phases. Thus, the groundwater presents a radon signature from the rock that is characteristic of the aquifer. The characteristic radon concentration of an aquifer, which is mainly related to the emanation, is also influenced by the degree of subsurface degassing, especially in the vicinity of a tube well, where the radon concentration is strongly reduced. Looking for the required pumping time to take a tube well water sample that presents the characteristic radon concentration of the aquifer, an experiment was conducted in an 80 m deep tube well. In this experiment, after twenty-four hours without extraction, water samples were collected periodically, about ten minutes intervals, during two hours of pumping time. The radon concentrations of the samples were determined by using the RAD7 Electronic Radon Detector from Durridge Company, a solid state alpha spectrometric detector. It was realized that the necessary time to reach the maximum radon concentration, that means the characteristic radon concentration of the aquifer, is about sixty minutes. (author)

Irradiating cell samples in an x-ray radiation cabinet-the effect of tube filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parkin, Adrian; Wright, Ian; Yates, Stuart; Goldstone, Karen E; Russell, Paul; Starr, Christy

2004-01-01

The cell irradiation cabinet described is used for creating DNA damage in cell samples in order to study tumourigenesis. The medical research laboratory involved was using the manufacturer's quoted dose rate (32.2 mGy s -1 ) to determine the required exposure time to impart a dose of 10 Gy. The x-ray output was investigated when the exposure failed to produce cell cycle arrest. The x-ray tube was fitted with only a 0.76 mm beryllium filter, and the spectrum therefore contained a high proportion of low energy photons which were being removed by the polystyrene sample flask as demonstrated by dose measurements in air and through the sample flask. Incorporation of a 0.5 mm aluminium filter removed most of these low energy photons but greatly reduced the dose rate to 3.8 mGy s -1 . The manufacturer's quoted dose rates from a lightly filtered tube are misleading: the contribution of the very low energy component of the spectrum to the dose is not relevant since it will be removed by a sample flask. (note)

Ultra-Stable, New Generation Q-Switched Monolithic Laser Cleaners for Fine Art Conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Brioschi, F.; Salvadeo, P.

The increasing use of laser cleaners in fine art conservation boosts the demand on improvements of the laser performances. More power and more wavelengths are required by the current applications, while laser should be more reliable, rugged and compact. The characteristics and performances of a new generation of laser cleaners are presented as a result of a dedicated research and development program.

Determination and ranking cleaner production criteria by using analytic hierarchy process (Case study: Latif paper products company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaghob Asadizadeh

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Cleaner production process is an environmentally friendly approach that attempts to reduce waste and energy consumption then reduce environmental pollutions of industrial processes to provide the possibility of sustainable production in industrial units. To achieve this goal and alignment with cleaner production strategies, paper industries should consider reducing wastes of production processes and irregular consumption of energy as a priority in their programs. In this research Analytic Hierarchy Process has been applied and a three level hierarchy model was structured to facilitate the cleaner production process in Latif paper products firm. Using a literature review and field study, the proposed model provided a framework for cleaner production implementation in the firm. Results showed priorities of the main criteria of cleaner production are process change, product modification, implementation of preventive maintenance system, resititution and man force capitals respectively. Process change criterion allocated 40 percent of the total weighing value and has the highest priority in implementation of cleaner production strategy. Existence of industrial automation and its technology level which is a sub criterion of process change has the highest priority among 31 sub criteria. Also some of higher priority sub criteria such as use of higher quality inclusion and implementation of calibration system are related to process change. Therefore, to achieve cleaner production goals and implementation of its strategic objectives it is necessary to pay more attention to this criterion. Inconsistency ratio of the research is 0.06 which indicates the results are compatible. The results of this research can be used to accelerate the implementation of cleaner production process in Iran’s pulp and paper industry.

Research on Duct Flow Field Optimisation of a Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-bo Lai

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The duct of a robot vacuum cleaner is the length of the flow channel between the inlet of the rolling brush blower and the outlet of the vacuum blower. To cope with the pressure drop problem of the duct flow field in a robot vacuum cleaner, a method based on Pressure Implicit with Splitting of Operators (PRISO algorithm is introduced and the optimisation design of the duct flow field is implemented. Firstly, the duct structure in a robot vacuum cleaner is taken as a research object, with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD theories adopted; a three-dimensional fluid model of the duct is established by means of the FLUENT solver of the CFD software. Secondly, with the k-∊ turbulence model of three-dimensional incompressible fluid considered and the PRISO pressure modification algorithm employed, the flow field numerical simulations inside the duct of the robot vacuum cleaner are carried out. Then, the velocity vector plots on the arbitrary plane of the duct flow field are obtained. Finally, an investigation of the dynamic characteristics of the duct flow field is done and defects of the original duct flow field are analysed, the optimisation of the original flow field has then been conducted. Experimental results show that the duct flow field after optimisation can effectively reduce pressure drop, the feasibility as well as the correctness of the theoretical modelling and optimisation approaches are validated.

Research on Duct Flow Field Optimisation of a Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-bo Lai

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The duct of a robot vacuum cleaner is the length of the flow channel between the inlet of the rolling brush blower and the outlet of the vacuum blower. To cope with the pressure drop problem of the duct flow field in a robot vacuum cleaner, a method based on Pressure Implicit with Splitting of Operators (PRISO algorithm is introduced and the optimisation design of the duct flow field is implemented. Firstly, the duct structure in a robot vacuum cleaner is taken as a research object, with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD theories adopted; a three‐dimensional fluid model of the duct is established by means of the FLUENT solver of the CFD software. Secondly, with the k‐ε turbulence model of three‐ dimensional incompressible fluid considered and the PRISO pressure modification algorithm employed, the flow field numerical simulations inside the duct of the robot vacuum cleaner are carried out. Then, the velocity vector plots on the arbitrary plane of the duct flow field are obtained. Finally, an investigation of the dynamic characteristics of the duct flow field is done and defects of the original duct flow field are analysed, the optimisation of the original flow field has then been conducted. Experimental results show that the duct flow field after optimisation can effectively reduce pressure drop, the feasibility as well as the correctness of the theoretical modelling and optimisation approaches are validated.

The association between health and sickness absence among Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners in Denmark.

Science.gov (United States)

Carneiro, Isabella G; Rasmussen, Charlotte D N; Jørgensen, Marie B; Flyvholm, Mari-Ann; Olesen, Kasper; Madeleine, Pascal; Ekner, Dorte; Søgaard, Karen; Holtermann, Andreas

2013-05-01

The aim of the study is to investigate the association between health and sickness absence among Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners in Denmark. This study is based on a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 2007 to 2008. The study population includes 276 cleaners, 144 Danish and 132 non-Western immigrant cleaners. Cumulative sickness absences during a 6-month period from administrative records were subdivided into no sickness absence (0 days), low occurrence of sickness absence (1-10 days) and high occurrence of sickness absence (over 10 days). Measures of health consisted of self-report and objective assessments. The relationship between sickness absence and health was analyzed through multinomial logistic regression, stratified by immigrant status. For both Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners, poor self-reported health was significantly related to high occurrence of sickness absence. Among Danish cleaners, high blood pressure was related to high occurrence of sickness absence. Among non-Western immigrant cleaners, total body pain and having one or more diagnosed chronic disease were related to high occurrence of sickness absence. No association between health and low occurrence of sickness absence was found. The findings confirm the importance of health for high occurrence of sickness absence, in both ethnic groups. Moreover, low occurrence of sickness absence was not related to the health conditions investigated.

On Cleaner Technologies in a Transboundary Pollution Game

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benchekroun, H.; Ray Chaudhuri, A.

2009-01-01

We show that in a non-cooperative transboundary pollution game, a cleaner technology (i.e., a decrease in the emission to output ratio) induces each country to increase its emissions and ultimately can yield a higher level of pollution and reduce social welfare.

A Case Study of Air Cleaner by the Intelligent Interaction and Emotion

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Huai; Sun, Yuwen

2018-02-01

The pure and fresh air can not only contribute to our physical and mental health, but also can be beneficial to ease the pressure and relax the mood. The vertical intelligent air cleaner can remove the harmful gases from the air and absorb the suspended particles in the air, especially all kinds of the bacteria and viruses. The air cleaner is good for improving the air quality of the indoor and maintaining the health of the people. The designing of the vertical air cleaner is as follows: The designing of the vertical intelligent make full use of the developed air purification technology. The smart home is inserted into the work. Simultaneously, in the aspect of the design of intelligent products, the intelligent interactive processes are scientifically planned. Moreover, the emotional design and the user experience are fully considered, which can enhance the comprehensive design ability.

Guide to cleaner coal technology-related web sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davidson, R; Jenkins, N; Zhang, X [IEA Coal Research - The Clean Coal Centre, London (United Kingdom)

2001-07-01

The 'Guide to Cleaner Coal Technology-Related Web Sites' is a guide to web sites that contain important information on cleaner coal technologies (CCT). It contains a short introduction to the World Wide Web and gives advice on how to search for information using directories and search engines. The core section of the Guide is a collection of factsheets summarising the information available on over 65 major web sites selected from organizations worldwide (except those promoting companies). These sites contain a wealth of information on CCT research and development, technology transfer, financing and markets. The factsheets are organised in the following categories. Associations, research centres and programmes; Climate change and sustainable development; Cooperative ventures; Electronic journals; Financial institutions; International organizations; National government information; and Statistical information. A full subject index is provided. The Guide concludes with some general comments on the quality of the sites reviewed.

Visibility and Social Recognition as Psychosocial Work Environment Factors among Cleaners in a Multi-Ethnic Workplace Intervention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirsten Hviid

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This article focuses on the psychosocial work environment of immigrant cleaners at a Danish workplace. Today, many cleaners working in Danish cleaning jobs are women from the established immigrant communities, but also labour migrants from the newer EU member states have found their way to the cleaning industry. Studies have drawn attention to immigrants’ low position in the cleaning industry and their increased risk of work injuries. This article is based on a case study of an intervention called “Make a Difference” designed to improve the work environment among cleaners at a multi-ethnic workplace. We used semi-structured interviews, photo logs, observation and participation to investigate how the cleaners experienced their work environment. The cleaners reported an overload of heavy work, related to the concept of a classroom’s “readiness for cleaning”, and they expressed strained social relations and communication in addition to a lack of social recognition and invisibility at the workplace, a school. We analysed these psychosocial work environmental problems by investigating the different forms of social relationships and communication within the group of cleaners, and between the cleaners and the teachers and pupils at the school. Moreover, we discussed why the intervention, based on training of language and cleaning skills and social interaction, only partially improved the cleaners’ psychosocial work environment problems. In this article, we argue that social divisions based on ethnicity between the new and the established group of cleaners, combined with their marginal position and poor work organisation at the school, reinforced the cleaners’ experiences of psychosocial work environment problems. This article suggests that increased effort towards social inclusion at work and improved work organisation, especially for the new labour migrants from newer EU-countries, should be considered.

Evaluation of heat stress in dry cleaner units:A case study in Qom, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javad Malakouti

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background & Aims of the Study: Nowadays, heat stress is one of the most harmful physical agents in workplaces. According to the consequences of heat stress and have no information about it in Qom dry cleaner units, Iran, this study have been designed to evaluate the heat stress among workers of dry cleaner units in Qom province of Iran, in Jul-Aug 2011. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 113 units of active dry cleaner units. WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature index was selected for heat stress evaluation. In order to measure the requisite parameters, WBGT meter made of Casella Company had been used according to ISO 7243. Data had been analyzed according to Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs with SPSS V.16, using analysis of variance, independent T and LSD tests. Results: The average of WBGT index in Qom dry cleaner units of Iran were 28.98±1.64 °C. The average of WBGT index in 66.4% of units was up to 28°C. The average of relative humidity was 42.86%, the average of wet bulb temperature and globe temperature were 25.56°C and 36.72°C, respectively. The findings showed a significant correlation between the average of WBGT index and the standard recommendation level (p<0.0001. In dry cleaner units with less than 10 m2 area, heat stress was higher than other units  significantly (p<0.05. Conclusions: Heat stress in many dry cleaner units in Qom, Iran, was more than recommended OELs. Because of wet bulb and globe temperature in units were high value, the most important measures to heat controls, are technical engineering controls such as  radiation shield, insulation on boilers and modify the cooling systems.

What characterizes cleaners sustaining good musculoskeletal health after years with physically heavy work?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holtermann, A; Blangsted, A K; Christensen, H

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this case-control study was to investigate characteristics of cleaners with good musculoskeletal health after years with physically heavy work. METHODS: One hundred and 41 female seniority cleaners participated. Twenty-five reported no musculoskeletal symptoms, whereas 83...... reported severe symptoms in the low back, neck shoulders or upper limbs. The groups were of matching age, height, body weight and seniority (19 years). Muscular strength was recorded by isometric maximal voluntary contractions on a day without pain. Exposure to physical risk factors at work, psychosocial...... work factors, and leisure time physical activity were assessed by a postal questionnaire. RESULTS: Cleaners with good musculoskeletal health were not reporting different exposure to physical risk factors at work or leisure time physical activity, but had higher muscular strength and reported higher...

7 CFR 2902.18 - Hand cleaners and sanitizers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GUIDELINES FOR DESIGNATING BIOBASED PRODUCTS FOR FEDERAL PROCUREMENT Designated... the purposes of this rule. (b) Minimum biobased content. The minimum biobased content requirement for all hand cleaners and/or sanitizers shall be based on the amount of qualifying biobased carbon in the...

Multistage open-tube trap for enrichment of part-per-trillion trace components of low-pressure (below 27-kPa) air samples

Science.gov (United States)

Ohara, D.; Vo, T.; Vedder, J. F.

1985-01-01

A multistage open-tube trap for cryogenic collection of trace components in low-pressure air samples is described. The open-tube design allows higher volumetric flow rates than densely packed glass-bead traps commonly reported and is suitable for air samples at pressures below 27 kPa with liquid nitrogen as the cryogen. Gas blends containing 200 to 2500 parts per trillion by volume each of ethane and ethene were sampled and hydrocarbons were enriched with 100 + or - 4 percent trap efficiency. The multistage design is more efficient than equal-length open-tube traps under the conditions of the measurements.

Control of respirable particles and radon progeny with portable air cleaners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Offermann, F.J.; Sextro, R.G.; Fisk, W.J.; Nazaroff, W.W.; Nero, A.V.; Revzan, K.L.; Yater, J.

1984-02-01

Eleven portable air cleaning devices have been evaluated for control of indoor concentrations of respirable particles and radon progeny. Following injection of cigarette smoke and radon in a room-size chamber, decay rates for particles and radon progeny concentrations were measured with and without air cleaner operation. Particle concentrations were obtained for total number concentration and for number concentration by particle size. In tests with no air cleaner the natural decay rate for cigarette smoke was observed to be 0.2 hr -1 . Air cleaning rates for particles were found to be negligible for several small panel-filters, a residential ion-generator, and a pair of mixing fans. The electrostatic precipitators and extended surface filters tested had significant particle removal rates, and a HEPA-type filter was the most efficient air cleaner. The evaluation of radon progeny control produced similar results; the air cleaners which were effective in removing particles were also effective in removing radon progeny. At low particle concentrations plateout of the unattached radon progeny is an important removal mechanism. Based on data from these tests, the plateout rate for unattached progeny was found to be 15 hr -1 . The unattached fraction and the overall removal rate due to deposition of attached and unattached nuclides have been estimated for each radon decay product as a function of particle concentration. While air cleaning can be effective in reducing total radon progeny, concentrations of unattached radon progeny can increase with increasing air cleaning. 39 references, 26 figures, 9 tables

Aquifer Sampling Tube Completion Report: 100 Area and Hanford Townsite Shorelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, R.E.; Borghese, J.V.; Erb, D.B.

1998-02-01

Groundwater contamination is known or suspected along the Hanford Site shoreline of the Columbia River adjacent to the retired reactor areas. Along the shoreline away from the reactor areas, where contamination is presumed to be absent, monitoring sites are frequently widely spaced or unavailable to confirm the presumption. Previous characterizations of contamination near the river have relied on data from a limited number of near-river wells, contaminant plume migration predictions, and river bank seepage sampling to anticipate shoreline conditions. In recent years, new methods have been developed to obtain groundwater samples from the aquifer near the groundwater/river water interface. These methods include using (1) divers to obtain samples of pore water from riverbed sediment and (2) sampling tubes that are driven into the aquifer at the shoreline. The latter method also permits sampling the aquifer at multiple depths, which helps to determine the thickness of the potentially contaminated groundwater layer that discharges into the river

The Urban Function of the Infraordinary: Dry Cleaners as Social Vertexes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lunde Nielsen, Espen

2015-01-01

of social coexistence that has ‘a function that is separate from their practical use’ (Jorn 1954). A London dry cleaner serves as testing ground, employing critical spatial practices and creative writing as research tools. The dry cleaner does not simply clean clothes, but is a social vertex and physical...... interface through which (non-)events unfold, trajectories thickens and people of the neighbourhood coexists as familiar strangers (Milgram 2010; Paulos and Goodman 2004) through events in real-time and deposits over time. It is a semi-public space and an implosion of the external neighbourhood, partly...

Cleaners in reducing the hazards of indoor radon decay products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montassier, N.; Hopke, P.K.; Shi, Y.; Wasiolek, P.; McCallum, B.

1992-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of three types of air cleaners on the concentration and size distribution of radon progeny in a normally occupied house. Using an automated, semi-continuous, graded-screen array system and a radon monitor, the activity size distribution and radon concentration was measured and the exposure of the occupants of the home to radon could be assessed. The dose model developed as part of the recently released U.S. National Academy of Sciences report was used to related the exposure to deposited dose in the tissue of the bronchial epithelium. Thus, the effectiveness of the air cleaners in reducing both exposure and dose were evaluated. (author)

Psychosocial work environment among immigrant and Danish cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Kasper; Carneiro, Isabella G; Jørgensen, Marie B

2012-01-01

Non-Western cleaners have been shown to have poorer health than their Danish colleagues. One reason could be a poorer psychosocial work environment. However, it is unknown if differences in self-reported psychosocial work environment exist between non-Western and Danish workers within the same so...

A cryogenic tensile testing apparatus for micro-samples cooled by miniature pulse tube cryocooler

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, L B; Liu, S X; Gu, K X; Zhou, Y; Wang, J J

2015-01-01

This paper introduces a cryogenic tensile testing apparatus for micro-samples cooled by a miniature pulse tube cryocooler. At present, tensile tests are widely applied to measure the mechanical properties of materials; most of the cryogenic tensile testing apparatus are designed for samples with standard sizes, while for non-standard size samples, especially for microsamples, the tensile testing cannot be conducted. The general approach to cool down the specimens for tensile testing is by using of liquid nitrogen or liquid helium, which is not convenient: it is difficult to keep the temperature of the specimens at an arbitrary set point precisely, besides, in some occasions, liquid nitrogen, especially liquid helium, is not easily available. To overcome these limitations, a cryogenic tensile testing apparatus cooled by a high frequency pulse tube cryocooler has been designed, built and tested. The operating temperatures of the developed tensile testing apparatus cover from 20 K to room temperature with a controlling precision of ±10 mK. The apparatus configurations, the methods of operation and some cooling performance will be described in this paper. (paper)

Cleaner Production: A Growing Movement in Brazilian Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oduvaldo Vendrametto

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Cleaner Production (CP is gaining emphasis in both world and Brazilian production sectors. Nature’s warnings indicating the exhaustion of any capacity to absorb and regenerate waste, stricter legislation regarding pollution emitters, market competitiveness associated with environmental and social responsibility cause concerns and lead to actions to reduce aggressions against the environment. This paper shows evidence of this concern and presents cases in which a large automotive industry, acting as a partner to suppliers, promotes changes in how it delivers its products, eliminating large cardboard, plastic and wood packaging. A small company had a similar initiative, reducing the use of cardboard and plastic packaging. More important is the revelation of a widely dispersed, yet growing and incremental movement of responsibilities among companies.The benefits of cleaner production implementation were evaluated by confronting environmental and financial assessment. For the ambient evaluation, it will be used methodology of Material Intensity (Wuppertal Institute, a.

Pressure pain sensitivity maps, self-reported musculoskeletal disorders and sickness absence among cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Binderup, Asbjørn Thalund; Holtermann, Andreas; Søgaard, Karen

2011-01-01

back regions (27 points). LTSA was defined as ten or more consecutive workdays with sick leave. RESULTS: The PPT maps revealed the spatial heterogeneity in mechanical sensitivity among cleaners. The level of pain in the neck and dominant shoulder and upper back within the last 7 days correlated......BACKGROUND: Pressure pain threshold mapping is a valuable method for the identification of distinct zones of mechanical pain sensitivity. Such approach was applied for the first time in relation to self-reported musculoskeletal disorders and long-term sickness absence (LTSA) within the last 12...... months among cleaners. METHODS: About 29 cleaners filled out a self-administered questionnaire regarding health, work-related measures and musculoskeletal disorders. Subsequently, PPTs were measured at (1) tibialis anterior (control location, 1 point), (2) the neck-shoulder (48 points) and (3) the low...

Comparison of digoxin concentration in plastic serum tubes with clot activator and heparinized plasma tubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dukić, Lora; Simundić, Ana-Maria; Malogorski, Davorin

2014-01-01

Sample type recommended by the manufacturer for the digoxin Abbott assay is either serum collected in glass tubes or plasma (sodium heparin, lithium heparin, citrate, EDTA or oxalate as anticoagulant) collected in plastic tubes. In our hospital samples are collected in plastic tubes. Our hypothesis was that the serum sample collected in plastic serum tube can be used interchangeably with plasma sample for measurement of digoxin concentration. Our aim was verification of plastic serum tubes for determination of digoxin concentration. Concentration of digoxin was determined simultaneously in 26 venous blood plasma (plastic Vacuette, LH Lithium heparin) and serum (plastic Vacuette, Z Serum Clot activator; both Greiner Bio-One GmbH, Kremsmünster, Austria) samples, on Abbott AxSYM analyzer using the original Abbott Digoxin III assay (Abbott, Wiesbaden, Germany). Tube comparability was assessed using the Passing Bablok regression and Bland-Altman plot. Serum and plasma digoxin concentrations are comparable. Passing Bablok intercept (0.08 [95% CI = -0.10 to 0.20]) and slope (0.99 [95% CI = 0.92 to 1.11]) showed there is no constant or proportional error. Blood samples drawn in plastic serum tubes and plastic plasma tubes can be interchangeably used for determination of digoxin concentration.

Breathing easier: Indonesia works towards cleaner air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madsen, Michael Amdi

2015-01-01

Indonesians can look forward to breathing cleaner air following upcoming changes in regulations introduced as a result of a study conducted using nuclear analytical techniques. Lead pollution and other fine particulate matter in the air is now, for the first time, being accurately monitored and is giving Indonesian officials a good understanding of their air pollution problem and how to manage it.

Regenerating using aqueous cleaners with ozone and electrolysis

Science.gov (United States)

McGinness, Michael P.

1994-02-01

A new process converts organic oil and grease contaminates in used water based cleaners into synthetic surfactants. This permits the continued use of a cleaning solution long after it would have been dumped using previously known methods. Since the organic soils are converted from contaminates to cleaning compounds the need for frequent bath dumps is totally eliminated. When cleaning solutions used in aqueous cleaning systems are exhausted and ready for disposal, they will always contain the contaminates removed from the cleaned parts and drag-in from prior cleaning steps. Even when the cleaner is biodegradable these contaminants will frequently cause the waste cleaning solution to be a hazardous waste. Chlorinated solvents are rapidly being replaced by aqueous cleaners to avoid the new ozone-depletion product-labeling-law. Many industry standard halocarbon based solvents are being completely phased out of production, and their prices have nearly tripled. Waste disposal costs and cradle-to-grave liability are also major concerns for industry today. This new process reduces the amount of water and chemicals needed to maintain the cleaning process. The cost of waste disposal is eliminated because the water and cleaning compounds are reused. Energy savings result by eliminating the need for energy currently used to produce and deliver fresh water and chemicals as well as the energy used to treat and destroy the waste from the existing cleaning processes. This process also allows the cleaning bath to be maintained at the peak performance of a new bath resulting in decreased cycle times and decreased energy consumption needed to clean the parts. This results in a more efficient and cost effective cleaning process.

Biocompatible in-tube solid phase microextraction coupled with liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection for determination of interferon α in plasma samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaves, Andréa R; Silva, Bruno J G; Lanças, Fernando M; Queiroz, Maria Eugênia C

2011-05-27

The present work demonstrates the successful application of automated biocompatible in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled with liquid chromatography (in-tube SPME/LC) for determination of interferon alpha(2a) (IFN α(2a)) in plasma samples for therapeutic drug monitoring. A restricted access material (RAM, protein-coated silica) was employed for preparation of a lab-made biocompatible in-tube SPME capillary that enables the direct injection of biological fluids as well as the simultaneous exclusion of macromolecules by chemical diffusion barrier and drug pre-concentration. The in-tube SPME variables, such as sample volume, draw/eject volume, number of draw-eject cycles, and desorption mode were optimized, to improve the sensitivity of the proposed method. The IFN α(2a) analyses in plasma sample were carried out within 25min (sample preparation and LC analyses). The response of the proposed method was linear over a dynamic range, from 0.06 to 3.0MIUmL(-1), with correlation coefficient equal to 0.998. The interday precision of the method presented coefficient of variation lower than 8%. The proposed automated method has adequate analytical sensitivity and selectivity for determination of IFN α(2a) in plasma samples for therapeutic drug monitoring. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Increased participation among cleaners as a strategy to improve quality and occupational health

OpenAIRE

Öhrling, Therese

2014-01-01

Like many other industries, today the cleaning industry is affected more than ever by competition and pressure toward low prices, which leads to a nonadvantageous situation for cleaners. These days many Swedish municipalities choose to outsource cleaning service in order to save money, although the situation for the cleaners appears to be worsening. The aim of this paper is to evaluate an alternative organizational structure within a Swedish public cleaning division to investigate how good wo...

Cleaner Technologies and the Stability of International Environmental Agreements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benchekroun, H.; Ray Chaudhuri, A.

2012-01-01

Abstract: This paper shows that, if countries are farsighted when deciding whether to defect from a coalition, then the implementation of cleaner technologies may jeopardize the chances of reaching an international environmental agreement. The grand coalition may be destabilized by the

Screening for common mental disorders and substance abuse among temporary hired cleaners in Egyptian Governmental Hospitals, Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, R A; Hammam, R A M; El-Gohary, S S; Sabik, L M E; Hunter, M S

2013-01-01

Informal employment is common in developing countries, including Egypt. This type of employment may have significant consequences on mental health. To determine the prevalence and risk factors of common mental disorders and substance abuse among temporary hired hospital cleaners. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 242 adult temporary cleaners and 209 permanent cleaners working in 4 governmental hospitals in Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. All participants were invited to complete a structured questionnaire through a semi-structured interview which included the self-reporting questionnaire 20 items (SRQ-20) and the work stress scale. Assessment of drug use included urine-based screening tests for common substances abused. The prevalence of job stress, common mental disorders and substance abuse, particularly tramadol and cannabis (Bango), was significantly higher in the studied temporary cleaners compared to permanent cleaners. Risk factors associated with increased susceptibility of the temporary cleaners to common mental disorders were family history of substance abuse, high crowding index, history of physical illness, low educational level, and smoking; while being unmarried, male sex, family history of mental disorder, age ≥40 years, smoking, and length of service ≥8 years, were associated with substance abuse among the same group. Temporary hired hospital cleaners suffered from impaired mental health more than permanent cleaners. Therefore, expanding the coverage of current laws and occupational safety and health standards to cover workers in the informal sector especially in developing countries is recommended.

Screening for Common Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse among Temporary Hired Cleaners in Egyptian Governmental Hospitals, Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RA Abbas

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Informal employment is common in developing countries, including Egypt. This type of employment may have significant consequences on mental health. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of common mental disorders and substance abuse among temporary hired hospital cleaners. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 242 adult temporary cleaners and 209 permanent cleaners working in 4 governmental hospitals in Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. All participants were invited to complete a structured questionnaire through a semi-structured interview which included the self-reporting questionnaire 20 items (SRQ-20 and the work stress scale. Assessment of drug use included urine-based screening tests for common substances abused. Results: The prevalence of job stress, common mental disorders and substance abuse, particularly tramadol and cannabis (Bango, was significantly higher in the studied temporary cleaners compared to permanent cleaners. Risk factors associated with increased susceptibility of the temporary cleaners to common mental disorders were family history of substance abuse, high crowding index, history of physical illness, low educational level, and smoking; while being unmarried, male sex, family history of mental disorder, age ≥40 years, smoking, and length of service ≥8 years, were associated with substance abuse among the same group. Conclusion: Temporary hired hospital cleaners suffered from impaired mental health more than permanent cleaners. Therefore, expanding the coverage of current laws and occupational safety and health standards to cover workers in the informal sector especially in developing countries is recommended.

Effects of Storage and Type of Blood Collection Tubes on Hepatitis C Virus Level in Whole Blood Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Kessler, Harald H.; Stelzl, Evelyn; Raggam, Reinhard B.; Haas, Josef; Kirchmeir, Franz; Hegenbarth, Karin; Daghofer, Elisabeth; Santner, Brigitte I.; Marth, Egon; Stauber, Rudolf E.

2001-01-01

In this study, we compared serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA concentrations with HCV RNA concentrations in whole blood collection tubes, including two different types of EDTA tubes and nucleic acid stabilization tubes (NASTs). We also investigated the impact of a processing delay on HCV RNA concentration in these tubes. In NASTs, the mean HCV RNA concentration was comparable to the mean serum HCV RNA concentration at “date zero.” In EDTA tubes, mean baseline HCV RNA concentrations were higher. Storage at room temperature up to 96 h did not result in a decline of HCV RNA concentration in any of the whole blood collection tubes. In NASTs, HCV RNA concentrations remained stable during the whole study period, whereas a significant increase of HCV RNA was observed in both types of EDTA tubes at 96 h compared to date zero. We concluded that HCV RNA remains stable in NASTs at room temperature for at least 96 h, allowing greater flexibility in sample collection and transport. PMID:11325991

Ethnic Mobilization among Korean Dry Cleaners

OpenAIRE

Thomas, Ward F; Ong, Paul

2015-01-01

Korean immigrants in the U.S. rely heavily on ethnic resources to start small businesses.  Ethnic resources include business networks and knowledge, start-up capital, and access to labor power that are embedded in networks of family, friends, and co-ethnics.  This paper shows how Korean dry cleaners in Southern California used ethnic resources to mobilize in response to an environmental policy initiated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).  While Korean immigrants used e...

Actual problems of municipal cleaner’s waste waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konko¾ová Patrícia

2000-03-01

Full Text Available In paper are evaluated social and economical changes in water economy with emphasis on complex evaluation of municipal cleaner’s waste waters with respect of legislative, position of ownerskip relationskips and financial security of public experiences of water economy.

Third quarterly report and final report within the counterpart subcontract no. 97/219: Support to the National Cleaner Production Centre, Tanzania

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

1999-01-01

The report analyses barriers and incentivres to cleaner production in Tanznaia based on experiences in three demonstration projects with around 25 companies.An outline for a policy study on cleaner production in Tanzania and for the strengthening of cleaner production in Tanzania is given....

The association between health and sickness absence among Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carneiro, Isabella G.; Rasmussen, Charlotte D. N.; Jørgensen, Marie B.

2013-01-01

PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to investigate the association between health and sickness absence among Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners in Denmark. METHODS: This study is based on a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 2007 to 2008. The study population includes 276 cleaners...

Physical Fitness of Cleaners in Faculty of Medicine Universitas Padjadjaran, November 2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adi Wibisono Sulistijo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Cleaning is an occupation that is carried out worldwide in many different environments. Cleaning workers (cleaners often have low occupational skills and belong to the less advantaged educational and socioeconomic groups. Because of the high physical work demands and low cardiorespiratory fitness, cleaners have the risk to have cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to measure the 5 components of physical fitness (cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, muscle strength, flexibility and body composition of cleaners in Faculty of Medicine Universitas Padjadjaran. Methods: A descriptive study was carried out to all cleaners (31 persons of Faculty of Medicine Universitas Padjadjaran in November 2012. The subjects were tested for cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, muscle strength, flexibility and body composition. The results were categorized using the standard of Ministry of Health Republic Indonesia. Results: From 31 subjects, cardiorespiratory endurance was in poor category (50%. Shoulder and hand muscle endurance was in poor category (54.8% and stomach muscle endurance was in very poor category (67.7%. Hand−grip muscular strength was in very poor category: right hand (80.7% and left hand (87.1%. Back muscle strength was in poor category (58.1%. Leg muscular strength was in very poor category (48.4%. Flexibility was in a very good category (97% and body composition was also in a good category (54.8%. Conclusions: From 5 components of cleaners’ physical fitness, 3 components (cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance and muscular strength are in poor and very poor category.

Implementing Cleaner Production as an Environmental Management Efforts in Small Industries of Cassava Chips

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahmadyanti Erina

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs is one of the major driving factors for Indonesian economy, especially in food processing industries. The cassava-based industry is one type of food and beverage industry with chips as its major product. The limitations of knowledge caused their activities to only aim at pursuing economic benefits and ignoring the environmental balance. The most appropriate preventive method used, according to the characteristics of SMEs in Indonesia, is Cleaner Production. This study aims to reduce the risk of environmental pollution caused by the waste production of small chips industries by implementing cleaner production. The method used in this study is quick scanning by analyzing mass balance, energy, and utilities that aim to find an inefficient process to minimize losses. Implementation of cleaner production may include good housekeeping, reducing, and reusing. Based on the assessment of alternative eligibility criteria, the equipment modifications are the main factor in implementing cleaner production that drives the profits by providing efficiency of cutting as much as 80 percent and optimizes the profits into 57.62 kg in a month or 691.44 kg in a year. If the price of cassava chips is IDR 40,000 in a kg, then it would save IDR 27,657,600 in a year.

Cleaner production for solid waste management in leather industry ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cleaner production for solid waste management in leather industry. ... From the processes, wastes are generated which include wastewater effluents, solid wastes, and hazardous wastes. In developing countries including Ethiopia, many ... The solid waste inventory of the factory has been carried out. The major problems ...

Heat Exchanger Tube to Tube Sheet Joints Corrosion Behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Iancu

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Paper presents the studies made by the authors above the tube to tube sheet fittings of heat exchanger with fixed covers from hydrofining oil reforming unit. Tube fittings are critical zones for heat exchangers failures. On a device made from material tube and tube sheet at real joints dimensions were establish axial compression force and traction force at which tube is extracted from expanded joint. Were used two shapes joints with two types of fittings surfaces, one with smooth hole of tube sheet and other in which on boring surface we made a groove. From extracted expanded tube zones were made samples for corrosion tests in order to establish the corrosion rate, corrosion potential and corrosion current in working mediums such as hydrofining oil and industrial water at different temperatures. The corrosion rate values and the temperature influence are important to evaluate joints durability and also the results obtained shows that the boring tube sheet shape with a groove on hole tube shape presents a better corrosion behavior then the shape with smooth hole tube sheet.

GAS-PHASE AND PARTICULATE EMISSIONS DURING APPLICATION OF A WATER-BASED CLEANER WITH A HAND-PUMP SPRAYER

Science.gov (United States)

The paper gives results of tests in a controlled environment test room to measure concentrations of 2-butoxyethanol and particles during application of a cleaner to realistic surfaces (counter tops, glass, walls). (NOTE: Users of water-based cleaners applied with hand-pump spray...

Back to Office Report. Mission no.1 to Tanzania as counterpart institution to Cleaner Production Centre of Tanzania

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

1996-01-01

A presentation of some important actors and institutions in the capacity building within cleaner production in Tanzania......A presentation of some important actors and institutions in the capacity building within cleaner production in Tanzania...

Effects on musculoskeletal pain, work ability and sickness absence in a 1-year randomised controlled trial among cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Marie B.; Faber, Anne; Hansen, Jørgen V.

2011-01-01

Only a few workplace initiatives among cleaners have been reported, even though they constitute a job group in great need of health promotion. The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the effect of either physical coordination training or cognitive behavioural training on musculoskeletal pain......, work ability and sickness absence among cleaners. A cluster-randomised controlled trial was conducted among 294 female cleaners allocated to either physical coordination training (PCT), cognitive behavioural training (CBTr) or a reference group (REF). Questionnaires about musculoskeletal pain and work...... intervention appeared effective for reducing chronic neck/shoulder pain among the female cleaners. It is recommended that future interventions among similar high-risk job groups focus on the implementation aspects of the interventions to maximise outcomes more distal from the intervention such as work ability...

Selective molecularly imprinted polymer combined with restricted access material for in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS of parabens in breast milk samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souza, Israel D.; Melo, Lidervan P.; Jardim, Isabel C.S.F.; Monteiro, Juliana C.S.; Nakano, Ana Marcia S.; Queiroz, Maria Eugênia C.

2016-01-01

A new molecularly imprinted polymer modified with restricted access material (a hydrophilic external layer), (MIP-RAM) was synthesized via polymerization in situ in an open fused silica capillary. This stationary phase was used as sorbent for in-tube solid phase microextraction (in-tube SPME) to determine parabens in breast milk samples by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) illustrate MIP surface modification after glycerol dimethacrylate (hydrophilic monomer) incorporation. The interaction between parabens and MIP-RAM was investigated by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The Scatchard plot for MIP-RAM presented two linear parts with different slopes, illustrating binding sites with high- and low-affinity. Endogenous compounds exclusion from the MIP-RAM capillary was demonstrated by in-tube SPME/LC-UV assays carried out with blank milk samples. The in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS method presented linear range from 10 ng mL"−"1 (LLOQ) to 400 ng mL"−"1 with coefficients of determination higher than 0.99, inter-assay precision with coefficient of variation (CV) values ranging from 2 to 15%, and inter-assay accuracy with relative standard deviation (RSD) values ranging from −1% to 19%. Analytical validation parameters attested that in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS is an appropriate method to determine parabens in human milk samples to assess human exposure to these compounds. Analysis of breast milk samples from lactating women demonstrated that the proposed method is effective. - Highlights: • Molecularly imprinted polymer modified with a hydrophilic external layer (RAM-MIP) was synthesized in a silica capillary. • RAM-MIP capillary, used as sorbent for in-tube SPME, established specific interaction with parabens present in milk samples. • The matrix components that interacted only with the hydrophilic external layer (non-adsorptive network) were excluded. • The

Selective molecularly imprinted polymer combined with restricted access material for in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS of parabens in breast milk samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Souza, Israel D.; Melo, Lidervan P. [Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil); Jardim, Isabel C.S.F. [Instituto de Química, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP (Brazil); Monteiro, Juliana C.S.; Nakano, Ana Marcia S. [Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil); Queiroz, Maria Eugênia C., E-mail: mariaeqn@ffclrp.usp.br [Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil)

2016-08-17

A new molecularly imprinted polymer modified with restricted access material (a hydrophilic external layer), (MIP-RAM) was synthesized via polymerization in situ in an open fused silica capillary. This stationary phase was used as sorbent for in-tube solid phase microextraction (in-tube SPME) to determine parabens in breast milk samples by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) illustrate MIP surface modification after glycerol dimethacrylate (hydrophilic monomer) incorporation. The interaction between parabens and MIP-RAM was investigated by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The Scatchard plot for MIP-RAM presented two linear parts with different slopes, illustrating binding sites with high- and low-affinity. Endogenous compounds exclusion from the MIP-RAM capillary was demonstrated by in-tube SPME/LC-UV assays carried out with blank milk samples. The in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS method presented linear range from 10 ng mL{sup −1} (LLOQ) to 400 ng mL{sup −1} with coefficients of determination higher than 0.99, inter-assay precision with coefficient of variation (CV) values ranging from 2 to 15%, and inter-assay accuracy with relative standard deviation (RSD) values ranging from −1% to 19%. Analytical validation parameters attested that in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS is an appropriate method to determine parabens in human milk samples to assess human exposure to these compounds. Analysis of breast milk samples from lactating women demonstrated that the proposed method is effective. - Highlights: • Molecularly imprinted polymer modified with a hydrophilic external layer (RAM-MIP) was synthesized in a silica capillary. • RAM-MIP capillary, used as sorbent for in-tube SPME, established specific interaction with parabens present in milk samples. • The matrix components that interacted only with the hydrophilic external layer (non-adsorptive network) were excluded. �

Successes emerge in search for cleaner processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

Faced with mounting public and regulatory pressures, many chemical producers have long adopted pollution reduction efforts. But increasingly, firms are eyeing fundamental process changes to achieve cleaner technologies. In addition to environmental benefits, the promised economic payoffs are clear: higher yields and an escape from soaring waste treatment and disposal costs. Having such technologies, says Paolo Galli, Montecatini's (Milan) director/corporate research, is a tremendous tool. It's becoming an increasingly important competitive element. Indeed, suggests David Hyde, ICI's (London) manager/environmental technology, everyone is looking to use cleaner technologies for a competitive advantage. A number of leading technology groups, including UOP (Des Plaines, IL), are working on replacing hydrofluoric acid (HF) with solid catalysts in alkylation processes. Although it is technologically tough to replace HF or alternative sulfuric acid technology, the rewards could be huge in producing high-octane fuel additives. Catalytica (Mountain View, CA), for one, is building a pilot plant with partners Neste (Helsinki) and Du Pont's Conoco. The company has developed a process to manufacture high-purity DMC by direct synthesis from carbom monoxide, methanol, and oxygen. The medium-pressure process uses a copper salts catalyst system; EniChem says the only significant by-product is carbon dioxide, and there are no chlorinated impurities

Failure analysis of boiler tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehmood, K.; Siddiqui, A.R.

2007-01-01

Boiler tubes are energy conversion components where heat energy is used to convert water into high pressure superheated steam, which is then delivered to a turbine for electric power generation in thermal power plants or to run plant and machineries in a process or manufacturing industry. It was reported that one of the tubes of a fire-tube boiler used in a local industry had leakage after the formation of pits at the external surface of the tube. The inner side of the fire tube was working with hot flue gasses with a pressure of 10 Kg/cm/sup 2/ and temperature 225 degree C. The outside of the tube was surrounded by feed water. The purpose of this study was to determine the cause of pits developed at the external surface of the failed boiler tube sample. In the present work boiler tube samples of steel grade ASTM AI61/ASTM A192 were analyzed using metallographic analysis, chemical analysis, and mechanical testing. It was concluded that the appearance of defects on the boiler tube sample indicates cavitation type corrosion failure. Cavitation damage superficially resembled pitting, but surface appeared considerably rougher and had many closely spaced pits. (author)

Bacterial and fungal aerosols in the work environment of cleaners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Małgorzata Gołofit-Szymczak

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Cleaning services are carried out in almost all sectors and branches of industry. Due to the above, cleaners are exposed to various harmful biological agents, depending on the tasks performed and the commercial sector involved. The aim of this study was to assess the exposure of cleaning workers to biological agents based on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of airborne microflora. Material and methods: A six-stage Andersen sampler was used to collect bioaerosols during the cleaning activities in different workplaces, including schools, offices, car services, healthy services and shops. Standard Petri dishes filled with blood trypticase soy agar and malt extract agar were used for bacterial and fungal sampling, respectively. Results: The bioaerosol concentration values obtained during testing of selected workposts of cleaners were lower than the Polish recommended threshold limit values for microorganisms concentrations in public service. The most prevalent bacterial species in studied places were Gram-positive cocci (mainly of genera Micrococcus, Staphylococcus and endospore-forming Gram-positive rods (mainly of genera Bacillus. Among the most common fungal species were those from genera Penicillium and Aspergillus. The size distribution analysis revealed that bioaerosols present in the air of workposts at shops, schools and car services may be responsible for nose and eye mucosa irritation and allergic reactions in the form of asthma or allergic inflammation in the cleaning workers. Conclusions: The study shows that occupational activities of cleaning workers are associated with exposure to airborne biological agents classified into risk groups, 1. and 2., according to their level of infection risk, posing respiratory hazard. Med Pr 2015;66(6:779–791

Blood cleaner on-chip design for artificial human kidney manipulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suwanpayak N

2011-05-01

Full Text Available N Suwanpayak1, MA Jalil2, MS Aziz3, FD Ismail3, J Ali3, PP Yupapin11Nanoscale Science and Engineering Research Alliance (N'SERA, Advanced Research Center for Photonics, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand; 2Ibnu Sina Institute of Fundamental Science Studies (IIS, 3Institute of Advanced Photonics Science, Nanotechnology Research Alliance, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, MalaysiaAbstract: A novel design of a blood cleaner on-chip using an optical waveguide known as a PANDA ring resonator is proposed. By controlling some suitable parameters, the optical vortices (gradient optical fields/wells can be generated and used to form the trapping tools in the same way as optical tweezers. In operation, the trapping force is formed by the combination between the gradient field and scattering photons by using the intense optical vortices generated within the PANDA ring resonator. This can be used for blood waste trapping and moves dynamically within the blood cleaner on-chip system (artificial kidney, and is performed within the wavelength routers. Finally, the blood quality test is exploited by the external probe before sending to the destination. The advantage of the proposed kidney on-chip system is that the unwanted substances can be trapped and filtered from the artificial kidney, which can be available for blood cleaning applications.Keywords: optical trapping, blood dialysis, blood cleaner, human kidney manipulation

Evaluation of ozone generation and indoor organic compounds removal by air cleaners based on chamber tests

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Kuo-Pin; Lee, Grace Whei-May; Hsieh, Ching-Pei; Lin, Chi-Chi

2011-01-01

Ozone can cause many health problems, including exacerbation of asthma, throat irritation, cough, chest ache, shortness of breath, and respiratory infections. Air cleaners are one of the sources of indoor ozone, and thus the evaluation of ozone generated by air cleaners is desired significant issue. Most evaluation methods proposed are based on chamber tests. However, the adsorption and desorption of ozone on the wall of test chamber and the deposition of ozone resulted from the surface reaction can influence the evaluation results. In this study, we developed a mass balance model that took the adsorption, desorption and deposition of ozone into consideration to evaluate the effective ozone emission rates of six selected air cleaners. The experiments were conducted in a stainless steel chamber with a volume of 11.3 m 3 at 25 °C and 60% relative humidity. The adsorption, desorption and deposition rate constants of ozone obtained by fitting the model to the experimental data were k a = 0.149 ± 0.052 m h -1, k d = 0.013 ± 0.007 h -1, and k r = 0.050 ± 0.020 h -1, respectively. The effective ozone emission rates of Air Cleaners No. 1, 2, and 3 ranged between 13,400-24,500 μg h -1, 7190-10,400 μg h -1, and 4880-6560 μg h -1, respectively, which were more stable than those of No.4, 5, and 6. The effective ozone emission rates of Air Cleaners No. 4, 5, and 6 increased with the time of operation which might be relevant to the decrease of ozone removal by the "aging" filter installed in these cleaners. The removal of toluene and formaldehyde by these six air cleaners were also evaluated and the clean air delivery rates (CADRs) of these two pollutants ranged from non-detectable to 0.42 ± 0.08 m 3 h -1, and from non-detectable to 0.75 ± 0.07 m 3 h -1, respectively. The CADRs showed an insignificant relationship with the effective ozone emission rates. Thus, the removal of toluene and formaldehyde might be resulted from the adsorption on the filters and the

Fatigue crack initiation at complex flaws in hydrided Zr-2.5%Nb samples from CANDU pressure tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoica, L.; Radu, V.

2016-01-01

The paper addresses the phenomena which occur at locations where the oxide layer of the inner surface of CANDU tube pressure is damaged by the contact with the fuel element or due to the action of hard particles at the interface between the tube pressure and bearing pad of fuel element. In such situations generate defects, which most often are defects known as ''bearing pad fretting flaws'' or ''debris fretting flaws''. In this paper the experiments are completed in a series of previous works on the mechanical fatigue phenomenon on samples prepared from the pressure tube Zr-2.5% Nb alloy. The phenomenon of variable mechanical stress (or fatigue) may lead to initiation of cracks at the tip of volumetric flaws, according to the accumulation of hydrides, which then fractures and can propagate through the tube wall pressure due to the mechanism of type DHC (Delayed Hydride Cracking). (authors)

Effect of tubing length on the dispersion correction of an arterially sampled input function for kinetic modeling in PET.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Doherty, Jim; Chilcott, Anna; Dunn, Joel

2015-11-01

Arterial sampling with dispersion correction is routinely performed for kinetic analysis of PET studies. Because of the the advent of PET-MRI systems, non-MR safe instrumentation will be required to be kept outside the scan room, which requires the length of the tubing between the patient and detector to increase, thus worsening the effects of dispersion. We examined the effects of dispersion in idealized radioactive blood studies using various lengths of tubing (1.5, 3, and 4.5 m) and applied a well-known transmission-dispersion model to attempt to correct the resulting traces. A simulation study was also carried out to examine noise characteristics of the model. The model was applied to patient traces using a 1.5 m acquisition tubing and extended to its use at 3 m. Satisfactory dispersion correction of the blood traces was achieved in the 1.5 m line. Predictions on the basis of experimental measurements, numerical simulations and noise analysis of resulting traces show that corrections of blood data can also be achieved using the 3 m tubing. The effects of dispersion could not be corrected for the 4.5 m line by the selected transmission-dispersion model. On the basis of our setup, correction of dispersion in arterial sampling tubing up to 3 m by the transmission-dispersion model can be performed. The model could not dispersion correct data acquired using a 4.5 m arterial tubing.

Manipulation and functionalization of nano-tubes: application to boron nitride nano-tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maguer, A.

2007-01-01

This PhD work is divided into two parts dealing with boron nitride (BNNT) and carbon nano-tubes. The first part is about synthesis, purification and chemical functionalization of BNNT. Single-walled BNNT are synthesized by LASER ablation of a hBN target. Improving the synthesis parameters first allowed us to limit the byproducts (hBN, boric acid). A specific purification process was then developed in order to enrich the samples in nano-tubes. Purified samples were then used to develop two new chemical functionalization methods. They both involve chemical molecules that present a high affinity towards the BN network. The use of long chain-substituted quinuclidines and borazines actually allowed the solubilization of BNNT in organic media. Purification and functionalization were developed for single-walled BNNT and were successfully applied to multi-walled BNNT. Sensibility of boron to thermic neutrons finally gave birth to a study about covalent functionalization possibilities of the network. The second part of the PhD work deals with separation of carbon nano-tubes depending on their properties. Microwave irradiation of carbon nano-tubes first allowed the enrichment of initially polydisperse samples in large diameter nano-tubes. A second strategy involving selective interaction between one type of tubes and fullerene micelles was finally envisaged to selectively solubilize carbon nano-tubes with specific electronic properties. (author) [fr

Sustainability and cleaner production: a study on the implications competitive advantage in business

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaqueline Guimarães Santos

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the relationship between the adoption of environmental management system in the business and the competitive advantages that can result from this process. Therefore, the effects are discussed the emergence of a model of sustainable development and the role and opportunities of the company that perspective. Being theoretical, the aim of this paper is to discuss the potential contributions that the implementation of cleaner production technology can offer to the enterprise competitive strategy. To elucidate these relationships are discussed concepts relating to the introduction of an environmental management system, which emphasized the use of environmental measures, specifically the inherent Cleaner Production that aim to reduce the environmental impacts of industrial production, eliminating waste and reducing costs. Moreover, the concept of competitive advantage is crafted light of assumptions Porter on profitability from cost reduction and product differentiation. The findings indicate that the introduction of the Cleaner Production to reduce costs and add value to the image of the product, is an instrument of competitiveness that allows the company to differentiate and gain competitive advantage.

Screening for Common Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse among Temporary Hired Cleaners in Egyptian Governmental Hospitals, Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate

OpenAIRE

RA Abbas; RAM Hammam; SS El-Gohary; LME Sabik; MS Hunter

2012-01-01

Background: Informal employment is common in developing countries, including Egypt. This type of employment may have significant consequences on mental health. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of common mental disorders and substance abuse among temporary hired hospital cleaners. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 242 adult temporary cleaners and 209 permanent cleaners working in 4 governmental hospitals in Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate, Egyp...

Early retirement among Danish female cleaners and shop assistants according to work environment characteristics and upper extremity complaints

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Lone Donbæk; Bonde, Jens Peter Ellekilde; Christensen, Michael Victor

2016-01-01

-year cohort study with registry-based follow-up of 1430 female cleaners and 579 shop assistants. In subsequent analyses of female cleaners, disability pension and voluntary early retirement were modeled according to work characteristics and upper extremity complaints. RESULTS: The adjusted hazard rate...

Field Performance Test of an Air-Cleaner with Photocatalysis-Plasma Synergistic Reactors for Practical and Long-Term Use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsuyoshi Ochiai

2014-10-01

Full Text Available A practical and long-term usable air-cleaner based on the synergy of photocatalysis and plasma treatments has been developed. A field test of the air-cleaner was carried out in an office smoking room. The results were compared to previously reported laboratory test results. Even after a treatment of 12,000 cigarettes-worth of tobacco smoke, the air-cleaner maintained high-level air-purification activity (98.9% ± 0.1% and 88% ± 1% removal of the total suspended particulate (TSP and total volatile organic compound (TVOC concentrations, respectively at single-pass conditions. Although the removal ratio of TSP concentrations was 98.6% ± 0.2%, the ratio of TVOC concentrations was 43.8% after a treatment of 21,900 cigarettes-worth of tobacco smoke in the field test. These results indicate the importance of suitable maintenance of the reactors in the air-cleaner during field use.

Comparison of blood RNA isolation methods from samples stabilized in Tempus tubes and stored at a large human biobank.

Science.gov (United States)

Aarem, Jeanette; Brunborg, Gunnar; Aas, Kaja K; Harbak, Kari; Taipale, Miia M; Magnus, Per; Knudsen, Gun Peggy; Duale, Nur

2016-09-01

More than 50,000 adult and cord blood samples were collected in Tempus tubes and stored at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Biobank for future use. In this study, we systematically evaluated and compared five blood-RNA isolation protocols: three blood-RNA isolation protocols optimized for simultaneous isolation of all blood-RNA species (MagMAX RNA Isolation Kit, both manual and semi-automated protocols; and Norgen Preserved Blood RNA kit I); and two protocols optimized for large RNAs only (Tempus Spin RNA, and Tempus 6-port isolation kit). We estimated the following parameters: RNA quality, RNA yield, processing time, cost per sample, and RNA transcript stability of six selected mRNAs and 13 miRNAs using real-time qPCR. Whole blood samples from adults (n = 59 tubes) and umbilical cord blood (n = 18 tubes) samples collected in Tempus tubes were analyzed. High-quality blood-RNAs with average RIN-values above seven were extracted using all five RNA isolation protocols. The transcript levels of the six selected genes showed minimal variation between the five protocols. Unexplained differences within the transcript levels of the 13 miRNA were observed; however, the 13 miRNAs had similar expression direction and they were within the same order of magnitude. Some differences in the RNA processing time and cost were noted. Sufficient amounts of high-quality RNA were obtained using all five protocols, and the Tempus blood RNA system therefore seems not to be dependent on one specific RNA isolation method.

Life-History Traits and Population Structure of Pederson Cleaner Shrimps Ancylomenes pedersoni.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilpin, Jessica A; Chadwick, Nanette E

2017-12-01

Cleaner organisms perform key functional roles in reducing rates of parasitism in marine communities. Pederson cleaner shrimps Ancylomenes pedersoni are major cleaners of reef fishes in the tropical western Atlantic and form obligate symbioses with host sea anemones. Information about their life-history traits would contribute to understanding how symbiosis impacts life-history evolution in crustaceans, but little is known about patterns of growth and reproduction in this anemone shrimp. We quantified growth, sexual reproduction, senescence, and mortality in individuals of A. pedersoni under laboratory conditions and their abundance and population size structure on coral reefs in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Von Bertalanffy growth curves were fitted to the data to determine age-size relationships, and the Beverton-Holt model was used to estimate mortality rates and size at maximum yield. Individuals grew rapidly when young, then slowed their growth after reaching sexual maturity at ~6 months. Individuals were gonochoric, with males attaining significantly smaller body sizes and shorter life spans than did females. Prior to death at <2 years, members of both genders exhibited senescence during which they ceased reproducing, shrank (females only), and decreased their activity levels over ~1-4 weeks. Field populations were abundant and composed mostly of juveniles during both years examined. Populations appeared to be stable but highly dynamic in terms of individuals, reaching maximum yield at 4 months of age. We conclude that obligate symbiosis with large sea anemones and cleaner mutualism with reef fishes both contribute to explaining aspects of the life history of Pederson shrimps, especially their apparent mating system of pure-search polygynandry. This life-history information also provides a scientific basis for sustainable fishery management and aquaculture of this key coral reef organism.

Region specific changes in nonapeptide levels during client fish interactions with allopatric and sympatric cleaner fish.

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, Marta C; Cardoso, Sónia C; Mazzei, Renata; André, Gonçalo I; Morais, Marta; Gozdowska, Magdalena; Kalamarz-Kubiak, Hanna; Kulczykowska, Ewa

2017-01-01

Social relationships are crucially dependent on individual ability to learn and remember ecologically relevant cues. However, the way animals recognize cues before engaging in any social interaction and how their response is regulated by brain neuromodulators remains unclear. We examined the putative involvement of arginine vasotocin (AVT) and isotocin (IT), acting at different brain regions, during fish decision-making in the context of cooperation, by trying to identify how fish distinguish and recognize the value of other social partners or species. We hypothesized that the behavioural responses of cleaner fish clients to different social contexts would be underlain by changes in brain AVT and IT levels. We have found that changes in AVT at the level of forebrain and optic tectum are linked with a response to allopatric cleaners (novel or unfamiliar stimuli) while those at cerebellum are associated with the willingness to be cleaned (in response to sympatric cleaners). On the other hand, higher brain IT levels that were solely found in the diencephalon, also in response to allopatric cleaners. Our results are the first to implicate these nonapeptides, AVT in particular, in the assessment of social cues which enable fish to engage in mutualistic activities.

Evaluation of room air cleaners for the reduction of exposure and dose to indoor radon progeny

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopke, P.K.; Jensen, B.; Wasiolek, P.

1994-01-01

Since the proximate source of dose to the cells of the bronchial epithelium is the deposited radon progeny, the exposure and resulting dose could be reduced if the radon decay products were effectively removed from the indoor atmosphere. Thus, room air cleaners could be effective in reducing the risks associated with indoor radon. However, because of the short half-life of 218 Po, it grows back quickly and in the altered aerosol conditions that are produced by the presence of an air cleaner, the exposure/dose conditions as well as the magnitude of the dose can be substantially changed. To examine the nature of the exposure of individuals in normally occupied homes and to determine the effect of various types of room air cleaners on the exposure to and dose from the indoor radon progeny, a series of measurements have been made using an automated graded screen array system. Two extended experiments were performed in homes in Arnprior, Ontario and Parishville, NY, in which filtration systems, a positive ion electrostatic precipitator, and ioniser/fan systems have been tested for their ability to remove both airborne radioactivity and particles. In both experiments, measurements were made over one week periods with an air cleaner operating and the distributions of exposure are compared with measurements of the background conditions when no cleaner is functioning. The doses to both basal and secretory cells of the bronchial epithelium in the first eight generations of the bronchus were calculated using the model developed by James and their distributions are compared among the various exposure conditions. In most cases the presence of the air cleaner reduced the exposure to radon progeny. However, the reductions in dose were generally substantially smaller than the reductions in exposure. In the intercomparisons of the two filtration units and the two identical ioniser/fan systems, the units generally behaved in a similar manner. The results of this substantial set of

Implementing Cleaner Technologies as a means of minimising waste production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wenzel, Henrik

2002-01-01

This article gives an overview of how Cleaner Production methods may contribute to minimising waste formation as well as showing energy and resource savings. It introduces the tools and procedures used when working in this field. It also illustrates the theoretical approach by using examples from...

Design and development of automatic sharia compliant wheelchair wheels cleaner

Science.gov (United States)

Shaari, Muhammad Farid; Rasli, Ibrahim Ismail Mohammad; Jamaludin, M. Z. Z. Wan; Isa, W. A. Mohamad; M., H.; Rashid, A. H. Abdul

2017-04-01

Sharia compliant wheelchair wheel cleaner was developed in order to assist the muslim Person with Disabilities (PWD) to pray in the mosque without leaving their wheelchair because of the filthy wheels. Though there are many wheelchair wheel cleaning system in the market, it is very rare to find sharia compliant cleaning system that applies sertu concept which is one of the cleaning and purification technique in Islamic practice. The sertu concept is based on 6:1 ratio that refers to the six times pipe water cleaning and one time soiled water cleaning. The development process consists of design stage, fabrication and system installation stage and followed by testing stage. During the design stage, the proposed prototype underwent design brainstorming, operation programming and structural simulation analysis. Once fabricated, the cleaner prototype underwent was tested. The results showed that the prototype can cater load up to 100kg with 1.31×10-6 mm shaft bending displacement. The water ejection timing varied approximately 3% compared to the program.

Examination of steam generator alloy 800 NG tube from the Almaraz unit 2 NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diego, G. de; Gomez Briceno, D.; Maffiotte, C.; Baladia, M.; Arias, C.J.

2015-01-01

The steam generators of Almaraz Unit 2 were replaced in 1997 by the model 61W/D3 (Siemens) with Alloy 800NG steam generator tubes. Denting indications were firstly detected in 2006 in the SG-3. Crack indications were identified in 2009. At the end of 2011, three tubes were recovered from this steam generator to carry out destructive examination in order to identify the root cause of the tubes degradation. Analysis of deposits point out the existence of multiples elements in the removed OD (Outer Diameter) deposits as well as in the deposits at the free tube under sludge and at the transition zone. Deposits are more abundant at the transition zone than at free tube. About 10% Na concentration has been detected, whereas S and Cl appear in small concentrations. Si appears regularly and Cr, Ni concentrations in the deposits are similar. Multiple intergranular cracks have been detected at 3 mm above the last contact point between the tube and the TS (tube support), in a band of around 5 mm, practically in the whole perimeter of the tube. Fracture surface of crack-B was partially covered by a Si rich layer, whereas fracture surface of crack-A seems to be cleaner. However, no significant differences in composition, except higher amount of S in crack-B, were found in the deposits of both cracks. EDX mapping and Auger profiles point out Ni enrichment with slight Cr enrichment or depletion and Fe depletion. The comparison of Auger profiles with available results for Alloy 800 tested in caustic and acid sulfate environments seems to indicate that the environment inside the cracks detected in the tube R67C48 is neutral or moderately caustic

Cleaner production technology for the NDT industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Relunia, Estrella D.; Mateo, Alejandro J.

2001-01-01

This paper discusses te wastes generated from the conduct of nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques and operations like NDT film processing and the systems to reduce water pollution and the film system quality control. Discussions on clean technology production concepts and philosophy is also discussed. A case study on cleaner production technology where a process and equipment modifications and a product substitution were implemented is presented. The equipment modification and product substitution eliminated the use of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in its cleaning operation. (Author)

EVALUATION AND ACTIONS OF CLEANER PRODUCTION IN GALVANIC INDUSTRY OF THE VILLA CLARA PROVINCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petra G. Velazco Pedroso

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the assessment results accomplished in different processes of the galvanic industry are presented and it is taking into account the application of good practices and measures of Cleaner Production. The main critical points in the processes of metallic coating were identified; and the characterization of the effluents generated by the installation is done. A number of technological changes in the processes are proposed, as well as the introduction of cleaner production measures which contribute to increase the efficiency and safety of processes, reduce risks and improvements to internal operations. It provides advantages of economic, environmental and social nature for the galvanic industry due to the minimizing of the impacts on environment, because the sewage and its pollutant load are reduced. Besides, we can save water, energy and raw materials. The economic evaluation showed the feasibility of applying the Cleaner Production (PML measures proposed with a Net Present Value (NPV of $109 696.26, and an Internal Rate of Return (IRR of 64 % value and payback period lower than two years.

Evaluation of the BD Vacutainer Plus Urine C&S Preservative Tubes compared with nonpreservative urine samples stored at 4°C and room temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Eisinger, Stephen W; Schwartz, Matthew; Dam, Lisa; Riedel, Stefan

2013-09-01

The stability of urine specimens submitted for culture remains a challenge for many laboratories because of delays in specimen transport. We evaluated the usefulness of BD Vacutainer Plus Urine C&S Preservative Tube in ensuring specimen stability. Clinical urine specimens collected in sterile collection cups (n = 110) were plated onto sheep blood and MacConkey agar following standard laboratory procedures guidelines. Thereafter, specimens were divided into 3 storage conditions: nonpreservative, refrigerated; nonpreservative, room temperature (RT); BD Vacutainer Plus Urine C&S Preservative Tube, RT. For each sample type, additional cultures were set up at 2, 4, 24, and 48 hours. Initially, 18 specimens had no growth, 32 showed mixed skin flora, and 60 yielded at least 1 uropathogen. Increased colony counts of uropathogens were observed for nonpreserved urine samples stored at RT; these changes were statistically significant. Minor differences between refrigerated urine samples and BD Vacutainer Plus Urine C&S Preservative Tube samples were seen but were not statistically significant. The use of preservative-containing collection tubes is desirable to ensure specimen stability when prompt processing or refrigeration is not feasible.

The Outcome of Thoracentesis versus Chest Tube Placement for Hepatic Hydrothorax in Patients with Cirrhosis: A Nationwide Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Ridha

2017-01-01

Full Text Available There are only a few studies with a small sample size of patients that have compared the risks of using chest tubes versus thoracentesis in hepatic hydrothorax. It has been shown that many complications may arise secondary to chest tube placement and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In this retrospective study, patients with cirrhosis were identified from the 2009 National Inpatient Sample by using ICD-9 codes; we evaluated the risk of chest tube versus thoracentesis in a largest population with hepatic hydrothorax to date to measure the mortality and the length of stay. A total of 140,573 patients with liver cirrhosis were identified. Of this, 1981 patients had a hepatic hydrothorax and ended up with either thoracentesis (1776 or chest tube (205. The mortality in those who received a chest tube was two times higher than that in thoracentesis group with a P value of ≤0.001 (CI 1.43–312. In addition, the length of hospital stay of the chest tube group was longer than that of the thoracentesis subset (7.2 days versus 3.8 days, resp.. We concluded that chest tube placement has two times higher mortality rate and longer hospital length of stay when compared to patients who underwent thoracentesis.

Selective molecularly imprinted polymer combined with restricted access material for in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS of parabens in breast milk samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Souza, Israel D; Melo, Lidervan P; Jardim, Isabel C S F; Monteiro, Juliana C S; Nakano, Ana Marcia S; Queiroz, Maria Eugênia C

2016-08-17

A new molecularly imprinted polymer modified with restricted access material (a hydrophilic external layer), (MIP-RAM) was synthesized via polymerization in situ in an open fused silica capillary. This stationary phase was used as sorbent for in-tube solid phase microextraction (in-tube SPME) to determine parabens in breast milk samples by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) illustrate MIP surface modification after glycerol dimethacrylate (hydrophilic monomer) incorporation. The interaction between parabens and MIP-RAM was investigated by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The Scatchard plot for MIP-RAM presented two linear parts with different slopes, illustrating binding sites with high- and low-affinity. Endogenous compounds exclusion from the MIP-RAM capillary was demonstrated by in-tube SPME/LC-UV assays carried out with blank milk samples. The in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS method presented linear range from 10 ng mL(-1) (LLOQ) to 400 ng mL(-1) with coefficients of determination higher than 0.99, inter-assay precision with coefficient of variation (CV) values ranging from 2 to 15%, and inter-assay accuracy with relative standard deviation (RSD) values ranging from -1% to 19%. Analytical validation parameters attested that in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS is an appropriate method to determine parabens in human milk samples to assess human exposure to these compounds. Analysis of breast milk samples from lactating women demonstrated that the proposed method is effective. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of cleaner production options in dyeing and printing industry: Using combination weighting method

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Hong; Zhang, Yun; Hou, Haochen; Sun, Xiaoyang; Qin, Chenglu

2018-03-01

The textile industry has a high environmental impact so that implementing cleaner production audit is an effective way to achieve energy conservation and emissions reduction. But the evaluation method in current cleaner production audit divided the evaluation of CPOs into two parts: environment and economy. The evaluation index system was constructed from three criteria of environment benefits, economy benefits and product performance; weights of five indicators were determined by combination weights of entropy method and factor weight sorting method. Then efficiencies were evaluated comprehensively. The results showed that the best alkali recovery option was the nanofiltration membrane method (S=0.80).

Mitigation of the effective dose of radon decay products through the use of an air cleaner in a dwelling in Okinawa, Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kranrod, Chutima; Tokonami, Shinji; Ishikawa, Tetsuo; Sorimachi, Atsuyuki; Janik, Miroslaw; Shingaki, Reina; Furukawa, Masahide; Chanyotha, Supitcha; Chankow, Nares

2009-01-01

Field measurements were conducted to assess the effects of an air cleaner on radon mitigation in a dwelling with a high radon concentration in Okinawa, Japan. The measurements included indoor radon concentration, individual radon progeny concentration, equilibrium equivalent concentration of radon (EECRn), unattached fraction, and size distribution of aerosol-attached radon progeny. These measurements were conducted in a 74 m 3 room with/without the use of an air cleaner. The results showed that the mean radon concentration during the measurement was quite high (301 Bq m -3 ). The operation of air cleaner decreased the radon progeny activity concentration, EECRn and equilibrium factor by 33%, 57% and 71%, respectively, whereas the unattached fraction increased by 174%. In addition, the activity concentration of attached radon progeny in the accumulation mode (50-2000 nm) was obviously deceased by 42%, when the air cleaner was operated. According to dosimetric calculations, the operation of air cleaner reduced the effective dose due to radon progeny by about 50%.

Rancang Bangun Vacuum Cleaner Dengan Pengendali Nirkabel Menggunakan Modul Rf Data Transceiver Ys-1020ub Berbasis Mikrokontroler At89s52

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

IGAP Raka Agung

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Kebersihan merupakan hal yang sangat penting untuk menjaga kesehatan kita, khususnya kebersihan rumah. Rumah yang bersih sangat mempengaruhi kesehatan para penghuninya. Debu adalah kotoran yang paling sering mengotori rumah kita terutama pada bagian lantai. Setiap hari kita harus membersihkan rumah dari debu yang ada pada lantai untuk menjaga kebersihan sekaligus kesehatan kita. Dalam membersihkan lantai rumah dari  debu sering menyita banyak waktu dan tenaga. Vacuum cleaner terkendali nirkabel menggunakan Modul RF Data Transceiver YS-1020UB berbasis mikrokontroler AT89S52 merupakan salah satu solusi untuk membersihkan lantai rumah dari kotoran debu.  Vacuum cleaner ini menggunakan enam buah motor DC yaitu dua motor DC penyedot debu, dua motor DC penentu arah maju, mundur, belok kanan, dan belok kiri, serta dua motor DC penentu arah geser kanan dan geser kiri.  Vacuum cleaner ini dapat dikendalikan dengan dua mode operasi yaitu mode manual dan otomatis. Pada mode manual vacuum cleaner ini dikendalikan menggunakan remote control, dengan tranmisi nirkabel memakai transceiver YS-1020UB. Sedangkan pada mode otomatis  vacuum cleaner ini menggunakan empat buah sensor jarak untuk menghindari tabrakan pada dinding.  Vacuum cleaner dengan pengendali nirkabel menggunakan modul RF Data Transceiver YS-1020UB berbasis mikrokontroler AT89S52 sudah bisa membersihkan debu lantai sehingga lantai bersih dari debu.

Sustainability in pelletizing iron ore through the Industrial Ecology and Cleaner Production Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiano Farias Coelho

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This study aims to analyze the practices of a pelletizing iron ore industry with respect to adoption of pollution prevention measures, suggested by applying the concepts of Cleaner Production and Material Flow Analysis. The technical procedure adopted was the case study, the data collection was done through direct observation, with field research and literature review. The main results were obtained from analysis of company reports available to the public, but require a more detailed quantification of data. The study concludes that the identification of environmental opportunities is possible through the proposed implementation of Cleaner Production program, which provides better results when combined with the precepts of the industrial ecology tool, the Material Flow Analysis.

Cleaner Production Applied in a Small Furniture Industry in Brazil: Addressing Focused Changes in Design to Reduce Waste

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Mario Gutiérrez Aguilar

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The wood industry is known for being among the biggest resource consumers, having a relatively low yield. The wood furniture industry as part of the wood industry also remains a big generator of residues and a big consumer of resources. Diverse solutions and technologies have been developed to deal with the residues generated, but those technologies are mostly applied at the end of the production chain with limited results. Cleaner production represents a program based on continuous strategies applied to a more sustainable use of materials and energy, minimizing waste and pollution. This paper presents a case study of a cleaner production program developed in a small furniture industry in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, applying the concepts of cleaner production with parameters of ecodesign developed for the furniture industry. The object of study was the production of a wooden chair made from eucalyptus wood. The application of the cleaner production program and ecodesign parameters allowed a detailed characterization of the waste, resulting in opportunities for a reduction of the use of raw material by 30%, a reduction in waste by 49% and allowing a reduction in energy by 36% due to simplification of the productive process. Among the strategies applied were reshaping pieces, redesigning, and the substitution of materials. The results suggest that despite the existence of more complex environmental methods and approaches, the application of cleaner production plus ecodesign parameters could be more achievable for micro and small furniture industries.

Control and automatic alignment of the output mode cleaner of GEO 600

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prijatelj, M; Grote, H; Degallaix, J; Hewitson, M; Affeldt, C; Leong, J; Lueck, H; Strain, K A; Wittel, H; Willke, B; Danzmann, K [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut) and Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, Callinstr. 38, 30167 Hannover (Germany); Hild, S; Freise, A, E-mail: mirko.prijatelj@aei.mpg.d [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

2010-05-01

The implementation of a mode cleaner at the output port of the GEO 600 gravitational wave detector will be part of the upcoming transition from GEO 600 to GEO-HF. Part of the transition will be the move from a heterodyne readout to a DC readout scheme. DC readout performance will be limited by higher order optical modes and control sidebands present at the output port. For optimum performance of DC readout an output mode cleaner (OMC) will clean the output beam of these contributions. Inclusion of an OMC will introduce new noise sources whose magnitudes needed to be estimated and for which new control systems will be needed. In this article we set requirements on the performance of these control systems and investigate the simulated performance of different designs.

Trochanteric Stress Fracture in a Female Window Cleaner

OpenAIRE

Lee, Bong-Jin; Song, Jyewon

2016-01-01

Stress fractures may occur at various sites in the femur including the head, neck, shaft, supracondylar and condylar regions. To the best of our knowledge, stress fracture occurring in the trochanteric region has not been previously reported. We report here a case of trochanteric stress fracture in a 53-year-old female window cleaner treated with hip nailing without adverse consequences. Careful consideration of this entity is needed when evaluating patients who have repetitive jumping up and...

TNO moving forward ... to a safer, cleaner and more efficient mobility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bleijenberg, A.N.

2008-01-01

This book provides an impression of how we are contributing to cleaner, safer and more efficient mobility in Europe, helping our customers from concept to implementation and from engineering solutions to strategic advice. Our knowledge is derived to a significant extent from European research

Liquid scintillation systems and apparatus for measuring high-energy radiation emitted by samples in standard laboratory test tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benvenutti, R.A.

1976-01-01

Liquid scintillation detection system employs improved sample holders in which the cap of a glass vial is provided with a well for receiving a standard laboratory test tube containing a radioactive sample. The well is immersed in a liquid scintillator in the vial, the scintillator containing lead acetate solution to enhance its efficiency. A commercially available beta-counting liquid scintillation apparatus is modified to provide gamma-counting with the improved sample holders

The hydrodynamic basis of the vacuum cleaner effect in continuous-flow PCNL instruments: an empiric approach and mathematical model.

Science.gov (United States)

Mager, R; Balzereit, C; Gust, K; Hüsch, T; Herrmann, T; Nagele, U; Haferkamp, A; Schilling, D

2016-05-01

Passive removal of stone fragments in the irrigation stream is one of the characteristics in continuous-flow PCNL instruments. So far the physical principle of this so-called vacuum cleaner effect has not been fully understood yet. The aim of the study was to empirically prove the existence of the vacuum cleaner effect and to develop a physical hypothesis and generate a mathematical model for this phenomenon. In an empiric approach, common low-pressure PCNL instruments and conventional PCNL sheaths were tested using an in vitro model. Flow characteristics were visualized by coloring of irrigation fluid. Influence of irrigation pressure, sheath diameter, sheath design, nephroscope design and position of the nephroscope was assessed. Experiments were digitally recorded for further slow-motion analysis to deduce a physical model. In each tested nephroscope design, we could observe the vacuum cleaner effect. Increase in irrigation pressure and reduction in cross section of sheath sustained the effect. Slow-motion analysis of colored flow revealed a synergism of two effects causing suction and transportation of the stone. For the first time, our model showed a flow reversal in the sheath as an integral part of the origin of the stone transportation during vacuum cleaner effect. The application of Bernoulli's equation provided the explanation of these effects and confirmed our experimental results. We widen the understanding of PCNL with a conclusive physical model, which explains fluid mechanics of the vacuum cleaner effect.

CASE STUDY: Nepal — A cleaner city and better health in Kathmandu

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2003-04-07

Apr 7, 2003 ... CASE STUDY: Nepal — A cleaner city and better health in Kathmandu .... Dr Joshi believes that blending science and a recognition of the social ... One example of where AMESH was applied was in analyzing why the ward ...

Visibility and Social Recognition as Psychosocial Work Environment Factors among Cleaners in A Multi-Ethnic Workplace Intervention

OpenAIRE

Hviid, Kirsten; Smith, Louise Hardman; Frydendall, Karen Bo; Flyvholm, Mari-Ann

2012-01-01

This article focuses on the psychosocial work environment of immigrant cleaners at a Danish workplace. Today, many cleaners working in Danish cleaning jobs are women from the established immigrant communities, but also labour migrants from the newer EU member states have found their way to the cleaning industry. Studies have drawn attention to immigrants low position in the cleaning industry and their increased risk of work injuries. This article is based on a case study of an intervention ca...

Optimization of a spectrometry for energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis by x-ray tube in combination with secondary target for multielements determination of sediment samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaidi Embong; Husin Wagiran

1997-01-01

The design of an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer equipped with a conventional X-ray tube and secondary target is described. The spectrometer system constructed in our laboratory consists of a semiconductor detector system, irradiation chamber and X-ray tube. Primary source from X-ray tube was used to produced secondary X-ray from selenium, molybdenum and cadmium targets. The fluorescence X-ray from the sample was detected using Si(Li) detector with resolution of 0. 175 keV (Mn-K(x). The spectrometer was used for determination of multi-elements with atomic number between 20 to 44 in river sediment samples. The X-ray spectrum, from the samples were analysed using computer software which was developed based on Marquardt method. Optimal conditions and detection limits are determined experimentally by variation of excitation parameters for each combination of secondary target and tube voltage

Hybrid friction diffusion bonding of 316L stainless steel tube-to-tube sheet joints for coil-wound heat exchangers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haneklaus, Nils; Cionea, Cristian; Reuven, Rony; Frazer, David; Hosemann, Peter; Peterson, Per F. [Dept of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (United States)

2016-11-15

Hybrid friction diffusion bonding (HFDB) is a solid-state bonding process first introduced by Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht to join aluminum tube-to-tube sheet joints of Coil-wound heat exchangers (CWHE). This study describes how HFDB was successfully used to manufacture 316L test samples simulating tube-to-tube sheet joints of stainless steel CWHE for molten salt coolants as foreseen in several advanced nuclear- and thermal solar power plants. Engineering parameters of the test sample fabrication are presented and results from subsequent non-destructive vacuum decay leak testing and destructive tensile pull-out testing are discussed. The bonded areas of successfully fabricated samples as characterized by tube rupture during pull-out tensile testing, were further investigated using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy including electron backscatter diffraction.

SCC analysis of Alloy 600 tubes from a retired steam generator

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Seong Sik; Kim, Hong Pyo

2013-09-01

tube specimens for subsequent destructive examinations.Metallography on a tube section was examined by standard metallographic techniques. The mounted specimens were ground and polished. For a chemical activation of the polished surface, the samples were soaked in hydrochloric acid for 20 s then followed by cleaning in methanol. Chemical etching in a bromine etchant (98% Methanol + 2% Bromine) was applied for 3 to 4 s in an ultrasound cleaner.Destructive examinations were carried out using the procedures in accordance with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) tube examination guidelines [2]. The types of defects were characterized and their sizes were measured using a high magnification contact camera and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The surface deposit compositions on the outer diameter of the tubes were also analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The relation among the SCC defect location, defect depth, and sludge height was explored. Denting, pitting, PWSCC and ODSCC were observed on the RSG tubes as time went on. The analyzed Alloy 600 tube showed a typical LTMA microstructure, and the severe SCC of the RSG was attributed to the microstructure and slightly alkaline crevice environment in some respects. Most axial cracks were observed inside the sludge pile up region, which suggests that sludge may have a role in accelerating the growth of the axial cracks. No correlation was seen in the circumferential cracks and sludge pile, and dents in the tube sheet and phosphate chemistry might cause OD circumferential cracks at the TTS region. The average depth of the axial cracks was higher than that of the circumferential cracks. Axial ID cracks 4 mm long or over at the TTS showed 90%-100% tube wall penetration. On the contrary, the length of the axial OD cracks was not closely related with the depth OD axial cracks around the TSP appeared to be much shallower than those of the TTS region. This implies that the same length of TSP region

Incorporation of occupational health and safety in cleaner production projects in South Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hedlund, Frank Huess

2002-01-01

The purpose of this research is to reveal ways in which occupational health and safety can be integrated in environmental cleaner production projects. Of particular interest are those cleaner production projects that are run by the Danish government's environmental assistance agency, Danced......, in South Africa.The study explores two main avenues of integration. First, integrating through better planning, focussing at the tools and procedures in use by Danced for project management -- integrating occupational health and safety into the project specification, so to speak.Second, integrating...... occupational health and safety into the environmental activities that take place at company level. Two ways of doing so are explored, the main distinction being company size. For large companies, integration of management systems may be attractive. For small companies, integration into a less formal network...

Upper-limit on the Advanced Virgo output mode cleaner cavity length noise

Science.gov (United States)

Bonnand, R.; Ducrot, M.; Gouaty, R.; Marion, F.; Masserot, A.; Mours, B.; Pacaud, E.; Rolland, L.; Was, M.

2017-09-01

The Advanced Virgo detector uses two monolithic optical cavities at its output port to suppress higher order modes and radio frequency sidebands from the carrier light used for gravitational wave detection. These two cavities in series form the output mode cleaner. We present a measured upper limit on the length noise of these cavities that is consistent with the thermo-refractive noise prediction of 8×10-16~m~Hz-1/2 at 15 Hz. The cavity length is controlled using Peltier cells and piezo-electric actuators to maintain resonance on the incoming light. A length lock precision of 3.5×10-13 m is achieved. These two results are combined to demonstrate that the broadband length noise of the output mode cleaner in the 10-60 Hz band is at least a factor 10 below other expected noise sources in the Advanced Virgo detector design configuration.

Building lab-scale x-ray tube based irradiators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haff, Ron; Jackson, Eric; Gomez, Joseph; Light, Doug; Follett, Peter; Simmons, Greg; Higbee, Brad

2016-01-01

Here we report the use of x-ray tube based irradiators as alternatives to gamma sources for laboratory scale irradiation. Irradiators were designed with sample placement in closest possible proximity to the source, allowing high dose rates for small samples. Designs using 1000 W x-ray tubes in single tube, double tube, and four tube configurations are described, as well as various cabinet construction techniques. Relatively high dose rates were achieved for small samples, demonstrating feasibility for laboratory based irradiators for research purposes. Dose rates of 9.76, 5.45, and 1.7 Gy/min/tube were measured at the center of a 12.7 cm container of instant rice at 100 keV, 70 keV, and 40 keV, respectively. Dose uniformity varies dramatically as the distance from source to container. For 2.54 cm diameter sample containers containing adult Navel Orangeworm, dose rates of 50–60 Gy/min were measured in the four tube system. - Highlights: • X-ray is demonstrated as an alternative to gamma for lab-based irradiation. • Cabinets using one, two, and four 1000 W tubes are reported. • Dose rate of 9.8 Gy/min/tube at the center of a 12.7 cm container of instant rice. • Dose uniformity varies dramatically as the distance from source to container.

Using Pipe Cleaners to Bring the Tree of Life to Life

Science.gov (United States)

Halverson, Kristy L.

2010-01-01

Phylogenetic trees, such as the "Tree of Life," are commonly found in biology textbooks and are often used in teaching. Because students often struggle to understand these diagrams, I developed a simple, inexpensive classroom model. Made of pipe cleaners, it is easily manipulated to rotate branches, compare topologies, map complete lineages,…

Biological sample collector

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Gloria A [French Camp, CA

2010-09-07

A biological sample collector is adapted to a collect several biological samples in a plurality of filter wells. A biological sample collector may comprise a manifold plate for mounting a filter plate thereon, the filter plate having a plurality of filter wells therein; a hollow slider for engaging and positioning a tube that slides therethrough; and a slide case within which the hollow slider travels to allow the tube to be aligned with a selected filter well of the plurality of filter wells, wherein when the tube is aligned with the selected filter well, the tube is pushed through the hollow slider and into the selected filter well to sealingly engage the selected filter well and to allow the tube to deposit a biological sample onto a filter in the bottom of the selected filter well. The biological sample collector may be portable.

Study on the influence of X-ray tube spectral distribution on the analysis of bulk samples and thin films: Fundamental parameters method and theoretical coefficient algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sitko, Rafal

2008-01-01

Knowledge of X-ray tube spectral distribution is necessary in theoretical methods of matrix correction, i.e. in both fundamental parameter (FP) methods and theoretical influence coefficient algorithms. Thus, the influence of X-ray tube distribution on the accuracy of the analysis of thin films and bulk samples is presented. The calculations are performed using experimental X-ray tube spectra taken from the literature and theoretical X-ray tube spectra evaluated by three different algorithms proposed by Pella et al. (X-Ray Spectrom. 14 (1985) 125-135), Ebel (X-Ray Spectrom. 28 (1999) 255-266), and Finkelshtein and Pavlova (X-Ray Spectrom. 28 (1999) 27-32). In this study, Fe-Cr-Ni system is selected as an example and the calculations are performed for X-ray tubes commonly applied in X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), i.e., Cr, Mo, Rh and W. The influence of X-ray tube spectra on FP analysis is evaluated when quantification is performed using various types of calibration samples. FP analysis of bulk samples is performed using pure-element bulk standards and multielement bulk standards similar to the analyzed material, whereas for FP analysis of thin films, the bulk and thin pure-element standards are used. For the evaluation of the influence of X-ray tube spectra on XRF analysis performed by theoretical influence coefficient methods, two algorithms for bulk samples are selected, i.e. Claisse-Quintin (Can. Spectrosc. 12 (1967) 129-134) and COLA algorithms (G.R. Lachance, Paper Presented at the International Conference on Industrial Inorganic Elemental Analysis, Metz, France, June 3, 1981) and two algorithms (constant and linear coefficients) for thin films recently proposed by Sitko (X-Ray Spectrom. 37 (2008) 265-272)

Cleaner production analysis in a company of the red ceramic segment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dayanna dos Santos Costa Maciel

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The present study had as objective to analyze the productive process of a red ceramic segment industry in relation to the Cleaner Production (CP, based on the theoretical model proposed by National Center of Clean Technologies (CTNL, 2003b. As for the methodology, is classified as exploratory and descriptive, using the case study method. For this purpose, data was collected primary and secondary, the primers were obtained through semi-structured interviews with the owner and manager of production and a questionnaire administered to the owner. As for the secondary data, they were obtained through the company's environmental license, reports, documents, audits, standards and web searches, among others. As results were found in a waste around 10% of manufactured products (bricks, tiles and blocks;  Emission of pollutants such as ash and gases (CO2; High consumption of natural resources such as clay, water, electricity and firewood. This situation is being modified in the function of actions which are taken to obtain a cleaner production.

Preparation and evaluation of a novel molecularly imprinted polymer coating for selective extraction of indomethacin from biological samples by electrochemically controlled in-tube solid phase microextraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asiabi, Hamid [Department of Chemistry, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-175, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Yamini, Yadollah, E-mail: yyamini@modares.ac.ir [Department of Chemistry, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-175, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Seidi, Shahram; Ghahramanifard, Fazel [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-03-24

In the present work, an automated on-line electrochemically controlled in-tube solid-phase microextraction (EC-in-tube SPME) coupled with HPLC-UV was developed for the selective extraction and preconcentration of indomethacin as a model analyte in biological samples. Applying an electrical potential can improve the extraction efficiency and provide more convenient manipulation of different properties of the extraction system including selectivity, clean-up, rate, and efficiency. For more enhancement of the selectivity and applicability of this method, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer coated tube was prepared and applied for extraction of indomethacin. For this purpose, nanostructured copolymer coating consisting of polypyrrole doped with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate was prepared on the inner surface of a stainless-steel tube by electrochemical synthesis. The characteristics and application of the tubes were investigated. Electron microscopy provided a cross linked porous surface and the average thickness of the MIP coating was 45 μm. Compared with the non-imprinted polymer coated tubes, the special selectivity for indomethacin was discovered with the molecularly imprinted coated tube. Moreover, stable and reproducible responses were obtained without being considerably influenced by interferences commonly existing in biological samples. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection were in the range of 0.07–2.0 μg L{sup −1} in different matrices. This method showed good linearity for indomethacin in the range of 0.1–200 μg L{sup −1}, with coefficients of determination better than 0.996. The inter- and intra-assay precisions (RSD%, n = 3) were respectively in the range of 3.5–8.4% and 2.3–7.6% at three concentration levels of 7, 70 and 150 μg L{sup −1}. The results showed that the proposed method can be successfully applied for selective analysis of indomethacin in biological samples. - Graphical abstract: An automated on

Risk assessment of amorphous silicon dioxide nanoparticles in a glass cleaner formulation

Science.gov (United States)

Scheel, Julia; Karsten, Stefan; Stelter, Norbert; Wind, Thorsten

2013-01-01

Since nanomaterials are a heterogeneous group of substances used in various applications, risk assessment needs to be done on a case-by-case basis. Here the authors assess the risk (hazard and exposure) of a glass cleaner with synthetic amorphous silicon dioxide (SAS) nanoparticles during production and consumer use (spray application). As the colloidal material used is similar to previously investigated SAS, the hazard profile was considered to be comparable. Overall, SAS has a low toxicity. Worker exposure was analysed to be well controlled. The particle size distribution indicated that the aerosol droplets were in a size range not expected to reach the alveoli. Predictive modelling was used to approximate external exposure concentrations. Consumer and environmental exposure were estimated conservatively and were not of concern. It was concluded based on the available weight-of-evidence that the production and application of the glass cleaner is safe for humans and the environment under intended use conditions. PMID:22548260

Level of self-reported neck/shoulder pain and biomechanical workload in cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madeleine, Pascal; Søgaard, Karen; Holtermann, Andreas

2012-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between self-reported pain, muscular activity and postural load during cleaning tasks. Eighteen cleaners performed usual cleaning tasks in both a laboratory and a lecture room. The level of perceived pain in the neck-shoulder region......-axial accelerometer package was mounted on the low back (L5-S1) to measure postural changes during cleaning tasks. The 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of the angular distributions were computed to characterize postures and movements. Pain tended to play a significant role on RMS of left/right trapezius and left...... erector spinae muscles (P≤0.08). Cleaners with low pain level exhibited higher muscular activity during cleaning. Pain played or tended to play a significant role on PE of left and right erector spinae muscles (P≤0.08). Pain played a significant role on the 10th, 50th and 90th percentile (P...

Cleaner Coal in China [Chinese Version

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

China’s rapid economic growth has aroused intense interest around the world. Policy makers, industrialists, investors, environmentalists, researchers and others want to better understand the issues that this populous nation faces as it further develops an already thriving economy largely fuelled by coal. This study sheds light on the Chinese coal supply and transformation sectors. China’s rapid economic growth has aroused intense interest around the world. Policy makers, industrialists, investors, environmentalists, researchers and others want to better understand the issues that this populous nation faces as it further develops an already thriving economy largely fuelled by coal. This study sheds light on the Chinese coal supply and transformation sectors. China’s coal, mined locally and available at a relatively low cost, has brought enormous benefits to energy consumers in China and to those outside the country who enjoy the products of its coal-based economy. Yet from another perspective, China’s coal use has a high cost. Despite progress, health and safety in the thousands of small coal mines lag far behind the standards achieved in China’s modern, large mines. Environmental degradation is a real and pressing problem at all stages of coal production, supply and use. Adding to these burdens, emissions of carbon dioxide are of concern to the Chinese government as it embarks on its own climate protection strategy. Technology solutions are already transforming the way coal is used in China and elsewhere. This study explores the context in which the development and deployment of these technologies can be accelerated. Providing a large amount of new data, it describes in detail the situation in China as well as the experiences of other countries in making coal cleaner. Above all, the report calls for much greater levels of collaboration – existing bi-lateral and multi-lateral co-operation with China on coal is found lacking. China’s growing openness

Energy access and transition to cleaner cooking fuels and technologies in Sri Lanka: Issues and policy limitations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wickramasinghe, Anoja

2011-01-01

Easy energy access is a trigger for human, social, and economic development. A research project was undertaken in Sri Lanka to broaden the understanding of human dimension of energy access and technologies. A questionnaire survey, covering 2269 households, gathered data on socio-economic contexts and issues influencing a transition towards clean cooking facilities. The findings reveal that the transition is impeded by four factors: the lack of motivation and the pressure for switching over to cleaner facilities, the lack of modern energy technology options, the financial risks, and the lack of financing and other support. The paper describes the delicate two-way interrelation between women earning wages and the transitions to cleaner cooking fuels and technologies. The findings suggest the need for a policy framework involving the stakeholders, financing and standardised technologies. To make a change it is proposed to introduce a national, integrated policy incorporating financing and energy governance. - Highlights: ► Households in Sri Lanka lack access to modern energy technology options for cooking. ► Cooking with fuel wood and residues is the norm in Sri Lanka, particularly in rural households. ► A survey of rural households revealed that most cannot afford to switch to cleaner cooking options. ► Most households have little awareness of the health impacts of biomass cooking. ► Women in regular formal employment are more likely to value cleaner cooking options that save time.

Humid scraping method to obtain samples for the analysis of D2 incorporated in the pressure tubes of Embalse Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Binetti, Edgardo O.; Cerutti, Carlos R.

1999-01-01

From ten fuel channels of the CNE reactor four samples of each channel were taken by means of the Humid Scraping method in order to evaluate the equivalent hydrogen content by incorporating deuterium in the pressure tubes. With these data, it is possible to make a list of priorities of channels for future replacement of spacer rings between pressure and calandria tubes, using Slarette equipment. (author)

Scintillation counter: photomultiplier tube alignment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, R.E.

1975-01-01

A scintillation counter, particularly for counting gamma ray photons, includes a massive lead radiation shield surrounding a sample-receiving zone. The shield is disassembleable into a plurality of segments to allow facile installation and removal of a photomultiplier tube assembly, the segments being so constructed as to prevent straight-line access of external radiation through the shield into the sample receiving zone. Provisions are made for accurately aligning the photomultiplier tube with respect to one or more sample-transmitting bores extending through the shield to the sample receiving zone. A sample elevator, used in transporting samples into the zone, is designed to provide a maximum gamma-receiving aspect to maximize the gamma detecting efficiency. (auth)

Tissue reactions to bacteria-inoculated rat lead samples .2. Effect of local gentamicin release through surface-modified polyurethane tubing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

vanWachem, PB; vanLuyn, MJA; deWit, AW; Raatjes, D; Hendriks, M; Verhoeven, MLPM; Cahalan, PT

A surface modification technique was developed to achieve controlled release of gentamicin from implanted polyurethane (PU) rat lead samples. PU tubing first was provided with an acrylic acid/acrylamide copolymer surface graft and then loaded with gentamicin. This surface modification technique

Colour coding for blood collection tube closures - a call for harmonisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simundic, Ana-Maria; Cornes, Michael P; Grankvist, Kjell

2015-01-01

including errors in sampling, reporting and decision-making have received much less attention. Proper sampling and additives to the samples are essential. Tubes and additives are identified not only in writing on the tubes but also by the colour of the tube closures. Unfortunately these colours have...... not been standardised, running the risk of error when tubes from one manufacturer are replaced by the tubes from another manufacturer that use different colour coding. EFLM therefore supports the worldwide harmonisation of the colour coding for blood collection tube closures and labels in order to reduce...

The effects of crude oil and the effectiveness of cleaner application following oiling on US Gulf of Mexico coastal marsh plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Pezeshki, S R; DeLaune, R D; Jugsujinda, A

2001-01-01

Field studies were conducted in two different marsh habitats in Louisiana coastal wetlands to evaluate the effects of oiling (using South Louisiana Crude oil, SLC) and the effectiveness of a shoreline cleaner (COREXIT 9580) in removing oil from plant canopies. The study sites represented two major marsh habitats; the brackish marsh site was covered by Spartina patens and the freshwater marsh was covered by Sagittaria lancifolia. Field studies were conducted in each habitat using replicated 5.8 m2 plots that were subjected to three treatments; oiled only, oiled + cleaner (cleaner was used 2 days after oiling), and a control. Plant gas exchange responses, survival, growth, and biomass accumulation were measured. Results indicated that oiling led to rapid reductions in leaf gas exchange rates in both species. However, both species in 'oiled + cleaned' plots displayed improved leaf conductance and CO2 fixation rates. Twelve weeks after treatment initiation, photosynthetic carbon fixation in both species had recovered to normal levels. Over the short-term, S. patens showed more sensitivity to oiling with SLC than S. lancifolia as was evident from the data of the number of live shoots and above-ground biomass. Above-ground biomass remained significantly lower than control in S. patens under 'oiled' and 'oiled + cleaned' treatments while it was comparable to controls in S. lancifolia. These studies indicated that the cleaner removed oil from marsh grasses and alleviated the short-term impact of oil on gas exchange function of the study plants. However, use of cleaner had no detectable effects on above-ground biomass production or regeneration at the end of the first growing season in S. patens. Similarly, no beneficial effects of cleaner on carbon fixation and number of live shoots were apparent beyond 12 weeks in S. lancifolia.

Effects of 12 months aerobic exercise intervention on work ability, need for recovery, productivity and rating of exertion among cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lidegaard, Mark; Søgaard, Karen; Krustrup, Peter

2018-01-01

PURPOSE: This study assessed the effects of a worksite aerobic exercise intervention among cleaners on: work ability, need for recovery, productivity, and rating of exertion. METHODS: In a monocentric randomised controlled trial in Denmark, 116, of 250 invited, cleaners were cluster-randomised (w......PURPOSE: This study assessed the effects of a worksite aerobic exercise intervention among cleaners on: work ability, need for recovery, productivity, and rating of exertion. METHODS: In a monocentric randomised controlled trial in Denmark, 116, of 250 invited, cleaners were cluster......-randomised (work location; sex; age; length of service) to aerobic exercise [N = 57, 44.9 years, 75.4% female, body mass index (BMI) 26.2], receiving 2 weekly aerobic exercise sessions during 12 months, or a reference group (N = 59, 45.7 years, 76.3% female, BMI 27.1), receiving health-promoting lectures. Self.......2) in the aerobic exercise group compared to the reference group. Productivity and rating of exertion were unaltered. Analysis stratified on age showed significant effects only among the participants aged ≤ 45 years. CONCLUSIONS: After 12 months work ability improved and need for recovery decreased. A period of 4...

Cleaner Technology in the Hard Disk Drive Manufacturing Industry: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Moolla, Premchai; Chompu-inwai, Rungchat

2010-10-01

The objectives of this research are to improve raw material and energy consumption efficiency, as well as reduce defects and the use of chemicals in the arm coil assembly process of hard disk drive manufacturing in the case study company by applying the Cleaner Technology concepts. The four main sequential steps used in this research were: (1) pre-assessment, (2) assessment, (3) feasibility study, and (4) implementation. In the first step, raw data, such as process flows, raw material usage and defects data were collected. In the second step, the loss during production and causes of loss were analyzed. Opportunities to reduce raw material, chemical and energy wastage could then be recommended. The next step was to evaluate the feasibility and potential benefits of a particular Cleaner Technology opportunity. Finally, in the last step, after a thorough evaluation and implementation of the opportunities to apply Cleaner Technology, the results showed that arm coil defects could be reduced by improving the production process using the ECRS technique. ECRS stands for Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange and Simplify. This improvement reduced arm coil defect rates from 0.48% to 0.15%, thus saving approximately 139,638 Thai Baht per month. In addition, production stoppage decision made by workers was used to increase employee involvement in defect detection. Allowing workers to participate in such a decision was an effective way to reduce defect rate and could motivate workers to produce a better quality job. This resulted in arm coil defects reducing from 0.41% to 0.025%, with about 74,562 Thai Baht per month saving. Additionally, an increase in the efficiency of electricity consumption occurred, by increasing the speed of the infrared oven conveyor belt, improving average productivity from 533 pieces/hour to 560 pieces/hour, without adversely affecting product costs and quality, thus producing products of up to the value of 206,242 Thai Baht per month. Furthermore, the new

Measurement of flow inside a vacuum cleaner head

Science.gov (United States)

Iguchi, Ryotaro; Ban, Hisataka; Sakakibara, Jun

2017-11-01

Vacuum cleaner head with rotating brushes is widely used as a home appliance. Although it efficiently collects dusts from the floor, flow field of the air and motion of the dust inside the head have not been fully investigated. In this study, we performed 3D-PIV (particle tracking velocimetry) measurement of velocity field inside the head. Water was used as working fluid, which allows a use of fluorescent particle to reduce unwanted reflection from the brushes and inner surface of the head. Mean velocity field and turbulence statistics in the head with and without the brush will be presented.

[Delayed testing for the diagnosis of fungi in the urines. Evaluation of the BD Vacutainer C&S tubes for the storage of urine samples at room temperature].

Science.gov (United States)

Baixench, M T; Al-Sheikh, M; Paugam, A

2005-01-01

The study included 37 urine samples which have been artificially infected with low levels (10(3) CFU/mL) of various fungi strains. We compared the effects of sample storage, up to 48 hours, at room temperature, in a urine evacuated tube containing specific additives with storage at + 4 degrees C, for the same length of time, in a urine evacuated tube without any additives. There have been no differences of results (speed of growth and colony size) between the 2 modes of storage. However, the experience has shown that samples needed a careful mixing before seeding to avoid underdetection of the strains. Based on the study results, the BD Vacutainer C&S tubes are suitable for delayed testing for the diagnosis of urine fungal infection.

The local clinical validation of a new lithium heparin tube with a barrier: BD Vacutainer® Barricor LH Plasma tube

Science.gov (United States)

Arslan, Fatma Demet; Karakoyun, Inanc; Basok, Banu Isbilen; Aksit, Merve Zeytinli; Baysoy, Anil; Ozturk, Yasemin Kilic; Guclu, Yusuf Adnan; Duman, Can

2017-01-01

Introduction Although serum-providing blood tubes with a barrier are still widely used due to their significant advantages, the use of blood tubes with a barrier to provide plasma is becoming widespread. We compared 22 analytes in a BD Vacutainer® Barricor LH Plasma tube for local clinical validation of this new lithium heparin tube with a barrier. Materials and methods Samples from 44 volunteers were collected in different tubes (Becton Dickinson and Company): Z tube without additive (reference), clot-activator tube with gel (SST), lithium heparin tube without gel (LiH), and lithium heparin tube with barrier (Barricor). Analyte concentrations in different tubes were compared with the reference tube. All tubes were also evaluated according to additional testing (different centrifugation durations, blood-sampling techniques and individual differences). Results Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glucose (Glc), potassium (K), lactate dehydrogenase (LD), sodium (Na), and total protein (TP) had a significant bias in Barricor (9.19%, - 3.24%, - 4.88%, 21.60%, - 0.40%, 5.03%, respectively) relative to the reference tube. There was no statistical difference between different centrifugation durations and individual differences for AST, K and LD in LiH and/or Barricor (P > 0.05). There was a significant bias for LD between LiH and Barricor in terms of blood-sampling techniques (21.2% and 12.4%, respectively). Conclusions Recently, the use of plasma has become prominent due to some of its advantages. In this study, plasma AST, K, LD, Glc and TP levels in Barricor were clinically different in comparison to serum. The results of additional tests showed that higher levels of LD in Barricor did not result from haemolysis, and they might be related to other factors including number of platelets, cellular fragility, or functional environment. PMID:28900369

The local clinical validation of a new lithium heparin tube with a barrier: BD Vacutainer® Barricor LH Plasma tube.

Science.gov (United States)

Arslan, Fatma Demet; Karakoyun, Inanc; Basok, Banu Isbilen; Aksit, Merve Zeytinli; Baysoy, Anil; Ozturk, Yasemin Kilic; Guclu, Yusuf Adnan; Duman, Can

2017-10-15

Although serum-providing blood tubes with a barrier are still widely used due to their significant advantages, the use of blood tubes with a barrier to provide plasma is becoming widespread. We compared 22 analytes in a BD Vacutainer® Barricor LH Plasma tube for local clinical validation of this new lithium heparin tube with a barrier. Samples from 44 volunteers were collected in different tubes (Becton Dickinson and Company): Z tube without additive (reference), clot-activator tube with gel (SST), lithium heparin tube without gel (LiH), and lithium heparin tube with barrier (Barricor). Analyte concentrations in different tubes were compared with the reference tube. All tubes were also evaluated according to additional testing (different centrifugation durations, blood-sampling techniques and individual differences). Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glucose (Glc), potassium (K), lactate dehydrogenase (LD), sodium (Na), and total protein (TP) had a significant bias in Barricor (9.19%, - 3.24%, - 4.88%, 21.60%, - 0.40%, 5.03%, respectively) relative to the reference tube. There was no statistical difference between different centrifugation durations and individual differences for AST, K and LD in LiH and/or Barricor (P > 0.05). There was a significant bias for LD between LiH and Barricor in terms of blood-sampling techniques (21.2% and 12.4%, respectively). Recently, the use of plasma has become prominent due to some of its advantages. In this study, plasma AST, K, LD, Glc and TP levels in Barricor were clinically different in comparison to serum. The results of additional tests showed that higher levels of LD in Barricor did not result from haemolysis, and they might be related to other factors including number of platelets, cellular fragility, or functional environment.

Evaluating The Operation Of Three Air Cleaners Working Individually In A Clean Room

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ardkapan, Siamak Rahimi; Afshari, Alireza; Bergsøe, Niels Christian

2011-01-01

The use of portable air cleaners is becoming increasingly popular in many countries including Denmark. Portable air cleaners are known for not only removing but also generating particles and gases. To clarify this, three air cleaning technologies were evaluated. They were nonthermal plasma......, photochemical air purifier and corona discharge ionizer. The concentrations of ultrafine particles, ozone and total volatile organic compounds were measured both in a duct and in a clean room. It was found that the studied air cleaning technologies increased the ozone level in the clean room and the duct....... The increase of ozone level in the clean room was more than that was measured in the duct. Additionally, it was found that the number of ultrafine particles in the room increased due to the generated ozone. The number of generated particles changed with the season. The study leads to the recommendation...

Atomic absorption spectrometry using tungsten and molybdenum tubes as metal atomizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaneco, Satoshi; Katsumata, Hideyuki; Ohta, Kiyohisa; Suzuki, Tohru

2007-01-01

We have developed a metal tube atomizer for the electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry (ETA-AAS). Tungsten, molybdenum, platinum tube atomizers were used as the metal atomizer for ETA-AAS. The atomization characteristics of various metals using these metal tube atomizers were investigated. The effects of heating rate of atomizer, atomization temperature, pyrolysis temperature, argon purge gas flow rate and hydrogen addition on the atomic absorption signal were investigated for the evaluation of atomization characteristics. Moreover, ETA-AAS with metal tube atomizer has been combined with the slurry-sampling techniques. Ultrasonic slurry-sampling ETA-AAS with metal tube atomizer were effective for the determination of trace metal elements in biological materials, calcium drug samples, herbal medicine samples, vegetable samples and fish samples. Furthermore, a preconcentration method of trace metals involving adsorption on a metal wire has been applied to ETA-AAS with metal tube atomizer. (author)

Innovation in pressure tube life assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guler, B.; Kalenchuk, D.; Celovsky, A.

2003-01-01

The hydrogen equivalent concentration and the rate of hydrogen ingress (in particular, deuterium) in pressure tubes are important parameters that must be assessed to determine the fitness-for-service of CANDU reactors. This paper presents the latest refinement in a process referred to as 'Pressure Tube Sampling', which is the only fully qualified and proven method that allows accurate determination of both the hydrogen equivalent concentration and the rate deuterium ingress without performing an expensive fuel channel removal. Pressure Tube Sampling has evolved over the past fifteen years during which over 2,300 samples have been obtained from CANDU reactors around the globe. In-reactor sampling is the standard method for determining the hydrogen equivalent concentrations and deuterium ingress rates in CANDU reactors. Over the past fifteen years, continual improvements in the Pressure Tube Sampling process have resulted in: the capability to obtain circumferential and axial samples, reduced 'on-face' time, reduced cost, reduced dose to workers, and improved analysis accuracy. Most recently, the new Multi-Head Sampling Tool (MHST) has been developed that continues this trend by using one tool to sample at all four axial pressure tube locations in a single visit to the fuel channel, thereby further improving efficiency. In 2001 October, the MHST was successfully deployed at Wolsong 1 by AECL for Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power. The tool was delivered using their Advanced Delivery Machine (ADM) and a total of sixteen samples were obtained from four channels. A significant saving in time was achieved with a rate of one channel (four samples) being sampled every 2 1/2 hours. For a typical 10-channel campaign, this could equate to a 2 to 3 days time/saving, which is significant in terms of outage schedule, cost, and worker dose. This paper provides a description of some of the latest innovations, with specific details on site application, performance, and end results

Analysis of the potentiality for implementing of the cleaner production and adopting a sustainable consumption in the Cuban entrepreneurial system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tortosa Ferrer, Barbara Ivette; Orue Valdes, Sonia; Mena Ulecia, Karel

2007-01-01

The world economic development has conduced to increase the worsening of the environment as result of the natural resources pollution. The tendency has been toward the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, to increasing of the goods and services production, as well as, to elevated consumption. In this sense, many countries have planed environmental policies addressed to reducing of pollution introducing cleaner production practices and promoting the adoption of responsible consumption. This article shows the existing potentiality in a selected Cuban companies group for introducing and applying of the cleaner production, as well as, the adoption of a sustainable consumption start from analysis of the obtained results in short-term assessments (quick scans) carried out by the Cuban Environment Agency Focal Point of the National Cleaner Production Network in the period between 2004 and 2007

Sampling device for radioactive molten salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shindo, Masato

1998-01-01

The present invention provides a device for accurately sampling molten salts to which various kinds of metals in a molten salt storage tank are mixed for analyzing them during a spent fuel dry type reprocessing. Namely, the device comprises a sampling tube having an opened lower end to be inserted into the radioactive molten salts stored in a tank and keeps reduced pressure from the upper end, and a pressure reducing pipeline having one end connected to the sampling tube and other end connected to an evacuating pump. In this device, the top end of the sampling tube is inserted to a position for sampling the radioactive molten salts (molten salts). The pressure inside the evacuating pipeline connected to the upper portion of the sampling tube is reduced for a while. In this case, the inside of the pressure reducing pipeline is previously evacuated by the evacuating pump so as to keep a predetermined pressure. Since the pressure in the sampling tube is lowered, molten salts are inserted into the sampling tube, the sampling tube is withdrawn, and the molten salts flown in the sampling tube are analyzed. (I.S.)

Intercomparison of techniques for inspection and diagnostics of heavy water reactor pressure tubes: Flaw detection and characterization [Phase 1] [Sample summary reports of pressure tube samples from Argentina, India, Canada, Republic of Korea, and Romania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-05-01

Research Institute (KAERI), Republic of Korea; - The National Institute for Research and Development for Technical Physics (NIRDTP), Romania; and - Nuclear Non-Destructive Testing Research and Services (NNDT), Romania. This TECDOC reports the results of the collaboration on flaw detection and characterization (Phase 1). A companion publication reports results of the collaboration on characterizing hydride blisters and determining the hydrogen concentration in Zirconium alloys (Phase 2). This CD-ROM contains sample summary reports of pressure tube samples from Argentina, India, Canada, Republic of Korea, and Romania

Aeroacoustic characteristics and noise reduction of a centrifugal fan for a vacuum cleaner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeon, Wan Ho; Rew, Ho Seon; Kim, Chang Joon [LG Electronics, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2004-02-01

The aeroacoustic characteristics of a centrifugal fan for a vacuum cleaner and its noise reduction method are studied in this paper. The major noise source of a vacuum cleaner is the centrifugal fan. The impeller of the fan rotates at over 30000 rpm, and generates very high-level noise. It was revealed that the dominant noise source is the aerodynamic interaction between the rotating impeller and stationary diffuser. The directivity of acoustic pressure showed that most of the noise propagates backward direction of the fan-motor assembly. In order to reduce the high tonal sound generated from the aerodynamic interaction, unevenly pitched impeller and diffuser, and tapered impeller designs were proposed and experiments were performed. Uneven pitch design of the impeller changes the sound quality while the overall Sound Power Level (SPL) and the performance remains similar. The effect of the tapered design of impeller was evaluated. The trailing edge of the tapered fan is inclined. This reduces the flow interaction between the rotating impeller and the stationary diffuser because of some phase shifts. The static efficiency of the new impeller design is slightly lower than the previous design. However, the overall SPL is reduced by about 4 dB(A). The SPL of the fundamental Blade Passing Frequency (BPF) is reduced by about 6 dB(A) and the 2{sup nd} BPF is reduced about 20 dB(A). The vacuum cleaner with the tapered impeller design produces lower noise level than the previous one, and the strong tonal sound was dramatically reduced.

Aeroacoustic characteristics and noise reduction of a centrifugal fan for a vacuum cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Wan Ho; Rew, Ho Seon; Kim, Chang Joon

2004-01-01

The aeroacoustic characteristics of a centrifugal fan for a vacuum cleaner and its noise reduction method are studied in this paper. The major noise source of a vacuum cleaner is the centrifugal fan. The impeller of the fan rotates at over 30000 rpm, and generates very high-level noise. It was revealed that the dominant noise source is the aerodynamic interaction between the rotating impeller and stationary diffuser. The directivity of acoustic pressure showed that most of the noise propagates backward direction of the fan-motor assembly. In order to reduce the high tonal sound generated from the aerodynamic interaction, unevenly pitched impeller and diffuser, and tapered impeller designs were proposed and experiments were performed. Uneven pitch design of the impeller changes the sound quality while the overall Sound Power Level (SPL) and the performance remains similar. The effect of the tapered design of impeller was evaluated. The trailing edge of the tapered fan is inclined. This reduces the flow interaction between the rotating impeller and the stationary diffuser because of some phase shifts. The static efficiency of the new impeller design is slightly lower than the previous design. However, the overall SPL is reduced by about 4 dB(A). The SPL of the fundamental Blade Passing Frequency (BPF) is reduced by about 6 dB(A) and the 2 nd BPF is reduced about 20 dB(A). The vacuum cleaner with the tapered impeller design produces lower noise level than the previous one, and the strong tonal sound was dramatically reduced

Long-term stability of glucose: glycolysis inhibitor vs. gel barrier tubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Winter, Theresa; Hannemann, Anke; Suchsland, Juliane; Nauck, Matthias; Petersmann, Astrid

2018-03-12

Measuring the glucose concentration in whole blood samples is critical due to unsatisfactory glycolysis inhibition. Previous studies showed that Terumo tubes were superior, but they were taken off the European market in 2016 and alternatives were required. This initiated the present evaluation of glucose stability in five available tube types. Venous blood samples were collected from 61 healthy volunteers to test tubes supplied by Terumo (two sets), Greiner FC-Mix, BD FX-Mixture and BD serum. After sampling, the contents were thoroughly mixed and centrifuged within an hour. The glucose concentrations were determined and the samples resuspended except for BD serum tubes (gel barrier). The first 30 samples were stored at room temperature and the remaining 31 at 4°C. After 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, all tubes were (re)centrifuged, and glucose concentration measurements were repeated. Changes in glucose concentrations over time differed significantly between the investigated tube types and to a certain extent between the two storing conditions. Glycolysis was most evident in the BD FX-mixture tubes. Good glucose stability was observed in samples retrieved form BD serum and Greiner tubes. The stability in both Terumo tubes was comparable to that in other studies. Although Greiner and both Terumo tubes are supposed to contain the same glycolysis inhibitor, glucose stability differed between these tubes. We showed that Greiner is an acceptable alternative to Terumo and that glucose in serum that was rapidly separated from corpuscles by a gel barrier is stable for an extended time.

Effects of Friction Reduction on Fiber Damage in a Saw-Type Lint Cleaner

Science.gov (United States)

U.S. cotton is at a competitive disadvantage from a fiber-quality standpoint, because lint cleaning is required for mechanically harvested cotton, and lint cleaning causes fiber damage. Lint-cleaning research has focused mainly on modifying saw-type lint cleaners, but the work reported here focuses...

Too tired for exercise? The work and leisure of female cleaners in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenneis, Verena; Pfister, Gertrud Ursula

2017-01-01

on the relevant literature on women’s work–life balance and (migrant) women’s participation in LTPA, we approached their work and leisure from an intersectionality perspective and explored if and how female cleaners engaged in LTPA and which constraints impeded their involvement. The interviewees’ narratives...

Workshop on Indian Chemical Industry: perspectives on safety, cleaner production and environment production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ham, J.M.

1996-01-01

A Workshop on "Indian Chemical Industry: Perspectives on Safety, Cleaner Production and Environmental Protection" was held on 3, 4 and 5 January 1996, in Bombay, India. The main objective of the workshop, which was organised jointly by the Government of India, UNIDO/UNDP and the Indian Chemical

Playing after work? Opportunities and challenges of a physical activity programme for female cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenneis, Verena; Pfister, Gertrud Ursula

2016-01-01

The workplace is regarded as an ideal setting for health promotion, not least because large sections of the population, including “high risk groups”, can be reached. One group which is reportedly in great demand of health promotion is that of female (migrant) cleaners – the participants in our...... factors constrained and which supported participation. The interviews revealed a high degree of appreciation for the training but also pointed to a number of constraints which were embedded into the participants’ biographies and everyday lives as migrant cleaners in Denmark. Most women had no previous...... experience with sport and exercise and struggled with the high demands at work and a “second shift” at home. As a consequence, most participants found the training too time- and energy-consuming. We conclude that exercise programmes should preferably be conducted at the workplace and during working hours....

Transition to an intelligent use of cleaner biomass stoves

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luis Teles de Carvalho, Ricardo; Jensen, Ole Michael; Vicent, Estela D.

2016-01-01

are relevant issues to save energy and avoid greenhouse gas (CO2e) emissions. This work compares the operating performance of 3 types of biomass stoves used in Europe in their interaction with dwellings. Field studies were conducted in 24 houses in Portugal and Denmark to analyse wood-burning behaviours......In Europe, inappropriate user behaviours in the operation of wood-burning stoves (WBSs) results in substantial energy losses where fireplaces and conventional stoves are major contributors to undue emissions of health damaging fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The design and adoption of cleaner WBSs...

Field evaluation and health assessment of air cleaners in removing radon decay products in domestic environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Chih-Shan.

1990-01-01

In this study, field evaluations of two types of air cleaners were conducted in three single-family houses. The measurements included radon concentration, particle number concentration, and concentration and size distribution of radon decay products. The influence on the behavior of radon decay products by various indoor particles both with and without the air cleaning systems was investigated. A room model was used to calculate the changes in the aerosol parameters caused by the operation of the air cleaners. Using the James dosimetric models (1989 and 1990), the changes in the hourly bronchial dose rate per Bq m -3 radon for men, women, and children can be estimated for various domestic environments. 94 refs., 60 figs., 28 tabs

Acute effect on ambulatory blood pressure from aerobic exercise: a randomised cross-over study among female cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Lund Rasmussen, Charlotte; Nielsen, Line; Linander Henriksen, Marie; Søgaard, Karen; Krustrup, Peter; Holtermann, Andreas; Korshøj, Mette

2018-02-01

High occupational physical activity (OPA) is shown to increase the risk for elevated blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and mortality. Conversely, aerobic exercise acutely lowers the blood pressure up to 25 h post exercise. However, it is unknown if this beneficial effect also apply for workers exposed to high levels of OPA. Cleaners constitute a relevant occupational group for this investigation because of a high prevalence of OPA and cardiovascular disease. Accordingly, the objective was to investigate the acute effects on ambulatory blood pressure from a single aerobic exercise session among female cleaners. Twenty-two female cleaners were randomised to a cross-over study with a reference and an aerobic exercise session. Differences in 24-h, work hours, leisure time, and sleep ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) were evaluated using repeated measure 2 × 2 mixed-models. After the aerobic exercise session, the 24-h systolic ambulatory blood pressure was significantly lowered by 2.4 mmHg (p ABP was unaltered. During work hours, a lowered systolic ABP of 2.2 mmHg (p = 0.02) and a higher diastolic ABP of 1.5 mmHg (p = 0.03) were found after the aerobic exercise session. During leisure time, the systolic ABP was lowered by 1.7 mmHg (p = 0.04) and the diastolic ABP was unaltered. During sleep, the systolic and diastolic ABP was unaltered. A single aerobic exercise session lowered 24-h systolic ABP of 2.4 mmHg. Thus, an aerobic exercise session seems to be beneficial for lowering the risk of hypertension among cleaners.

The single chest tube versus double chest tube application after pulmonary lobectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuefei Zhang

2016-01-01

Conclusion: Compared with the double chest tube, the single chest tube significantly decreases amount of drainage, duration of chest tube drainage, pain score, the number of patients who need thoracentesis, and cost. Although there is convincing evidence to confirm the results mentioned herein, they still need to be confirmed by large-sample, multicenter, randomized, controlled trials.

Gastrostomy Tube (G-Tube)

Science.gov (United States)

... any of these problems: a dislodged tube a blocked or clogged tube any signs of infection (including redness, swelling, or warmth at the tube site; discharge that's yellow, green, or foul-smelling; fever) excessive bleeding or drainage from the tube site severe abdominal pain lasting ...

Applying real options analysis to assess cleaner energy development strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Ching-Tsung; Lo, Shang-Lien; Lin, Tyrone T.

2011-01-01

The energy industry, accounts for the largest portion of CO 2 emissions, is facing the issue of compliance with the national clean energy policy. The methodology for evaluating the energy mix policy is crucial because of the characteristics of lead time embedded with the power generation facilities investment and the uncertainty of future electricity demand. In this paper, a modified binomial model based on sequential compound options, which may account for the lead time and uncertainty as a whole is established, and a numerical example on evaluating the optional strategies and the strategic value of the cleaner energy policy is also presented. It is found that the optimal decision at some nodes in the binomial tree is path dependent, which is different from the standard sequential compound option model with lead time or time lag concept. The proposed modified binomial sequential compound real options model can be generalized and extensively applied to solve the general decision problems that deal with the long lead time of many government policies as well as capital intensive investments. - Highlights: → Introducing a flexible strategic management approach for government policy making. → Developing a modified binomial real options model based on sequential compound options. → Proposing an innovative model for managing the long term policy with lead time. → Applying to evaluate the options of various scenarios of cleaner energy strategies.

System for Packaging Planetary Samples for Return to Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Badescu, Mircea; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Backes, paul G.; Sherrit, Stewart; Bao, Xiaoqi; Scott, James S.

2010-01-01

A system is proposed for packaging material samples on a remote planet (especially Mars) in sealed sample tubes in preparation for later return to Earth. The sample tubes (Figure 1) would comprise (1) tubes initially having open tops and closed bottoms; (2) small, bellows-like collapsible bodies inside the tubes at their bottoms; and (3) plugs to be eventually used to close the tops of the tubes. The top inner surface of each tube would be coated with solder. The side of each plug, which would fit snugly into a tube, would feature a solder-filled ring groove. The system would include equipment for storing, manipulating, filling, and sealing the tubes. The containerization system (see Figure 2) will be organized in stations and will include: the storage station, the loading station, and the heating station. These stations can be structured in circular or linear pattern to minimize the manipulator complexity, allowing for compact design and mass efficiency. The manipulation of the sample tube between stations is done by a simple manipulator arm. The storage station contains the unloaded sample tubes and the plugs before sealing as well as the sealed sample tubes with samples after loading and sealing. The chambers at the storage station also allow for plug insertion into the sample tube. At the loading station the sample is poured or inserted into the sample tube and then the tube is topped off. At the heating station the plug is heated so the solder ring melts and seals the plug to the sample tube. The process is performed as follows: Each tube is filled or slightly overfilled with sample material and the excess sample material is wiped off the top. Then, the plug is inserted into the top section of the tube packing the sample material against the collapsible bellowslike body allowing the accommodation of the sample volume. The plug and the top of the tube are heated momentarily to melt the solder in order to seal the tube.

Taxation on vehicle fuels: its impacts on switching to cleaner fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, W.-T.

2006-01-01

Vehicular consumption of fossil fuel contributes over 90% of air pollution in Hong Kong. A key strategy to improve Hong Kong's air quality is to discourage dirty fuels (e.g., leaded petrol and high-sulphur diesel) and to promote the use of clean fuels (e.g., low-sulphur diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)). This paper presents the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of the Government's clean fuel programs that offer tax subsidy to lower the consumption cost of such fuels. For the cases of unleaded petrol and ultra-low-sulphur diesel, lower fuel duties were offered so that the prices of these fuels were below those of leaded petrol and conventional diesel. Conventional petrol and diesel were phased out. In order to decide on the level of fuel duty concessions required to introduce LPG for taxis and bio-diesel for other vehicles, various Government-run trial programs were introduced to obtain cost estimates of using these alternative cleaner fuels. LPG using vehicles were subsequently exempted from the fuel duty in order to attract taxi and light bus operators to switch to LPG. It is apparent that the higher the subsidy, the faster is the rate at which switching to cleaner fuels takes place

Water resources protection today: end-of-pipe technology and cleaner production. Case study of the Czech Odra River watershed.

Science.gov (United States)

Chour, V

2001-01-01

This paper reports on integrated watershed-based protection and sustainable use of water resources to increase the effectiveness of water pollution abatement. The approach includes improvements in end-of-pipe waste-water treatment technologies and implementation of Cleaner Production (CP) principles and policies within the watershed. An example of the general effectiveness of this approach is illustrated by the Czech Odra River Cleaner Production Project where reductions in pollution were achieved with improved industrial production. The CP theme is worth considering as an important challenge for the IWA.

What drives successful implementation of pollution prevention and cleaner technology strategy? The role of innovative capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhupendra, Kumar Verma; Sangle, Shirish

2015-05-15

Firms that are dynamic and prepared to implement environmental strategies have a potential competitive advantage over their industry counterparts. Therefore, it is important to understand, what capabilities are required to implement proactive environmental strategies. The paper discusses the attributes of innovative capability required by firms in order to adopt pollution prevention and cleaner technology strategies. Empirical results show that process and behavioral innovativeness are required by firms to implement a pollution prevention strategy. In addition to process and behavioral innovativeness, firms need a top management with high risk-taking ability as well as market, product, and strategic innovativeness to implement a cleaner technology strategy. The paper proposes some important managerial implications on the basis of the above research findings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

China and Cleaner Coal. A marriage of necessity destined for failure?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seaman, John

2012-04-01

For China, coal is a crucial source of abundant, indigenous and affordable energy and is a pillar of economic and social stability. From a logic of energy security, and because the industry itself maintains a formidable political presence through the sheer fact of its history and size, this resource will continue to play a central role in the country's energy mix. But in order to respond to the growing need to reduce the burden of coal use on the environment and the Chinese population, and to prevent catastrophic climate change, both Chinese leaders and the industry itself have faced a certain reality - coal must become cleaner. This has led to a tenuous compromise between those in China advocating for the use of coal as a matter of economic necessity and social stability (security of supply, reliable and cheap electricity, and indigenous energy technologies) and those who strive for more environmentally sustainable growth (and thus emphasize 'clean' coal). The convergence of these two concepts has spurred a major shift towards newer, more efficient, though still highly polluting technologies - notably larger scale, hotter burning supercritical and ultra-supercritical coal-fired plants. But it has also spawned a number of demonstration-scale projects in various cutting-edge technologies to include coal gasification and carbon capture and storage (CCS), which promise vast improvements in CO_2 and other, toxic emissions if widely adopted. Indeed, mitigating climate change while continuing to rely heavily on coal will only be possible if carbon can successfully be captured and stored on a broad scale. The push to develop new coal technologies opens doors for both foreign and Chinese businesses to work together, potentially creating new market opportunities at home and abroad. Chinese companies can receive much-needed capital and expertise, while foreign companies and researchers are given the chance to test and develop technologies at a level of speed and scale that

Evaluation of methods for cleaning low carbon uranium metal and alloy samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchner, K.; Dixon, M.

1979-01-01

Several methods for cleaning uranium samples prior to carbon analysis, using a Leco Carbon Analyzer, were evaluated. Use of Oakite Aluminum NST Cleaner followed by water and acetone rinse was found to be the best overall technique

Cleaner drive - Obstacles in the way of a market for a new generation of vehicles; Cleaner Drive. Hindernisse fuer die Markteinfuehrung von neuen Fahrzeug-Generationen. Bericht ueber die Beteiligung von e'mobile am EU-Projekt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwegler, U. [e' mobile, der Schweizerische Verband fuer elektrische und effiziente Strassenfahrzeuge, Berne (Switzerland); Domeniconi, R. [AssoVEL2, Mendrisio (Switzerland); Kaufmann, J. [Kaufmann Consulting, Berne (Switzerland); Werfeli, A. [Verband der Schweizerischen Gasindustrie, Zuerich (Switzerland)

2004-07-01

This final report for the Association of Swiss Traffic Engineers describes work done within the framework of the fifth European Research Framework Programme involving the development of tools to speed up the introduction of a new generations of vehicles. This report lists the work done by the Swiss e'mobil organisation and discusses the limitations placed on the work by its international framework. The report presents the 'Cleaner Drive' environmental evaluation methods used for vehicles. This considers greenhouse-gas emissions and external costs. Factors not considered, noise and bio-fuels, are mentioned. A data-base based decision-support tool is introduced. The development of the 'Cleaner Drive' web site is described. A further chapter takes a look at efforts being made in the area of filling stations for gaseous fuels.

Integrated Hydrologic Science and Environmental Engineering Observatory: CLEANER's Vision for the WATERS Network

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, J. L.; Minsker, B. S.; Schnoor, J.; Haas, C.; Bonner, J.; Driscoll, C.; Eschenbach, E.; Finholt, T.; Glass, J.; Harmon, T.; Johnson, J.; Krupnik, A.; Reible, D.; Sanderson, A.; Small, M.; van Briesen, J.

2006-05-01

With increasing population and urban development, societies grow more and more concerned over balancing the need to maintain adequate water supplies with that of ensuring the quality of surface and groundwater resources. For example, multiple stressors such as overfishing, runoff of nutrients from agricultural fields and confined animal feeding lots, and pathogens in urban stormwater can often overwhelm a single water body. Mitigating just one of these problems often depends on understanding how it relates to others and how stressors can vary in temporal and spatial scales. Researchers are now in a position to answer questions about multiscale, spatiotemporally distributed hydrologic and environmental phenomena through the use of remote and embedded networked sensing technologies. It is now possible for data streaming from sensor networks to be integrated by a rich cyberinfrastructure encompassing the innovative computing, visualization, and information archiving strategies needed to cope with the anticipated onslaught of data, and to turn that data around in the form of real-time water quantity and quality forecasting. Recognizing this potential, NSF awarded $2 million to a coalition of 12 institutions in July 2005 to establish the CLEANER Project Office (Collaborative Large-Scale Engineering Analysis Network for Environmental Research; http://cleaner.ncsa.uiuc.edu). Over the next two years the project office, in coordination with CUAHSI (Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc.; http://www.cuahsi.org), will work together to develop a plan for a WATer and Environmental Research Systems Network (WATERS Network), which is envisioned to be a collaborative scientific exploration and engineering analysis network, using high performance tools and infrastructure, to transform our scientific understanding of how water quantity, quality, and related earth system processes are affected by natural and human-induced changes to the environment

Ancylostoma caninum: calibration and comparison of diagnostic accuracy of flotation in tube, McMaster and FLOTAC in faecal samples of dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Cringoli, Giuseppe; Rinaldi, Laura; Maurelli, Maria Paola; Morgoglione, Maria Elena; Musella, Vincenzo; Utzinger, Jürg

2011-05-01

We performed a calibration of flotation in tube, McMaster and FLOTAC to determine the optimal flotation solution (FS) and the influence of faecal preservation for the diagnosis of Ancylostoma caninum in dogs, and compared the accuracy of the three copromicroscopic techniques. Among nine different FS, sodium chloride and sodium nitrate performed best for detection and quantification of A. caninum eggs. Faecal samples, either fresh or preserved in formalin 5%, resulted in higher A. caninum egg counts, compared to frozen samples or preserved in formalin 10% or sodium acetate-acetic acid-formalin. FLOTAC consistently resulted in higher A. caninum eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) and lower coefficient of variation (CV) than McMaster and flotation in tube. The best results in terms of mean faecal egg counts (highest value, i.e. 117.0EPG) and CV (lowest value, i.e. 4.8%) were obtained with FLOTAC using sodium chloride and faecal samples preserved in formalin 5%. Our findings suggest that the FLOTAC technique should be considered for the diagnosis of A. caninum in dogs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Tube on YouTube: TV Series, Media Strategies, and User Tactics in a Transmedia Environment

OpenAIRE

Rodríguez Ferrándiz, Raúl; Tur-Viñes, Victoria; Mora Contreras, Francisco Javier

2015-01-01

This study analyzes the traffic generated on YouTube around television series. We selected a sample of 314 short YouTube videos about 21 Spanish TV series that premiered in 2013 by Spain’s three most popular mainstream television networks (Telecinco, Antena 3, and La1). These videos, which together received more than 24 million views, were classified according to two key variables: the nature (official or nonofficial) of the YouTube channel on which they were located and the exclusivity of th...

IMPACT OF COSOLVENT FLUSHING ON SUBSURFACE MICROBIAL ECOLOGY AT THE FORMER SAGE'S DRY CLEANER SITE

Science.gov (United States)

The Solvent Extraction Residual Biotreatment (SERB) technology was evaluated at the former Sage's Dry Cleaner site in Jacksonville, FL where an area of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) contamination was identified. The SERB technology is a treatment train approach to complete site rest...

Visual accumulation tube for size analysis of sands

Science.gov (United States)

Colby, B.C.; Christensen, R.P.

1956-01-01

The visual-accumulation-tube method was developed primarily for making size analyses of the sand fractions of suspended-sediment and bed-material samples. Because the fundamental property governing the motion of a sediment particle in a fluid is believed to be its fall velocity. the analysis is designed to determine the fall-velocity-frequency distribution of the individual particles of the sample. The analysis is based on a stratified sedimentation system in which the sample is introduced at the top of a transparent settling tube containing distilled water. The procedure involves the direct visual tracing of the height of sediment accumulation in a contracted section at the bottom of the tube. A pen records the height on a moving chart. The method is simple and fast, provides a continuous and permanent record, gives highly reproducible results, and accurately determines the fall-velocity characteristics of the sample. The apparatus, procedure, results, and accuracy of the visual-accumulation-tube method for determining the sedimentation-size distribution of sands are presented in this paper.

The Infraordinary as Spatial Discourse: Tongue of the Dry Cleaner

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lunde Nielsen, Espen

2014-01-01

Most of us pass along kiosks, pubs, dry cleaners, turn street corners, rise up stairways on a daily basis, in a sort of spatial anaesthesia. These spaces that facilitates our everyday existence are ‘worn half-invisible by use’, thereby not given due attention. Through his occupation with the infra...... and people of the neighbourhood coexist through events in real-time and depositions over time. The infra-ordinary as a spatial discourse interrogates and acknowledges the latent qualities of the common and seemingly banal, yet vitally important, spatial materiality of everyday life, as an alternative...

General wisdom concerning the factors affecting the adoption of cleaner technologies: a survey 1990-2007

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montalvo Corral, C.

2008-01-01

Cleaner technologies (CT) have recently received much attention in diverse media and policy agendas. This comes out of the clear role they play in environmental protection and sustainability and the large potential to contribute to economic growth and competitiveness. The realization of both

Trace Analysis in End-Exhaled Air Using Direct Solvent Extraction in Gas Sampling Tubes: Tetrachloroethene in Workers as an Example

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris-Elmo Ziener

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Simple and cost-effective analytical methods are required to overcome the barriers preventing the use of exhaled air in routine occupational biological monitoring. Against this background, a new method is proposed that simplifies the automation and calibration of the analytical measurements. End-exhaled air is sampled using valveless gas sampling tubes made of glass. Gaseous analytes are transferred to a liquid phase using a microscale solvent extraction performed directly inside the gas sampling tubes. The liquid extracts are analysed using a gas chromatograph equipped, as usual, with a liquid autosampler, and liquid standards are used for calibration. For demonstration purposes, the method’s concept was applied to the determination of tetrachloroethene in end-exhaled air, which is a biomarker for occupational tetrachloroethene exposure. The method’s performance was investigated in the concentration range 2 to 20 μg tetrachloroethene/L, which corresponds to today’s exposure levels. The calibration curve was linear, and the intra-assay repeatability and recovery rate were sufficient. Analysis of real samples from dry-cleaning workers occupationally exposed to tetrachloroethene and from nonexposed subjects demonstrated the method’s utility. In the case of tetrachloroethene, the method can be deployed quickly, requires no previous experiences in gas analysis, provides sufficient analytical reliability, and addresses typical end-exhaled air concentrations from exposed workers.

Contrastive Analysis and Research on Negative Pressure Beam Tube System and Positive Pressure Beam Tube System for Mine Use

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xinyi; Shen, Jialong; Liu, Xinbo

2018-01-01

Against the technical defects of universally applicable beam tube monitoring system at present, such as air suction in the beam tube, line clogging, long sampling time, etc., the paper analyzes the current situation of the spontaneous combustion fire disaster forecast of mine in our country and these defects one by one. On this basis, the paper proposes a research thought that improving the positive pressure beam tube so as to substitute the negative pressure beam tube. Then, the paper introduces the beam tube monitoring system based on positive pressure technology through theoretical analysis and experiment. In the comparison with negative pressure beam tube, the paper concludes the advantage of the new system and draws the conclusion that the positive pressure beam tube is superior to the negative pressure beam tube system both in test result and test time. At last, the paper proposes prospect of the beam tube monitoring system based on positive pressure technology.

Reactive adsorption: A cleaner technology in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marton, G.; Szanya, T.; Hanak, L.

1996-01-01

Cleaner technology prefers work with minimal loss and the wastes cause the less environmental damages. In the spirit of the previous sentence in the present paper reactive adsorption is investigated for the removal of radioactive nuclides from nuclear power plant decontamination solutions. During alkaline, oxidative decontamination of nuclear power plant equipment a radioactive solution is produced. Owing to the storing difficulties of radioactive solutions it is necessary to develop a method for the in situ treatment of radioactive, alkaline, oxidative decontamination solutions, and for the concentration of radioactive components. Reactive adsorption seems to be promising for this purpose. 3 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab

Improved circulating microparticle analysis in acid-citrate dextrose (ACD) anticoagulant tube.

Science.gov (United States)

György, Bence; Pálóczi, Krisztina; Kovács, Alexandra; Barabás, Eszter; Bekő, Gabriella; Várnai, Katalin; Pállinger, Éva; Szabó-Taylor, Katalin; Szabó, Tamás G; Kiss, Attila A; Falus, András; Buzás, Edit I

2014-02-01

Recently extracellular vesicles (exosomes, microparticles also referred to as microvesicles and apoptotic bodies) have attracted substantial interest as potential biomarkers and therapeutic vehicles. However, analysis of microparticles in biological fluids is confounded by many factors such as the activation of cells in the blood collection tube that leads to in vitro vesiculation. In this study we aimed at identifying an anticoagulant that prevents in vitro vesiculation in blood plasma samples. We compared the levels of platelet microparticles and non-platelet-derived microparticles in platelet-free plasma samples of healthy donors. Platelet-free plasma samples were isolated using different anticoagulant tubes, and were analyzed by flow cytometry and Zymuphen assay. The extent of in vitro vesiculation was compared in citrate and acid-citrate-dextrose (ACD) tubes. Agitation and storage of blood samples at 37 °C for 1 hour induced a strong release of both platelet microparticles and non-platelet-derived microparticles. Strikingly, in vitro vesiculation related to blood sample handling and storage was prevented in samples in ACD tubes. Importantly, microparticle levels elevated in vivo remained detectable in ACD tubes. We propose the general use of the ACD tube instead of other conventional anticoagulant tubes for the assessment of plasma microparticles since it gives a more realistic picture of the in vivo levels of circulating microparticles and does not interfere with downstream protein or RNA analyses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Equal-sign lepton pairs: a cleaner W-signal in panti p collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abud, M.; Gatto, R.; Savoy, C.A.

1978-01-01

It is pointed out that the observation of the energetic equal-sign dileptons in high-energy panti p colliding beams may provide for a cleaner way of detecting the W. It is assumed that the most energetic dileptons come from the semileptonic decays of the t- and b-quarks. The authors calculate the dilepton signal from weak interaction and compare it with the strong interaction background as predicted by QCD. (Auth.)

Colour coding for blood collection tube closures - a call for harmonisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Simundic, Ana-Maria; Cornes, Michael P; Grankvist, Kjell; Lippi, Giuseppe; Nybo, Mads; Ceriotti, Ferruccio; Theodorsson, Elvar; Panteghini, Mauro

2015-02-01

At least one in 10 patients experience adverse events while receiving hospital care. Many of the errors are related to laboratory diagnostics. Efforts to reduce laboratory errors over recent decades have primarily focused on the measurement process while pre- and post-analytical errors including errors in sampling, reporting and decision-making have received much less attention. Proper sampling and additives to the samples are essential. Tubes and additives are identified not only in writing on the tubes but also by the colour of the tube closures. Unfortunately these colours have not been standardised, running the risk of error when tubes from one manufacturer are replaced by the tubes from another manufacturer that use different colour coding. EFLM therefore supports the worldwide harmonisation of the colour coding for blood collection tube closures and labels in order to reduce the risk of pre-analytical errors and improve the patient safety.

An investigation on SA 213-Tube to SA 387-Tube plate using friction welding process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rajan, S. Pandia; Kumaraswamidhas, L. A. [Indian Institute of Technology, Jharkhand (India); Kumaran, S. Senthil [RVS School of Engineering and Technology, Tamil Nadu (India); Muthukumaran, S. [National Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu (India)

2016-01-15

Friction welding of tube to tube plate using an external tool (FWTPET) is a relatively newer solid state welding process used for joining tube to tube plate of either similar or dissimilar materials with enhanced mechanical and metallurgical properties. In the present study, FWTPET has been used to weld SA 213 (Grade T12) tube with SA 387 (Grade 22) tube plate. The welded samples are found to have satisfactory joint strength and the Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) study showed that inter metallic compound is absent in the weld zone. The different weld joints have been identified and the phase composition is found using EDX and XRD. Microstructures have been analyzed using optical and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties such as hardness, compressive shear strength and peel test for different weld conditions are studied and the hardness survey revealed that there is increase in hardness at the weld interface due to grain refinement. The corrosion behavior for different weld conditions have been analyzed and the weld zone is found to have better corrosion resistance due to the influence of the grain refinement after FWTPET welding process. Hence, the present investigation is carried out to study the behavior of friction welded dissimilar joints of SA 213 tube and SA 387 tube plate joints and the results are presented. The present study confirms that a high quality tube to tube plate joint can be achieved using FWTPET process at 1120 rpm.

Microstructural examination of irradiated zircaloy-2 pressure tube material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, D.; Tewari, R.; Dey, G.K.; Sah, D.N.; Banerjee, S.

2005-01-01

Irradiation induced microstructural changes in Zr alloys strongly influence the creep, growth and mechanical properties of pressure tube material. Since dimensional changes and mechanical property degradation can limit the life of pressure tube, it is essential to study and develop an understanding of the microstructure produced by neutron irradiation, by examining samples taken from the irradiated components. In the present work, an effort has been made to examine, microstructure of the Zircaloy-2 pressure tube material irradiated in the Indian Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). The present work is a first step towards a comprehensive program of characterization of microstructure of reactor materials after irradiation to different fluence levels in power reactors. In this study, samples from a Zircaloy-2 pressure tube, which had been in operation in the high flux region of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit 1, for a period for 6.77 effective full power years (EFPYs), have been prepared and examined. The samples selected from the tube are expected to have a cumulative radiation damage of about 3 dpa. Samples prepared from the off cuts of RAPS-1 pressure tubes were also studied for examining the unirradiated microstructure of the material. The samples were examined in a 200kV JEOL 2000 FX microscope. This paper presents the distinct features observed in irradiated sample and a comprehensive comparison of the microstructures of the unirradiated and irradiated material. The effect of annealing on the annihilation of the defects generated during irradiation has been also studied. The bright field micrographs revealed that microstructure of the irradiated samples was different in many respects from the microstructure of the unirradiated samples. The presence of defect structure in the form of loops etc could be seen in the irradiated sample. These loops were mostly c-type loops lying in the basal plane. The dissolution and redistribution of the precipitates were

The performance of cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, in a reversal learning task varies across experimental paradigms.

Science.gov (United States)

Gingins, Simon; Marcadier, Fanny; Wismer, Sharon; Krattinger, Océane; Quattrini, Fausto; Bshary, Redouan; Binning, Sandra A

2018-01-01

Testing performance in controlled laboratory experiments is a powerful tool for understanding the extent and evolution of cognitive abilities in non-human animals. However, cognitive testing is prone to a number of potential biases, which, if unnoticed or unaccounted for, may affect the conclusions drawn. We examined whether slight modifications to the experimental procedure and apparatus used in a spatial task and reversal learning task affected performance outcomes in the bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus (hereafter "cleaners"). Using two-alternative forced-choice tests, fish had to learn to associate a food reward with a side (left or right) in their holding aquarium. Individuals were tested in one of four experimental treatments that differed slightly in procedure and/or physical set-up. Cleaners from all four treatment groups were equally able to solve the initial spatial task. However, groups differed in their ability to solve the reversal learning task: no individuals solved the reversal task when tested in small tanks with a transparent partition separating the two options, whereas over 50% of individuals solved the task when performed in a larger tank, or with an opaque partition. These results clearly show that seemingly insignificant details to the experimental set-up matter when testing performance in a spatial task and might significantly influence the outcome of experiments. These results echo previous calls for researchers to exercise caution when designing methodologies for cognition tasks to avoid misinterpretations.

Packed in-tube solid phase microextraction with graphene oxide supported on aminopropyl silica: Determination of target triazines in water samples.

Science.gov (United States)

De Toffoli, Ana L; Fumes, Bruno H; Lanças, Fernando M

2018-02-22

On-line in-tube solid phase microextraction (in-tube SPME) coupled to high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was successfully applied to the determination of selected triazines in water samples. The method based on the employment of a packed column containing graphene oxide (GO) supported on aminopropyl silica (Si) showed that the extraction phase has a high potential for triazines extraction aiming to its physical-chemical properties including ultrahigh specific surface area, good mechanical and thermal stability and high fracture strength. Injection volume and loading time were both investigated and optimized. The method validation using Si-GO to extract and concentrate the analytes showed satisfactory results, good sensitivity, good linearity (0.2-4.0 µg L -1 ) and low detection limits (1.1-2.9 ng L -1 ). The high extraction efficiency was determined with enrichment factors ranging from 1.2-2.9 for the lowest level, 1.3-4.9 intermediate level and 1.2-3.0 highest level (n = 3). Although the analytes were not detected in the real samples evaluated, the method has demonstrated to be efficient through its application in the analysis of spiked triazines in ground and mineral water samples.

Sample summary report for KOR1 pressure tube sample

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hee Jong; Nam, Min Woo; Choi, Young Ha

2006-01-01

This summary report includes basically the following: - The FLAW CHARACTERIZATION TABLE of KOR1 sample and supporting documentation. - The CROSS REFERENCE TABLES for each investigator, which is the SAMPLE INSPECTION TABLE that cross reference to the FLAW CHARACTERIZATION TABLE. - Each Sample Inspection Report as Appendices

Effort-reward imbalance at work and self-rated health of Las Vegas hotel room cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, Niklas; Rugulies, Reiner; Maslach, Christina

2010-04-01

This study investigates the relationship between effort-reward-imbalance (ERI) at work and self-rated health (SF-36) among 941 Las Vegas hotel room cleaners (99% female, 84% immigrant). Logistic regression models adjust for age, health behaviors, physical workload and other potential confounders. 50% reported ERI and 60% poor or fair general health. Significant associations were found between ERI and all SF-36 health measures. Workers in the upper quartile of the efforts/rewards ratio were 2-5 times more likely to experience poor or fair general health, low physical function, high levels of pain, fatigue, and role limitations due to physical and mental health problems. The cross-sectional design limits causal interpretation of these associations. However, the development of interventions to reduce ERI and to improve general health among room cleaners deserves high priority considering that both high ERI and low self-rated health have predicted chronic diseases and mortality in prospective studies. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Strategies to overcome barriers for cleaner generation technologies in small developing power systems: Sri Lanka case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wijayatunga, Priyantha D.C.; Siriwardena, Kanchana; Fernando, W.J.L.S.; Shrestha, Ram M.; Attalage, Rahula A.

2006-01-01

The penetration of cleaner and energy efficient technologies in small power systems such as the one in Sri Lanka has encountered many problems. This has caused major concerns among the policy makers, mainly in the context of the growing need to reduce harmful emissions in the electricity supply industry from the point of view of both local environmental pollution as well as the global warming concerns. This paper presents the outcome of a study involved in identifying and ranking the barriers to the promotion of cleaner and energy efficient technologies and strategies to overcome these barriers in Sri Lanka. Barriers for renewable energy based systems such as wind and wood fuel fired plants (dendro thermal power) and cleaner technologies such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) fired combined cycle and IGCC (coal) were identified based on a survey. A direct assessment multi-criteria decision making method called Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to rank the barriers. The most effective strategies are proposed to address the three major barriers for each of these technologies based on extensive discussions with all the stakeholders in the electricity industry. It was found that lack of financing instruments, high initial cost and lack of assurance of resource supply or availability are the main barriers for renewable technologies. As for cleaner fuel and technology options associated with conventional generation systems, the lack of a clear government policy, uncertainty of fuel supplies and their prices and the reliability of the technologies themselves are the major barriers. Strategies are identified to overcome the above barriers. Establishment of a proper feed in tariff, geographical diversification of installations and capacity building in commercial banks are suggested for wind power. Investment incentives, streamlining of wood production and research on site identification are proposed for wood fuel fired plants. Also the study suggests delayed

Patient identification and tube labelling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van Dongen-Lases, Edmée C; Cornes, Michael P; Grankvist, Kjell

2016-01-01

of phlebotomy procedures with the CLSI H3-A6 guideline was unacceptably low, and that patient identification and tube labelling are amongst the most critical steps in need of immediate attention and improvement. The process of patient identification and tube labelling is an essential safety barrier to prevent...... patient identity mix-up. Therefore, the EFLM Working Group aims to encourage and support worldwide harmonisation of patient identification and tube labelling procedures in order to reduce the risk of preanalytical errors and improve patient safety. With this Position paper we wish to raise awareness...... and provide recommendations for proper patient and sample identification procedures....

Applications of liquid scintillation tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broga, D.W.

1977-01-01

A new cocktail containing device for liquid scintillation counting, the scintillation tube, consists of a two-layered plastic bag which is heatsealed after the cocktail and sample have been placed in it. It is then placed in a carrying vial and counted in a conventional liquid scintillation counter. These tubes have proved to be a practical and economical alternative to vials. Some of their advantages are elimination of absorption problems, transparency, lower background and higher counting efficiency, low breakage danger and savings in waste disposal costs. Two applications for which the tubes are particularly suitable are the counting of laboratory swipes and urine analysis. (author)

The importance of integrated system design for the effectiveness of portable air cleaners in airborne infection

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Reenen, T

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The results of the recent study into the effectiveness of portable air cleaners (PACs), as an infection control measure against TB, delivered unexpectedly low results. That finding initiated a further study to understand the contribution of system...

Overview of cleaner production as a result of clean technology research in Vietnam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sam, D.V.; Nhan, T.V.; Lan, N.N. [Hanoi Univ. of Technology (Viet Nam)

1996-12-31

Vietnam is beginning its industrialization process, and it currently lacks the capital necessary for expensive pollution control and treatment systems. Pollution strategies are critical for the country. This study evaluates the present status of industry and the pollution problems associated with industrial development in Vietnam. The purpose of the study is to identify sectors that may have potential for promoting cleaner production practices. 4 refs.

Lipophilic Super-Absorbent Swelling Gels as Cleaners for Use on Weapons Systems and Platforms

Science.gov (United States)

2014-02-01

Tetrahydrofuran (THF), isopropa- nol, acetonitrile, and dichloromethane were obtained from Acros Organics (Morris Plains, NJ). Dimethylsulfoxide ( DMSO ) and 1...1. In the following solvents , swelling degree did not change in both heating and cooling processes: water, DMSO , methanol, ethanol, isopropanol...available alkylstyrene copolymer (imbiber beads). The cleaning ability of the gels was compared with the standard solvent cleaner trichloroethylene

Radiation technology helps China’s industries make water cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jawerth, Nicole

2015-01-01

China is pursuing the use of radiation technology as part of its wastewater treatment methods to further efforts to manage industrial waste in an environmentally friendly way. “Treating the water that comes from our industries is very important, so we have been doing this for a long time. Now we want to become better at making our water cleaner,” said Jianlong Wang, Vice-President of the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET) at Tsinghua University in Beijing. “We are receiving a lot of support from the IAEA to use electron beam based technologies to help us get rid of various water pollutants that the other methods cannot do on their own.”

The ecological significance of juvenile Diplodus sargus as ectoparasite fish cleaners in the north-eastern Atlantic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Neto

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Cleaning behaviour was recently described for the omnivorous species Diplodus sargus. Although previous studies have reported the existence of ectoparasites in the stomach contents of some individuals this commercially important fish was never considered a cleaner species. Here we make the first characterization of this behaviour based on field observations. This behaviour was exclusively performed by juvenile D. sargus and, until now, was only observed in confined or semi-confined areas such as coastal lagoons or harbours. Unexpectedly, cleaning rates and the number of individuals performing this behaviour largely exceeds the ones described for a sympatric cleaner fish (13.98 cleaning events/individual/hour compared to 5.08 in Centrolabrus exoletus. Clients belong to several fish families (e.g. Mugilidae, Sparidae and Labridae that include some of the most common species in coastal habitats. Frequently, clients request cleaning by tilting their body or remaining motionless near the surface while being cleaned (40% however, in most cases, the interaction ends because clients flee (46%. This could mean that D. sargus is also feeding on mucus and/or living tissue. These shifts between exploitation and cooperation have been frequently described for tropical reef species. Our results support cooperative behaviour, with a clear correlation between the number of nips per cleaning event or the number of nips to which the client reacted positively and cleaning event duration (n=552; Spearman correlation r=0.79, p<0.001; r=0.76, p<0.001, respectively. Furthermore, no correlation was detected between the number of jolts by the client fish and the cleaning event duration (n=552; Spearman correlation r=0.07, p=0.105 meaning that jolting does not increase with increased interaction time. In the future, the evaluation of the ecological importance of D. sargus as a cleaner species in the North-Eastern Atlantic, should proceed with field observations in

A combinatory approach for analysis of protein sets in barley sieve-tube samples using EDTA-facilitated exudation and aphid stylectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaupels, Frank; Knauer, Torsten; van Bel, Aart J E

2008-01-01

This study investigated advantages and drawbacks of two sieve-tube sap sampling methods for comparison of phloem proteins in powdery mildew-infested vs. non-infested Hordeum vulgare plants. In one approach, sieve tube sap was collected by stylectomy. Aphid stylets were cut and immediately covered with silicon oil to prevent any contamination or modification of exudates. In this way, a maximum of 1muL pure phloem sap could be obtained per hour. Interestingly, after pathogen infection exudation from microcauterized stylets was reduced to less than 40% of control plants, suggesting that powdery mildew induced sieve tube-occlusion mechanisms. In contrast to the laborious stylectomy, facilitated exudation using EDTA to prevent calcium-mediated callose formation is quick and easy with a large volume yield. After two-dimensional (2D) electrophoresis, a digital overlay of the protein sets extracted from EDTA solutions and stylet exudates showed that some major spots were the same with both sampling techniques. However, EDTA exudates also contained large amounts of contaminative proteins of unknown origin. A combinatory approach may be most favourable for studies in which the protein composition of phloem sap is compared between control and pathogen-infected plants. Facilitated exudation may be applied for subtractive identification of differentially expressed proteins by 2D/mass spectrometry, which requires large amounts of protein. A reference gel loaded with pure phloem sap from stylectomy may be useful for confirmation of phloem origin of candidate spots by digital overlay. The method provides a novel opportunity to study differential expression of phloem proteins in monocotyledonous plant species.

Separate and unsanitary: African American women railroad car cleaners and the Women's Service Section, 1918-1920.

Science.gov (United States)

Muhammad, Robin Dearmon

2011-01-01

The Women's Service Section (WSS) investigated federally controlled railroad stations and yards at the end of World War I. Few women worked in car cleaning before the war, and railroad management preferred to block women workers, especially African Americans, from gaining any kind of foothold in railroad work. African American women were the single largest group of railroad car cleaners during this period but they were routinely denied adequate facilities, including toilets, locker rooms, and dining facilities throughout the railroad system. By raising the issues of facilities, workers' rights, and public health, these women shaped federal policy and widened the agenda of the WSS to include a direct attack on segregated workplaces. This article argues that African American women car cleaners launched an industrial campaign that wove together concerns about racism, sexism, and health issues, and successfully removed barriers to women working in a predominately male industry.

Ocean cleaning stations under a changing climate: biological responses of tropical and temperate fish-cleaner shrimp to global warming.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosa, Rui; Lopes, Ana Rita; Pimentel, Marta; Faleiro, Filipa; Baptista, Miguel; Trübenbach, Katja; Narciso, Luis; Dionísio, Gisela; Pegado, Maria Rita; Repolho, Tiago; Calado, Ricardo; Diniz, Mário

2014-10-01

Cleaning symbioses play an important role in the health of certain coastal marine communities. These interspecific associations often occur at specific sites (cleaning stations) where a cleaner organism (commonly a fish or shrimp) removes ectoparasites/damaged tissue from a 'client' (a larger cooperating fish). At present, the potential impact of climate change on the fitness of cleaner organisms remains unknown. This study investigated the physiological and biochemical responses of tropical (Lysmata amboinensis) and temperate (L. seticaudata) cleaner shrimp to global warming. Specifically, thermal limits (CTMax), metabolic rates, thermal sensitivity, heat shock response (HSR), lipid peroxidation [malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration], lactate levels, antioxidant (GST, SOD and catalase) and digestive enzyme activities (trypsin and alkaline phosphatase) at current and warming (+3 °C) temperature conditions. In contrast to the temperate species, CTMax values decreased significantly from current (24-27 °C) to warming temperature conditions (30 °C) for the tropical shrimp, where metabolic thermal sensitivity was affected and the HSR was significantly reduced. MDA levels in tropical shrimp increased dramatically, indicating extreme cellular lipid peroxidation, which was not observed in the temperate shrimp. Lactate levels, GST and SOD activities were significantly enhanced within the muscle tissue of the tropical species. Digestive enzyme activities in the hepatopancreas of both species were significantly decreased by warmer temperatures. Our data suggest that the tropical cleaner shrimp will be more vulnerable to global warming than the temperate Lysmata seticaudata; the latter evolved in a relatively unstable environment with seasonal thermal variations that may have conferred greater adaptive plasticity. Thus, tropical cleaning symbioses may be challenged at a greater degree by warming-related anthropogenic forcing, with potential cascading effects on the health

Water driven turbine/brush pipe cleaner

Science.gov (United States)

Werlink, Rudy J. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

Assemblies are disclosed for cleaning the inside walls of pipes and tubes. A first embodiment includes a small turbine with angled blades axially mounted on one end of a standoff support. An O-ring for stabilizing the assembly within the pipe is mounted in a groove within the outer ring. A replaceable circular brush is fixedly mounted on the opposite end of the standoff support and can be used for cleaning tubes and pipes of various diameters, lengths and configurations. The turbine, standoff support, and brush spin in unison relative to a hub bearing that is fixedly attached to a wire upstream of the assembly. The nonrotating wire is for retaining the assembly in tension and enabling return of the assembly to the pipe entrance. The assembly is initially placed in the pipe or tube to be cleaned. A pressurized water or solution source is provided at a required flow-rate to propel the assembly through the pipe or tube. The upstream water pressure propels and spins the turbine, standoff support and brush. The rotating brush combined with the solution cleans the inside of the pipe. The solution flows out of the other end of the pipe with the brush rotation controlled by the flow-rate. A second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment but instead includes a circular shaped brush with ring backing mounted in the groove of the exterior ring of the turbine, and also reduces the size of the standoff support or eliminates the standoff support.

Study on demetalization of sewage sludge by sequential extraction before liquefaction for the production of cleaner bio-oil and bio-char.

Science.gov (United States)

Leng, Lijian; Yuan, Xingzhong; Shao, Jianguang; Huang, Huajun; Wang, Hou; Li, Hui; Chen, Xiaohong; Zeng, Guangming

2016-01-01

Demetalization of sewage sludge (SS) by sequential extraction before liquefaction was implemented to produce cleaner bio-char and bio-oil. Demetalization steps 1 and 2 did not cause much organic matter loss on SS, and thus the bio-oil and bio-char yields and the compositions of bio-oils were also not affected significantly. However, the demetalization procedures resulted in the production of cleaner bio-chars and bio-oils. The total concentrations and the acid soluble/exchangeable fraction (F1 fraction, the most toxic heavy metal fraction) of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Cd) in these products were significantly reduced and the environmental risks of these products were also relived considerably compared with those produced from raw SS, respectively. Additionally, these bio-oils had less heavy fractions. Demetalization processes with removal of F1 and F2 fractions of heavy metals would benefit the production of cleaner bio-char and bio-oil by liquefaction of heavy metal abundant biomass like SS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cleaner metallurgical industry in Serbia: a road to the sustainable development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Panias

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Since the sustainable development has been a global and fundamental objecttive, a metallurgical industrial sector faces some of the most difficult sustainability challenges of any industrial sector. On the other hand, the metallurgical production in Serbia is a very important part of the economy. Due to present facilities and technologies, metallurgical companies face a great challenge to fulfill the requirements introduced by legislature referring to the cleaner production and sustainable development. The state of art in the production, facilities, pollution with some answers to imposed challenges is presented.

Planetary Sample Caching System Design Options

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Curtis; Younse, Paulo; Backes, Paul

2009-01-01

Potential Mars Sample Return missions would aspire to collect small core and regolith samples using a rover with a sample acquisition tool and sample caching system. Samples would need to be stored in individual sealed tubes in a canister that could be transfered to a Mars ascent vehicle and returned to Earth. A sample handling, encapsulation and containerization system (SHEC) has been developed as part of an integrated system for acquiring and storing core samples for application to future potential MSR and other potential sample return missions. Requirements and design options for the SHEC system were studied and a recommended design concept developed. Two families of solutions were explored: 1)transfer of a raw sample from the tool to the SHEC subsystem and 2)transfer of a tube containing the sample to the SHEC subsystem. The recommended design utilizes sample tool bit change out as the mechanism for transferring tubes to and samples in tubes from the tool. The SHEC subsystem design, called the Bit Changeout Caching(BiCC) design, is intended for operations on a MER class rover.

Adherence of volatile propofol to various types of plastic tubing.

Science.gov (United States)

Maurer, F; Lorenz, D J; Pielsticker, G; Volk, T; Sessler, D I; Baumbach, J I; Kreuer, S

2017-01-23

Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic. Currently, it is not possible to routinely measure blood concentration of the drug in real time. However, multi-capillary column ion-mobility spectrometry of exhaled gas can estimate blood propofol concentration. Unfortunately, adhesion of volatile propofol on plastic materials complicates measurements. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the extent to which volatile propofol adheres to various plastics used in sampling tubing. Perfluoralkoxy (PFA), polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE), polyurethane (PUR), silicone, and Tygon tubing were investigated in an experimental setting using a calibration gas generator (HovaCAL). Propofol gas was measured for one hour at 26 °C, 50 °C, and 90 °C tubing temperature. Test tubing segments were then flushed with N 2 to quantify desorption. PUR and Tygon sample tubing absorbed all volatile propofol. The silicone tubing reached the maximum propofol concentration after 119 min which was 29 min after propofol gas exposure stopped. The use of PFA or PTFE tubing produced comparable and reasonably accurate propofol measurements. The desaturation time for the PFA was 10 min shorter at 26 °C than for PTFE. PFA tubing thus seems most suitable for measurement of volatile propofol, with PTFE as an alternative.

Steam generator tubing development for commercial fast breeder reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sessions, C.E.; Uber, C.F.

1981-01-01

The development work to design, manufacture, and evaluate pre-stressed double-wall 2/one quarter/ Cr-1 Mo steel tubing for commercial fast breeder reactor steam generator application is discussed. The Westinghouse plan for qualifying tubing vendors to produce this tubing is described. The results achieved to date show that a long length pre-stressed double-wall tube is both feasible and commercially available. The evaluation included structural analysis and experimental measurement of the pre-stress within tubes, as well as dimensional, metallurgical, and interface wear tests of tube samples produced. This work is summarized and found to meet the steam generator design requirements. 10 refs

Cleaner production at pharmaceutical industry: first steps assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edilaine Conceição Rezende

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Cleaner Production (CP is an environmental management system effective to comply the environmental obligations and promote sustainable development of enterprises. In this study, the implementing possibilities of CP practices were evaluated to pharmaceutical industry, through prior identification procedures for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Practices. The study was conducted in a scientific and health care institution, which produces pharmaceutical drugs and makes assistance for public health. The production process was evaluated and made a survey of the main points of waste and sewage generations in each stage, in order to diagnose the measures of CP established and propose new actions. Thus, by using this tool, it was possible to demonstrate the reduction of environmental impacts associated with pharmaceutical production. The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Practices also contributed to the implementation of measures CP, preserving the final product quality, and generating environmental and economic benefits.

Metal diffusion from furnace tubes depends on location

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albright, L.F.

1988-01-01

Studies of metal samples from an ethylene furnace on the Texas Gulf Coast, using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDAX), reveal preferential diffusion of chromium, titanium, and aluminum in the coil wall to the surfaces of the tube where they form metal oxides. These elements are gradually depleted from the tube wall. Complicated surface reactions that include the formation of several metal oxides, metal sulfides, and metal-catalyzed coke also occur. Several mechanisms can be postulated as to how metal fines or compounds are formed and transferred in the coil and transfer lines exchanger (TLX) of ethylene units. These surface reactions directly or indirectly affect coke formation in the tube. Finally, creep in the coils is likely a factor in promoting corrosion. Such creep is promoted by variable temperature-time patterns to which a coil is exposed during pyrolysis, and then decoking. Periods of stress and compression occur in the coil walls. Knowledge of the diffusion and reactions that take place can result in better furnace operations and decoking procedures to extend the life of the furnace tubes. In this second installment of a four-part series, photomicrographs of four pyrolysis tube samples from the ethylene furnace indicate that significant differences existed between the outer surfaces, inner surfaces, and cross-sectional areas of the samples. The first installment of the series dealt with coke

CHARACTERIZATION OF OZONE EMISSIONS FROM AIR CLEANERS EQUIPPED WITH OZONE GENERATORS AND SENSOR AND FEEDBACK CONTROL CIRCUITRY

Science.gov (United States)

The paper give results of a characterization of ozone emissions from air cleaners equipped with ozone generators and sensor and feedback control circuitry. Ozone emission rates of several consumer appliances, marketed as indoor air treatment or air purification systems, were det...

The second eddy current testing of zircaloy tube samples from the OECD Halden reactor project at Reactor Fuel Examination Facility, Tokai, JAERI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohwada, Isao; Nishino, Yasuharu

1986-07-01

The Reactor Fuel Examination Facility in Tokai/JAERI (Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute) joined to the second round robin programme on eddy current test of the Halden/IFE. In the programme, two zircaloy tube samples with some artificial defects were provided for measurements. To clarify the locations in axial and azimuthal directions, types and dimensions of the provided artificial defects, measured signals from eddy current test were analysed in comparison with the known defects on the calibration tube. As a result, fourteen defects were determined from the measurements. Then, the location, the type and the relative dimension of them were also revealed. The results of those eddy current test are described in this paper. (author)

A 'smart' tube holder enables real-time sample monitoring in a standard lab centrifuge.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoang, Tony; Moskwa, Nicholas; Halvorsen, Ken

2018-01-01

The centrifuge is among the oldest and most widely used pieces of laboratory equipment, with significant applications that include clinical diagnostics and biomedical research. A major limitation of laboratory centrifuges is their "black box" nature, limiting sample observation to before and after centrifugation. Thus, optimized protocols require significant trial and error, while unoptimized protocols waste time by centrifuging longer than necessary or material due to incomplete sedimentation. Here, we developed an instrumented centrifuge tube receptacle compatible with several commercial benchtop centrifuges that can provide real-time sample analysis during centrifugation. We demonstrated the system by monitoring cell separations during centrifugation for different spin speeds, concentrations, buffers, cell types, and temperatures. We show that the collected data are valuable for analytical purposes (e.g. quality control), or as feedback to the user or the instrument. For the latter, we verified an adaptation where complete sedimentation turned off the centrifuge and notified the user by a text message. Our system adds new functionality to existing laboratory centrifuges, saving users time and providing useful feedback. This add-on potentially enables new analytical applications for an instrument that has remained largely unchanged for decades.

Automatic measuring system of zirconium thickness for zirconium liner cladding tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsui, K.; Yamaguchi, H.; Hiroshima, T.; Sakamoto, T.; Murayama, R.

1985-01-01

An automatic system of pure zirconium liner thickness for zirconium-zircaloy cladding tubes has been successfully developed. The system consists of three parts. (1) An ultrasonic thickness measuring method for mother tubes before cold rolling. (2) An electromagnetic thickness measuring method for the manufactured tubes. (3) An image processing method for the cross sectional view of the manufactured cut tube samples. In Japanese nuclear industry, zirconium-zircaloy cladding tubes have been tested in order to realize load following operation in the atomic power plant. In order to provide for the practical use in the near future, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. has been studied and established the practical manufacturing process of the zirconium liner cladding tubes. The zirconium-liner cladding tube is a duplex tube comprising an inner layer of pure zirconium bonded to zircaloy metallurgically. The thickness of the pure zirconium is about 10 % of the total wall thickness. Several types of the automatic thickness measuring methods have been investigated instead of the usual microscopic viewing method in which the liner thickness is measured by the microscopic cross sectional view of the cut tube samples

Assessment of need for transport tubes when continuously monitoring for radioactive aerosols.

Science.gov (United States)

Whicker, J J; Rodgers, J C; Lopez, R C

1999-09-01

Aerosol transport tubes are often used to draw aerosol from desirable sampling locations to nearby air sampling equipment that cannot be placed at that location. In many plutonium laboratories at Los Alamos National Laboratory, aerosol transport tubes are used to transport aerosol from the front of room ventilation exhaust registers to continuous air monitors (CAMs) that are mounted on nearby walls. Transport tubes are used because past guidance suggests that extraction of aerosol samples from exhaust locations provides the most sensitive and reliable detection under conditions where the rooms have unpredictable release locations and significant spatial variability in aerosol concentrations after releases, and where CAMs cannot be located in front of exhaust registers without blocking worker walkways. Despite designs to minimize particle loss in tubes, aerosol transport model predictions suggest losses occur lowering the sensitivity of CAMs to accidentally released plutonium aerosol. The goal of this study was to test the hypotheses that the reliability, speed, and sensitivity of aerosol detection would be equal whether the sample was extracted from the front of the exhaust register or from the wall location of CAMs. Polydisperse oil aerosols were released from multiple locations in two plutonium laboratories to simulate plutonium aerosol releases. Networked laser particle counters (LPCs) were positioned to simultaneously measure time-resolved aerosol concentrations at each exhaust register (representative of sampling with transport tubes) and at each wall-mounted CAM location (representative of sampling without transport tubes). Results showed no significant differences in detection reliability, speed, or sensitivity for LPCs positioned at exhaust locations when compared to LPCs positioned at the CAM wall location. Therefore, elimination of transport tubes would likely improve CAM performance.

An investigation on mechanical property of commercial copper tube to aluminium 2025 tube plate by FWTPET process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kannan, S., E-mail: kannan.dgl201127@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mining Machinery Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, Jharkhand 826004 (India); Senthil Kumaran, S., E-mail: sskumaran@ymail.com [Research and Development Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, RVS Educational Trust' s Group of Institutions, RVS School of Engineering and Technology, Dindigul, Tamilnadu 624005 (India); Kumaraswamidhas, L.A., E-mail: lakdhas1978@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mining Machinery Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, Jharkhand 826004 (India)

2016-07-05

Frictional welding of tube to tube plate by external tool (FWTPET) posses wide spread industrial in mass production process for joint similar and dissimilar materials. Frictional welding process allows welding of some materials that are exceptionally hard to fusion weld. The good quality joint between the tube and tube plate is achieved by selecting the proper process parameter. In this present research, the frictional welding is done between the Aluminium 2025 tube plate and commercial copper tube possessing a clearance fit of 0.1 mm between tube and hole. In this study, two conditions were considered while handing out this experiment. The condiction1 is tube without holes [WOH] and condition 2 is tube with holes [WH] on the tube circumference. In total, twenty seven work pieces have been considered separately for both conditions and the mechanical property such as compression strength and hardness value has been measured for the both set of work piece in two conditions to analysis the joint strength of the welding process. Taguchi L{sub 27} orthogonal array has been used in this process to identify the process parameter which influences the joint strength of the welded samples. ANOVA method is used to calculate the percentage of contribution by each process parameter which influences the better joint strength. Genetic algorithm is used to authenticate the outcome obtained from the both experimental value and optimization value. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) has been performed to probe microstructures and chemical compositions for work piece without holes which has higher mechanical property. - Highlights: • FWTPET for dissimilar metals commercial copper tube and Al 2025 tube plate. • The hardness value for tube without holes are 180.988 Hv. • The compression strength for tube without holes are 376.05 MPa. • SEM confirm heat production is done to melt parent metal by diffusion process. • EDX prove no trace

21 CFR 868.5800 - Tracheostomy tube and tube cuff.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Tracheostomy tube and tube cuff. 868.5800 Section... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES ANESTHESIOLOGY DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 868.5800 Tracheostomy tube and tube cuff. (a) Identification. A tracheostomy tube and tube cuff is a device intended to be placed into a...

Tagging of Test Tubes with Electronic p-Chips for Use in Biorepositories.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandecki, Wlodek; Kopacka, Wesley M; Qian, Ziye; Ertwine, Von; Gedzberg, Katie; Gruda, Maryann; Reinhardt, David; Rodriguez, Efrain

2017-08-01

A system has been developed to electronically tag and track test tubes used in biorepositories. The system is based on a light-activated microtransponder, also known as a "p-Chip." One of the pressing problems with storing and retrieving biological samples at low temperatures is the difficulty of reliably reading the identification (ID) number that links each storage tube with the database containing sample details. Commonly used barcodes are not always reliable at low temperatures because of poor adhesion of the label to the test tube and problems with reading under conditions of frost and ice accumulation. Traditional radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are not cost effective and are too large for this application. The system described herein consists of the p-Chip, p-Chip-tagged test tubes, two ID readers (for single tubes or for racks of tubes), and software. We also describe a robot that is configured for retrofitting legacy test tubes in biorepositories with p-Chips while maintaining the temperature of the sample below -50°C at all times. The main benefits of the p-Chip over other RFID devices are its small size (600 × 600 × 100 μm) that allows even very small tubes or vials to be tagged, low cost due to the chip's unitary construction, durability, and the ability to read the ID through frost and ice.

某精细化工企业清洁生产审核实践研究%Cleaner Production Audit on A Fine Chemical Company

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

冯俊丽; 张时佳

2016-01-01

This paper takes the cleaner production of a company as example to expound the necessity and practical signifi-cance of carrying out cleaner production audit in fine chemical industry. According to eight existing issues of this company, the study provides practical low and high cost clean production project, totally 28 items. After calculating the economic, environmen-tal and social benefit of each project,the practical values of cleaner production audit to a company were pointed out, giving direc-tion of energy-saving emission reduction and low carbon development. This audit discusses the specific practice of cleaner pro-duction in fine chemical industry and it has guiding significance of practicing cleaner production in this domain.%以某企业的清洁生产审核为例,阐述分析精细化工行业开展清洁生产审核的必要性及实践意义.针对该企业存在的八方面问题,提出切实可行的无低费及中高费清洁生产方案共计28项,经核算各方案的经济、环境、社会效益,指出企业开展清洁生产审核的实际价值,为企业节能减排、低碳发展指明方向.本次审核初步探讨了清洁生产在精细化工行业的具体实践,对该行业清洁生产的践行具有一定的指导意义.

Tube plug

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zafred, P. R.

1985-01-01

The tube plug comprises a one piece mechanical plug having one open end and one closed end which is capable of being inserted in a heat exchange tube and internally expanded into contact with the inside surface of the heat exchange tube for preventing flow of a coolant through the heat exchange tube. The tube plug also comprises a groove extending around the outside circumference thereof which has an elastomeric material disposed in the groove for enhancing the seal between the tube plug and the tube

Ultrasonic inspection of tube to tube plate welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Telford, D.W.; Peat, T.S.

1985-01-01

To monitor the deterioration of a weld between a tube and tube plate which has been repaired by a repair sleeve inside the tube and brazed at one end to the tube, ultrasound from a crystal at the end of a rod is launched, in the form of Lamb-type waves, into the tube through the braze and allowed to travel along the tube to the weld and be reflected back along the tube. The technique may also be used for the type of heat exchanger in which, during construction, the tubes are welded to the tube plate via external sleeves in which case the ultrasound is used in a similar manner to inspect the sleeve/tube plate weld. an electromagnetic transducer may be used to generate the ultrasound. The ultrasonic head comprising the crystal and an acoustic baffle is mounted on a Perspex (RTM) rod which may be rotated by a stepping motor. Echo signals from the region of deterioration may be isolated by use of a time gate in the receiver. The device primarily detects circumferentially orientated cracks, and may be used in heat exchangers in nuclear power plants. (author)

Surface sampling concentration and reaction probe

Science.gov (United States)

Van Berkel, Gary J; Elnaggar, Mariam S

2013-07-16

A method of analyzing a chemical composition of a specimen is described. The method can include providing a probe comprising an outer capillary tube and an inner capillary tube disposed co-axially within the outer capillary tube, where the inner and outer capillary tubes define a solvent capillary and a sampling capillary in fluid communication with one another at a distal end of the probe; contacting a target site on a surface of a specimen with a solvent in fluid communication with the probe; maintaining a plug volume proximate a solvent-specimen interface, wherein the plug volume is in fluid communication with the probe; draining plug sampling fluid from the plug volume through the sampling capillary; and analyzing a chemical composition of the plug sampling fluid with an analytical instrument. A system for performing the method is also described.

TEM examination of irradiated zircaloy-2 pressure tube material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, D.; Tewari, R.; Dey, G.K.; Sharma, B.P.; Sah, D.N.; Banerjee, Suparna; Sahoo, K.C.

2005-09-01

In the present work, microstructure of the zircaloy-2 pressure tube material irradiated in the Indian Pressurized Heavy Water RAPP-1. Reactor (PHWR) has been examined for the first time using transmission electron microscope (TEM). The samples were obtained from a zircaloy-2 pressure tube, which had been in operation in the high flux region of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit -1, for a period for 6.77 effective full power years (EFPYs) and expected to have a cumulative radiation damage of about 3 dpa. In this study irradiated microstructure has been characterized and compared it with the microstructure of the unirradiated pressure tube samples. The effect of irradiation on the hydriding behaviour is also studied. (author)

Delayed hydrogen cracking test design for pressure tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haddad, Roberto; Loberse, Antonio N.; Yawny, Alejandro A.; Riquelme, Pablo

1999-01-01

CANDU nuclear power stations pressure tubes of alloy Zr-2,5 % Nb present a cracking phenomenon known as delayed hydrogen cracking (DHC). This is a brittle fracture of zirconium hydrides that are developed by hydrogen due to aqueous corrosion on the metal surface. This hydrogen diffuses to the crack tip where brittle zirconium hydrides develops and promotes the crack propagation. A direct current potential decay (DCPD) technique has been developed to measure crack propagation rates on compact test (CT) samples machined from a non irradiated pressure tube. Those test samples were hydrogen charged by cathodic polarization in an acid solution and then pre cracked in a fatigue machine. This technique proved to be useful to measure crack propagation rates with at least 1% accuracy for DHC in pressure tubes. (author)

Influence of the collection tube on metabolomic changes in serum and plasma.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Bascón, M A; Priego-Capote, F; Peralbo-Molina, A; Calderón-Santiago, M; Luque de Castro, M D

2016-04-01

Major threats in metabolomics clinical research are biases in sampling and preparation of biological samples. Bias in sample collection is a frequently forgotten aspect responsible for uncontrolled errors in metabolomics analysis. There is a great diversity of blood collection tubes for sampling serum or plasma, which are widely used in metabolomics analysis. Most of the existing studies dealing with the influence of blood collection on metabolomics analysis have been restricted to comparison between plasma and serum. However, polymeric gel tubes, which are frequently proposed to accelerate the separation of serum and plasma, have not been studied. In the present research, samples of serum or plasma collected in polymeric gel tubes were compared with those taken in conventional tubes from a metabolomics perspective using an untargeted GC-TOF/MS approach. The main differences between serum and plasma collected in conventional tubes affected to critical pathways such as the citric acid cycle, metabolism of amino acids, fructose and mannose metabolism and that of glycerolipids, and pentose and glucuronate interconversion. On the other hand, the polymeric gel only promoted differences at the metabolite level in serum since no critical differences were observed between plasma collected with EDTA tubes and polymeric gel tubes. Thus, the main changes were attributable to serum collected in gel and affected to the metabolism of amino acids such as alanine, proline and threonine, the glycerolipids metabolism, and two primary metabolites such as aconitic acid and lactic acid. Therefore, these metabolite changes should be taken into account in planning an experimental protocol for metabolomics analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Liquid waste sampling device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosuge, Tadashi

1998-01-01

A liquid pumping pressure regulator is disposed on the midway of a pressure control tube which connects the upper portion of a sampling pot and the upper portion of a liquid waste storage vessel. With such a constitution, when the pressure in the sampling pot is made negative, and liquid wastes are sucked to the liquid pumping tube passing through the sampling pot, the difference between the pressure on the entrance of the liquid pumping pressure regulator of the pressure regulating tube and the pressure at the bottom of the liquid waste storage vessel is made constant. An opening degree controlling meter is disposed to control the degree of opening of a pressure regulating valve for sending actuation pressurized air to the liquid pumping pressure regulator. Accordingly, even if the liquid level of liquid wastes in the liquid waste storage vessel is changed, the height for the suction of the liquid wastes in the liquid pumping tube can be kept constant. With such procedures, sampling can be conducted correctly, and the discharge of the liquid wastes to the outside can be prevented. (T.M.)

Vocational training courses as an intervention on change of work practice among immigrant cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Flemming W; Frydendall, Karen B; Flyvholm, Mari-Ann

2011-11-01

The aim of the study was to examine how knowledge and skills from vocational training courses on working techniques modified for immigrant cleaners are applied in practice and to identify factors that influence the implementation. The modifications of the standard course included language support with possibilities for translation and an extension of the duration of the course. The study is a prospective intervention study based on qualitative data. Data were collected as structured interviews and observations were carried out at the workplaces before and after the course. The study population included 31 immigrant cleaners from five different workplaces. Changes were observed in the use of working techniques (i.e., positioning of hands when using the floor mop). In some cases the use of the taught techniques was incorrect, partial, or only used part of the time. Interactions between individual factors (i.e., knowledge, awareness, capability, or work orientation) and environmental factors (i.e., equipment, time, workload, or physical surroundings) influenced the use of the techniques in practice. The course provided the participants with new working techniques through which some were able to reduce work related pain. However, with regard to incorrect and partial use of the working techniques, follow-up and post-training support is recommended. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

IMPACT OF AN OZONE GENERATOR AIR CLEANER ON STYRENE CONCENTRATIONS IN AN INDOOR AIR QUALITY RESEARCH CHAMBER

Science.gov (United States)

The paper gives results of an investigation of the impact of an ozone generator air cleaner on vapor-phase styrene concentrations in a full-scale indoor air quality test chamber. The time history of the concentrations of styrene and ozone is well predicted by a simulation model u...

Tube spacer grid for a heat-exchanger tube bundle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheidl, H.

1976-01-01

A tube spacer grid for a heat-exchanger tube bundle is formed by an annular grid frame having a groove formed in its inner surface in which the interspaced grid bars have their ends positioned and held in interspaced relationship by short sections of tubes passed through holes axially formed in the grid frame so that the tubes are positioned between the ends of the grid bars in the grooves. The tube sections may be cut from the same tubes used to form the tube bundle. 5 claims, 3 drawing figures

CFD modeling of a boiler's tubes rupture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahimi, Masoud; Khoshhal, Abbas; Shariati, Seyed Mehdi

2006-01-01

This paper reports the results of a study on the reason for tubes damage in the superheater Platen section of the 320 MW Bisotoun power plant, Iran. The boiler has three types of superheater tubes and the damage occurs in a series of elbows belongs to the long tubes. A three-dimensional modeling was performed using an in-house computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code in order to explore the reason. The code has ability of simultaneous solving of the continuity, the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and employing the turbulence, combustion and radiation models. The whole boiler including; walls, burners, air channels, three types of tubes, etc., was modeled in the real scale. The boiler was meshed into almost 2,000,000 tetrahedral control volumes and the standard k-ε turbulence model and the Rosseland radiation model were used in the model. The theoretical results showed that the inlet 18.9 MPa saturated steam becomes superheated inside the tubes and exit at a pressure of 17.8 MPa. The predicted results showed that the temperature of the steam and tube's wall in the long tubes is higher than the short and medium size tubes. In addition, the predicted steam mass flow rate in the long tube was lower than other ones. Therefore, it was concluded that the main reason for the rupture in the long tubes elbow is changing of the tube's metal microstructure due to working in a temperature higher than the design temperature. In addition, the structural fatigue tension makes the last elbow of the long tube more ready for rupture in comparison with the other places. The concluded result was validated by observations from the photomicrograph of the tube's metal samples taken from the damaged and undamaged sections

Validating YouTube Factors Affecting Learning Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Pratama, Yoga; Hartanto, Rudy; Suning Kusumawardani, Sri

2018-03-01

YouTube is often used as a companion medium or a learning supplement. One of the educational places that often uses is Jogja Audio School (JAS) which focuses on music production education. Music production is a difficult material to learn, especially at the audio mastering. With tutorial contents from YouTube, students find it easier to learn and understand audio mastering and improved their learning performance. This study aims to validate the role of YouTube as a medium of learning in improving student’s learning performance by looking at the factors that affect student learning performance. The sample involves 100 respondents from JAS at audio mastering level. The results showed that student learning performance increases seen from factors that have a significant influence of motivation, instructional content, and YouTube usefulness. Overall findings suggest that YouTube has a important role to student learning performance in music production education and as an innovative and efficient learning medium.

Gamma irradiation effect on thermo shrink polyethylene tube: Case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naurah Mat Isa; Siti Zulaiha Hairaldin; Mohd Yusof Hamzah; Zulkafli Ghazali

2010-01-01

The production technology of heat shrinkable tubes is based on the industrial usage of so-called memory effect in some polymers. Many polymers can be rendered heat shrinkable, particularly polyolefins by introducing crosslinking in the polymer backbone. Heat shrinkable tubes and moulded parts provide mechanical and/or chemical and/or electrical protection. . In this work, irradiation from Co-60 was used to impart crosslinking in polymer and thus modify their mechanical and thermal properties. Heat shrinkable or thermo shrink polyethylene (PE) tube with diameter 6.4 mm was selected to evaluate crosslinking behaviour from the gamma irradiation exposure at 5 different doses (120, 140, 160, 200 and 220 kGy). The gel content (%), tensile properties and thermal behavior and stability of the tubes were measured using DSC and TGA. Tubes irradiated at 140 kGy and 160 kGy showed better tensile properties than those at 120, 200 and 220 kGy doses. Maximum percent of crystallization was observed at 160 kGy and temperature required to crystallize is lower than melting temperature due to changes in molecular orientation. Thermal decomposition of the irradiated tubes occurred at 430-450 degree Celsius which is lower than the unirradiated sample. Gel content analysis for samples irradiated at 180-220 kGy yield up to 30 to 40 % gel fraction. Although the gel fractions are higher than other dose, the samples are expected to experience chain scission presumably due to localized gel formation. (author)

Lack of association between folate-receptor autoantibodies and neural-tube defects.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Molloy, Anne M

2009-07-09

BACKGROUND: A previous report described the presence of autoantibodies against folate receptors in 75% of serum samples from women with a history of pregnancy complicated by a neural-tube defect, as compared with 10% of controls. We sought to confirm this finding in an Irish population, which traditionally has had a high prevalence of neural-tube defects. METHODS: We performed two studies. Study 1 consisted of analysis of stored frozen blood samples collected from 1993 through 1994 from 103 mothers with a history of pregnancy complicated by a neural-tube defect (case mothers), 103 mothers with a history of pregnancy but no complication by a neural-tube defect (matched with regard to number of pregnancies and sampling dates), 58 women who had never been pregnant, and 36 men. Study 2, conducted to confirm that the storage of samples did not influence the folate-receptor autoantibodies, included fresh samples from 37 case mothers, 22 control mothers, 10 women who had never been pregnant, and 9 men. All samples were assayed for blocking and binding autoantibodies against folate receptors. RESULTS: In Study 1, blocking autoantibodies were found in 17% of case mothers, as compared with 13% of control mothers (odds ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70 to 3.39), and binding autoantibodies in 29%, as compared with 32%, respectively (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.44 to 1.50). Study 2 showed similar results, indicating that sample degradation was unlikely. CONCLUSIONS: The presence and titer of maternal folate-receptor autoantibodies were not significantly associated with a neural-tube defect-affected pregnancy in this Irish population.

A ‘smart’ tube holder enables real-time sample monitoring in a standard lab centrifuge

Science.gov (United States)

Hoang, Tony; Moskwa, Nicholas

2018-01-01

The centrifuge is among the oldest and most widely used pieces of laboratory equipment, with significant applications that include clinical diagnostics and biomedical research. A major limitation of laboratory centrifuges is their “black box” nature, limiting sample observation to before and after centrifugation. Thus, optimized protocols require significant trial and error, while unoptimized protocols waste time by centrifuging longer than necessary or material due to incomplete sedimentation. Here, we developed an instrumented centrifuge tube receptacle compatible with several commercial benchtop centrifuges that can provide real-time sample analysis during centrifugation. We demonstrated the system by monitoring cell separations during centrifugation for different spin speeds, concentrations, buffers, cell types, and temperatures. We show that the collected data are valuable for analytical purposes (e.g. quality control), or as feedback to the user or the instrument. For the latter, we verified an adaptation where complete sedimentation turned off the centrifuge and notified the user by a text message. Our system adds new functionality to existing laboratory centrifuges, saving users time and providing useful feedback. This add-on potentially enables new analytical applications for an instrument that has remained largely unchanged for decades. PMID:29659624

Modification of structural phase state in superficial layers of fuel tubes made of Zirconium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkov, N.; Kalin, B.; Pimenov, Y.; Timoshin, S.

2011-01-01

The paper presents the results obtained in developing the method for introduction of the required changes into states and properties of outer surface on fuel rod cladding made of zirconium alloys E110 and E635 through irradiation by radial Ar + ion beam with a broad energy spectrum. In particular, the paper demonstrates that ion beam treatment of the claddings surface, at the final stage of their fabrication, can upgrade substantially quality of outer tubular surface after mechanical polishing (the cleaner surface, the lower roughness, removal of technological transversal scratches). In addition, the ion beam irradiation results in higher micro-hardness of the modified layer and in better tribological parameters. Kinetic effects in growth of oxide films were studied for the tubular samples of zirconium alloys after ion-beam treatment (cleaning and polishing by radial Ar + ion beam). Also, corrosion tests of the tubular samples were carried out in water (at 350 0 C) and steam (at 350, 375 and 400 0 C) with duration up to 3000 hours. It was revealed that oxide layer consisting mainly of zirconium dioxide in monoclinic modification was formed on tubular surface after oxidation at 3500 0 C in water or steam. The oxidizing process in the pressurized steam created thicker oxide layer on tubular surface than that in the pressurized water. Experimental data were used to determine optimal conditions for ion-beam treatment of outer fuel tube surface. The tubular samples with the following geometrical parameters were investigated: length - up to 500 mm, diameter - 9,15 mm. Optimal regimes for ion-beam cleaning and polishing of the tubular samples were studied up to the process rate of 1 meter per minute. Within the frames of linear approximation, analytical relationships were derived for time dependent growth of oxide films and used to evaluate thickness of oxide film under test conditions (duration . up to 10000 hours). Thickness of oxide films can cover the range from 6 �

Evaluation of a single-tube fluorogenic RT-PCR assay for detection of bovine respiratory syncytial virus in clinical samples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hakhverdyan, Mikhayil; Hägglund, Sara; Larsen, Lars Erik

2005-01-01

understanding of the virus. In this study, a BRSV fluorogenic reverse transcription PCR (fRT-PCR) assay, based on TaqMan principle, was developed and evaluated on a large number of clinical samples, representing various cases of natural and experimental BRSV infections. By using a single-step closed-tube format......, the turn-around time was shortened drastically and results were obtained with minimal risk for cross-contamination. According to comparative analyses, the detection limit of the fRT-PCR was on the same level as that of a nested PCR and the sensitivity relatively higher than that of a conventional PCR......, antigen ELISA (Ag-ELISA) and virus isolation (VI). Interspersed negative control samples, samples from healthy animals and eight symptomatically or genetically related viruses were all negative, confirming a high specificity of the assay. Taken together, the data indicated that the fRT-PCR assay can...

Pseudohyperkalaemia in leukaemic patients: the effect of test tube type and form of transport to the laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Dastych, Milan; Cermáková, Zdenka

2014-01-01

The present study was aimed at determining the effect of the tube type used for primary sample collection and the manner of transport prior to assessment (either manual or by pneumatic tube) on the degree of pseudohyperkalaemia in leukaemic patients. Blood from six leukaemic patients was collected into seven primary sample tubes (Monovette®, Sarstedt): sample A, heparinized blood gas syringe (potassium reference value); sample B, plasma Li-heparin without separator gel; sample C, plasma Li-heparin with separator gel; and sample D, serum with separator gel. The primary sample tubes designated B, C and D were transported to the laboratory manually. Duplicates of the same sample tubes, B(PT), C(PT) and D(PT), were sent to the laboratory by pneumatic tube. In patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), there was no increase in the concentration of potassium in samples B, C and D when compared to the reference value. Transport of the samples by pneumatic tube led to a pronounced increase in potassium concentration in samples B(PT) and C(PT), whereas there was no increase in sample D(PT) when compared to the reference value. In the patient with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), an increase in potassium concentration occurred in sample D and in samples B(PT), C(PT) and D(PT). A similar finding was observed in the patient with acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL), furthermore with an extremely high concentration of potassium in samples C and C(PT). Manual transport of non-coagulable blood (plasma Li-heparin without separator gel) to the laboratory results in the least possible artificial increase in potassium concentration in the sample.

Stress corrosion testing of irradiated cladding tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lunde, L.; Olshausen, K.D.

1980-01-01

Samples from two fuel rods with different cladding have been stress corrosion tested by closed-end argon-iodine pressurization at 320 0 C. The fuel rods with stress relieved and recrystallized Zircaloy-2 had received burnups of 10.000 and 20.000 MWd/ton UO 2 , respectively. It was found that the SCC failure stress was unchanged or slightly higher for the irradiated than for the unirradiated control tubes. The tubes failed consistently in the end with the lowest irradiation dose. The diameter increase of the irradiated cladding during the test was 1.1% for the stress-relieved samples and 0.24% for the recrystallized samples. SEM examination revealed no major differences between irradiated and unirradiated cladding. A ''semi-ductile'' fracture zone in recrystallized material is described in some detail. (author)

RIA simulation tests using driver tube for ATF cladding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cinbiz, Mahmut N. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Brown, N. R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Lowden, R. R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Linton, K. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Terrani, K. A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-07-01

Pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI) is a potential failure mechanism for accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding candidates during a reactivity-initiated accident (RIA). This report summarizes Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 research activities that were undertaken to evaluate the PCMI-like hoop-strain-driven mechanical response of ATF cladding candidates. To achieve various RIA-like conditions, a modified-burst test (MBT) device was developed to produce different mechanical pulses. The calibration of the MBT instrument was accomplished by performing mechanical tests on unirradiated Generation-I iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloy samples. Shakedown tests were also conducted in both FY 2016 and FY 2017 using unirradiated hydrided ZIRLO™ tube samples. This milestone report focuses on testing of ATF materials, but the benchmark tests with hydrided ZIRLO™ tube samples are documented in a recent journal article.a For the calibration and benchmark tests, the hoop strain was monitored using strain gauges attached to the sample surface in the hoop direction. A novel digital image correlation (DIC) system composed of a single high-speed camera and an array of six mirrors was developed for the MBT instrument to better resolve the failure behavior of samples and to provide useful data for validation of high-fidelity modeling and simulation tools. The DIC system enable a 360° view of a sample’s outer surface. This feature was added to the instrument to determine the precise failure location on a sample’s surface for strain predictions. The DIC system was tested on several silicon carbide fiber/silicon carbide matrix (SiC/SiC) composite tube samples at various pressurization rates of the driver tube (which correspond to the strain rates for the samples). The hoop strains for various loading conditions were determined for the SiC/SiC composite tube samples. Future work is planned to enhance understanding of the failure behavior of the ATF cladding candidates of age

Disinfection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm contaminated tube lumens with ultraviolet C light emitting diodes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bak, Jimmy; Ladefoged, Søren D; Tvede, Michael

2010-01-01

with biofilm was investigated. It was shown that UVC light propagation was possible through both Teflon and catheter tubes (silicone). The disinfection efficiency of the diodes was demonstrated on tubes contaminated artificially with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm. The tubes were connected to a flow system...... and biofilms were produced during a 3 day period. Tubes in lengths of 10 (Teflon, silicone) and 20 cm (Teflon) were contaminated. Tubes for control and for UVC treatment were contaminated in parallel. Biofilms were sampled from the total inner surface of the tubes. Colony counts on the control samples were...... in the range of 5 x 10(5)-1.3 x 10(9) CFU ml(-1), with disinfection rates in the range 96-100%. The applied UVC doses corresponded to treatment times between 15 and 300 min. Disinfection (100%) was obtained in 10 cm Teflon tubes exposed for 30 min (detection limit...

Disinfection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm contaminated tube lumens with ultraviolet C light emitting diodes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bak, Jimmy; Ladefoged, S.D.; Tvede, M.

2010-01-01

with biofilm was investigated. It was shown that UVC light propagation was possible through both Teflon and catheter tubes ( silicone). The disinfection efficiency of the diodes was demonstrated on tubes contaminated artificially with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm. The tubes were connected to a flow system...... and biofilms were produced during a 3 day period. Tubes in lengths of 10 ( Teflon, silicone) and 20 cm ( Teflon) were contaminated. Tubes for control and for UVC treatment were contaminated in parallel. Biofilms were sampled from the total inner surface of the tubes. Colony counts on the control samples were...... in the range of 5 x 10(5)-1.3 x 10(9) CFU ml(-1), with disinfection rates in the range 96-100%. The applied UVC doses corresponded to treatment times between 15 and 300 min. Disinfection (100%) was obtained in 10 cm Teflon tubes exposed for 30 min (detection limit...

Saving oiled mangroves using a new non-dispersing shoreline cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teas, H.J.; Lessard, R.R.; Canevari, G.P.; Brown, C.D.; Glenn, R.

1993-01-01

Mangroves are ranked as one of the most sensitive marine environments. If mangroves are oiled and no further action is taken, the probability of mortality to the trees is high. One of the ways that viscous spilled oil can kill mangroves is by covering the breathing ports, called lenticels (red mangroves) and pneumatophores (black mangroves), and asphyxiating them by preventing flow of oxygen from the atmosphere into the roots. Mangroves can also be killed by continuous inundation of their prop roots or pneumatophores for a period of ten days to two weeks, but they can survive lenticel covering by water for a few hours at high tide - so there appears to be some grace period during which lenticels can be nonfunctional and the plant can still survive once lenticel function is restored. This suggests that if oil is removed from the breathing ports during the early days after a spill, the lenticels may be able to restore oxygen delivery to the roots and spare the mangroves. Such oils are poorly removed by the washing of tidal waters or by water sprays alone. So a new shoreline cleaner (Corexit 9580), which was specially developed during the cleanup of the Valdez spill in Alaska, was tested to determine its ability to help loosen the oil so it can be washed away with water. Laboratory experiments using excised prop roots of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) were initially conducted to determine the feasibility of the approach. Subsequently experiments were carried out using about a hundred potted red mangroves at a test site in Florida. The prop roots, including the lenticels, were coated with a heavy oil (bunker C). After various periods of time, groups of oiled trees were treated with the shoreline cleaner to loosen and remove the oil deposit and then washed with seawater. The results showed that oiled trees could be saved by cleaning within seven days after oiling, indicating that the grace period after oiling extends for about one week

Design and Fabrication of Carbon Nano tube for Medical Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azniza Abas; Nuzaihan, M.N.; Hafiza, N.; Nazwa, T.

2011-01-01

Carbon nano tubes or known as CNTs are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nano structure. They exhibit extraordinary strength and unique electrical properties, and are efficient thermal conductors [1]. Due to its ordinary properties this research will based on BIOSENSOR device. Normally these CNTs biosensor are based on an enzyme catalyzed reaction that will produce either electrons or protons. In particular, it is useful in genetic profiling of human diseases, which includes in identifying genes that are expressed in certain diseases such as cancer [2]. This research will based on design and fabricate sensor or device using carbon nano tube and integrate carbon nano tube (CNTs) onto wafer using combination of dichlorophosphate and nano manipulation. Carbon nano tubes device mask are design using AUTOCAD software; there is four mask involved, first mask is Gate Formation,second mask is insulation layer third mask is source and drain and final mask forth mask is used as test channel. For fabrication and optimization of biosensor using carbon nano tube CNT that will be involve both microfabrication and nano fabrication. This process will involve conventional photolithography process, electron beam evaporator, thermal oxidation and wet etching process. To inspect and characterize carbon nano tube electrical properties it will involve tools such as SEM, AFM, Dielectric Analyzer, IV-CV and Semiconductor Parametric Analyzer system. This inspection is very important to produce a perfect profile to produce a good biosensor based on carbon nano tube structure. Preparation of various samples for testing functionality of the device this various samples and conditions will be done to ensure the detection is precise. Conductivity and capacitance effect will be tested electrically to detect the hybridization of the sample. (author)

Tube holding system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunningham, R.C.

1978-01-01

A tube holding rig is described for the lateral support of tubes arranged in tight parcels in a heat exchanger. This tube holding rig includes not less than two tube supporting assemblies, with a space between them, located crosswise with respect to the tubes, each supporting assembly comprising a first set of parallel components in contact with the tubes, whilst a second set of components is also in contact with the tubes. These two sets of parts together define apertures through which the tubes pass [fr

Gene expression differences between PAXgene and Tempus blood RNA tubes are highly reproducible between independent samples and biobanks.

Science.gov (United States)

Skogholt, Anne Heidi; Ryeng, Einar; Erlandsen, Sten Even; Skorpen, Frank; Schønberg, Svanhild A; Sætrom, Pål

2017-03-23

Gene expression profiling from blood is sensitive to technology choices. For example, the main blood RNA collection systems-the PAXgene and Tempus tubes-differently influence RNA expression signatures. The aim of this study was to establish a common RNA isolation protocol for these two systems and investigate if it could reduce the differences in gene expression between them. We collected identical blood samples on the PAXgene and Tempus systems and retrieved blood samples from two independent biobanks-NOWAC and HUNT3-which are based on PAXgene and Tempus, respectively. High-quality RNA was extracted from both sampling systems by using their original protocols and our common modified protocol, and were profiled on Illumina microarrays. Regardless of the protocol used, we found most of the measured transcripts to be differently affected by the two sampling systems. However, our modified protocol reduced the number of transcripts that were significantly differentially expressed between PAXgene and Tempus by approximately 50%. Expression differences between PAXgene and Tempus were highly reproducible both between protocols and between different independent sample sets (Pearson correlation 0.563-0.854 across 47323 probes). Moreover, the modified protocol increased the microRNA output of the system with lowest microRNA yield, the PAXgene system. Most transcripts are affected by the choice of sampling system, but these effects are highly reproducible between independent samples. We propose that by running a control experiment with samples on both systems in parallel with biologically relevant samples, researchers may adjust for technical differences between the sampling systems.

Effect of fin pitch and number of tube rows on the air side performance of herringbone wavy fin and tube heat exchangers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wongwises, Somchai; Chokeman, Yutasak

2005-01-01

An experimental study is conducted to investigate the effects of a fin pitch and number of tube rows on the air side performance of fin and tube heat exchangers having herringbone wavy fin configuration at various fin thicknesses. A total of 10 samples of fin and tube heat exchanger with a tube outside diameter of 9.53mm, transverse tube pitch of 25.4mm and longitudinal tube pitch of 19.05mm, having various fin pitches, number of tube rows and fin thicknesses, are tested in a well insulated open wind tunnel. The heat exchangers are made from aluminium plate finned, copper tube. Ambient air is used as a working fluid in the air side while hot water is used for the tube side. The results are presented as the variation of the Colburn factor and the friction factor with the Reynolds number based on the fin collar outside diameter (Re D c ). The experimental results reveal that the fin pitch has an insignificant effect on the heat transfer characteristic. The friction factor increases with increasing fin pitch when Re D c >2500, approximately. The Colburn factor and the friction factor decrease with increasing number of tube rows when Re D c <4000, approximately. These results remain the same when the fin thickness is changed

HF electronic tubes. Technologies, grid tubes and klystrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemoine, Th.

2009-01-01

This article gives an overview of the basic technologies of electronic tubes: cathodes, electronic optics, vacuum and high voltage. Then the grid tubes, klystrons and inductive output tubes (IOT) are introduced. Content: 1 - context and classification; 2 - electronic tube technologies: cathodes, electronic optics, magnetic confinement (linear tubes), periodic permanent magnet (PPM) focussing, collectors, depressed collectors; 3 - vacuum technologies: vacuum quality, surface effects and interaction with electrostatic and RF fields, secondary emission, multipactor effect, thermo-electronic emission; 4 - grid tubes: operation of a triode, tetrodes, dynamic operation and classes of use, 'common grid' and 'common cathode' operation, ranges of utilisation and limitations, operation of a tetrode on unadjusted load, lifetime of a tetrode, uses of grid tubes; 5 - klystrons: operation, impact of space charge, multi-cavity klystrons, interaction efficiency, extended interaction klystrons, relation between interaction efficiency, perveance and efficiency, ranges of utilization and power limitations, multi-beam klystrons and sheet beam klystrons, operation on unadjusted load, klystron band pass and lifetime, uses; 6 - IOT: principle of operation, ranges of utilisation and limitations, interaction efficiency and depressed collector IOT, IOT lifetime and uses. (J.S.)

Groundwater sampling from shallow boreholes (PP and PR) and groundwater observation tubes (PVP) at Olkiluoto in 2004

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hirvonen, H. [Teollisuuden Voima Oyj, Eurajoki (Finland)

2005-11-15

Groundwater sampling from the shallow boreholes and groundwater observation tubes was performed in summer 2004 (PP2, PP3, PP7, PP8, PRl, PVPl, PVP3A, PVP3B, PVP4A and PVP4B) and in autumn 2004 (PP2, PP3, PP5, PP7, PP8, PP9, PP36, PP37, PP39, PR1, PR2, PVP1, PVP3A, PVP3B, PVP4A, PVP8A, PVP9A, PVP9B, PVP10B, PVP11, PVP12, PVP13, PVP14 and PVP20). The results from previous samplings have been used in the hydrogeochemical baseline characterization at Olkiluoto and some of the latest results have also been part of the ONKALO monitoring program. This study contains data on preliminary pumping of the sampling points and pumping for groundwater sampling and chemical analyses in the laboratory. This study also includes comparison with analytical results obtained between 1995-2004. The total dissolved solids (TDS) of groundwater samples were mainly below 1000 mg/L. According to Davis's TDS classification, these waters were fresh waters. The only exception was the water sample from shallow borehole PP7 (1400mg/L and 1450mg/L), which was brackish. Several different groundwater types were observed, but the most common water type was Ca-HCO{sub 3} (five samples). Analytical results from 1995-2003 were compared. During 2001-2003 in groundwater samples from sampling points PVP1, PVP9A and PP7 all measured main parameters changed considerably, but from summer 2003 to autumn 2004 the greatest alterations occurred in PR2, PVP1, PVP3A and PVP3B waters. These changes can be seen in almost all parameters. For other samples only minor changes in results were observed during the reference period. (orig.)

Delayed hydride cracking in irradiated Zr-2.5 % Nb pressure tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cirimello, Pablo; Coronel, Pascual; Haddad, Roberto; Lafont, Claudio; Mizrahi, Rafael

2003-01-01

Pressure tubes in CANDU nuclear power plants are made of Zr-2.5 % Nb alloy, which is susceptible to a cracking process called Delayed Hydride Cracking (DHC). Measurement of DHC velocity on irradiated pressure tubes is essential to assure the validity of the Leak Before Break criterion. This work was performed on samples from two pressure tubes taken out of the Embalse NPP in 1995, belonging to fuel channels A-14 and L-12. DHC velocity in the axial direction was measured at 211 C degrees for samples taken from different axial positions, which allowed to study its dependence on fast neutron fluency and irradiation temperature. Non-irradiated material was also tested. It was found that DHC velocity results for the tested material were similar to those obtained for a great number of tubes irradiated in other CANDU plants. (author)

Identifying and Prioritizing Cleaner Production Strategies in Raw Materials’ Warehouse of Yazdbaf Textile Company in 2015

OpenAIRE

Mohammad Taghi Ghaneian; Raziye Montazerolfaraj; Hakime Selsele Vaziri; Mohammad Hassan Ehrampoush; Alireza Arsalan; Tahere Zarabie

2017-01-01

Introduction: Cleaner productions in textile industry is achieved by reducing water and chemicals’ consumption, saving energy, reducing production of air pollution and solid wastes, reducing toxicity and noise pollution through many solutions. The purpose of the present research was to apply Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) and Quality Systems Planning Matrix (QSPM) techniques in identifying and prioritizing production in raw materials’ warehouse of Yazdbaf Tex...

Extending laboratory automation to the wards: effect of an innovative pneumatic tube system on diagnostic samples and transport time.

Science.gov (United States)

Suchsland, Juliane; Winter, Theresa; Greiser, Anne; Streichert, Thomas; Otto, Benjamin; Mayerle, Julia; Runge, Sören; Kallner, Anders; Nauck, Matthias; Petersmann, Astrid

2017-02-01

The innovative pneumatic tube system (iPTS) transports one sample at a time without the use of cartridges and allows rapid sending of samples directly into the bulk loader of a laboratory automation system (LAS). We investigated effects of the iPTS on samples and turn-around time (TAT). During transport, a mini data logger recorded the accelerations in three dimensions and reported them in arbitrary area under the curve (AUC) units. In addition representative quantities of clinical chemistry, hematology and coagulation were measured and compared in 20 blood sample pairs transported by iPTS and courier. Samples transported by iPTS were brought to the laboratory (300 m) within 30 s without adverse effects on the samples. The information retrieved from the data logger showed a median AUC of 7 and 310 arbitrary units for courier and iPTS transport, respectively. This is considerably below the reported limit for noticeable hemolysis of 500 arbitrary units. iPTS reduces TAT by reducing the hands-on time and a fast transport. No differences in the measurement results were found for any of the investigated 36 analytes between courier and iPTS transport. Based on these findings the iPTS was cleared for clinical use in our hospital.

The research on the failure regularity of GM counter tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jiyuan; Huai Guangli; Xie Bo; Zhang Hao

2002-01-01

The reliability of GM counter tubes should be described by useful time before failure-life and failure rate during life. A new method to study the failure regularity of GM counter tubes is advanced and adopted. The essential point of the method is that after the GM counter tubes of the instruments in use is tested, both the performance parameters and other information of the GM counter tubes and the instruments collected are recorded. Then database is created. Failure criterion is ascertained. The GM counter tubes are inspected to determine whether they are failure. Failure mode should be decided if the GM counter tubes failure. The GM counter tubes with the same useful year come together to make up a subsample. According to the relevant information, the number of the subsample is restored to the number of the sample that initially put into use. Then the number of failure sample is counted and at the same time the distribution of failure mode is got. The parameter m, γ, t 0 of Weibull distribution function are calculated with method of linear fit. Thus mean life, failure rate and other character values are obtained. Using this method, useful life and failure rate are determined. The conclusion is that the useful life is 18-20 years and the failure rate is 5 x 10 -6 and 4 x 10 -6 /h respectively during the course

Tube to tube excursive instability - sensitivities and transients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, M.; Layland, M.W.

1980-01-01

A simple basic analysis of excursive instability in a boiler tube shows how it depends upon operating conditions and physical properties. A detailed mathematical model of an AGR boiler is used to conduct a steady state parameter sensitivity survey. It is possible from this basis to anticipate the effects of changes in operating conditions and changes in design parameters upon tube to tube stability. Dynamic responses of tubes operating near the stability threshold are examined using a mathematical model. Simulated excursions are triggered by imparting small abrupt pressure changes on the boiler inlet pressure. The influences of the magnitude of the pressure change, waterside friction factor and gas side coupling between tubes are examined. (author)

Tube-support response to tube-denting evaluation. Volume 1. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, P.L.; Hall, J.F.; Shah, P.K.; Wills, R.L.

1983-05-01

The response of the tube supports is one of the important considerations of tube denting in a steam generator. Investigations have indicated that damaged tube supports have the potential to distort and damage tubes. This investigation considers the response to tube denting of the Combustion Engineering type tube supports. Drilled support plates and eggcrate tube supports are tested in a model steam generator in which tube denting is induced. The experimental data is used to verify and refine analytical predictor models developed using finite element techniques. It was found that analytical models underpredicted the deformations of the tube supports and appropriate modifications to enhance the predictive capability are identified. Non-destructive examination methods are evaluated for application to operating steam generators. It was found that the standard eddy current and profilometry techniques are acceptable methods for determining tube deformations, but these techniques are not adequate to assess tube support damage. Radiography is judged to be the best available means of determining the extent and progression of damage in tube supports

Condenser tube buckling within tube-tubesheet joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willertz, L.E.; Kalnins, A.; Updike, D.P.

1991-01-01

The problem of the appearance of protrusions, or bumps, in the interior of roller-expanded tubes within a tubesheet is addressed. Such bumps have been observed in condensers of power plants. A brief history of the reported occurrences of the bumps is given. The hypothesis is advanced that the mechanics of the formation of the bumps is similar to a buckling problem that has 'bifurcation at infinity'. Following this hypothesis, a two-dimensional physical model is developed, and the application of this model to study a three-dimensional bump is proposed. It is proposed in this paper that an initial deviation from the circular shape of the tube required to produce a bump. It is shown that without such a deviation the tubes cannot buckle. An experiment with short tube segments has been performed that verifies some of the features of the observed condenser tube bumps. Exactly what force produced the initial deviation for the observed bumps is still unknown. Available evidence implicates the hydro-laser jet that is used in the cleaning of tubes and tubesheets. A scenario of how a bump could have been produced by the hydro-laser jet is proposed. (author)

A simple method for preparing superconducting FeSe pellets without sealing in evacuated silica tubes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grivel, Jean-Claude

2017-01-01

Superconducting tetragonal FeSe pellets were made by reacting mixtures of elemental Fe and Se powders in argon atmosphere without sealing in evacuated silica tubes. A simple tube furnace has been used. Although the tube's material consisted of quartz, an alumina tube could be used as well. X......-ray pure samples with onset of superconducting transition between 8.0K and 8.5K were obtained under specific heat treatment conditions. Residual, unreacted Fe particles could be virtually eliminated through prolonged annealing. A key factor for the synthesis of good samples consists in using processing...

Water tubing-related injuries treated in US emergency departments, 1991-2009.

Science.gov (United States)

Heinsimer, Kevin R; Nelson, Nicolas G; Roberts, Kristin J; McKenzie, Lara B

2013-02-01

The objective was to describe the patterns and mechanisms of water tubing-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was used to examine cases of water tubing-related injuries. Sample weights were used to calculate national estimates of water tubing-related injuries. Analyses were conducted in 2010. From 1991-2009 an estimated 69,471 injuries were treated in US emergency departments for water tubing-related injuries. The annual number of cases increased 250% over the 19-year study period (P tubing-related injuries differ for children and adults. Research is needed to determine how best to reduce these injuries.

SPECIAL PURPOSE SHOCK TUBE for BLAST ASSESSMENT

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — This device is a specially designed shock tube for testing fabric samples in a controlled environment. The device determines the appropriate types of sensors to be...

Design and technology parameters influence on durability for heat exchangers tube to tubesheet joints

Science.gov (United States)

Ripeanu, R. G.

2017-02-01

The main failures of heat exchangers are: corrosion of tubes and jacket, tubes blockage and failures of tube to tubesheet joints also by corrosion. The most critical zone is tube to tubesheet joints. Depending on types of tube to tubesheet joints, in order to better respect conditions of tension and compression, this paper analyses the tubesheet holes shapes, smooth and with a grove, on corrosion behavior. In the case of welding tubes with tubesheet, welding parameters modify corrosion behavior. Were realized welded joints by three welding regimes and tested at corrosion in two media, tap water and industrial water. Were tested also samples made of smooth tubes, finned tubes and tubes coated with a passive product as applied by a heat exchanger manufacturer. For all samples, the roughness parameters were measured, before and after the corrosion tests. The obtained corrosion rates show that stress values and their distribution along the joint modify the corrosion behavior. The optimum welding parameters were established in order to increase the joint durability. The paper has shown that passive product used is not proper chosen and the technology of obtaining rolled thread pipes diminishes tubes’ durability by increasing the corrosion rate.

Belted kingfishers: Under surveillance and sampled in the privacy of their own burrow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baron, L.A.; Ashwood, T.L.

1995-01-01

The belted kingfisher, a common piscivore of the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), bioaccumulates contaminants from consumption of aquatic prey. Three kingfisher carcasses found near contaminated streams on the ORR were analyzed. Mercury, cadmium, and selenium bioaccumulated within the liver, kidney, and feathers. Additionally, PCB-1254 accumulated in muscle and lipid tissue, while Cesium-137 accumulated within the muscle and whole body. These contaminant levels have been shown to produce a variety of toxicological effects (i.e., reproductive impairment, central nervous system dysfunction) within other species of birds. In addition to use of this data for ecological risk assessment, kingfishers can also be monitored as a viable bioindicator species reflecting environmental contaminant levels over time. However, current sampling methods of burrow excavation or the use of mist nets can be detrimental to the reproductive success of the birds. The authors present a method for obtaining adequate samples of feathers and other remnants (i.e., egg shells, dried regurgitant) found in the burrow during or following the nesting season. The collection of samples following surveillance of the burrow and its contents was performed with the use of a 15 ft-long flexible, portable probe containing a video camera. Once sighted with the probe, contents of the burrow were collected by insertion of an additional tube attached to a hand held vacuum cleaner (Dirt Devil reg-sign). Feathers collected from a nest at an uncontaminated site contained selenium, lead and mercury. Cesium-137 was found in an egg shell collected from a nest at a radiologically contaminated site. Close-up photos of a kingfisher mother incubating her eggs and nestlings within two burrows will also be shown. This surveillance and sampling technique can also be used for monitoring other burrowing terrestrial species

A fluid density sensor based on a resonant tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Yong; Dao, Dzung Viet; Woodfield, Peter

2014-01-01

A fluid density sensor based on resonance frequency change of a metallic tube is presented. The sensor has been developed without using a complex micro-fabrication process. The sensor is able to identify fluid types/contaminations and improve the performance by reducing testing time, decreasing complexity of testing equipment and reducing sample sizes. The sensor can measure the resonance frequency of its own structure and determine the change in resonance frequency due to the subsequent sample inside the tube. Numerical modelling, analytical modelling and physical testing of a prototype sensor showed comparable results for both the magnitude and resonance frequency shift. The modelling results yielded a resonance frequency shift of 200 Hz from 9.87 kHz to 9.67 kHz after the water was filled into the tube. The actual testing illustrated a resonance frequency change of 280 Hz from 9.11 kHz to 8.83 kHz. The ultimate aim of the work is to determine resonance frequencies of desired samples at a level that could detect genetic disease on a cellular level. (paper)

A simple coated-tube assay for alpha-foeto protein for clinical use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dakubu, S.; Ahene, I.S.; Foli, A.K.

1977-01-01

A standard method for coating plastic tubes with antiserum has been applied to coat tubes with rabbit antiserum to human alpha-foeto protein. The coated plastic tubes have been used to set up a radioimmunoassay system which is sensitive and convenient for use on the occasional clinical sample. For a successful coated-tube assay, it was found necessary to modify the final incubation mixture from what was suitable in a standard double antibody assay system. (orig.) [de

Online in-tube microextractor coupled with UV-Vis spectrophotometer for bisphenol A detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Poorahong, Sujittra; Thammakhet, Chongdee; Thavarungkul, Panote; Kanatharana, Proespichaya

2013-01-01

A simple and high extraction efficiency online in-tube microextractor (ITME) was developed for bisphenol A (BPA) detection in water samples. The ITME was fabricated by a stepwise electrodeposition of polyaniline, polyethylene glycol and polydimethylsiloxane composite (CPANI) inside a silico-steel tube. The obtained ITME coupled with UV-Vis detection at 278 nm was investigated. By this method, the extraction and pre-concentration of BPA in water were carried out in a single step. Under optimum conditions, the system provided a linear dynamic range of 0.1 to 100 μM with a limit of detection of 20 nM (S/N ≥3). A single in-tube microextractor had a good stability of more than 60 consecutive injections for 10.0 μM BPA with a relative standard deviation of less than 4%. Moreover, a good tube-to-tube reproducibility and precision were obtained. The system was applied to detect BPA in water samples from six brands of baby bottles and the results showed good agreement with those obtained from the conventional GC-MS method. Acceptable percentage recoveries from the spiked water samples were obtained, ranging from 83-102% for this new method compared with 73-107% for the GC-MS standard method. This new in-tube CPANI microextractor provided an excellent extraction efficiency and a good reproducibility. In addition, it can also be easily applied for the analysis of other polar organic compounds contaminated in water sample.

Ammonium Laurate Surfactant for Cleaner Deposition of Carbon Nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nilsson, Hanna M. [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States; Meany, Brendan [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States; Ticey, Jeremy [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States; Sun, Chuan-Fu [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States; Wang, YuHuang [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States; Cumings, John [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States

2015-06-15

Experiments probing the properties of individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and those measuring bulk composites show vastly different results. One major issue limiting the results is that the procedures required to separate and test CNTs introduce contamination that changes the properties of the CNT. These contamination residues often come from the resist used in lithographic processing and the surfactant used to suspend and deposit the CNTs, commonly sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Here we present ammonium laurate (AL), a surfactant that has previously not been used for this application, which differs from SDS only by substitution of ionic constituents but shows vastly cleaner depositions. In addition, we show that compared to SDS, AL-suspended CNTs have greater shelf stability and more selective dispersion. These results are verified using transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, ζ-potential measurements, and Raman and absorption optical spectroscopy. This surfactant is simple to prepare, and the nanotube solutions require minimal sonication and centrifugation in order to outperform SDS.

Implementing cleaner production in an automotive company: an application of material input per unit of service tool to measure environmental and economic advantages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geraldo Cardoso de Oliveira Neto

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Environmental impact reduction has been a growing concern of the automotive industry. One of the main challenges is to implement Cleaner Production as a tool to reduce environmental impacts and provide financial profits. The purpose of this article was to evaluate the environmental impact and economic gains by implementing Cleaner Production, using an unexplored approach, in a company of the automotive sector. The research approach used was a case study, carried out by observation and semi-structured surveys. The production process chosen was updated, so technologies were changed to reduce biotic and abiotic disposal. For the analysis of environmental impacts, the ‘Material Input Per Unit of Service’ tool (MIPS was used, in which data was used to calculate: annual net profit; return on investment (% and return on investment for a period. The results showed that Cleaner Production implementation focusing on changing technology in the production process caused a 75% reduction in environmental impact, and a 62.7% decrease in production costs. Although of this study considers only one case to test the procedure applicability, it can be easily repeated in other more complex systems, by merely making the necessary adjustments due to the complexity of the processes involved.

Novel Design for Centrifugal Countercurrent Chromatography: II. Studies on Novel Geometries of Zigzag Toroidal Tubing

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yi; Aisa, Haji Akber; Ito, Yoichiro

2009-01-01

The toroidal column using a zigzag pattern has been improved in both retention of the stationary phase and peak resolution. To further improve the retention of stationary phase and peak resolution, a series of novel geometric designs of tubing (plain, mid-clamping, flattened and flat-twisted tubing) was evaluated their performance in CCC. The results showed that the tubing which was flattened vertically against centrifugal force (vert-flattened tubing) produced the best peak resolution among them. Using vert-flattened tubing a series of experiments was performed to study the effects of column capacity and sample size. The results indicated that a 0.25 ml capacity column is ideal for analysis of small amount samples. PMID:20454530

Effect of layerwise structural inhomogeneity on stress- corrosion cracking of steel tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Perlovich, Yu A.; Krymskaya, O. A.; Isaenkova, M. G.; Morozov, N. S.; Fesenko, V. A.; Ryakhovskikh, I. V.; Esiev, T. S.

2016-04-01

Based on X-ray texture and structure analysis data of the material of main gas pipelines it was shown that the layerwise inhomogeneity of tubes is formed during their manufacturing. The degree of this inhomogeneity affects on the tendency of tubes to stress- corrosion cracking under exploitation. Samples of tubes were cut out from gas pipelines located under various operating conditions. Herewith the study was conducted both for sections with detected stress-corrosion defects and without them. Distributions along tube wall thickness for lattice parameters and half-width of X-ray lines were constructed. Crystallographic texture analysis of external and internal tube layers was also carried out. Obtained data testifies about considerable layerwise inhomogeneity of all samples. Despite the different nature of the texture inhomogeneity of gas pipeline tubes, the more inhomogeneous distribution of texture or structure features causes the increasing of resistance to stress- corrosion. The observed effect can be explained by saturation with interstitial impurities of the surface layer of the hot-rolled sheet and obtained therefrom tube. This results in rising of lattice parameters in the external layer of tube as compared to those in underlying metal. Thus, internal layers have a compressive effect on external layers in the rolling plane that prevents cracks opening at the tube surface. Moreover, the high mutual misorientation of grains within external and internal layers of tube results in the necessity to change the moving crack plane, so that the crack growth can be inhibited when reaching the layer with a modified texture.

Changes in pediatric tracheostomy tubes exposed to home dishwashing.

Science.gov (United States)

Smolar, David E; Ho, Brian; Kent, Steven M; Hughes, C Anthony; Mettenburg, Donald; Rueggeberg, Fredrick A; Groves, Michael W

2017-09-01

Determine the effects of household dishwashing on Tracheostomy Tube safety. Tracheostomy tubes accumulate biofilms, which may limit their lifespan. Frequent cleaning of the tubes is a method for biofilm prevention. Cleaning practices vary widely. Some families prefer dishwashing of tubes, but its effects are currently unknown. We hypothesize that dishwashing has no significant effect on the physical properties of tracheostomy tubes and can be recommended as a safe way to clean tracheostomy tubes. Twenty 4.0 Shiley™ pediatric tracheostomy tubes were randomly assigned into dishwashed (DW) and non-dishwashed (NDW) groups, 10/group. DW tubes were subjected to 12 wash cycles. Each tube's hardness along with the surface spectra were analyzed to assess for chemical composition changes. Three cannula samples from each group were also randomly assessed with scanning-electron microscopy and scored by blinded examiners to assess for changes in surface heterogeneity. Hardness testing revealed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0009) between the NDW and the DW group indicating increased fragility in the dishwashed tubes. Spectral analysis revealed loss of plasticizers, indicating decreased flexibility. Blinded electron microscopy scoring revealed increased surface heterogeneity in the DW group (p = 0.00007). A significant decrease in tube hardness and increased surface heterogeneity were found with dishwashing. The spectral analysis demonstrated increasing fragility. We believe these effects could potentially lead to decreased mechanical safety. With increased surface heterogeneity there is a greater potential for biofilm formation. At this time, dishwashing cannot be recommended as a tracheostomy tube cleaning method. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Optimization of Sealed Tube Graphitization Method for Environmental C-14 Studies Using MICADAS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rinyu, Laszlo, E-mail: rinyu@atomki.hu [Hertelendi Laboratory of Environmental Studies, Institute of Nuclear Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), H-4026 Debrecen (Hungary); Isotoptech Zrt., H-4025 Debrecen (Hungary); Molnar, Mihaly [Hertelendi Laboratory of Environmental Studies, Institute of Nuclear Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), H-4026 Debrecen (Hungary); Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zuerich, CH-8093 Zuerich (Switzerland); Major, Istvan [Hertelendi Laboratory of Environmental Studies, Institute of Nuclear Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), H-4026 Debrecen (Hungary); Nagy, Tamas; Veres, Mihaly [Isotoptech Zrt., H-4025 Debrecen (Hungary); Kimak, Adam [University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen (Hungary); Wacker, Lukas; Synal, Hans-Arno [Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zuerich, CH-8093 Zuerich (Switzerland)

2013-01-15

The original sealed tube zinc reduction graphitization process was first developed for rapid low-precision measurements of biomedical tracer samples and later also applied for high precision measurements of not too old samples. In this study we tested the MICADAS (mini radiocarbon dating system [1]) radiocarbon measurements of targets prepared by sealed tube graphitization process. We found the optimal iron catalyst and reagents (TiH{sub 2} and Zn) amount whereby we can reach a relatively low background level, and minimized the overall {delta}{sup 13}C fractionation during the graphitization. Repeated measurements of normalization standards and real samples with known {sup 14}C activities were very well reproduced. Finally, we demonstrated the applicability of the sealed tube graphitization on real environmental samples covering a wide range of {sup 14}C concentrations.

Off gas film cooler cleaner

Science.gov (United States)

Dhingra, Hardip S.; Koch, William C.; Burns, David C.

1997-01-01

An apparatus for cleaning depositions of particulate matter from the inside of tubular piping while the piping is in use. The apparatus is remote controlled in order to operate in hazardous environments. A housing containing brush and shaft assemblies is mounted on top of the tubular piping. Pneumatic cylinders provide linear motion. A roller nut bearing provides rotary motion. The combined motion causes the brush assembly to rotate as it travels along the tube dislodging particulate matter.

Chest tube insertion

Science.gov (United States)

Chest drainage tube insertion; Insertion of tube into chest; Tube thoracostomy; Pericardial drain ... Be careful there are no kinks in your tube. The drainage system should always sit upright and be placed ...

Vibro-impact responses of a tube with tube--baffle interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Y.S.; Sass, D.E.; Jendrzejczyk, J.A.

1978-01-01

The relatively small, inherent tube-to-baffle hole clearances associated with manufacturing tolerances in heat exchangers affect the vibrational characteristics and the response of the tube. Numerical studies were made to predict the vibro-impact response of a tube with tube-baffle interaction. The finite element method has been employed with a non-linear elastic contact spring-dashpot to model the effect of the relative approach between the tube and the baffle plate. The coupled equations of motion are directly integrated with a proportional system damping represented by a linear combination of mass and stiffness. Lumped mass approach with explicit time integration scheme was found to be a suitable choice for tube-baffle impacting analysis. Fourier analyses indicate that the higher mode contributions to the tube response are significant for strong tube-baffle impacting. The contact damping forces are negligible compared with the contact spring forces. The numerical analysis results are in reasonably good agreement with those of the experiments

Long Term Effects on Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease after 12-Months of Aerobic Exercise Intervention - A Worksite RCT among Cleaners.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mette Korshøj

Full Text Available Occupational groups exposed to high occupational physical activity have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD. This may be explained by the high relative aerobic workload. Enhanced cardiorespiratory fitness reduces the relative aerobic workload. Thus, the aim was to evaluate the 12-months effects of worksite aerobic exercise on risk factors for CVD among cleaners.One hundred and sixteen cleaners aged 18-65 years were randomized to a group performing aerobic exercise and a reference group receiving lectures. Outcomes were collected at baseline and after 12-months. A repeated measures 2×2 multi-adjusted mixed-model design was applied to compare the between-group differences using intention-to-treat analysis.Between-group differences (p<0.05 were found favouring the aerobic exercise group: cardiorespiratory fitness 2.15 (SE 1.03 mlO2/min/kg, aerobic workload -2.15 (SE 1.06 %HRR, resting HR -5.31 (SE 1.61 beats/min, high sensitive C-reactive protein -0.65 (SE 0.24 μg/ml. The blood pressure was unaltered. Stratified analyses on relative aerobic workload at baseline revealed that those with relative aerobic workloads ≥30% of HRR seems to impose a notable adverse effect on resting and ambulatory blood pressure.This long-term worksite aerobic exercise intervention among cleaners led to several beneficial effects, but also potential adverse effects among those with high relative aerobic workloads.Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN86682076.

Residual indicator bacteria in autosampler tubing: a field and laboratory assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Hathaway, J M; Hunt, W F; Guest, R M; McCarthy, D T

2014-01-01

Microbial contamination in surface waters has become a worldwide cause for concern. As efforts are made to reduce this contamination, monitoring is integral to documenting and evaluating water quality improvements. Autosamplers are beneficial in such monitoring efforts, as large data sets can be generated with minimized effort. The extent to which autosamplers can be utilized for microbial monitoring is largely unknown due to concerns over contamination. Strict sterilization regimes for components contacting the water being sampled are difficult, and sometimes logistically implausible, when utilizing autosamplers. Field experimentation showed contamination of fecal coliform in autosamplers to be more of a concern than that of Escherichia coli. Further study in a controlled laboratory environment suggested that tubing configuration has a significant effect on residual E. coli concentrations in sampler tubing. The amount of time that passed since the last sample was collected from a given sampler (antecedent dry weather period - DWP) tubing was also a significant factor. At a DWP of 7 days, little to no contamination was found. Thus, simple protocols such as providing positive drainage of tubing between sample events and programming samplers to include rinses will reduce concerns of contamination in autosamplers.

Cleaner production options for reducing industrial waste: the case of batik industry in Malang, East Java-Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Sirait, M.

2018-01-01

The aim of this research is to conduct cleaner production options for improving the environmental performance during the production of batik industry, the case of UKM batik, Malang, East Java. Batik industry is one of small and medium textile industry which has contribution to economic growth in Malang. However, during production the batik, it generates wastewater that has potential to decrease the environmental performance. Wastewater from Celaket batik industry has BOD, COD, TSS, and pH level is far larger than the threshold of water quality standard as a result of use chemical substance during the dyes processing. In order to prevent generating wastewater, this study utilized cleaner production options, such as substitution of input material.Substitution of input material for dyes process was implemented by replacement chemical dyes (e.g.indigosol, nafthol, rapid) with natural dyes (e.g. Indigofero Tintoria). Modifying of technology/equipment was conducted by developing wastewater treatment equipment to reduce waste of batik production. The implementation of this strategy was carried out by changing input material from chemical dyes with natural dyes. The CP uptake could reduce significantly the environmental impact in term of reduction of COD, BOD, and TSS.

Optimization of sampling parameters for standardized exhaled breath sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

Doran, Sophie; Romano, Andrea; Hanna, George B

2017-09-05

The lack of standardization of breath sampling is a major contributing factor to the poor repeatability of results and hence represents a barrier to the adoption of breath tests in clinical practice. On-line and bag breath sampling have advantages but do not suit multicentre clinical studies whereas storage and robust transport are essential for the conduct of wide-scale studies. Several devices have been developed to control sampling parameters and to concentrate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) onto thermal desorption (TD) tubes and subsequently transport those tubes for laboratory analysis. We conducted three experiments to investigate (i) the fraction of breath sampled (whole vs. lower expiratory exhaled breath); (ii) breath sample volume (125, 250, 500 and 1000ml) and (iii) breath sample flow rate (400, 200, 100 and 50 ml/min). The target VOCs were acetone and potential volatile biomarkers for oesophago-gastric cancer belonging to the aldehyde, fatty acids and phenol chemical classes. We also examined the collection execution time and the impact of environmental contamination. The experiments showed that the use of exhaled breath-sampling devices requires the selection of optimum sampling parameters. The increase in sample volume has improved the levels of VOCs detected. However, the influence of the fraction of exhaled breath and the flow rate depends on the target VOCs measured. The concentration of potential volatile biomarkers for oesophago-gastric cancer was not significantly different between the whole and lower airway exhaled breath. While the recovery of phenols and acetone from TD tubes was lower when breath sampling was performed at a higher flow rate, other VOCs were not affected. A dedicated 'clean air supply' overcomes the contamination from ambient air, but the breath collection device itself can be a source of contaminants. In clinical studies using VOCs to diagnose gastro-oesophageal cancer, the optimum parameters are 500mls sample volume

Playing after work? Opportunities and challenges of a physical activity programme for female cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenneis, Verena; Pfister, Gertrud Ursula

2016-01-01

experience with sport and exercise and struggled with the high demands at work and a “second shift” at home. As a consequence, most participants found the training too time- and energy-consuming. We conclude that exercise programmes should preferably be conducted at the workplace and during working hours....... factors constrained and which supported participation. The interviews revealed a high degree of appreciation for the training but also pointed to a number of constraints which were embedded into the participants’ biographies and everyday lives as migrant cleaners in Denmark. Most women had no previous...

Stress-Assisted Corrosion in Boiler Tubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Preet M Singh; Steven J Pawel

2006-05-27

A number of industrial boilers, including in the pulp and paper industry, needed to replace their lower furnace tubes or decommission many recovery boilers due to stress-assisted corrosion (SAC) on the waterside of boiler tubes. More than half of the power and recovery boilers that have been inspected reveal SAC damage, which portends significant energy and economic impacts. The goal of this project was to clarify the mechanism of stress-assisted corrosion (SAC) of boiler tubes for the purpose of determining key parameters in its mitigation and control. To accomplish this in-situ strain measurements on boiler tubes were made. Boiler water environment was simulated in the laboratory and effects of water chemistry on SAC initiation and growth were evaluated in terms of industrial operations. Results from this project have shown that the dissolved oxygen is single most important factor in SAC initiation on carbon steel samples. Control of dissolved oxygen can be used to mitigate SAC in industrial boilers. Results have also shown that sharp corrosion fatigue and bulbous SAC cracks have similar mechanism but the morphology is different due to availability of oxygen during boiler shutdown conditions. Results are described in the final technical report.

Pressure tube reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Susuki, Akira; Murata, Shigeto; Minato, Akihiko.

1993-01-01

In a pressure tube reactor, a reactor core is constituted by arranging more than two units of a minimum unit combination of a moderator sealing pipe containing a calandria tube having moderators there between and a calandria tube and moderators. The upper header and a lower header of the calandria tank containing moderators are communicated by way of the moderator sealing tube. Further, a gravitationally dropping mechanism is disposed for injecting neutron absorbing liquid to a calandria gas injection portion. A ratio between a moderator volume and a fuel volume is defined as a function of the inner diameter of the moderator sealing tube, the outer diameter of the calandria tube and the diameter of fuel pellets, and has no influence to intervals of a pressure tube lattice. The interval of the pressure tube lattice is enlarged without increasing the size of the pressure tube, to improve production efficiency of the reactor and set a coolant void coefficient more negative, thereby enabling to improve self controllability and safety. Further, the reactor scram can be conducted by injecting neutron absorbing liquid. (N.H.)

CFD modeling of a boiler's tubes rupture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rahimi, Masoud; Khoshhal, Abbas; Shariati, Seyed Mehdi [Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah (Iran)

2006-12-15

This paper reports the results of a study on the reason for tubes damage in the superheater Platen section of the 320MW Bisotoun power plant, Iran. The boiler has three types of superheater tubes and the damage occurs in a series of elbows belongs to the long tubes. A three-dimensional modeling was performed using an in-house computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code in order to explore the reason. The code has ability of simultaneous solving of the continuity, the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and employing the turbulence, combustion and radiation models. The whole boiler including; walls, burners, air channels, three types of tubes, etc., was modeled in the real scale. The boiler was meshed into almost 2,000,000 tetrahedral control volumes and the standard k-{epsilon} turbulence model and the Rosseland radiation model were used in the model. The theoretical results showed that the inlet 18.9MPa saturated steam becomes superheated inside the tubes and exit at a pressure of 17.8MPa. The predicted results showed that the temperature of the steam and tube's wall in the long tubes is higher than the short and medium size tubes. In addition, the predicted steam mass flow rate in the long tube was lower than other ones. Therefore, it was concluded that the main reason for the rupture in the long tubes elbow is changing of the tube's metal microstructure due to working in a temperature higher than the design temperature. In addition, the structural fatigue tension makes the last elbow of the long tube more ready for rupture in comparison with the other places. The concluded result was validated by observations from the photomicrograph of the tube's metal samples taken from the damaged and undamaged sections. (author)

Vertical steam generator with slab-type tube-plate with even tube bundle washing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manek, O.; Masek, V.; Motejl, V.; Quitta, R.

1980-01-01

A shielding plate supporting the tubes attached to the tube plate of a vertical steam generator is mounted above the tube plate. Tube sleeves are designed with a dimensional tolerance relative to the heat transfer tubes and the sleeve end and the tube plate end. A separate space is thus formed above the tube plate in which circulation or feed water is introduced to flow between the branch and the heat transfer tube. This provides intensive washing of heat transfer tubes at a critical point and prevents deposit formation, thus excluding heat transfer tube failures. (J.B.)

Compounded Apixaban Suspensions for Enteral Feeding Tubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Caraballo, Maria L; Donmez, Seda; Nathan, Kobi; Zhao, Fang

2017-07-01

Objective: There is limited information on compounded apixaban formulations for administration via enteral feeding tubes. This study was designed to identify a suitable apixaban suspension formulation that is easy to prepare in a pharmacy setting, is compatible with commonly used feeding tubes, and has a beyond-use date of 7 days. Methods: Apixaban suspensions were prepared from commercially available 5-mg Eliquis tablets. Several vehicles and compounding methods were screened for ease of preparation, dosage accuracy, and tube compatibility. Two tubing types, polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride, with varying lengths and diameters, were included in the study. They were mounted on a peg board during evaluation to mimic the patient body position. A 7-day stability study of the selected formulation was also conducted. Results: Vehicles containing 40% to 60% Ora-Plus in water all exhibited satisfactory flowability through the tubes. The mortar/pestle compounding method was found to produce more accurate and consistent apixaban suspensions than the pill crusher or crushing syringe method. The selected formulation, 0.25 mg/mL apixaban in 50:50 Ora-Plus:water, was compatible with both tubing types, retaining >98% drug in posttube samples. The stability study also confirmed that this formulation was stable physically and chemically over 7 days of storage at room temperature. Conclusions: A suitable apixaban suspension formulation was identified for administration via enteral feeding tubes. The formulation consisted of 0.25 mg/mL apixaban in 50:50 Ora-Plus:water. The stability study results supported a beyond-use date of 7 days at room temperature.

Ceramic waste form qualification using results from witness tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Holleran, T.P.; Johnson, S.G.; Bateman, K.J.

2002-01-01

A ceramic waste form has been developed to immobilize the salt waste stream from electrometallurgical treatment of spent nuclear fuel. The ceramic waste form is prepared in a hot isostatic press (HIP). The use of small, easily fabricated HIP capsules called witness tubes has been proposed as a practical way to obtain representative samples of ceramic waste form material for process monitoring, waste form qualification, and archiving. Witness tubes are filled with the same material used to fill the corresponding HIP can, and are HIPed along with the HIP can. Relevant physical, chemical, and performance (leach test) data are analyzed and compared. Differences between witness tube and HIP can materials are shown to be statistically insignificant, demonstrating that witness tubes do provide ceramic waste form material representative of the material in the corresponding HIP can.

Use of CATHENA to model calandria-tube/moderator heat transfer after pressure-tube/calandria-tube ballooning contact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, H.Z.; Bilanovic, Z.; Nitheanandan, T.

2004-01-01

A study was performed to assess the effect of the calandria-tube/moderator heat transfer after pressure-tube/calandria tube ballooning contact using CATHENA. Results of this study indicated that the analytical tool, CATHENA, can be applied for pool boiling heat transfer on the external surface of a large diameter tube, such as the calandria tube used in CANDU reactors. The methodology in such CANDU-generic study can be used to simulate the tube surface with multiple boiling regimes and to assess the benefits of closely coupling thermalhydraulics modelling and fuel/fuel channel behaviour modelling. CATHENA (Canadian Algorithm for THErmalhydraulic Network Analysis) is a one-dimensional, two-fluid thermalhydraulic simulation code designed by AECL to analyse two-phase flow and heat transfer in piping networks. The detailed heat transfer package in CATHENA allows a connection to be established from the multiple solid surfaces of tubes to the surrounding large amount of moderator water, which acts as a heat sink during a postulated loss of coolant event. The generalized heat transfer package within CATHENA allows the tube walls to be divided into several layers in the radial direction and several sectors in the circumferential direction, to account for heat transfer conditions in these two directions. The CATHENA code with the generalized heat transfer package is capable of capturing key pool-boiling phenomena such as nucleate, transition and film boiling heat transfer as well as an ability to model the rewet phenomenon to some extent. A CATHENA input model was generated and used in simulations of selected contact boiling experiment test cases. The transient wall temperatures have been calculated in different portions of the calandria tube. By using this model an adequate agreement was achieved between CATHENA calculation and experimental measurement The CATHENA code enables one to investigate the transient and local thermal-mechanical behaviour of the calandria tube

Biocide-mediated corrosion of coiled tubing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Mohita; An, Dongshan; Liu, Tao; Pinnock, Tijan; Cheng, Frank; Voordouw, Gerrit

2017-01-01

Coiled tubing corrosion was investigated for 16 field water samples (S5 to S20) from a Canadian shale gas field. Weight loss corrosion rates of carbon steel beads incubated with these field water samples averaged 0.2 mm/yr, but injection water sample S19 had 1.25±0.07 mm/yr. S19 had a most probable number of zero acid-producing bacteria and incubation of S19 with carbon steel beads or coupons did not lead to big changes in microbial community composition. In contrast other field water samples had most probable numbers of APB of 102/mL to 107/mL and incubation of these field water samples with carbon steel beads or coupons often gave large changes in microbial community composition. HPLC analysis indicated that all field water samples had elevated concentrations of bromide (average 1.6 mM), which may be derived from bronopol, which was used as a biocide. S19 had the highest bromide concentration (4.2 mM) and was the only water sample with a high concentration of active bronopol (13.8 mM, 2760 ppm). Corrosion rates increased linearly with bronopol concentration, as determined by weight loss of carbon steel beads, for experiments with S19, with filtered S19 and with bronopol dissolved in defined medium. This indicated that the high corrosion rate found for S19 was due to its high bronopol concentration. The corrosion rate of coiled tubing coupons also increased linearly with bronopol concentration as determined by electrochemical methods. Profilometry measurements also showed formation of multiple pits on the surface of coiled tubing coupon with an average pit depth of 60 μm after 1 week of incubation with 1 mM bronopol. At the recommended dosage of 100 ppm the corrosiveness of bronopol towards carbon steel beads was modest (0.011 mm/yr). Higher concentrations, resulting if biocide is added repeatedly as commonly done in shale gas operations, are more corrosive and should be avoided. Overdosing may be avoided by assaying the presence of residual biocide by HPLC

Improvement of pump tubes for gas guns and shock tube drivers

Science.gov (United States)

Bogdanoff, D. W.

1990-01-01

In a pump tube, a gas is mechanically compressed, producing very high pressures and sound speeds. The intensely heated gas produced in such a tube can be used to drive light gas guns and shock tubes. Three concepts are presented that have the potential to allow substantial reductions in the size and mass of the pump tube to be achieved. The first concept involves the use of one or more diaphragms in the pump tube, thus replacing a single compression process by multiple, successive compressions. The second concept involves a radical reduction in the length-to-diameter ratio of the pump tube and the pump tube piston. The third concept involves shock heating of the working gas by high explosives in a cyclindrical geometry reusable device. Preliminary design analyses are performed on all three concepts and they appear to be quite feasible. Reductions in the length and mass of the pump tube by factors up to about 11 and about 7, respectively, are predicted, relative to a benchmark conventional pump tube.

Radiation processing of agricultural products: status and potential contribution to a cleaner environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lapidot, M.

1979-01-01

The current status of radiation processing of agricultural products is briefly reviewed with special regard to those processes which may contribute to a cleaner environment. Radurization of poultry feed and poultry meat is shown to be a major contributor to the reduction of a significant public health problem-salmonellosis. Radiation sterilized animal feeds can be produced by processing garbage - a major environmental pollutant. Radicidation and radappertization are effective processes in the treatment of sludges and waste water, to prevent pollution of seas or ground. Radiation processes can effectively replace fungicides and insecticides in the treatment of agricultural crops and thus reduce environmental pollution. (author)

Inhaling Difluoroethane Computer Cleaner Resulting in Acute Kidney Injury and Chronic Kidney Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristen Calhoun

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Difluoroethane is the active ingredient in various computer cleaners and is increasingly abused by teenagers due to its ease of access, quick onset of euphoric effects, and lack of detectability on current urine drug screens. The substance has detrimental effects on various organ systems; however, its effects on the kidneys remain largely unreported. The following case report adds new information to the developing topic of acute kidney injury in patients abusing difluoroethane inhalants. In addition, it is one of the first to show a possible relationship between prolonged difluoroethane abuse and the development of chronic kidney disease in the absence of other predisposing risk factors.

Study of tritium permeation through Peach Bottom Steam Generator tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, L.; Baugh, W.A.; Baldwin, N.L.

1977-06-01

The report describes the equipment developed, samples tested, procedures used, and results obtained in the tritium permeation tests conducted on steam generator tubing samples which were removed from the Peach Bottom Unit No. 1 reactor

Benchmarking sample preparation/digestion protocols reveals tube-gel being a fast and repeatable method for quantitative proteomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Leslie; Fornecker, Luc; Van Dorsselaer, Alain; Cianférani, Sarah; Carapito, Christine

2016-12-01

Sample preparation, typically by in-solution or in-gel approaches, has a strong influence on the accuracy and robustness of quantitative proteomics workflows. The major benefit of in-gel procedures is their compatibility with detergents (such as SDS) for protein solubilization. However, SDS-PAGE is a time-consuming approach. Tube-gel (TG) preparation circumvents this drawback as it involves directly trapping the sample in a polyacrylamide gel matrix without electrophoresis. We report here the first global label-free quantitative comparison between TG, stacking gel (SG), and basic liquid digestion (LD). A series of UPS1 standard mixtures (at 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, 10, and 25 fmol) were spiked in a complex yeast lysate background. TG preparation allowed more yeast proteins to be identified than did the SG and LD approaches, with mean numbers of 1979, 1788, and 1323 proteins identified, respectively. Furthermore, the TG method proved equivalent to SG and superior to LD in terms of the repeatability of the subsequent experiments, with mean CV for yeast protein label-free quantifications of 7, 9, and 10%. Finally, known variant UPS1 proteins were successfully detected in the TG-prepared sample within a complex background with high sensitivity. All the data from this study are accessible on ProteomeXchange (PXD003841). © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Vibro-impact responses of a tube with tube--baffle interaction. [LMFBR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Y S; Sass, D E; Jendrzejczyk, J A

1978-01-01

The relatively small, inherent tube-to-baffle hole clearances associated with manufacturing tolerances in heat exchangers affect the vibrational characteristics and the response of the tube. Numerical studies were made to predict the vibro-impact response of a tube with tube-baffle interaction. The finite element method has been employed with a non-linear elastic contact spring-dashpot to model the effect of the relative approach between the tube and the baffle plate. The coupled equations of motion are directly integrated with a proportional system damping represented by a linear combination of mass and stiffness. Lumped mass approach with explicit time integration scheme was found to be a suitable choice for tube-baffle impacting analysis. Fourier analyses indicate that the higher mode contributions to the tube response are significant for strong tube-baffle impacting. The contact damping forces are negligible compared with the contact spring forces. The numerical analysis results are in reasonably good agreement with those of the experiments.

Continuous 'Passive' Registration of Non-Point Contaminant Loads Via Agricultural Subsurface Drain Tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Rozemeijer, J.; Jansen, S.; de Jonge, H.; Lindblad Vendelboe, A.

2014-12-01

Considering their crucial role in water and solute transport, enhanced monitoring and modeling of agricultural subsurface tube drain systems is important for adequate water quality management. For example, previous work in lowland agricultural catchments has shown that subsurface tube drain effluent contributed up to 80% of the annual discharge and 90-92% of the annual NO3 loads from agricultural fields towards the surface water. However, existing monitoring techniques for flow and contaminant loads from tube drains are expensive and labor-intensive. Therefore, despite the unambiguous relevance of this transport route, tube drain monitoring data are scarce. The presented study aimed developing a cheap, simple, and robust method to monitor loads from tube drains. We are now ready to introduce the Flowcap that can be attached to the outlet of tube drains and is capable of registering total flow, contaminant loads, and flow-averaged concentrations. The Flowcap builds on the existing SorbiCells, a modern passive sampling technique that measures average concentrations over longer periods of time (days to months) for various substances. By mounting SorbiCells in our Flowcap, a flow-proportional part of the drain effluent is sampled from the main stream. Laboratory testing yielded good linear relations (R-squared of 0.98) between drainage flow rates and sampling rates. The Flowcap was tested in practice for measuring NO3 loads from two agricultural fields and one glasshouse in the Netherlands. The Flowcap registers contaminant loads from tube drains without any need for housing, electricity, or maintenance. This enables large-scale monitoring of non-point contaminant loads via tube drains, which would facilitate the improvement of contaminant transport models and would yield valuable information for the selection and evaluation of mitigation options to improve water quality.

Bender/Coiler for Tubing

Science.gov (United States)

Stoltzfus, J. M.

1983-01-01

Easy-to-use tool makes coils of tubing. Tubing to be bend clamped with stop post. Die positioned snugly against tubing. Operator turns handle to slide die along tubing, pushing tubing into spiral groove on mandrel.

Sensitivity of the improved Dutch tube diffusion test for detection of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The sensitivity of the improved two-tube test for detection of antimicrobial residues in Kenyan milk was investigated by comparison with the commercial Delvo test SP. Suspect positive milk samples (n =244) from five milk collection centers, were analyzed with the improved two-tube and the commercial Delvo SP test as per ...

Salvaging of service exposed cast alloy 625 cracker tubes of ammonia based Heavy Water Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Niraj; Misra, B.; Mahajan, M.P.; Mittra, J.; Sundararaman, M.; Chakravartty, J.K.

2006-01-01

In ammonia based heavy water plants, cracking of ammonia vapour, enriched in deuterium is carried out inside a cracker tube, packed with catalyst. These cracker tubes are made of alloy 625 (either wrought or cast) having dimensions of about 12.5 metres long, 88 mm outer diameter and 7.9 mm wall thickness. Seventy such tubes are housed in a typical ammonia cracker unit. The anticipated design life of such tube is 1,00,000 hrs. when operated at 720 degC based on creep as main degradation mechanism. Presently, these tubes are being operated at 680 degC skin temperature. Alloy 625 tubes are costly and normally not manufactured in India and are being imported. The cast alloy 625 cracker tubes have outlived their design life of 100,000 hrs. Therefore it has been decided to salvage the cast cracker tubes and extend the life further as it had already been done for wrought tubes. Similar to the earlier attempt of resolutionising of wrought alloy 625 tubes, efforts are in progress to salvage these cast tubes. In this study, cast tubes samples were subjected to solution-annealing treatment at two different temperatures, 1100degC and 1160degC respectively for two hrs. Mechanical properties along with the microstructure of the samples, which were resolutionized at 1160degC were comparable with that of virgin material. The 12.5 metres long cast alloy 625 cracker tubes will also be shortly solution-annealed in a specially designed resistance heating furnace after completing some more tests. (author)

Steam generator tube extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delorme, H.

1985-05-01

To enable tube examination on steam generators in service, Framatome has now developed a process for removing sections of steam generator tubes. Tube sections can be removed without being damaged for treating the tube section expanded in the tube sheet

Quick Detection of Contaminants Leaching from Polypropylene Centrifuge Tube with Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and Ultra Violet Absorption Spectroscopy

OpenAIRE

Xu, Zhida; Liu, Logan

2014-01-01

Anomalous surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) peaks are identified for liquid sample stored in polypropylene centrifuge tubes (PP tube) for months. We observed the unexpected Raman peaks during experiments for Thiamine Hydrochloride aqueous solution stored in PP tube for two months. In order to identify the contaminants we have performed SERS experiments for de-ionized water (DI water) stored in polypropylene centrifuge tube for two months and compared them with fresh DI water sample. We...

Impact of cleaner fuel use and improved stoves on acute respiratory infections: evidence from India.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamichhane, Prabhat; Sharma, Anurag; Mahal, Ajay

2017-11-01

The use of cleaner fuel and improved stoves has been promoted as a means to lower harmful emissions from solid fuels. However, little is known about how exclusive use of cleaner fuels, mixed fuel use and improved stoves influences children's health. We compared the impact of using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exclusively with mixed fuel use (LPG plus polluting fuels) and with exclusive use of polluting fuels on acute respiratory infections (ARI) among 16 157 children 0-4 years of age from households in the 2012 Indian Human Development Survey. Inverse probability weighting (IPW) procedures for multiple treatments were used for this evaluation. Children from households using LPG had a 5.0% lower probability of reporting ARI relative to exclusive users of polluting fuels, with larger effects (10.7%) in rural households. The probability of ARI in households using improved stoves and mixed fuel use was also lower in rural households, by 2.9% and 2.8%, respectively. The magnitude of effect varied across population subgroups, with the highest effects for children living in households living in kachha (low quality material) houses households identified as poor. Use of LPG and improved stoves lowered the probability of ARI among children younger than 5 years. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Pollution prevention for cleaner air: EPA's air and energy engineering research laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaver, E.M.

1992-01-01

The article discusses the role of EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory (AEERL) in pollution prevention research for cleaner air. For more than 20 years, AEERL has been conducting research to identify control approaches for the pollutants and sources which contribute to air quality problems. The Laboratory has successfully developed and demonstrated cost-effective sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate control technologies for fossil fuel combustion sources. More recently, it has expanded its research activities to include indoor air quality, radon, organic control, stratospheric ozone depletion, and global warming. AEERL also develops inventories of air emissions of many types. Over the last several years, it has made substantial efforts to expand research on pollution prevention as the preferred choice for air emissions reduction

The biofilm-controlling functions of rechargeable antimicrobial N-halamine dental unit waterline tubing.

Science.gov (United States)

Porteous, Nuala; Schoolfield, John; Luo, Jie; Sun, Yuyu

2011-01-01

A study was conducted to test the biofilm-controlling functions of N-halamine tubing over an eight-month period. A laboratory system, simulating a teaching dental clinic, was used to test rechargeable N-halamine tubing (T) compared to an untreated control (C) using the unit manufacturer's tubing. For the long-term study, a recharged tubing (RC) treated with bleach was used to compare with the test (T) and the control (C) tubing. Source tap water was cycled through the lines at 1.4 mL/minute, five minutes on and 25 minutes off, eight hours/day, five days/week. Every three weeks, samples of effluent, recovered adherent bacteria from inside tubing surfaces, and SEM images were examined for bacterial and biofilm growth. After sampling, a recharging solution of chlorine bleach (1 : 10 dilution) was run through T and RC lines, left overnight, and rinsed out the next morning. One-way ANOVAs and Spearman correlations were performed to detect significant differences for T, RC, and C, and determine significance with time period and source water, respectively. Mean log CFU/mL for C effluent > T (p = 0.028), and C tubing > T (p = 0.035). Spearman correlations were significant between effluent and source water level for T (rho = 0.817), and T tubing (0.750); between RC tubing and source water level (rho = 0.836), and time (rho = 0.745); and between C and time (rho = 0.873). SEM imaging confirmed the presence of biofilm inside RC and C, but not inside T. N-halamine tubing completely inhibited biofilm formation without negatively affecting the physical properties of the effluent water. Further research on N-halamine tubing using a pure water source is recommended, as T effluent bacterial levels reflected the source tap water quality and proliferation of planktonic bacteria with no biofilm activity.

Astigmatism compensation in mode-cleaner cavities for the next generation of gravitational wave interferometric detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barriga, Pablo J. [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia)]. E-mail: pbarriga@cyllene.uwa.edu.au; Zhao Chunnong [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Blair, David G. [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia)

2005-06-06

Interferometric gravitational wave detectors use triangular ring cavities to filter spatial and frequency instabilities from the input laser beam. The next generation of interferometric detectors will use high laser power and greatly increased circulating power inside the cavities. The increased power inside the cavities increases thermal effects in their mirrors. The triangular configuration of conventional mode-cleaners creates an intrinsic astigmatism that can be corrected by using the thermal effects to advantage. In this Letter we show that an astigmatism free output beam can be created if the design parameters are correctly chosen.

Astigmatism compensation in mode-cleaner cavities for the next generation of gravitational wave interferometric detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barriga, Pablo J.; Zhao Chunnong; Blair, David G.

2005-01-01

Interferometric gravitational wave detectors use triangular ring cavities to filter spatial and frequency instabilities from the input laser beam. The next generation of interferometric detectors will use high laser power and greatly increased circulating power inside the cavities. The increased power inside the cavities increases thermal effects in their mirrors. The triangular configuration of conventional mode-cleaners creates an intrinsic astigmatism that can be corrected by using the thermal effects to advantage. In this Letter we show that an astigmatism free output beam can be created if the design parameters are correctly chosen

Job strain associated with increases in ambulatory blood and pulse pressure during and after work hours among female hotel room cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Feaster, Matt; Krause, Niklas

2018-06-01

Previously documented elevated hypertension rates among Las Vegas hotel room cleaners are hypothesized to be associated with job strain. Job strain was assessed by questionnaire. Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) was recorded among 419 female cleaners from five hotels during 18 waking hours. Multiple linear regression models assessed associations of job strain with ABP and pulse pressure for 18-h, work hours, and after work hours. Higher job strain was associated with increased 18-h systolic ABP, after work hours systolic ABP, and ambulatory pulse pressure. Dependents at home but not social support at work attenuated effects. Among hypertensive workers, job strain effects were partially buffered by anti-hypertensive medication. High job strain is positively associated with blood pressure among female hotel workers suggesting potential for primary prevention at work. Work organizational changes, stress management, and active ABP surveillance and hypertension management should be considered for integrated intervention programs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The influence of tube voltage and phantom size in computed tomography on the dose-response relationship of dicentrics in human blood samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jost, G; Pietsch, H; Lengsfeld, P; Voth, M; Schmid, E

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the dose response relationship of dicentrics in human lymphocytes after CT scans at tube voltages of 80 and 140 kV. Blood samples from a healthy donor placed in tissue equivalent abdomen phantoms of standard, pediatric and adipose sizes were exposed at dose levels up to 0.1 Gy using a 64-slice CT scanner. It was found that both the tube voltage and the phantom size significantly influenced the CT scan-induced linear dose-response relationship of dicentrics in human lymphocytes. Using the same phantom (standard abdomen), 80 kV CT x-rays were biologically more effective than 140 kV CT x-rays. However, it could also be determined that the applied phantom size had much more influence on the biological effectiveness. Obviously, the increasing slopes of the CT scan-induced dose response relationships of dicentrics in human lymphocytes obtained in a pediatric, a standard and an adipose abdomen have been induced by scattering effects of photons, which strongly increase with increasing phantom size.

The influence of tube voltage and phantom size in computed tomography on the dose-response relationship of dicentrics in human blood samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jost, G; Pietsch, H [TRG Diagnostic Imaging, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Berlin (Germany); Lengsfeld, P; Voth, M [Global Medical Affairs Diagnostic Imaging, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Berlin (Germany); Schmid, E, E-mail: Ernst.Schmid@lrz.uni-muenchen.d [Institute for Cell Biology, Center for Integrated Protein Science, University of Munich (Germany)

2010-06-07

The aim of this study was to investigate the dose response relationship of dicentrics in human lymphocytes after CT scans at tube voltages of 80 and 140 kV. Blood samples from a healthy donor placed in tissue equivalent abdomen phantoms of standard, pediatric and adipose sizes were exposed at dose levels up to 0.1 Gy using a 64-slice CT scanner. It was found that both the tube voltage and the phantom size significantly influenced the CT scan-induced linear dose-response relationship of dicentrics in human lymphocytes. Using the same phantom (standard abdomen), 80 kV CT x-rays were biologically more effective than 140 kV CT x-rays. However, it could also be determined that the applied phantom size had much more influence on the biological effectiveness. Obviously, the increasing slopes of the CT scan-induced dose response relationships of dicentrics in human lymphocytes obtained in a pediatric, a standard and an adipose abdomen have been induced by scattering effects of photons, which strongly increase with increasing phantom size.

Evaluation of single and double centrifugation tube methods for concentrating equine platelets.

Science.gov (United States)

Argüelles, D; Carmona, J U; Pastor, J; Iborra, A; Viñals, L; Martínez, P; Bach, E; Prades, M

2006-10-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate single and double centrifugation tube methods for concentrating equine platelets. Whole blood samples were collected from clinically normal horses and processed by use of single and double centrifugation tube methods to obtain four platelet concentrates (PCs): PC-A, PC-B, PC-C, and PC-D, which were analyzed using a flow cytometry hematology system for hemogram and additional platelet parameters (mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, mean platelet component concentration, mean platelet component distribution width). Concentrations of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta(1)) were determined in all the samples. Platelet concentrations for PC-A, PC-B, PC-C, and PC-D were 45%, 44%, 71%, and 21% higher, respectively, compared to the same values for citrated whole blood samples. TGF-beta(1) concentrations for PC-A, PC-B, PC-C, and PC-D were 38%, 44%, 44%, and 37% higher, respectively, compared to citrated whole blood sample values. In conclusion, the single and double centrifugation tube methods are reliable methods for concentrating equine platelets and for obtaining potentially therapeutic TGF-beta(1) levels.

Feeding tube - infants

Science.gov (United States)

... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007235.htm Feeding tube - infants To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. A feeding tube is a small, soft, plastic tube placed ...

SMART Tubing Presents an Increased Risk of Disconnection During Extracorporeal Circulation

Science.gov (United States)

Newling, Ross; Morris, Richard

2005-01-01

Abstract: A number of products exhibiting biocompatible features have been developed for use in extracorporeal blood circuits during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. While attention has been focused on biocompatibility features of the blood-circuit interface, a number of issues applicable in clinical use of these circuits have arisen. Surface Modifying Additive Technology (SMART; Cobe Cardiovascular, Arvarda, CO) is one such technology. In this product, the structure of normal polyvinylchloride (PVC) tubing is altered through the blending of two copolymers to give a more biocompatible blood to plastic interface. In this study, we examined the in vitro mechanical ability of random samples (n = 10) of SMART and standard PVC tubing to withstand axial tension when the tubing was placed over a single barb of a connector. The tension required to remove the SMART tubing from the connector (83.3 ± 7.3 [SD] N), was significantly less than standard PVC tubing (115.6 ± 15.9 N; p tubing exhibited a 28% reduction in tubing to connector adhesion, which may have a significant effect on extracorporeal circuit disconnection and overall patient safety. PMID:16524161

Adhesion of volatile propofol to breathing circuit tubing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenz, Dominik; Maurer, Felix; Trautner, Katharina; Fink, Tobias; Hüppe, Tobias; Sessler, Daniel I; Baumbach, Jörg Ingo; Volk, Thomas; Kreuer, Sascha

2017-08-21

Propofol in exhaled breath can be measured and may provide a real-time estimate of plasma concentration. However, propofol is absorbed in plastic tubing, thus estimates may fail to reflect lung/blood concentration if expired gas is not extracted directly from the endotracheal tube. We evaluated exhaled propofol in five ventilated ICU patients who were sedated with propofol. Exhaled propofol was measured once per minute using ion mobility spectrometry. Exhaled air was sampled directly from the endotracheal tube and at the ventilator end of the expiratory side of the anesthetic circuit. The circuit was disconnected from the patient and propofol was washed out with a separate clean ventilator. Propofol molecules, which discharged from the expiratory portion of the breathing circuit, were measured for up to 60 h. We also determined whether propofol passes through the plastic of breathing circuits. A total of 984 data pairs (presented as median values, with 95% confidence interval), consisting of both concentrations were collected. The concentration of propofol sampled near the patient was always substantially higher, at 10.4 [10.25-10.55] versus 5.73 [5.66-5.88] ppb (p tubing was 4.58 [4.48-4.68] ppb, 3.46 [3.21-3.73] in the first hour, 4.05 [3.77-4.34] in the second hour, and 4.01 [3.36-4.40] in the third hour. Out-gassing propofol from the breathing circuit remained at 2.8 ppb after 60 h of washing out. Diffusion through the plastic was not observed. Volatile propofol binds or adsorbs to the plastic of a breathing circuit with saturation kinetics. The bond is reversible so propofol can be washed out from the plastic. Our data confirm earlier findings that accurate measurements of volatile propofol require exhaled air to be sampled as close as possible to the patient.

Plasma immersion ion implantation (and deposition) inside metallic tubes of different dimensions and configurations

Science.gov (United States)

Ueda, M.; Silva, C.; Santos, N. M.; Souza, G. B.

2017-10-01

There is a strong need for developing methods to coat or implant ions inside metallic tubes for many practical contemporary applications, both for industry and science. Therefore, stainless steel tubes with practical diameters of 4, 11 and 16 cm, but short lengths of 20 cm, were internally treated by nitrogen plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). Different configurations as tube with lid in one of the ends or both sides open were tested for better PIII performance, in the case of smallest diameter tube. Among these PIII tests in tubes, using the 4 cm diameter one with a lid, it was possible to achieve tube temperatures of more than 700 °C in 15 min and maintain it during the whole treatment time (typically 2 h). Samples made of different materials were placed at the interior of the tube, as the monitors for posterior analysis, and the tube was solely pulsed by high voltage pulser producing high voltage glow discharge and hollow cathode discharge both driven by a moderate power source. In this experiment, samples of SS 304, pure Ti, Ti6Al4V and Si were used for the tests of the above methods. Results on the analysis of the surface of these nitrogen PIII treated materials, as well as on their processing methods, are presented and discussed in the paper.

Non-contact Measurement of Remaining Thickness of Corroding Superheater Tubes. Phase 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borggreen, Kjeld; Storesund, Jan

2006-10-15

Corrosion of superheaters has become a severe problem in many biomass boilers and incineration plants. This new situation calls for frequent tube wall thickness testing of the superheaters during very short shut-downs. To meet this demand Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) candidates as substitute for conventional manually operated contact UT-transducers. The EMAT can contactlessly generate an ultrasonic wave in the interphase between the external oxide and the metal. This means that measurements can be undertaken much quicker and with a much higher coverage simultaneously, without preceding blast operations. It is the aim of the project to demonstrate the usefulness of two simple EMAT systems, Panametrics and Sonatest, for fast and reliable tube thickness inspections in difficult-to-access superheater sections. The present Phase 1 of the project involves testing of the performance of the two systems in laboratory with the following results: 1. Both instruments work well on plate, tube, and pipe samples assuming the presence of an external oxide layer formed at a temperature above approximately 400 deg C. 2. Both instruments work well on all types of ferritic and martensitic steels but not on austenitic steels. 3. Both instruments work well independent of the thickness of the active oxide layer. 4. Both instruments work well independent of tube diameter, wall thickness, and sample width. 5. Both instruments work well over a very large range of wall thicknesses. Minimum tube wall thickness is less than 1.8 mm. 6. The tolerable lift-off (free distance between transducer and tube surface) is 2.4 - 3.0 mm for Panametrics system and 3.6 - 4.8 mm for Sonatest's system. The tolerable lift-off is a measure of the thickness of ash deposits, which can be tolerated on the tube surface as well as the misplacement, which can be tolerated in case of remote tube testing. 7. The tolerable off-set between tube axis and probe axis is very large for both instruments (10

A programmable air sampler with adsorption tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riesing, J.; Roetzer, H.; Hick, H.

1997-01-01

The Air Sampler AS3 was utilized for the European Tracer Experiment (ETEX) to measure the concentrations of the perfluorocarbon tracers. At thirty-two sampling points these devices were placed to collect the tracer substances in adsorption tubes for subsequent laboratory analysis in the Environment Institute of the JRC Ispra. The Air Sampler is also suitable for monitoring the environment, particularly of industrial emitters or landfills, by sampling of volatile substances. The Air Sampler AS3 is a portable, user-friendly instrument due to light weight, ruggedness and reliable operation. It is capable of fully automatic sampling of air and gas with 24 adsorption tubes and program-controlled gas flow. Collection times can be programmed freely between 1 sec and 8 days and waiting times between 1 sec and 30 days. Programming is possible via keyboard, memory card or serial interface. A protocol of sampling control data is stored on a memory card giving documentation of sampling conditions. On the memory card there is space for the storage of 10 sampling programs and 10 sets of sampling control data. Before the start of ETEX the AS3 was used in a measurement campaign to measure the background concentrations of the perfluorocarbon tracers in Austria. In the provinces of Upper Austria and Salzburg the Air Sampler is used by the departments for environmental protection for the monitoring of BTX-concentrations in air. (author)

Eustachian tube patency

Science.gov (United States)

Eustachian tube patency refers to how much the eustachian tube is open. The eustachian tube runs between the middle ear and the throat. It controls the pressure behind the eardrum and middle ear space. This helps keep ...

Effect of tube-support interaction on the dynamic responses of heat exchanger tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Y.S.; Jendrzejczyk, J.A.; Wambsganss, M.W.

1977-01-01

Operating heat exchangers have experienced tube damages due to excessive flow-induced vibration. The relatively small inherent tube-to-baffle hole clearances associated with manufacturing tolerances in heat exchangers affect the tube vibrational characteristics. In attempting a theoretical analysis, questions arise as to the effects of tube-baffle impacting on dynamic responses. Experiments were performed to determine the effects of tube-baffle impacting in vertical/horizontal tube orientation, and in air/water medium on the vibrational characteristics (resonant frequencies, mode shapes, and damping) and displacement response amplitudes of a seven-span tube model. The tube and support conditions were prototypic, and overall length approximately one-third that of a straight tube segment of the steam generator designed for the CRBR. The test results were compared with the analytical results based on the multispan beam with ''knife-edge'' supports

Description of a double centrifugation tube method for concentrating canine platelets.

Science.gov (United States)

Perazzi, Anna; Busetto, Roberto; Martinello, Tiziana; Drigo, Michele; Pasotto, Daniela; Cian, Francesco; Patruno, Marco; Iacopetti, Ilaria

2013-07-22

To evaluate the efficiency of platelet-rich plasma preparations by means of a double centrifugation tube method to obtain platelet-rich canine plasma at a concentration at least 4 times higher than the baseline value and a concentration of white blood cells not exceeding twice the reference range. A complete blood count was carried out for each sample and each concentrate. Whole blood samples were collected from 12 clinically healthy dogs (consenting blood donors). Blood was processed by a double centrifugation tube method to obtain platelet concentrates, which were then analyzed by a flow cytometry haematology system for haemogram. Platelet concentration and white blood cell count were determined in all samples. Platelet concentration at least 4 times higher than the baseline value and a white blood cell count not exceeding twice the reference range were obtained respectively in 10 cases out of 12 (83.3%) and 11 cases out of 12 (91.6%). This double centrifugation tube method is a relatively simple and inexpensive method for obtaining platelet-rich canine plasma, potentially available for therapeutic use to improve the healing process.

Annular gap measurement between pressure tube and calandria tube by eddy current technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhole, V.M.; Rastogi, P.K.; Kulkarni, P.G.

1992-01-01

In pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) major distinguishing feature is that there are number of identical fuel channels in the reactor core. Each channel consists of pressure tube of Zr-2.5 Nb or zircaloy-2 through which high temperature, high pressure primary coolant is passing. The pressure tube contains fuel. Surrounding the pressure tube there is low pressure, cool heavy water (moderator). The moderator is thermally separated from coolant by the tube which is nominally concentric with pressure tube called calandria tube. There are four garter springs in the annular gap between pressure tube and calandria tube. During the life of the reactor there are number of factors by which the pressure tube sags, most important factors are irradiation creep, thermal creep, fuel load etc. Because of the sag of pressure tube it can touch the calandria tube resulting in formation of cold spot. This leads to hydrogen concentration at that spot by which the material at that place becomes brittle and can lead to catastrophic failure of pressure tube. There is no useful access for measurement of annular gap either through the gas annular space or from exterior of calandria tube. So the annular gap was measured from inside surface of pressure tube which is accessible. Eddy current technique was used for finding the gap. The paper describe the details of split coil design of bobbin probe, selection of operating point on normalised impedance diagram by choosing frequency. Experimental results on full scale mock up, and actual gap measurement in reactor channel, are also given. (author). 7 figs

Categorising YouTube

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Thomas Mosebo

2011-01-01

This article provides a genre analytical approach to creating a typology of the User Generated Content (UGC) of YouTube. The article investigates the construction of navigation processes on the YouTube website. It suggests a pragmatic genre approach that is expanded through a focus on YouTube......’s technological affordances. Through an analysis of the different pragmatic contexts of YouTube, it is argued that a taxonomic understanding of YouTube must be analysed in regards to the vacillation of a user-driven bottom-up folksonomy and a hierarchical browsing system that emphasises a culture of competition...... and which favours the already popular content of YouTube. With this taxonomic approach, the UGC videos are registered and analysed in terms of empirically based observations. The article identifies various UGC categories and their principal characteristics. Furthermore, general tendencies of the UGC within...

An investigation on compression strength analysis of commercial aluminium tube to aluminium 2025 tube plate by using TIG welding process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kannan, S., E-mail: kannan.dgl201127@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mining Machinery Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India, 826004 (India); Senthil Kumaran, S., E-mail: sskumaran@ymail.com [Research and Development Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, RVS Educational Trust' s Group of Institutions, RVS School of Engineering and Technology, Dindigul, Tamilnadu, India, 624005 (India); Kumaraswamidhas, L.A., E-mail: lakdhas1978@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mining Machinery Engineering, Indian School of Mines University, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India, 826004 (India)

2016-05-05

In this present study, Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding was applied to weld the dissimilar materials and authenticate the mechanical and metallurgical properties of tube to tube plate made up of commercial aluminium and Al 2025 respectively using an Zirconiated tungsten electrode along with filler material aluminium ER 2219. In total, twenty five pieces has been subjected to compression strength and hardness value to evaluate the optimal joint strength. The three optimization technique has been used in this experiment. Taguchi L{sub 25} orthogonal array is used to identify the most influencing process parameter which affects the joint strength. ANOVA method is measured for both compression strength and hardness to calculate the percentage of contribution for each process parameter. Genetic algorithm is used to validate the results obtained from the both experimental value and optimization value. The micro structural study is depicted the welding joints characterization in between tube to tube plate joints. The radiograph test is conducted to prove the welds are non-defective and no flaws are found during the welding process. The mechanical property of compression strength and hardness has been measured to obtain the optimal joint strength of the welded sample was about 174.846 MPa and 131.364 Hv respectively. - Highlights: • Commercial Al tube and Al 2025 tube plate successfully welded by TIG welding. • Compression strength and hardness value proves to obtain optimal joint strength. • The maximum compression and hardness was achieved in various input parameters.

An investigation on compression strength analysis of commercial aluminium tube to aluminium 2025 tube plate by using TIG welding process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kannan, S.; Senthil Kumaran, S.; Kumaraswamidhas, L.A.

2016-01-01

In this present study, Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding was applied to weld the dissimilar materials and authenticate the mechanical and metallurgical properties of tube to tube plate made up of commercial aluminium and Al 2025 respectively using an Zirconiated tungsten electrode along with filler material aluminium ER 2219. In total, twenty five pieces has been subjected to compression strength and hardness value to evaluate the optimal joint strength. The three optimization technique has been used in this experiment. Taguchi L_2_5 orthogonal array is used to identify the most influencing process parameter which affects the joint strength. ANOVA method is measured for both compression strength and hardness to calculate the percentage of contribution for each process parameter. Genetic algorithm is used to validate the results obtained from the both experimental value and optimization value. The micro structural study is depicted the welding joints characterization in between tube to tube plate joints. The radiograph test is conducted to prove the welds are non-defective and no flaws are found during the welding process. The mechanical property of compression strength and hardness has been measured to obtain the optimal joint strength of the welded sample was about 174.846 MPa and 131.364 Hv respectively. - Highlights: • Commercial Al tube and Al 2025 tube plate successfully welded by TIG welding. • Compression strength and hardness value proves to obtain optimal joint strength. • The maximum compression and hardness was achieved in various input parameters.

Pressure tube type reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komada, Masaoki.

1981-01-01

Purpose: To increase the safety of pressure tube type reactors by providing an additional ECCS system to an ordinary ECCS system and injecting heavy water in the reactor core tank into pressure tubes upon fractures of the tubes. Constitution: Upon fractures of pressure tubes, reduction of the pressure in the fractured tubes to the atmospheric pressure in confirmed and the electromagnetic valve is operated to completely isolate the pressure tubes from the fractured portion. Then, the heavy water in the reactor core tank flows into and spontaneously recycles through the pressure tubes to cool the fuels in the tube to prevent their meltdown. By additionally providing the separate ECCS system to the ordinary ECCS system, fuels can be cooled upon loss of coolant accidents to improve the safety of the reactors. (Moriyama, K.)

Fundamental study on temperature estimation of steam generator tubes at sodium-water reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furukawa, Tomohiro; Yoshida, Eiichi

2008-11-01

In case of the tube failure in the steam generator of the sodium cooled fast breeder reactor, its adjoined tubes are rapidly heated up by the chemical reaction between sodium and water/steam. And it is known that the tubes have the damage called 'wastage' by the disclosure steam jet. This research is a fundamental study based on the metallography about temperature estimation of the damaged tubes at the sodium-water reaction for the establishment of mechanism analysis technique of the behavior. In the examination, the material which gave the rapid thermal history which imitated sodium-water reaction was produced. And it was investigated whether the thermal history (i.e. maximum temperature and the holding time) of the samples could be presumed from the metallurgical examination of the samples. The major results are as follows: (1) The microstructure of the sample which was given the rapid thermal heating has reserved the influence of the maximum temperature and the time, and the structure can explain by referring to the equilibrium diagram and the continuous cooling transformation diagram. (2) Results of the electrolytic extraction of the samples, the ratio of the remained volume to the electrolyzed volume degreased with the increase of the maximum temperature and the time. Furthermore, it was observed the correlation between the remained volume of each element (Cr, Mo, Fe, V and Nb) and the thermal history. (3) It was obtained that the thermal history of the tubes damaged by sodium-water reaction might be able to be estimated from the metallurgical examinations. (author)

Rotor for processing liquids using movable capillary tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, W.F.; Burtis, C.A.; Walker, W.A.

1987-07-17

A rotor assembly for processing liquids, especially whole blood samples, is disclosed. The assembly includes apparatus for separating non-liquid components of whole blood samples from liquid components, apparatus for diluting the separated liquid component with a diluent and apparatus for transferring the diluted sample to an external apparatus for analysis. The rotor assembly employs several movable capillary tubes to handle the sample and diluents. A method for using the rotor assembly to process liquids is also described. 5 figs.

Tube-in-shell heat exchangers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richardson, J.

1976-01-01

Tube-in-shell heat exchangers normally comprise a bundle of parallel tubes within a shell container, with a fluid arranged to flow through the tubes in heat exchange with a second fluid flowing through the shell. The tubes are usually end supported by the tube plates that separate the two fluids, and in use the tube attachments to the tube plates and the tube plates can be subject to severe stress by thermal shock and frequent inspection and servicing are required. Where the heat exchangers are immersed in a coolant such as liquid Na such inspection is difficult. In the arrangement described a longitudinally extending central tube is provided incorporating axially spaced cylindrical tube plates to which the opposite ends of the tubes are attached. Within this tube there is a tubular baffle that slidably seals against the wall of the tube between the cylindrical tube plates to define two co-axial flow ducts. These ducts are interconnected at the closed end of the tube by the heat exchange tubes and the baffle comprises inner and outer spaced walls with the interspace containing Ar. The baffle is easily removable and can be withdrawn to enable insertion of equipment for inspecting the wall of the tube and tube attachments and to facilitate plugging of defective tubes. Cylindrical tube plates are believed to be superior for carrying pressure loads and resisting the effects of thermal shock. Some protection against thermal shock can be effected by arranging that the secondary heat exchange fluid is on the tube side, and by providing a thermal baffle to prevent direct impingement of hot primary fluid on to the cylindrical tube plates. The inner wall of the tubular baffle may have flexible expansible region. Some nuclear reactor constructions incorporating such an arrangement are described, including liquid metal reactors. (U.K.)

Heat exchanger tube tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gugel, G.

1976-01-01

Certain types of heat-exchangers have tubes opening through a tube sheet to a manifold having an access opening offset from alignment with the tube ends. A tool for inserting a device, such as for inspection or repair, is provided for use in such instances. The tool is formed by a flexible guide tube insertable through the access opening and having an inner end provided with a connector for connection with the opening of the tube in which the device is to be inserted, and an outer end which remains outside of the chamber, the guide tube having adequate length for this arrangement. A flexible transport hose for internally transporting the device slides inside of the guide tube. This hose is long enough to slide through the guide tube, into the heat-exchanger tube, and through the latter to the extent required for the use of the device. The guide tube must be bent to reach the end of the heat-exchanger tube and the latter may be constructed with a bend, the hose carrying anit-friction elements at interspaced locations along its length to make it possible for the hose to negotiate such bends while sliding to the location where the use of the device is required

Observation of "YouTube" Language Learning Videos ("YouTube" LLVS)

Science.gov (United States)

Alhamami, Munassir

2013-01-01

This paper navigates into the "YouTube" website as one of the most usable online tools to learn languages these days. The paper focuses on two issues in creating "YouTube" language learning videos: pedagogy and technology. After observing the existing "YouTube" LLVs, the study presents a novel rubric that is directed…

Preservatives in Personal Hygiene and Cosmetic Products, Topical Medications, and Household Cleaners in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Pastor-Nieto, María Antonia; Alcántara-Nicolás, Francisco; Melgar-Molero, Virginia; Pérez-Mesonero, Raquel; Vergara-Sánchez, Aránzazu; Martín-Fuentes, Adriana; González-Muñoz, Patricia; de Eusebio-Murillo, Ester

2017-10-01

Preservatives are added to cosmetic, household cleaning, and other industrial products to prevent the growth of microorganisms. Unfortunately, exposure to these substances can cause sensitization. Between January and June 2015, we analyzed the ingredients of 2300 products commercially available in Spain to identify the frequency of a wide variety of preservatives in different product categories. We analyzed 1093 skin care and cosmetic products sold exclusively in pharmacies (dermocosmetics), 458 household cleaning and personal hygiene and cosmetic products sold in supermarkets, 636 topical medications, and 113 cosmetic products sold in a herbal shop. Phenoxyethanol, citric acid, sodium benzoate, and potassium sorbate were very common in all the cosmetic product categories. Parabens were present in 16.1% of dermocosmetic products, 14.45% of cosmetic products available in supermarkets, 0.88% of cosmetic products available in the herbal shop, 5.18% of topical medications, and in none of the cleaning products. Isothiazolinones were identified in 2.56% of dermocosmetic products, 18% of cosmetic products in supermarkets, 7.9% of cosmetic products in the herbal shop, 63.63% of household cleaners, and in none of the topical medications. Formaldehyde releasers were detected in 5.76% of dermocosmetic products, 6.42% of cosmetic products sold in supermarkets, 7.96% of cosmetic products sold in the herbal shop, 3.93% of topical medications, and 16.74% of household cleaners. Evaluation of the presence of preservatives in everyday products allows us to indirectly estimate exposure levels to each one. Measures restricting the use of the most problematic preservatives need to be strengthened. Copyright © 2017 AEDV. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Observations and insights into Pb-assisted stress corrosion cracking of alloy 600 steam generator tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, L.; Bruemmer, Stephen M.

2005-01-01

Pb-assisted stress-corrosion cracking (PbSCC) of Alloy 600 steam-generator tubing in high-temperature-water service and laboratory tests were studied by analytical transmission electron microscopy of cross-sectioned samples. Examinations of pulled tubes from many pressurized water reactors revealed lead in cracks from 11 of 17 samples. Comparisons of the degraded intergranular structures with ones produced in simple laboratory tests with PbO in near-neutral AVT water showed that the PbSCC characteristics in service tubing could be reproduced without complex chemistries and heat-flow conditions that can occur during plant operation. Observations of intergranular and transgranular cracks promoted by Pb in the test samples also provided new insights into the mechanisms of PbSCC in mill-annealed and thermally treated Alloy 600

Helically coiled tube heat exchanger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, A.M.

1981-01-01

In a heat exchanger such as a steam generator for a nuclear reactor, two or more bundles of helically coiled tubes are arranged in series with the tubes in each bundle integrally continuing through the tube bundles arranged in series therewith. Pitch values for the tubing in any pair of tube bundles, taken transverse to the path of the reactor coolant flow about the tubes, are selected as a ratio of two unequal integers to permit efficient operation of each tube bundle while maintaining the various tube bundles of the heat exchanger within a compact envelope. Preferably, the helix angle and tube pitch parallel to the path of coolant flow are constant for all tubes in a single bundle so that the tubes are of approximately the same length within each bundle

Categorising YouTube

OpenAIRE

Simonsen, Thomas Mosebo

2011-01-01

This article provides a genre analytical approach to creating a typology of the User Generated Content (UGC) of YouTube. The article investigates the construction of navigation processes on the YouTube website. It suggests a pragmatic genre approach that is expanded through a focus on YouTube’s technological affordances. Through an analysis of the different pragmatic contexts of YouTube, it is argued that a taxonomic understanding of YouTube must be analysed in regards to the vacillation of a...

Re-examination of demonstration gas discharge tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maharaj, H.P.

1991-01-01

Gas discharge tubes in which electrons or ions are accelerated at voltages on the order of kilovolts to produce observable atomic effects are potential x-ray sources. These tubes come in various shapes, sizes and designs, and are still in use in science classrooms despite the decline predicted in the 1970s. Because of current applications, a representative sample consisting of fifteen tubes marketed over a recent 2-year period was reexamined for regulatory compliance, product identification and advertising. The results revealed that: poor quality control and design can affect x-ray emissions; and deficiencies exist in product identification, safe use guidelines and operating instructions. This paper reports that these findings, together with the dose estimates, implications and subjective indicators, strongly suggest a user group of unknown size is at increased risk. A combination of enhanced surveillance and promotion of user awareness strategies is adopted to reduce and possible eliminate the potential health risks

NEI You Tube Videos: Amblyopia

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... YouTube Videos » NEI YouTube Videos: Amblyopia Listen NEI YouTube Videos YouTube Videos Home Age-Related Macular Degeneration ... Retinopathy of Prematurity Science Spanish Videos Webinars NEI YouTube Videos: Amblyopia Embedded video for NEI YouTube Videos: ...

Effect of Tube Pitch on Pool Boiling Heat Transfer of Vertical Tube Bundle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Myeong Gie

2016-01-01

Summarizing the previous results it can be stated that heat transfer coefficients are highly dependent on the tube pitch and the heat flux of the relevant tube. The published results are mostly about the horizontal tubes. However, there are many heat exchangers consisting of vertical tubes like AP600. Therefore, the focus of the present study is an identification of the effects of a tube pitch as well as the heat flux of a relevant tube on the heat transfer of a tube bundle installed vertically. When the heat flux is increased many bubbles are generating due to the increase of the nucleation sites. The bubbles become coalescing with the nearby bubbles and generates big bunches of bubbles on the tube surface. This prevents the access of the liquid to the surface and deteriorates heat transfer. The bubble coalescence is competing with the mechanisms enhancing heat transfer. The pitch was varied from 28.5 mm to 95 mm and the heat flux of the nearby tube was changed from 0 to 90kW/m"2. The enhancement of the heat transfer is clearly observed when the heat flux of the nearby tube becomes larger and the heat flux of the upper tube is less than 40kW/m"2. The effect of the tube pitch on heat transfer is negligible as the value of DP/ is increased more than 4.

Optimizing Tube Precurvature to Enhance Elastic Stability of Concentric Tube Robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Junhyoung; Park, Frank C; Dupont, Pierre E

2017-02-01

Robotic instruments based on concentric tube technology are well suited to minimally invasive surgery since they are slender, can navigate inside small cavities and can reach around sensitive tissues by taking on shapes of varying curvature. Elastic instabilities can arise, however, when rotating one precurved tube inside another. In contrast to prior work that considered only tubes of piecewise constant precurvature, we allow precurvature to vary along the tube's arc length. Stability conditions for a planar tube pair are derived and used to formulate an optimal design problem. An analytic formulation of the optimal precurvature function is derived that achieves a desired tip orientation range while maximizing stability and respecting bending strain limits. This formulation also includes straight transmission segments at the proximal ends of the tubes. The result, confirmed by both numerical and physical experiment, enables designs with enhanced stability in comparison to designs of constant precurvature.

Probabilistic integrity assessment of pressure tubes in an operating pressurized heavy water reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Young-Jin; Park, Heung-Bae [KEPCO E and C, 188 Gumi-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 463-870 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jung-Min; Kim, Young-Jin [School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 300 Chunchun-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Ko, Han-Ok [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, 34 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon-si 305-338 (Korea, Republic of); Chang, Yoon-Suk, E-mail: yschang@khu.ac.kr [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1 Seocheon-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-02-15

Even though pressure tubes are major components of a pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR), only small proportions of pressure tubes are sampled for inspection due to limited inspection time and costs. Since the inspection scope and integrity evaluation have been treated by using a deterministic approach in general, a set of conservative data was used instead of all known information related to in-service degradation mechanisms because of inherent uncertainties in the examination. Recently, in order that pressure tube degradations identified in a sample of inspected pressure tubes are taken into account to address the balance of the uninspected ones in the reactor core, a probabilistic approach has been introduced. In the present paper, probabilistic integrity assessments of PHWR pressure tubes were carried out based on accumulated operating experiences and enhanced technology. Parametric analyses on key variables were conducted, which were periodically measured by in-service inspection program, such as deuterium uptake rate, dimensional change rate of pressure tube and flaw size distribution. Subsequently, a methodology to decide optimum statistical distribution by using a robust method adopting a genetic algorithm was proposed and applied to the most influential variable to verify the reliability of the proposed method. Finally, pros and cons of the alternative distributions comparing with corresponding ones derived from the traditional method as well as technical findings from the statistical assessment were discussed to show applicability to the probabilistic assessment of pressure tubes.

Effect of boric acid on intergranular corrosion in tube support plate crevices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunet, J.P.; Campan, J.L.

1993-10-01

Intergranular attack on steam generator tubing is one important phenomenon involved in availability of Pressurized Water Reactors. Boric acid appears to be a possible candidate for inhibiting the corrosion process. The program performed in Cadarache was supposed to give statistical informations on the boric acid effect. It was based on a large number of samples initially attacked during a program performed by BABCOCK ampersand WILCOX. These samples were sleeved onto Alloy 690 tubes, in order to prevent premature cracking. Unfortunately it was not possible to find chemical conditions able to produce significant additional corrosion; we postulated mainly due to a drastic reduction of the thermal flux resulting from the increase of the tube wall thickness under the tube support plates (TSP). The tests demonstrate that such sleeve could be a possible remedy of the corrosion when introduced under the TSP. The tests show indications of a possible beneficial effect of the boric acid, a large variability of the heats sensitivity to the IGA and a predominant effect of Na 2 CO 3 on IGA production

The performance of cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, in a reversal learning task varies across experimental paradigms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Gingins

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Testing performance in controlled laboratory experiments is a powerful tool for understanding the extent and evolution of cognitive abilities in non-human animals. However, cognitive testing is prone to a number of potential biases, which, if unnoticed or unaccounted for, may affect the conclusions drawn. We examined whether slight modifications to the experimental procedure and apparatus used in a spatial task and reversal learning task affected performance outcomes in the bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus (hereafter “cleaners”. Using two-alternative forced-choice tests, fish had to learn to associate a food reward with a side (left or right in their holding aquarium. Individuals were tested in one of four experimental treatments that differed slightly in procedure and/or physical set-up. Cleaners from all four treatment groups were equally able to solve the initial spatial task. However, groups differed in their ability to solve the reversal learning task: no individuals solved the reversal task when tested in small tanks with a transparent partition separating the two options, whereas over 50% of individuals solved the task when performed in a larger tank, or with an opaque partition. These results clearly show that seemingly insignificant details to the experimental set-up matter when testing performance in a spatial task and might significantly influence the outcome of experiments. These results echo previous calls for researchers to exercise caution when designing methodologies for cognition tasks to avoid misinterpretations.

A Method to Establishing Tube Plugging Criterion for Heat Exchangers with Straight Tubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyungnam [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

The difference of thermal expansion coefficients between the shell and tube materials causes the stress in axial direction of tube. Because of the axial stress due to thermal load, the straight tubes are used for heat exchangers operated in low temperature such as CCW (Component Cooling Water) heat exchangers and condensers. It is inevitable for the materials of the components to be degraded as the power plants become older. The degradation accompanies increasing maintenance cost as well as creating safety issues. The materials and wall thickness of heat exchanger tubes in nuclear power plants are selected to withstand system temperature, pressure, and corrosion. There are many codes and standards to be referred for calculating the minimum thickness of the heat exchanger tube in the designing stage. However, the codes and standards related to show the tube plugging criteria may not exist currently. In this paper, a method to establish the tube plugging criteria of BOP heat exchangers, which is based on the USNRC Regulatory Guide 1.121, is introduced and the tube plugging criteria for the TPCCW heat exchanger of Yonggwang NPP No. 1 and 2. A method to establish the tube plugging criteria of heat exchangers with straight tubes are introduced based on the USNRC Regulatory Guide 1.121. As an example, the tube plugging criterion for the CCW heat exchanger of a nuclear power plant is provided.

Inner surface modification of a tube by magnetic glow-arc plasma source ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Guling; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing; Wang Jiuli; Feng Wenran; Chen Guangliang; Gu Weichao; Niu Erwu; Fan Songhua; Liu Chizi; Yang Size; Wu Xingfang

2006-01-01

A new method named the magnetic glow-arc plasma source ion implantation (MGA-PSII) is proposed for inner surface modification of tubes. In MGA-PSII, under the control of an axial magnetic field, which is generated by an electric coil around the tube sample, glow arc plasma moves spirally into the tube from its two ends. A negative voltage applied on the tube realized its inner surface implantation. Titanium nitride (TiN) films are prepared on the inner surface of a stainless steel tube in diameter 90 mm and length 600 mm. Hardness tests show that the hardness at the tube centre is up to 20 GPa. XRD, XPS and AES analyses demonstrate that good quality of TiN films can be achieved. (authors)

Inner Surface Modification of a Tube by Magnetic Glow-Arc Plasma Source Ion Implantation

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Gu-Ling; Wang, Jiu-Li; Wu, Xing-Fang; Feng, Wen-Ran; Chen, Guang-Liang; Gu, Wei-Chao; Niu, Er-Wu; Fan, Song-Hua; Liu, Chi-Zi; Yang, Si-Ze

2006-05-01

A new method named the magnetic glow-arc plasma source ion implantation (MGA-PSII) is proposed for inner surface modification of tubes. In MGA-PSII, under the control of an axial magnetic field, which is generated by an electric coil around the tube sample, glow arc plasma moves spirally into the tube from its two ends. A negative voltage applied on the tube realized its inner surface implantation. Titanium nitride (TiN) films are prepared on the inner surface of a stainless steel tube in diameter 90 mm and length 600 mm. Hardness tests show that the hardness at the tube centre is up to 20 GPa. XRD, XPS and AES analyses demonstrate that good quality of TiN films can be achieved.

Effects of Two Purification Pretreatments on Electroless Copper Coating over Single-Walled Carbon Nano tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Z.; Li, L.; Dong, Sh.; Li, Sh.; Xiao, A.; Sun, Sh.

2014-01-01

To achieve the reinforcement of copper matrix composite by single-walled carbon nano tubes, a three-step-refluxing purification of carbon nano tubes sample with HNO 3 -NaOH-HCl was proposed and demonstrated. A previously reported purification process using an electromagnetic stirring with H 2 O 2 /HCl mixture was also repeated. Then, the purified carbon nano tubes were coated with copper by the same electroless plating process. At the end, the effects of the method on carbon nano tubes themselves and on copper coating were determined by transmission electron microscope spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometry. It was clearly confirmed that both of the two processes could remove most of iron catalyst particles and carbonaceous impurities without significant damage to carbon nano tubes. The thermal stability of the sample purified by H 2 O 2 /HCl treatment was slightly higher than that purified by HNO 3 -NaOH-HCl treatment. Nevertheless, the purification by HNO 3 -NaOH-HCl treatment was more effective for carboxyl functionalization on nano tubes than that by H 2 O 2 /HCl treatment. The Cu-coating on carbon nano tubes purified by both purification processes was complete, homogenous, and continuous. However, the Cu-coating on carbon nano tubes purified by H 2 O 2 /HCl was oxidized more seriously than those on carbon nano tubes purified by HNO 3 -NaOH-HCl treatment.

A comparison of the test tube and the dialysis tubing in vitro methods for estimating the bioavailability of phosphorus in feed ingredients for swine.

Science.gov (United States)

Bollinger, David W; Tsunoda, Atsushi; Ledoux, David R; Ellersieck, Mark R; Veum, Trygve L

2005-05-04

The validity of a simplified in vitro test tube (TT) method was compared with a more complicated dialysis tubing (DT) method to estimate the percentage of available phosphorus (P) in 41 plant origin and five animal origin feed ingredients for swine. The TT method using 1.0 or 0.25 g samples was compared with the DT method using 1.0 g samples at two pancreatic incubation times (2 vs 4 h) in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Each DT and TT method treatment was replicated three and six times, respectively. Both methods utilize three enzymatic digestions: (i) predigestion with endoxylanase and beta-glucanase for 1 h, (ii) pepsin digestion for 2 h, and (iii) pancreatin digestion for 2 or 4 h. For the TT method, the entire procedure was conducted in a 50 mL conical centrifuge tube and replicated six times. For the DT method, the first two digestions were conducted in a 10 mL plastic syringe before the contents were quantitatively transferred into a segment of DT for the pancreatic digestion. The percentages of hydrolyzed P for plant origin ingredients measured by the DT method using 1.0 g samples and the TT method using 0.25 g samples were highly correlated (r = 0.94-0.97, P or = 0.4) with published in vivo available P values. In conclusion, the accuracy and validity of the TT method using 0.25 g samples with a 2 h pancreatic digestion time was equal to or superior to the DT method using 1.0 g samples with a 4 h pancreatic digestion time for estimating P availability in plant origin feed ingredients.

Rapid surface sampling and archival record system (RSSAR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barren, E.; Bracco, A.; Dorn, S.B.

1997-01-01

Purpose is to develop a rapid surface (concrete, steel) contamination measurement system that will provide a ''quick-look'' indication of contamination areas, an archival record, and an automated analysis. A bulk sampling oven is also being developed. The sampling device consists of a sampling head, a quick look detector, and an archiving system (sorbent tube). The head thermally desorbs semi-volatiles, such as PCBs, oils, etc., from concrete and steel surfaces; the volatilized materials are passed through a quick-look detector. Sensitivity of the detector can be attenuated for various contaminant levels. Volatilized materials are trapped in a tube filled with adsorbent. The tubes are housed in a magazine which also archives information about sampling conditions. Analysis of the tubes can be done at a later date. The concrete sampling head is fitted with a tungsten-halogen lamp; in laboratory experiments it has extracted model contaminants by heating the top 4mm of the surface to 250 C within 100-200 s. The steel sampling head has been tested on different types of steels and has extracted model contaminants within 30 s. A mathematical model of heat and mass transport in concrete has been developed. Rate of contaminant removal is at maximum when the moisture content is about 100 kg/m 3 . The system will be useful during decontamination and decommissioning operations

Automation in tube finishing bay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatnagar, Prateek; Satyadev, B.; Raghuraman, S.; Syama Sundara Rao, B.

1997-01-01

Automation concept in tube finishing bay, introduced after the final pass annealing of PHWR tubes resulted in integration of number of sub-systems in synchronisation with each other to produce final cut fuel tubes of specified length, tube finish etc. The tube finishing bay which was physically segregated into four distinct areas: 1. tube spreader and stacking area, 2. I.D. sand blasting area, 3. end conditioning, wad blowing, end capping and O.D. wet grinding area, 4. tube inspection, tube cutting and stacking area has been studied

Storing of Extracts in Polypropylene Microcentrifuge Tubes Yields Contaminant Peak During Ultra-flow Liquid Chromatographic Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kshirsagar, Parthraj R; Hegde, Harsha; Pai, Sandeep R

2016-05-01

This study was designed to understand the effect of storage in polypropylene microcentrifuge tubes and glass vials during ultra-flow liquid chromatographic (UFLC) analysis. One ml of methanol was placed in polypropylene microcentrifuge tubes (PP material, Autoclavable) and glass vials (Borosilicate) separately for 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 20, 40, and 80 days intervals stored at -4°C. Contaminant peak was detected in methanol stored in polypropylene microcentrifuge tubes using UFLC analysis. The contaminant peak detected was prominent, sharp detectable at 9.176 ± 0.138 min on a Waters 250-4.6 mm, 4 μ, Nova-Pak C18 column with mobile phase consisting of methanol:water (70:30). It was evident from the study that long-term storage of biological samples prepared using methanol in polypropylene microcentrifuge tubes produce contaminant peak. Further, this may mislead in future reporting an unnatural compound by researchers. Long-term storage of biological samples prepared using methanol in polypropylene microcentrifuge tubes produce contaminant peakContamination peak with higher area under the curve (609993) was obtained in ultra-flow liquid chromatographic run for methanol stored in PP microcentrifuge tubesContamination peak was detected at retention time 9.113 min with a lambda max of 220.38 nm and 300 mAU intensity on the given chromatographic conditionsGlass vials serve better option over PP microcentrifuge tubes for storing biological samples. Abbreviations used: UFLC: Ultra Flow Liquid Chromatography; LC: Liquid Chromatography; MS: Mass spectrometry; AUC: Area Under Curve.

Cleaner Production and Workplace Health and Safety: A combined approach. A case study from South Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hedlund, Frank Huess

Environmental goals may be pursued narrow-mindedly with no attention paid to the workplace. This book examines combined approaches in cleaner production projects. It explores two main avenues. First, integration into the project specification. The planning tools in use by assistance agencies......, integration of management systems is an option. A study on the South African Nosa 5-Star system refutes earlier criticism of dismal performance of top-down systems. It is argued that integration at this level is viable. For small companies, less formalistic approaches are required. ILO's network concept WISE...

CRL X-ray tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolchevsky, N.N.; Petrov, P.V.

2015-01-01

A novel types of X-ray tubes with refractive lenses are proposed. CRL-R X-ray tube consists of Compound Refractive Lens- CRL and Reflection X-ray tube. CRL acts as X-ray window. CRL-T X-ray consists of CRL and Transmission X-ray tube. CRL acts as target for electron beam. CRL refractive lens acts as filter, collimator, waveguide and focusing lens. Properties and construction of the CRL X-ray tube are discussed. (authors)

40 CFR 141.21 - Coliform sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... the sample produces a turbid culture in the absence of gas production using an analytical method where gas formation is examined (e.g., the Multiple-Tube Fermentation Technique), produces a turbid culture... °C for 24 ±2 hours. Gas production of any amount in the inner fermentation tube of the EC medium...

Pediatric cuffed endotracheal tubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neerja Bhardwaj

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Endotracheal intubation in children is usually performed utilizing uncuffed endotracheal tubes for conduct of anesthesia as well as for prolonged ventilation in critical care units. However, uncuffed tubes may require multiple changes to avoid excessive air leak, with subsequent environmental pollution making the technique uneconomical. In addition, monitoring of ventilatory parameters, exhaled volumes, and end-expiratory gases may be unreliable. All these problems can be avoided by use of cuffed endotracheal tubes. Besides, cuffed endotracheal tubes may be of advantage in special situations like laparoscopic surgery and in surgical conditions at risk of aspiration. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scans in children have found the narrowest portion of larynx at rima glottides. Cuffed endotracheal tubes, therefore, will form a complete seal with low cuff pressure of <15 cm H 2 O without any increase in airway complications. Till recently, the use of cuffed endotracheal tubes was limited by variations in the tube design marketed by different manufacturers. The introduction of a new cuffed endotracheal tube in the market with improved tracheal sealing characteristics may encourage increased safe use of these tubes in clinical practice. A literature search using search words "cuffed endotracheal tube" and "children" from 1980 to January 2012 in PUBMED was conducted. Based on the search, the advantages and potential benefits of cuffed ETT are reviewed in this article.

Electrophoretic deposition of graphene oxide onto carbon fibers for in-tube solid-phase microextraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Juanjuan; Wang, Xiuqin; Tian, Yu; Bu, Yanan; Luo, Chuannan; Sun, Min

2017-09-29

Carbon fibers (CFs) were functionalized with graphene oxide (GO) by an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method for in-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME). GO-CFs were filled into a poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) tube to obtain a fibers-in-tube SPME device, which was connected with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipment to build online SPME-HPLC system. Compared with CFs, GO-CFs presented obviously better extraction performance, due to excellent adsorption property and large surface area of GO. Using ten polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as model analytes, the important extraction conditions were optimized, such as sample flow rate, extraction time, organic solvent content and desorption time. An online analysis method was established with wide linear range (0.01-50μgL -1 ) and low detection limits (0.001-0.004μgL -1 ). Good sensitivity resulted from high enrichment factors (1133-3840) of GO-CFs in-tube device towards PAHs. The analysis method was used to online determination of PAHs in wastewater samples. Some target analytes were detected and relative recoveries were in the range of 90.2-112%. It is obvious that the proposed GO-CFs in-tube device was an efficient extraction device, and EPD could be used to develop nanomaterials functionalized sorbents for sample preparation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simple tube centrifugation for processing platelet-rich plasma in the horse.

Science.gov (United States)

Fontenot, Robin L; Sink, Carolyn A; Werre, Stephen R; Weinstein, Nicole M; Dahlgren, Linda A

2012-12-01

This study evaluated the quality and bacteriologic safety of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) produced by 3 simple, inexpensive tube centrifugation methods and a commercial system. Citrated equine blood collected from 26 normal horses was processed by 4 methods: blood collection tubes centrifuged at 1200 and 2000 × g, 50-mL conical tube, and a commercial system. White blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), and platelet counts and mean platelet volume (MPV) were determined for whole blood and PRP, and aerobic and anaerobic cultures were performed. Mean platelet concentrations ranged from 1.55- to 2.58-fold. The conical method yielded the most samples with platelet concentrations greater than 2.5-fold and within the clinically acceptable range of > 250,000 platelets/μL. White blood cell counts were lowest with the commercial system and unacceptably high with the blood collection tubes. The conical tube method may offer an economically feasible and comparatively safe alternative to commercial PRP production systems.

First characterization of the Hamamatsu R11265 multi-anode photomultiplier tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calvi, M.; Cassina, L.; Giachero, A.; Gotti, C.; Maino, M.; Matteuzzi, C.; Pessina, G.

2014-01-01

The characterization of the new Hamamatsu R11265-103-M64 multi-anode photomultiplier tube is presented. The sample available in our laboratory was tested and in particular the response to single photon was extensively studied. The gain, the anode uniformity and the dark current were measured. The tube behaviour in a longitudinal magnetic field up to 100 G was studied and the gain loss due to the ageing was quantified. The characteristics and performance of the photomultiplier tube make the R11265-103-M64 particularly tailored for an application in high energy physics experiments, such as in the LHCb Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detector at LHC. - Highlights: • We tested the new Hamamatsu R11265-103-M64 multi-anode photomultiplier tube. • We studied the response to single photon, the gain and the anode uniformity. • The tube behaviour in a longitudinal magnetic field up to 100 G was studied. • The gain loss due to the aging was quantified

Manufacturing process optimization of nuclear fuel guide tube using HANA alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Yong Hwan; Park, S. Y.; Choi, B. K.; Park, J. Y.; Kim, H. G.; Jeong, Y. I.; Park, D. J.; Lim, J. K.

2010-08-01

From this project, the advanced manufacturing parameters which were contained of heat-treatment, reduction rate, and new process (2 step) were considered to increase the guide tube performance of HANA material. It was obtained that the strength and corrosion resistance of HANA material were improved by applying the improve manufacturing parameters when compared to the commercial guide tube material. · Manufacturing parameter study to increase mechanical property -Tensile strength increase of 30% by manufacturing parameter setup when compared to the guide tube specification · Manufacturing parameter study to decrease irradiation growth -Theoretical study of the texture effect on sample specimens related to the irradiation growth · Manufacturing parameter study to increase corrosion resistance -Corrosion resistance increase of 30% by manufacturing parameter setup when compared to the commercial guide tube

Quality care means valuing care assistants, porters, and cleaners too.

Science.gov (United States)

Toynbee, P

2003-12-01

All too often, the focus of the very clever strategy papers produced in the upper reaches of the health department is on the next grand plan. Some of these reforms have been catastrophic for the quality of service that patients experience at ward level. Of these, the contracting out culture introduced in the 1980s and the 1990s has been the worst. Researching my book, Hard work-life in low pay Britain, I took six jobs at around the minimum wage, including work as a hospital porter, as a hospital cleaner, and as a care assistant. These are jobs at the sharp end, up close and very personal to the patients, strongly influencing their experiences of the services they were using. Yet they are low paid, undervalued jobs that fall below the radar of the policy makers. In hospitals they need to be brought back in-house and integrated into a team ethos. Paying these people more would cost more, but it would also harvest great rewards by using their untapped commitment.

The extent of unwanted infrared photoacoustic signals from polymer sampling tubings exposed to ultraviolet radiation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bicanic, D.; Solyom, A.; Angeli, G.; Wegh, H.; Postumus, M.; Jalink, H.

1995-01-01

The extent of unwanted photoacoustic (PA) signals due to volatiles released from various polymer tubing materials [transparent, red and black polyethylene (PE), polymer of tetrafluorethylene (PTFE) and copolymer of tetrafluorethylene and hexafluorethylene (FEP)] when exposed to 245 nm radiation was

Assessment of need for transport tubes when continuously monitoring for radioactive aerosols

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whicker, J.J.; Rodgers, J.C.; Lopez, R.C.

1999-09-01

Aerosol transport tubes are often used to draw aerosol from desirable sampling locations to nearby air sampling equipment that cannot be placed at that location. In many plutonium laboratories at Los Alamos National Laboratory, aerosol transport tubes are used to transport aerosol from the front of room ventilation exhaust registers to continuous air monitors (CAMs) that are mounted on nearby walls. Despite designs to minimize particle loss in tubes, aerosol transport model predictions suggest losses occur lowering the sensitivity of CAMs to accidentally released plutonium aerosol. The goal of this study was to test the hypotheses that the reliability, speed, and sensitivity of aerosol detection would be equal whether the sample was extracted from the front of the exhaust register or from the wall location of CAMs. Polydisperse oil aerosols were released from multiple locations in two plutonium laboratories to simulate plutonium aerosol releases. Networked laser particle counters (LPCs) were positioned to simultaneously measure time-resolved aerosol concentrations at each exhaust register and at each wall-mounted CAM location.

Pressure tube type research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueda, Hiroshi.

1976-01-01

Object: To prevent excessive heat generation due to radiation of a pressure tube vessel. Structure: A pressure tube encasing therein a core comprises a dual construction comprising inner and outer tubes coaxially disposed. High speed cooling water is passed through the inner tube for cooling. In addition, in the outer periphery of said outer tube there is provided a forced cooling tube disposed coaxially thereto, into which cooling fluid, for example, such as moderator or reflector is forcibly passed. This forced cooling tube has its outer periphery surrounded by the vessel into which moderator or reflector is fed. By the provision of the dual construction of the pressure tube and the forced cooling tube, the vessel may be prevented from heat generation. (Ikeda, J.)

Streak tube development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinrichs, C.K.; Estrella, R.M.

1979-01-01

A research program for the development of a high-speed, high-resolution streak image tube is described. This is one task in the development of a streak camera system with digital electronic readout, whose primary application is for diagnostics in underground nuclear testing. This program is concerned with the development of a high-resolution streak image tube compatible with x-ray input and electronic digital output. The tube must be capable of time resolution down to 100 psec and spatial resolution to provide greater than 1000 resolution elements across the cathode (much greater than presently available). Another objective is to develop the capability to make design changes in tube configurations to meet different experimental requirements. A demountable prototype streak tube was constructed, mounted on an optical bench, and placed in a vacuum system. Initial measurements of the tube resolution with an undeflected image show a resolution of 32 line pairs per millimeter over a cathode diameter of one inch, which is consistent with the predictions of the computer simulations. With the initial set of unoptmized deflection plates, the resolution pattern appeared to remain unchanged for static deflections of +- 1/2-inch, a total streak length of one inch, also consistent with the computer simulations. A passively mode-locked frequency-doubled dye laser is being developed as an ultraviolet pulsed light source to measure dynamic tube resolution during streaking. A sweep circuit to provide the deflection voltage in the prototype tube has been designed and constructed and provides a relatively linear ramp voltage with ramp durations adjustable between 10 and 1000 nsec

Análise de fármacos em material biológico: acoplamento microextração em fase sólida "no tubo" e cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência Analysis of drugs in biological samples: automated "in-tube" solid-phase microextraction and high performance liquid chromatography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Eugênia C. Queiroz

2005-10-01

Full Text Available A new solid phase microextraction (SPME system, known as in-tube SPME, was recently developed using an open tubular fused-silica capilary column, instead of an SPME fiber, as the SPME device. On-line in-tube SPME is usually used in combination with high performance liquid chromatography. Drugs in biological samples are directly extracted and concentrated in the stationary phase of capillary columns by repeated draw/eject cycles of sample solution, and then directly transferred to the liquid chromatographic column. In-tube SPME is suitable for automation. Automated sample handling procedures not only shorten the total analysis time, but also usually provide better accuracy and precision relative to manual techniques. In-tube SPME has been demonstrated to be a very effective and highly sensitive technique to determine drugs in biological samples for various purposes such as therapeutic drug monitoring, clinical toxicology, bioavailability and pharmacokinetics.

Preparation of tubular urease immobilized on the inner wall of glass tube by radiation-polymerization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Y; Hayashi, T; Kawashima, K [National Food Research Inst., Yatabe, Ibaraki (Japan); Oka, O

1981-03-01

A method to prepare immobilized urease on the inner wall of a glass tube by radiation-polymerization under frozen state was investigated. As a part of a continuous flow analyzer, i.w.. Technicon Auto Analyzer II, the immobilized urease tube of 1 cm length was set and used for the routine determination of urea. This flow-through system could measure urea concentration of up to 30 mM at rate of 30 samples per hour. The system were possible to assay 2000 to 3000 samples, continuously in practice. The activity of the urease tube stored in a refrigerator maintained 94% of the initial activity after 115 days.