Nomographs are presented that estimate the evaporation loss from external floating-roof tanks using tank diameter, type of seal, product vapor pressure, and wind velocity.
A diagnosis of dementia is devastating at any age but diagnosis in younger patients presents a particular challenge. The differential diagnosis is broad as late presentation of metabolic disease...Full Text Available
The Interim Decay Storage tank (IDS) will be located in a concrete cell in the FFTF reactor building. The tank will have capacity to store 112 driver fuel assemblies and 10 test assemblies in sodium. A criticality safety analysis for the design of the IDS tank was performed. From the analysis, it is concluded that under normal operating conditions and minor abnormal conditions that might shift the fuel, the IDS tank will remain adequately subcritical. (auth)
The structural acceptance criteria contained herein for the evaluation of existing underground double-shell waste storage tanks located at the Hanford Site is part of the Life Management/Aging Management Program of the Tank Waste Remediation System. The purpose of the overall life management program is to ensure that confinement of the waste is maintained over the required service life of the tanks. Characterization of the present condition of the tanks, understanding and characterization of potential degradation mechanisms, and development of tank structural acceptance criteria based on previous service and projected use are prerequisites to assessing tank integrity, to projecting the length of tank service, and to developing and applying prudent fixes or repairs. The criteria provided herein summarize the requirements for the analysis and ...
The decontamination of the dissolution tank from spent fuel reprocessing out-ling device is studied, by using FL-AP decontamination agent. The decontamination factor per step is 2.2, 2.4, respectively for #alpha#, #beta# activities. After dissecting the tank, residual contamination in inner surface of the tank was found to be non-uniform. The exact original contamination value of the tank surface could be approximated by calculating the total amounts of radionuclide distributed on the hanging specimens, the dissecting specimen, and radioactive level in waste decontamination agent. Therefore, it can be concluded that the hanging specimens method is feasible for measuring the decontamination factor of spent fuel dissolution tank. (authors)
A geothermal heat pump (GHP) system with three ground coils was installed in a residence in northern Idaho with a portion of the ground heat exchanger wrapped around the residential septic tank. The septic coil provided a significant portion of the heating for the residence over the heating season. There was no evidence of the septic tank freezing up or failing to properly function. Utilizing a septic tank as a heat source for GHP systems is feasible design option if the septic tank is used on a full-time basis. However, the tank should be surrounded on all sides by a large amount of soil and/or insulated from the ground surface to ensure that ground temperatures near the tank remain warm during the winter.
Abstract: The Hanford Tanks Initiative (HTI) is a five-year project resulting from the technical and financial partnership of the U.S. Department of Energy`s Office of Waste Management (EM-30) and Office of Science and Technology Development (EM-50). The HTI project accelerates activities to gain key technical, cost performance, and regulatory information on two high-level waste tanks. The HTI will provide a basis for design and regulatory decisions affecting the remainder of the Tank Waste Remediation System`s tank waste retrieval Program.
Spinal Ewing's sarcomas are rare and cause problems in differential diagnosis. The radiologic, nuclear medicine and CT findings in two children with histologically proven Ewing's sarcoma are presented and problems in differential diagnosis discussed. Biopsy should be done early. (orig.).
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has millions of gallons of high level nuclear waste stored in underground tanks at Hanford, Washington and Savannah River, South Carolina. These tanks will eventually be emptied and decommissioned. This will leave a residue of sludge adhering to the interior tank surfaces that may contaminate nearby groundwaters with radionuclides and RCRA metals. Performance assessment (PA) calculations must be carried out prior to closing the tanks. This requires developing radionuclide release models from the sludges so that the PA calculations can be based on credible source terms. These efforts continued to be hindered by uncertainties regarding the actual nature of the tank contents and the distribution of radionuclides among the various phases. In particular, it is of vital importance to know what radionuclides are associated with solid sludge components. ...
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has millions of gallons of high level nuclear waste stored in underground tanks at Hanford, Washington and Savannah River, South Carolina. These tanks will eventually be emptied and decommissioned. This will leave a residue of sludge adhering to the interior tank surfaces that may contaminate groundwaters with radionuclides and RCRA metals. Experimentation on such sludges is both dangerous and prohibitively expensive so there is a great advantage to developing artificial sludges. The US DOE Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP) has funded a program to investigate the feasibility of developing such materials. The following text reports on the success of this program, and suggests that much of the radioisotope inventory left in a tank will not move out into the surrounding environment. Ultimately, such studies may play a significant role in developing safe and ...
The very low-pressure expansion tank of the title invention is connected to the water in the central heating installation via a connecting pipe with a pump and valves on one side, and on the other side the tank is connected via a connecting pipe with valve to the tap water mains, so that the supply of water can be regulated automatically. Within the expansion tank contact with the outside air is not possible because of an air/water separating floater. By means of recording and control (also remote) of the contents of the expansion tank, the installation pressure and the quantity of supplied water from the expansion tank and the tap water mains, failures and water damage are prevented. 4 figs.
This report will be revised upon completion of current testing investigating the radiolytic stability of additional energetic materials and the analysis of tank farm samples for volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.
Nomographs have been constructed to estimate the average evaporation loss from internal floating-roof tanks. Loss determined from the charts can be used to evaluate the economics of seal conversion and to reconcile refinery, petrochemical plant, and storage terminal losses. The losses represent average standing losses only. They do not cover losses associated with the movement of product into or out of the tank. The average standing evaporation loss from an internal floating-roof tank depends on: vapor pressure of the product; type and condition of roof seal; tank diameter; and type of fixed roof support. The nomographs can estimate evaporation loss for product true vapor pressures (TVP) ranging from 1.5 to 14 psia, the most commonly used seals for average and tight fit conditions, tank diameters ranging from 50 to 250 ft, welded and bolted designs, and both self-supporting and ...
Object: To provide a tank, which can safely and reliably accommodate high temperature sodium containing radioactive substance in case of occurrence of an accident in a sodium system and thus prevent spread of contamination. Structure: A sodium drain duct inserted into a tank from above the tank is provided at the position of its lower end with a buffer means for preventing direct flow-down of sodium to a bottom plate. A means for preventing the discharge of radioactive substance to the cover gas is provided above the lower end of the sodium drain tube so as to surround the sodium drain tube. (Kamimura, M.).
PUREX high-level waste (HLW) is contained at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) in an underground carbon-steel storage tank. The HLW consists of a precipitated sludge and an alkaline supernate. This report describes the system that the WVDP has developed and implemented to resuspend and wash the HLW sludge from the tank. The report discusses Sludge Mobilization and Wash System (SMWS) equipment design, installation, and testing. The storage tank required modifications to accommodate the SMWS. These modifications are discussed as well.
This document provides structural load requirements and their basis for maintaining the structural integrity of the Hanford Single-Shell Tanks during waste feed delivery and retrieval activities. The requirements are based on a review of previous requirements and their basis documents as well as load histories with particular emphasis on the proposed lead transfer feed tanks for the privatized vitrification plant.
This document provides data on aerosol concentrations in tank headspaces, total mass of aerosols in the tank headspace, and mass of aerosols sent to the exhauster during rotary mode core sampling from November 1994 through June 1999. A decontamination factor for the RMCS exhauster filter housing is calculated based upon operational data and non-destructive assay.
This document provides data on aerosol concentrations in tank head spaces, total mass of aerosols in the tank head space and mass of aerosols sent to the exhauster during Rotary Mode Core Sampling from November 1994 through June 1999. A decontamination factor for the RMCS exhauster filter housing is calculated based on operation data.
Six safety initiatives have been identified for accelerating the resolution of waste tank safety issues and closure of unreviewed safety questions. Safety Initiative 5 is to reduce safety and environmental risk from tank leaks. Item d of Safety Initiative 5 is to complete corrosion studies of single-shell tanks to determine failure mechanisms and corrosion control options to minimize further degradation by June 1994. This report has been prepared to fulfill Safety Initiative 5, Item d. The corrosion mechanisms that apply to Hanford Site single-shell tanks are stress corrosion cracking, pitting/crevice corrosion, uniform corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement, and microbiologically influenced corrosion. The corrosion data relevant to the single-shell tanks dates back three decades, when results were obtained from in-situ corrosion coupons in a few single-shell tanks. ...
Although the Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) addresses the entire Oak Ridge Reservation, specific requirements are set forth for the liquid low-level radioactive waste (LLLW) storage tanks and their associated piping and equipment, tank systems, at ORNL. The stated objected of the FFA as it relates to these tank systems is to ensure that structural integrity, containment and detection of releases, and source control are maintained pending final remedial action at the site. The FFA requires that leaking LLLW tank systems be immediately removed from service. It also requires the LLLW tank systems that do not meet the design and performance requirements established for secondary containment and leak detection be either upgraded or replaced. The FFA establishes a procedural framework for implementing the environmental laws. For the LLLW tank systems, this framework ...
The underground storage tanks at the Hanford Complex contain mixed wastes generated over many years from plutonium production and recovery processes. The chemical changes of the organic materials used in the extraction processes and disposed to the tanks have a direct bearing on several specific safety issues, including potential energy releases from these tanks. This paper will give details of a study that is directed towards elucidating thermal and radiological decomposition mechanisms and products of the organic contents of the tanks. The study is being conducted in two parts. The first part, an aging study, will determine kinetics and products of the degradation of a simulated waste subjected to #gamma#-radiation from an external source. Although the simulant will not contain radioactive elements, it will contain other representative inorganic compounds and the primary organic compounds thought to ...
The currently available methods for the diagnosis of dry eye are still far from being perfect for a variety of reasons. This review attempts to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of both traditional...Full Text Available
A case of intrathoracic lipoma in a child is presented. The diagnosis was made before operation by means of computer-assisted tomography, a non-interventional procedure.
Malformations of the cerebral cortex are recognized as a common cause of developmental delay, neurological deficits, mental retardation and epilepsy. Currently, the diagnosis of cerebral cortical...Full Text Available
The results of a scoping study of onsite radiation exposures which could take place in each of three types of postulated reactor accidents are presented. The accident types are (1) a fuel handling accident at a Mark III BWR; an interfacing system LOCA or V sequence at a PWR; and and Anticipated Transient Without Scram (ATWS) at a Mark I BWR. Both external and internal dose pathways are considered. The results of the study indicate the prohibitively high radiation doses could be received in some plant areas if personnel were to remain there. However, times of the order of a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the type of accident, would be available before life-threatening doses would be accumulated assuming that the provided full face respiratory protection equipment were used promptly. Special attention was given radiation doses possibly received by control room personnel for several control room air in-leakage assumptions. For occupancy during severe ...
Purpose/Objective: With the advent of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, the three dimensional representation of the patient anatomy has become an invaluable resource for better diagnosis and delineation of the target volume and sensitive structures in radiation therapy. Although the therapeutic linear accelerator industry has made available highly sophisticated equipment, the aggressiveness in dose prescription and delivery has to be complimented by accurate dose computation methods. We have adopted a convolution/superposition algorithm for the calculation of absolute dose that fully accounts for the external shape and internal structure of the patient for photon treatment radiotherapy. In this paper, we will discuss the principles of the convolution algorithm and we will show how the computed dose compares to clinically relevant treatment techniques. Materials and Methods: A computer controlled data acquisition system and a water ...
Computer tomography used in the diagnosis of tumours is described in the light of particularly great diagnostic difficulties in children. Computer tomography was applied in 12 cases. A high diagnostic value of this method was demonstrated, which makes possible a more accurate diagnosis of the position of the tumour, its size, and expanding tendency. The possibility of estimating healthy tissues and organs, and those with pathological changes on the basis of differences in their density with a detection threshold at 0.5% density difference facilitates not infrequently preoperative diagnosis raising the value of the method.
This report describes the work performed during FY 1995 by Pacific Northwest Laboratory in developing and optimizing analysis techniques for identifying organics present in Hanford waste tanks. The main focus was to provide a means for rapidly obtaining the most useful information concerning the organics present in tank waste, with minimal sample handling and with minimal waste generation. One major focus has been to optimize analytical methods for organic speciation. Select methods, such as atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, were developed to increase the speciation capabilities, while minimizing sample handling. A capillary electrophoresis method was developed to improve separation capabilities while minimizing additional waste generation. In addition, considerable emphasis has been placed on developing a rapid screening tool, based on Raman and ...
Twenty-two out of 31 patients with chronic renal failure and secondary hyperparathyroidism who underwent parathyroidectomy before operation underwent non-invasive image diagnosis of parathyroid glands by computed tomography (CT), scintigraphy with /sup 201/TlCl and /sup 99m/TcO/sup 4 +/, and/or ultrasonography. CT visualized 39 of 45 parathyroid glands (86.7%), weighing more than 500 mg. Scintigraphy with a subtraction method using a computer performed the diagnosis in 19 of 27 glands (70.4%). Ultrasonography detected 21 of 27 glands (77.8%). Image diagnosis was also useful in the postoperative follow-up study. The non-invasive image diagnosis of parathyroid glands in patients with chronic renal failure is thus valuable for 1) definite diagnosis of secondary hyperparathyroidism, 2) localization, and 3) diagnosis for effectiveness of conservative treatment.
An alkaline-side solvent extraction process was developed for cesium removal from Savannah River Site (SRS) tank waste. The process was invented at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and developed and tested at Argonne National Laboratory using singlestage and multistage tests in a laboratory-scale centrifugal contactor. The dispersion number, hydraulic performance, stage efficiency, and general operability of the process flowsheet were determined. Based on these tests, further solvent development work was done. The final solvent formulation appears to be an excellent candidate for removing cesium from SRS tank waste.
A large amount of radioactive waste has been stored safely at the Savannah River and Hanford sites over the past 46 years. The aim of this report is to review the experimental corrosion studies at Savannah River and Hanford with the intention of identifying the types and rates of corrosion encountered and indicate how these data contribute to tank failure predictions. The compositions of the High-Level Wastes, mild steels used in the construction of the waste tanks and degradation-modes particularly stress corrosion cracking and pitting are discussed. Current concerns at the Hanford Site are highlighted.
An independent chemical compatibility review of various wrapping and absorbent/padding materials was conducted to evaluate resistance to chemicals and constituents present in liquid waste from the Hanford underground tanks. These materials will be used to wrap long-length contaminated equipment when such equipment is removed from the tanks and prepared for transportation and subsequent disposal or storage. The materials studied were Cooley L18KU, Herculite, and Elephant Mat. The study concludes that these materials are appropriate for use in this application.
An anaerobic fermenter-decanter for the purification of residual water from the sugar industry, with recovery of methane, consists of a tank with inclined walls, with a central agitator on a vertical shaft. A flexible cover anchored by its periphery to the walls of the tank and totally submerged forms a collecting pocket for the fermentation gases. The water to be purified is introduced, after being heated to about 35, towards the bottom of the tank near the agitator. A metal collecting bell with submerged edges and with the shaft of the agitator passing axially through it is connected by its edges to a central opening of the cover. The purification yields may exceed 90%.
The method, use and results of computer-aided diagnosis of bone tumours and tumour-like skeletal abnormalities in childhood are described. One hundred and twentyone histologically verified cases were analysed and subjected to computer-aided diagnosis. Statistical methods were used, resulting in an accuracy of 96.7% and 91.7% respectively. In order to obtain additional confirmation of the diagnosis, a so-called growth rate was calculated by the computer. This proved to be a reliable criterion for evaluating the biological behaviour of tumours, irrespective of the histological diagnosis. The reasons for misdiagnosis were discussed. Attention is drawn to the importance of an accurate analysis of the radiographs and its input into the computer.
Large quantities of organic chemicals used in reprocessing spent nuclear-fuels at the Hanford Site have accumulated in underground high-level radioactive waste tanks. The organic content of these tanks must he known so that the potential for hazardous reactions between organic components and sodium nitrate/nitrite salts in the waste can he evaluated. The solubilities of organic compounds described in this report will help determine if they are present in the solid phases (salt cake and sludges) as well as the liquid phase (interstitial liquor/supernate) in the tanks. The solubilities of five significant sodium salts of carboxylic acids and aminocarboxylic acids [sodium oxalate, formate, citrate, nitrilotriacetate (NTA) and ethylendiaminetetraacetate (EDTA)] were measured in a simulated supernate solution at 25 degrees C, 30 degrees C, 40 degrees C, and 50 degrees C.
This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for vapor samples obtained during the operation of mixer pumps in tank 241-AZ-101. The primary purpose of the mixer pump test (MPT) is to demonstrate that the two 300 horsepower mixer pumps installed in tank 241-AZ-101 can mobilize the settled sludge so that it can be retrieved for treatment and vitrification. Sampling will be performed in accordance with Tank 241-AZ-101 Mixer Pump Test Data Quality Objective (Banning 1999) and Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Hazardous and Radioactive Air Emissions Sampling and Analysis (Mulkey 1999). The sampling will verify if current air emission estimates used in the permit application are correct and provide information for future air permit applications.
This technical memorandum (TM) documents the 1995 characterization of eight underground radioactive waste tanks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). These tanks belong to the Gunite and Associated Tanks (GAAT) operable unit, and the characterization is part of the ongoing GAAT remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) process. This TM reports both field observations and analytical results; analytical results are also available from the Oak Ridge Environmental Information System (OREIS) data base under the project name GAAT (PROJ-NAME = GAAT). This characterization effort (Phase II) was a follow-up to the {open_quotes}Phase I{close_quotes} sampling campaign reported in Results of Fall 1994 Sampling of Gunite and Associated Tanks at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, ORNL/ER/Sub/87-99053/74, June 1995. The information contained here should be used in conjunction with that ...
The removal of paraffinic bottom accumulations from refinery storage tanks represents an increasingly costly area of petroleum storage management. Microorganisms can be used to reduce paraffinic bottoms by increasing the solubility of bottom material and by increasing the wax-carrying capacity of carrier oil used in the cleaning process. The economic savings of such treatments are considerable. The process is also intrinsically safer than alternative methods, as it reduces and even eliminates the need for personnel to enter the tank during the cleaning process. Both laboratory and field sample analyses can be used to document changes in tank material during the treatment process. These changes include increases in volatile content and changes in wax distribution. Several case histories illustrating these physical and chemical changes are presented along with the economics of treatment.
This report represents the timetables, responsible organizations, and methods required to comply with the newly promulgated Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-360 Underground Storage Tank (UST) Regulations which became effective December 29, 1990. This report only addresses UST systems that contain nonradioactive material. A total of 84 tanks at the Hanford Site are currently regulated under WAC 173-360. In addition, 32 regulated tanks have been removed as a result of the federally mandated program and the newly implemented state regulations. The majority of the USTs at the Hanford Site are operated by Westinghouse Hanford; however, one is operated by Kaiser Engineers Hanford (KEH) and one by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL).
The dynamic response of thin liquid storage tanks to earthquakes is a very complicated phenomenon, because it can be highly non linear. Among others, one can meet material and geometric non linearities of the tank shell leading eventually to static or dynamic buckling non linear behavior of anchor bolts, contact non-linearities due to the uplift of the tank base and to the unilateral character of the fluid pressure on the shell and high amplitude fluid oscillations. Moreover, linear or non linear soil structure interaction affects considerably the response of the fluid structure system under consideration. In this paper we focus attention on problems related only to the base uplift and anchors plastification. We study a tank similar to the Hualien project tank, but we neglect the soil structure interaction. The studied tank is representative of medium height to ...
Tank calibration experiments have been carried out using a mock-up input accountancy tank with the object of developing a high accuracy solution volume measurement technique for Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP). The experimental parameters such as temperature, solution density, off gas pressure and so on have been fluctuated in the calibration experiments in order to evaluate the influence on the solution volume measurement. As a result, it was confirmed that the solution volume measurement error of the mock-up tank was within #+-#0.04% (at full volume) using careful data correction technique for measured data. For the high accuracy volume measurement at RRP, it is important to correct data properly taking account of the actual conditions such as uncontrollable ambient temperature that are different from the experiment. (author)
Air flow rates and carbon dioxide concentrations of air entering and exiting eight H-Area waste tanks were monitored for a period of one year. The average instanteous concentration of carbon dioxide in air is within the range reported offsite, and therefore is not affect by operation of the coal-fired power plant adjacent to the tank farm. Waste solutions in each of the tanks were observed to be continuously absorbing carbon dioxide. The rate of absorption of carbon dioxide decreased linearly with the pH of the solution. Personnel exposure associated with the routine sampling and analysis of radioactive wastes stored at SRP to determine the levels of corrosion inhibitors in solution could be reduced by monitoring the absorption of carbon dioxide and using the relationship between pH and carbon dioxide absorption to determine the free hydroxide concentration in solution.
Waste tank W-12 is a tank in the ORNL Low-Level Liquid Waste (LLLW) system that collected waste from Building 3525. Because of a leaking flange in the discharge line from W-12 to the evaporator service tank (W-22) and continual inleakage into the tank from an unknown source, W-12 was removed from service to comply with the Federal Facilities Agreement requirement. The initial response was to decontaminate the valve pit between tank W-12 and the evaporator service tank (W-22) to determine if personnel could enter the pit to attempt repair of the leaking flange. Preventing the spread of radioactive contamination from the pit to the environment and to other waste systems was of concern during the decontamination. The drain in the pit goes to the process waste system; therefore, if high-level liquid waste were generated during decontamination activities, it would ...
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified 17 accidents that may have resulted from fuel tank explosions on commercial aircraft from 1959 to 2001. Seven events involved JP 4 or JP 4/Jet A mixtures that are no longer used for commercial aircraft fuel. The remaining 10 events involved Jet A or Jet A1 fuels that are in current use by the commercial aircraft industry. Four fuel tank explosions occurred in center wing tanks (CWTs) where on-board appliances can potentially transfer heat to the tank. These tanks are designated as ''Heated Center Wing Tanks'' (HCWT). Since 1996, the FAA has significantly increased the rate at which it has mandated airworthiness directives (ADs) directed at elimination of ignition sources. This effort includes the adoption, in 2001, of Special Federal Aviation Regulation 88 of 14 CFR part 21 ...
Operational Final Test Report for Integrated Systems, Project W-030 (Phase 2 test, RECIRC and HIGH-HEAT Modes). Project W-030 provides a ventilation upgrade for the four Aging Waste Facility tanks, including upgraded vapor space cooling and filtered venting of tanks AY101, Ay102, AZ101, AZ102.
This document provides an inventory of Tank Farm equipment stored or abandoned aboveground and potentially subject to regulation. This inventory was conducted in part to ensure that Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) does not violate dangerous waste laws concerning storage of potentially contaminated equipment/debris that has been in contact with dangerous waste. The report identifies areas inventoried and provides photographs of equipment.
This report is an Implementation Guide for Hanford Tanks Initiative C-106 heel retrieval contract management HNF-2511 to provide a set of uniform instructions for managing the two contractors selected. The primary objective is to produce the necessary deliverables and services for the HTI project within schedule and budget.
The High-Level Waste Storage Tank Farms/242-A Evaporator Standards/Requirements Document (S/RID) is contained in multiple volumes. This document (Volume 2) presents the standards and requirements for the following sections: Quality Assurance, Training and Qualification, Emergency Planning and Preparedness, and Construction.
A possibility of short-lived isotopes production in inter-tank section between the first and the second drift tube tanks (20.45 MeV) in INR linac is considered. At the initial stage the main efforts are concentrated on production of fluorine-18 used for positron emission tomography. The results of beam forming calculations, target heating calculations, equipment activation calculations as well as installation configuration and design are presented.
This document generates a supernatant hydroxide ion depletion model based on mechanistic principles. The carbon dioxide absorption mechanistic model is developed in this report. The report also benchmarks the model against historical tank supernatant hydroxide data and vapor space carbon dioxide data. A comparison of the newly generated mechanistic model with previously applied empirical hydroxide depletion equations is also performed.
Plans for the disposal of radioactive liquid and solid wastes presently stored in double-shell tanks at the Hanford Site call for retrieval and processing of the waste to create forms suitable for permanent disposal. Waste will be retrieved from a tank using a submerged slurry pump in conjunction with one or more rotating slurry jet mixer pumps. Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has conducted tests using simulated waste slurries to assess the effects of a impinging slurry jet on the corrosion rate of the tank wall and floor, an action that could potentially compromise the tank`s structural integrity. Corrosion processes were investigated on a laboratory scale with a simulated neutralized cladding removal waste (NCRW) slurry and in a subsequent test with simulated neutralized current acid waste (NCAW) slurry. The test slurries simulated the actual NCRW and NCAW both chemically and physically. The tests ...
Purpose: To permit accurate detection of sodium leakage by distinguishing between variations in the overflow tank level due to changes in sodium temperature accompanying changes in the power level or operating state of a liquid metal sodium cooled fast breeder, and a reduction in power level due to duct leakage. Constitution: The volume of sodium in the primary cooling system is roughly estimated from the temperatures of hot and cold legs, and the duct leak preset level with respect to the sodium liquid level within an overflow tank when the plant is normal is varied according to the state of the plant. More particularly, the volume of sodium within the overflow tank is calculated on the basis of a signal representing the liquid level detected by a liquid level gauge in the overflow tank and a signal representing the temperature detected by hot leg and cold leg thermometers, thereby obtaining the preset ...
SRS high-level radioactive waste tanks will not experience erosion corrosion to any significant degree during slurry pump operations. Erosion corrosion in carbon steel structures at reported pump discharge velocities is dominated by electrochemical (corrosion) processes. Interruption of those processes, as by the addition of corrosion inhibitors, sharply reduces the rate of metal loss from erosion corrosion. The well-inhibited SRS waste tanks have a near-zero general corrosion rate, and therefore will be essentially immune to erosion corrosion. The experimental data on carbon steel erosion corrosion most relevant to SRS operations was obtained at the Hanford Site on simulated Purex waste. A metal loss rate of 2.4 mils per year was measured at a temperature of 102 C and a slurry velocity comparable to calculated SRS slurry velocities on ground specimens of the same carbon steel used in SRS waste tanks. Based on these data ...
Five corrosion probes were received from West Valley Nuclear Services for evaluation in simulated tank 8D-2 3rd-stage sludge wash slurry. The same waste slurry simulated was also used in a series of ongoing corrosion studies assessing the effects of in-tank sludge washing on the integrity of tank 8D-2. Two of the corrosion probes were installed in the coupon corrosion test vessels operating at {approximately}150{degrees}F to compare performance of the probes with that observed by coupon tests conducted in the same vessels. Corrosion rate data calculated from electrical resistance measurements of the corrosion probes were evaluated for this study using two slightly different approaches. One approach uses the total length of exposure of the probe to give a ``time-averaged`` value of the corrosion rate. The other approach uses a shorter period of time (relative to the length of the test) in the calculation of corrosion rate, ...
The improvement in the functions of the viscous flow calculation method VEGA-SHIP around a ship and the expansion of application range were described as the numerical flow simulation in ship and ocean engineering and at the same time application examples to the ocean engineering by the general-purpose flow simulation code FLOW-3D handling the non-steady flow with a free surface were introduced as the numerical simulation regarding such products as a water gate and a dam. In the VEGA-SHIP, water surface was handled as a fixed wall so that wave could not be calculated. Therefore, an algorithm for calculating wave on the water surface was added to the VEGA-SHIP and a calculation method simultaneously considering the creation of wave around the ship and viscosity was developed. The FLOW-3D was used to calculate the phenomenon where inside liquid moved greatly due to the oscillation of a tank and hit against and damaged the tank ceiling in the ...
Laboratory experiments were conducted to simulate the transfer of acidic THOREX waste from Tank 8D-4 into the alkaline PUREX waste in Tank 8D-2 at West Valley. The purpose of the experiments was to explore means of minimizing the production of nitric oxide (NO) gas during mixing of the two wastes and to assess the potential for the gas to further react in the vapor space possibly leading to enhanced corrosion of the tank walls. Forty one THOREX/PUREX mixing tests were conducted to explore the effects of stirring rate, pH, THOREX addition rate, THOREX or PUREX dilution, and temperature. The two most important criteria for minimizing NO production were to maintain some degree of agitation and the keep the pH in the PUREX high, preferably >12. Steel corrosion tests were performed in the presence of low partial pressures of NO{sub 2} and liquid water or water vapor. The NO{sub 2} (from oxidation of NO in the vapor space) ...
This paper presents a method for analyzing the seismic response of a flat bottomed cylindrical liquid storage tank to vertical earthquake excitation. Here, vertical earthquake acceleration is considered to correspond to an increase in the density of a stored liquid. Taking into account the vertical and horizontal earthquake loads, hydrostatic pressure, and considering restrictive moment and shear forces at shell-bottom welded joint, the author has calculated circumferential and longitudinal stresses. These are combined to more accurately approximate the stresses at the base shell course. The calculated result closely conforms to the actual damage, termed ''elephant's foot,'' observed in the fuel storage tanks damaged in the Tangshan earthquake. This result shows that the ''elephant's foot'' phenomenon is not caused by buckling of the ...
Borrelial infection may manifest with a wide range of clinical signs, and in many cases, microbiological findings are essential for a proper diagnosis. This study included 48 patients with a working...Full Text Available
A 65-year-old woman who was diagnosed as having psoitis by CT findings, which disclosed non-symmetrical dilation of the psoas muscle and gaseous image. Pus from the psoas muscle seen at surgery corresponded to CT findings. Preoperative CT examination was useful in the establishment of diagnosis. (Namekawa, K.).
Between 1946 and 1976 over 9,000 women with breast cancer were seen within one year of diagnosis at the A. Maxwell Evans Clinic (AMEC) in Vancouver, British Columbia. By 1978, 275 had a subsequent diagnosis...Full Text Available
Prenatal diagnosis of junctional epidermolysis bullosa associated with pyloric atresia was carried out in a couple at risk. Their two previous children had died during the first months of life of the...Full Text Available
In the course of a prenatal diagnosis for beta thalassaemia by linkage analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms, a homozygous beta thalassaemia fetus was misdiagnosed as beta thalassaemia...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe diagnosis of typhoid fever is confirmed by culture of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi (S. typhi). However, a more rapid, simpler,...Full Text Available
AIM: To improve the diagnosis of heterotopic pancreas by the use of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) imaging and CT virtual endoscopy (CTVE).METHODS: A total of six patients with heterotopic...Full Text Available
A case of multifocal Langerhans cell histiocytosis in a two-year-old child is presented where fine needle aspiration was helpful in achieving a rapid and accurate diagnosis in an appropriate clinical...Full Text Available
Hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc) is an uncommon tumour, but its incidence is increasing in Canada and elsewhere. Currently, there are no Canadian recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of...Full Text Available
Realization that dental caries is a reversible, dynamic biochemical event at a micron level has changed the way the profession recognizes the caries disease and the caries lesion. The diagnosis of dental...Full Text Available
Fast and efficient high-throughput techniques are essential for the molecular diagnosis of highly heterogeneous hereditary diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP). We had previously approached RP...Full Text Available
A commercial multiplex real-time PCR assay (Cepheid Xpert C. difficile assay) for the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection was evaluated. The sensitivity and...Full Text Available
New developments in the field of thoracic oncology have challenged the way pathologists approach the diagnosis of pulmonary carcinoma. Nonsmall cell carcinoma is no longer an adequate diagnostic category....Full Text Available
Seeking effective methods is one of the most important goals in machinery fault diagnosis. The effective methods for gear fault diagnosis have been successively developed in our Institute. This paper is a comprehensive treatise based on our research work of recent years. A mathematical model of vibration signals for defective gears is physically described. Five effective new methods for gear fault diagnosis, such as zoom complex envelope analysis, wideband demodulation technique, bispectrum analysis, correlative spectrum analysis, and maximum entropy spectrum analysis for phase modulated signals, are summarily presented. The listed illustrations prove sufficiently the validation of these methods.
This paper deals with the indications for prostatectomy; the differential diagnosis of the symptomatology of bladder neck obstruction; and the factors influencing the choice of operation....Full Text Available
... negative diplooocci, to determine the type of pneumococi, to study staphylococa proteas, ehigla, sallmnefla, pasteurella, brucela, linters, leptosp ,s ...
Plans for the disposal of radioactive liquid and solid wastes presently stored in double-shell tanks at the Hanford Site call for retrieval and processing of the waste to create forms suitable for permanent disposal. Waste will be retrieved from a tank using a submerged slurry pump in conjunction with one or more rotating slurry jet mixer pumps. Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has conducted tests using simulated waste slurries to assess the effects of a impinging slurry jet on the corrosion rate of the tank wall and floor, an action that could potentially compromise the tank's structural integrity. Corrosion processes were investigated on a laboratory scale with a simulated neutralized cladding removal waste (NCRW) slurry and in a subsequent test with simulated neutralized current acid waste (NCAW) slurry. The test slurries simulated the actual NCRW and NCAW both chemically and physically. ...
Separation of the bulk soluble chemical salts from the insoluble metal hydroxides and radionuclides is central to the strategy of disposing Hanford tank waste. Sludge washing and caustic leaching have been selected as the primary methods for processing the 230 million L (61,000,000 gal) of Hanford tank waste. These processes are very similar to those selected for processing waste at the West Valley Site in New York and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The purpose of sludge washing is to dissolve and remove the soluble salts in the waste. Leaching of the insoluble solids with caustic will be used to dissolve aluminum hydroxide and chromium hydroxide, and convert insoluble bismuth phosphate to soluble phosphate. The waste will be separated into a high-level solids fraction and a liquid fraction that can be disposed of as low-level waste after cesium removal. The washing and leaching operations involve batchwise mixing, settling, and ...
Carbon steel is frequently used to construct concentrated sulphuric acid storage tanks. This paper discussed the corrosion performance of carbon steel tanks and outlined the underlying mechanisms responsible for major corrosion modes. Analyses of hydrogen grooving and dilute acid corrosion failure mechanisms were presented. Recent corrosion-induced leak failures were also discussed. The use of anodic protection and organic coatings as a corrosion control measure was also evaluated. The results of laboratory studies that were conducted to understand corrosion-induced failures showed that carbon steel electrodes exhibited transpassive corrosion at relatively high anodic potentials, while stainless steel electrodes exhibited transpassive corrosion at anodic potentials less than 1 V. It was concluded that corrosion-induced leaks can be prevented by using anodic protection and baked phenolic coating technologies. 23 refs., 9 figs.
Purpose: To remove excessive driving pressure applied to an unisolated control rod drive by returning excessive coolant to a condensed water storage tank or to the inlet side of a drive water pump using a coolant flow rate control pipe of a control rod driving hydraulic system. Constitution: Excessive water is returned to a condensed water tank while controlling the excessive coolant by a flow control valve in response to variations in the pressure difference between the reactor pressure and the driving water line when the control rods are isolated using a pipe from the outlet side of the drive water pump to the condensed water storage tank. Thus, the control rod to be isolated is prevented form being dropped. (Sekiya, K.).
Herein we present an impact of diagnosis by enhanced multidetector-row computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC). Although the diagnosis against the longitudinal stromal extension and surrounding tissue invasion of ECC by multi detector row CT (MDCT) and MRI was very strict, we could not detect any superficial mucosal spread (SMS). Furthermore, the diagnosis of lymphnode metastasis by MDCT/MRI was miserable. We believe that misdiagnosis of SMS is permissible since positive mucosal but not stromal surgical margin was not a significant factor influencing the postoperative prognosis. However, further advances in imaging diagnosis for ECC is needed. (author)
The growth of a middle ear cholesteatoma behind a normal tympanic membrane is a rate though possible event. In such cases, CT may provide useful information for diagnosis. The results are presented of a CT study carried out on 14 patients affected with unilateral conductive hearing loss and with normal tympanic membrane. CT allowed the diagnosis of meddle ear cholesteatoma to be made in all cases. All patients were treated with surgery: 8 of them underwent tympanoplasty and 6 explorative tympanotomy. While the diagnosis of cholesteatoma was confirmed in 13 patients, in 1 case tympanosclerosis was diagnosed. CT diagnosis of middle ear cholesteatoma is based on the demonstration of a low-density soft-tissue mass, in association with bone erosion or ossicular dislocation. The author emphasizes the difficulty of a CT diagnosis of cholesteatoma in the patients with middle ear soft-tissue ...
The RESF is utilized for storage of spent fuel under emergency conditions as well as for testing of FM heads. It receives cooling supply from the PHT Pressurizing pumps and after removal of decay heat from the spent fuel it goes to the D2O Storage Tank. The geometry of the RESF system is such that it can not sustain the thermosyphon loop during SBO, due to high frictional forces. To achieve the sustained thermosyphon, modifications in the design were suggested viz., removal of the steam trap and the relief valve above it and replacement by a solenoid valve (SV-16). In the event of SBO, SV-16 will open on 'RESF channel temperature high' signal and connect to FT D2O tank. The tank, being at atmospheric pressure and at lower elevation, will provide higher cooling flow rate through the RESF channel. D2O is periodically removed from the FT D2O tank by operating a Class-II pump intermittently. The analysis ...
With specific energy of more than 200 Wh/kg, the Electric Fuel zinc-air battery delivers as much as eight times the energy of lead-acid traction battery, more than twice the energy of the nearest advanced-battery competitor, and as much energy as a tank of gasoline. (author)
Sewage waste disposal facilities in the Florida Keys include septic tanks and individual package plants in place of municipal collection facilities in most locations. In Key Largo, both facilities discharge...Full Text Available
For the expansion to 2.0 MTPY of the CVG Bauxilum alumina plant, the area of clarification and red mud washing was rearranged from four 2-thickener-5-washer trains to two 1-thickener-7-washer trains. As a result of this modification, the specific mud handling capacity of the existing tanks should be increased by almost 3-times. The time allowed for control actions was then significantly reduced, leading to the need of an on-line level detection system, in order to achieve a better and faster control of the operation. With this scope, it was developed and installed a new continuous mud level detector that gives the measurement of both mud and turbid zone levels in the tanks. The development of the new instrument started with an existing instrument for density measurements which was completely re-engineered in order to obtain the maximum readability in the densities founded along the full range of the tank height. Actually 28 ...
BackgroundAgricultural practices such as the use of irrigation during rice cultivation, the use of ponds for fish farming and the storage of water in tanks for livestock provide...Full Text Available
An investigation was conducted to determine the cause of coating residue found in the test gun chambers during qualification firing of 120-mm combustible cartridge case (CCC) ammunition for the MlAl/A2 main battle tank. The CCC is coated with a clear epox...
This bibliography deals with the foundation of offshore structures like drilling or working platforms (oil and gas exploitation) or offshore tanks. Different kinds of foundations, e.g. pile foundations or shallow foundations, are described. Aspects of soil-structure interaction, engineering geology and soil mechanics are also discussed. (orig.).
A corrosion-testing program has been initiated in Purex and Redox storage tnnks to obtain corrosion data on carbon steel and three associated materials in neutralized process wastes. (C.W.H.)
The Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program mission is to store, treat, and immobilize highly radioactive Hanford Site waste (current and future tank waste and the strontium/cesium capsules) in an environmentally sound, safe, and cost-effective manner. The scope of the TWRS Waste Pretreatment Program is to treat tank waste and separate that waste into HLW and LLW fractions and provide additional treatment as required to feed LLW and HLW immobilization facilities. Enhanced sludge washing was chosen as the baseline process for separating Hanford tank waste sludge. Section 1.0 briefly discusses the purpose of the evaluation plan and provides the background that led to the choice of enhanced sludge washing as the baseline process. Section 2.0 provides a brief summary of the evaluation plan details. Section 3.0 discusses, in some detail, the technical work planned to support the evaluation of enhanced ...
A schematic diagram shows the various processing steps to be performed during feed preparation in the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP). The pretreated NCAW is transferred to the slurry receipt adjustment tank (SRAT) in the HWVP for concentration. Water removed during boildown is collected in the slurry mix evaporator condensate tank (SMECT). After waste treatment the water is returned to the storage tanks for eventual disposal. The pretreated Neutralized Current Acid Waste (NCAW) is concentrated in the SRAT to approximately 125 g waste oxides/ liter. Formic acid is then added at a controlled rate to improve rheological properties and achieve a required reduction/oxidation state. Reflux boiling is initiated and continued for several hours. The concentrated slurry is cooled and pumped to the slurry mix evaporator (SME). In the SME, glass frit is added, and the slurry is further concentrated to achieve a nominal ...
Baldwin County is located on the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama and has a rapidly growing population. Almost 3,000 permits for septic systems are approved annually by by the Baldwin County Health Department. More than 50% of the county's residents rely on septic systems for their d...
...limited to, emission control devices, pumps, filters, muck cookers, stills, solvent tanks, solvent containers, water separators...facility that meets the conditions of § 63.320(g). Muck cooker means a device for heating perchloroethylene-laden...
Based on the High Temperature Sodium Facility (HTSF) experience and the extensive design efforts for FFTF, procedures are in place for the unloading of the tank cars and for the fill of the FFTF reactor. Special precautions have been taken to provide safe handling and to accommodate contingencies in operation. These contingencies include special protective suits allowing personnel to enter and correct conditions arising from fill operations in the course of moving 7.71 x 10/sup 5/ kg (1.7 x 10/sup 6/ lbs) of sodium from the tank cars into the reactor vessel and its loop system.
The present invention is a device for a solar heating system having a solar collector, a storage tank connected to the solar collector, a pump for circulating liquid from the tank to the solar collector, a supply of liquid at a temperature above freezing and a connection from the supply of liquid to the solar collector for replacing any liquid lost from said solar collector. The device comprises a sensor for sensing the temperature of liquid in the solar collector, and a valve for bleeding liquid from the solar collector when the sensed temperature falls below a predetermined minimum whereby cool liquid in the solar collector is automatically replaced by liquid at a temperature above freezing.
The transfer of fish from field to laboratory facilities or their propagation in closed or restricted systems frequently results in bacterial infection and ultimately large-scale mortality. In attemps to alleviate this problem, we have added tetracycline hydrochloride to the water prophylactically (pretreating tanks before wild fish were added) and therapeutically (treating tanks after bacterial outbreaks were detected.) In the present study, we examined the effect of tetracyline hydrochloride on the critical thermal maximum (CTM) of the common shiner (Notropis cornutus).
Aluminum is a principal element in alkaline nuclear sludge waste stored in high level waste (HLW) tanks at the Savannah River Site. The mass of sludge in a HLW tank can be reduced through the caustic leaching of aluminum, i.e. converting aluminum oxides (gibbsite) and oxide-hydroxides (boehmite) into soluble hydroxides through reaction with a hot caustic solution. The temperature limits outlined by the chemistry control program for HLW tanks to prevent caustic stress corrosion cracking (CSCC) in concentrated hydroxide solutions will potentially be exceeded during the sludge mass reduction (SMR) campaign. Corrosion testing was performed to determine the potential for CSCC under expected conditions. The experimental test program, developed based upon previous test results and expected conditions during the current SMR campaign, consisted of electrochemical and mechanical testing to determine the susceptibility of ASTM A516 ...
Radioactive waste has been stored in large underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site since 1944. Approximately 212 million liters of waste containing approximately 240,000 metric tons of processed chemicals and 177 mega-curies of radionuclides are now stored in 177 tanks. These caustic wastes are in the form of liquids, slurries, saltcakes, and sludge. In 1991, the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program was established to manage, retrieve, treat, immobilize, and dispose of these wastes in a safe, environmentally sound, and cost-effective manner. The Department of Energy (DOE) has believes that it is feasible to privatize portions of the TWRS Program. Under the privatization strategy embodied in the Request for Proposal (RFP), DOE will purchase services from a contractor-owned, contractor-operated facility under a fixed-price contract. Phase I of the TWRS privatization strategy is a proof-of-concept/commercial ...
This document is the third annual revision of the plans and schedules for implementing the Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) compliance program, originally submitted in 1992 as ES/ER-17&D1, Federal Facility Agreement Plans and Schedules for Liquid Low-Level Radioactive Waste Tank Systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This document summarizes the progress that has been made to date in implementing the plans and schedules for meeting the FFA commitments for the Liquid Low-Level Waste (LLLW) System at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Information presented in this document provides a comprehensive summary to facilitate understanding of the FFA compliance program for LLLW tank systems and to present plans and schedules associated with remediation, through the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) process, of LLLW tank systems that have been removed from ...
The two tank (125,000kl each) foundations under construction are as large as 85m in diameter, and the north-side tank is to be placed over a sharper slope. The tanks are greatly different in their height from the rockbed since they are to be placed at the same level. For reduction in construction cost and time, a pile foundation design is chosen as the basic concept for foundation construction. After an overall evaluation of stability upon exposure to seismic torsion and of the deformation characteristics of piles and concrete slabs, a total pile foundation design with rock debris replaced with crushed rock is determined to be the design to be adopted. Since the piles to be driven in are greatly different in length, error in the pile supporting force will be too grave under the conventional pile landing control system. Therefore, a high-accuracy pile landing control system is employed, established after a rapid load test in ...
Advances in the diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma of the rib were considered and retrospective analysis of the treatment of 32 patients (76% of them were children at the age of 10-15 y.o.) in the clinic of children oncology was performed. It was shown that the diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma of the rib in children ought to be combined taking into account the course, morphology and radiation examination techniques. Most optimum treatment consisted of combined therapy (cyclic polychemotherapy, lesion focus irradiation at the summary focus dose of 57 Gy, surgery with subsequent polychemotherapy for not less than 1.5 years
Contributions to the population dose due to medical applications of ionising radiation are presented. It appears that contributions due to radiotherapy and X ray diagnosis are of comparable magnitude. To account for the age dependency of the radiation risks, contributions in terms of somatically significant dose equivalent are calculated as 0.3 mSv per caput per annum for X ray diagnosis and as 0.2 mSv per caput per annum for radiotherapy, the latter referring to only doses to organs outside the target volume. (author).
This paper presents the status of development of Korea standard method for Human Reliability Analysis (HRA), and proposed a standard procedure and rules for the evaluation of diagnosis error probability. The quality of KSNP HRA was evaluated using the requirement of ASME PRA standard guideline, and the design requirement for the standard HRA method was defined. Analysis procedure and rules, developed so far, to analyze diagnosis error probability was suggested as a part of the standard method. And also a study of comprehensive application was performed to evaluate the suitability of the proposed rules.
Three cases of primitive suprasellar germinomas are reported: the tumors show typical clinical signs (diabetes insipidus, disfunctions), but CT findings are not so specific. It is very important to reach a correct diagnosis based on clinical and radiological findings, because of very high radiosensibility of the tumor. The accuracy of preoparative diagnosis has been enhanced by CT in addition to conventional neuroradiological examinations. Due to the possible risk of meningeal spreading following biopsy, some authors prefer to avoid biopsy and to treat directly the patient by radiotherapy; a rapid reduction of the tumor size at the dose of 30 Gy suggest a possible germinoma.
Anomalies of the urethra are uncommon. Urethrorectal fistula in horses has only been reported in foals and only in conjunction with other congenital anomalies. This report describes the diagnosis, surgical...Full Text Available
Bone mineral density is considered to be the standard measure for the diagnosis of osteoporosis and the assessment of fracture risk. The majority of fragility fractures occur in patients with bone mineral...Full Text Available
Background:Solid pseudopapillary tumor is a rare pancreatic neoplasm with uncertain to low malignant potential. This is an uncommon neoplasm with many pseudonyms, occurring...Full Text Available
IntroductionShoulder pain covers a wide range of problems and affects up to 20% of the population. It is not a specific diagnosis. Shoulder pain can be caused by problems with the...Full Text Available
We report a 55-year-old woman with coccydynia due to a sacral mass. The histological diagnosis was haemangioma. The MRI findings and the unusual location of this lesion are discussed. (orig.)
The early and precise diagnosis, the prognosis, and the clinical management of multiple sclerosis, remain a considerable challenge. In recent years, the development of novel and powerful proteomic...Full Text Available
Percutaneous renal biopsy (PRB) is a safe and effective tool in the diagnosis and management of renal disease. It is the gold standard for evaluating renal parenchymal disease. It is both useful for...Full Text Available
A single enhancing lesion in the brain parenchyma, also called an inflammatory granuloma, is a frequent neurologic diagnosis. One of the commonest causes of this lesion is human neurocysticercosis,...Full Text Available
... with the symptoms of MS have MS. Diagnosis Physical examination and medical history are very important in diagnosing MS. Physical exams include a variety of tests to check ...
BACKGROUNDNew diagnostic tools are urgently needed to interrupt the transmission of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Rapid,...Full Text Available
There is considerable evidence to suggest that the identification and treatment of dyslipidaemia will reduce the risk of premature CHD, i.e. before the age of 65. Diagnosis of the cause of raised plasma...Full Text Available
Background. The coexistence of neoplasm and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) presents a real management challenge. This paper reviews the literature on the prevalence, diagnosis,...Full Text Available
The aim of this thesis is the design of a faults diagnosis-aiding system in a nuclear facility of the Cea. Actually the existing system allows the optimization of the production processes in regular operating conditions. Meanwhile during accidental events, the alarms, managed by threshold, are bringing no relevant information. To increase the reliability and the safety, the human operator needs a faults diagnosis-aiding system. The developed system, SECAPI, combines problem solving techniques and automatic learning techniques, that allow the diagnosis and the the simulation of various faults happening on nuclear facilities. Its reasoning principle uses case-based and rules-based techniques. SECAPI owns a learning module which reads out knowledge connected with faults. It can then simulate various faults, using the inductive logical computing. SECAPI has been applied on a radioactive tritium treatment operating channel, at ...
The invention of the microscope disclosed a whole new world, that of the hitherto invisibly small. Histologic evidence as revealed by the microscope has become a cornerstone of medical diagnosis, and...Full Text Available
A new approach of gear fault diagnosis based on continuous wavelet transform is presented. Continuous wavelet transform can provide a finer scale resolution than orthogonal wavelet transform. It is more suitable for extracting mechanical fault information. In this paper, the concept of time-averaged wavelet spectrum (TAWS) based on Morlet continuous wavelet transform is proposed. Two fault diagnosis methods named spectrum comparison method (SCM) and feature energy method (FEM) based on TAWS are established. The results of the application to gearbox gear fault diagnosis show that TAWS can effectively extract gear fault information. The feature energy of the TAWS features the gear fault advancement very well and is conically proportional to the gear fault advancement.
In a prospective study, patients with the diagnosis of chronic ethmoid sinusitis were evaluated microbiologically by using biopsy specimens of the ethmoid sinus mucosa. Microbiology cultures were performed...Full Text Available
Cryptococcosis is a systemic fungal disease and meningitis is the most serious complication. The purpose of this study is to define problems related to its diagnosis and treatment. This is a retrospective...Full Text Available
The importance of designating criteria for diagnosing dementia lies in its implications for clinical treatment, research, caregiving, and decision-making. Dementia diagnosis in Huntington's...Full Text Available
Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare cardiac tumor. The initial clinical course is often asymptomatic, and metastatic disease is present in a majority of affected patients at diagnosis. We present...Full Text Available
In eight patients with Ewing's sarcoma bone scans were performed using "9"9"mTc-MDP. This procedure rendered possible the diagnosis of clinically or radiologically silent metastases. (orig.).
The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of artificial neural networks (ANN) application in evaluation of scintimammography in the context of clinical data in the diagnosis of breast cancer. The results produced by ANN were compared with the diagnosis of two independent observers, nuclear medicine specialists. Material and methods: The clinical data and the numerical values derived from scintimammograms of 103 patients were the material for the study. The reference method was the result of histopathology study (core biopsy and /or FNB). Results: The overall sensitivity of physician diagnosis was 78% with specificity of 72%. The ANN produced 71% sensitivity and specificity of 73%. The physicians and ANN results were not significantly different (p=0.4619). Conclusions: Artificial neutral networks are useful tool in clinical diagnosis of breast cancer. (authors)
Background/Objectives:Imaging technology is an important part of the diagnosis and management of spinal trauma. Indications and findings in post-traumatic imaging of the vertebral...Full Text Available
Flow cytometry (FCM) is widely used in health research and in treatment for a variety of tasks, such as in the diagnosis and monitoring of leukemia and lymphoma patients, providing the counts of helper-T...Full Text Available
The invention concerns a method for the graduated introduction of finely-particulate and especially pulverously-particulate solid substance, in particular coal dust, from a pressurised proportioning tank containing a supply of solid matter into an industrial furnace with several supply points, in particular a shaft furnace such as a blast furnace or a cupola furnace, the solid matter being conveyed to the individual supply points in a flow of carrier gas heavily charged with solid matter, through a separate transport line for each supply point, the carrier gas being conveyed to the lower end section of the proportioning tank in a current which causes a local loosening in the lower section of the supply of solid matter, with the transport lines opening into the loosened area, whilst the proportioning tank that contains the solid matter is weighed continuously, the actual weight of the proportioning tank ...
CNG vehicles suffer from an uncontrolled temperature rise of the gas inside the tank during the filling process and heat exchange with the environment leads to variable filling levels. A partly filled tank reduces the range of CNG vehicles and works as a impediment to the spreading of environmentaly more friendly CNG vehicles. The increase of the pressure inside the tank combined with a prolongation of the filling time beyond three minutes can reduce the deficit of the filling process. For economic reasons the time required for refuelling should be as short as possible without the need to operate the filling station with a critical pressure. To meet this target the current technique requires further improvement. (orig.) [Deutsch] Die betriebliche Praxis bei Tankvorgaengen von Erdgasfahrzeugen zeigt, dass waehrend des Tankvorganges die Temperatur des getankten Erdgases im Fahrzeugtank ansteigt. Waehrend und nach Beendigung ...
Shut Down System - 2 (SDS - 2) of TAPP-3 and 4 works on the principle of rapid injection of gadolinium nitrate poison solution into bulk moderator in calandria using high pressure helium to shut down the reactor. This is a new system, in the context of Indian PHWRs, designed, engineered, commissioned and being operated in TAPP-3 and 4. The system design incorporates passive features such as floating polyethylene ball with ball-ball seat arrangement and locked open isolation ball valves with key interlock arrangement. This arrangement eliminates active valves downstream of poison tanks during SDS - 2 actuation. A series parallel arrangement of fast acting pilot controlled air operated valves, which keep the high pressure helium isolated from poison tanks in poised state, are the only active components. During commissioning and initial period of operation of TAPP-4, problems were encountered and were resolved by suitable modifications and the ...
The clinical manifestation of wounds of the heart is determined by the mode, site and size of the injury as well as the structure of the pericardial and myocardial lesion. Diagnosis can be confirmed by ECG and echocardiography. Only 20% of the patients with penetrating wounds of the heart live for more than 30 minutes. Pericardio-centesis should be used only to gain time for a safe sternotomy, cardiac decompression and suture of the wound of the heart. An aggressive surgical approach is mandatory. Cardiopulmonary bypass is necessary only to correct of concomitant lesions. PMID:1983618
The author reports 10 studies concerning the diagnosis of renal osteodystrophy and extraskeletal calcification in patients on maintenance hemodialysis as well as some aspects of persistent hyperparathyroidism after renal transplantation. The majority of the studies focus on the value of bone scintigraphy with Tc-99m HEDP in the diagnosis of these disorders. (Auth.).
This opinion presents an overview of recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Japan. The use of Ethiodol (iodized ethyl ester of the fatty acid of poppyseed oil) for hepatic angiography in diagnosing and treating (combined with chemotherapeutic agents) HCC has been reported. Ethiodol has been found to localize in HCC and remain there for long periods. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Based on a literature study an actual summary of the risk-utility problems in X-ray diagnosis is outlined due to the Recommendations of the International Commission for Radiation Protection (ICRP publication 26/1977). Papers demonstrating quantitative assessment of the somatic and genetical risk in X-ray examination are preferably cited and evaluated. It is concluded that the somatic and genetical risk is low in diagnostic ratiology. However, it must not be neglected and has always to be compared to the utility of an examination as well as to other risks of the examination. (author).
The paper considered the vibration signals of rotating equipment as cyclo stationary signals through analyzing the features of this kind of signals. Based on the analytic method of cyclic spectrum density, the paper pointed out that the impact frequency could be extracted effectively with the help of scanning cyclic frequency domain. The validity of the method of cyclic spectrum density is proved by simulating signals and the method is applied to the diagnosis of rolling bearings. (authors)
This case report presents the prenatal diagnosis of conjoined twins at 7 weeks and 6 days’ gestation according to the last menstrual period and 6 weeks and 4 days’ gestation according...Full Text Available
Natural convection flow is established in KMRR (Korea Multi-Purpose Research Reactor) reflector tank at the loss of reflector circulator. To simulate the reflector tank natural convection flow with high temperatures at the inner shell and bottom plate due to nuclear heating, experimental and numerical studies in an open cavity with 'L' type heated wall made by the combination of a vertical and horizontal plate were performed. It was confirmed through these studies that the heat transfer rates were highest at the lower region of the vertical plate and the inlet region of horizontal plate and comparatively high at the middle portion of both plates. The heat transfer rate distribution of this trend shows a desirable trend for the effective natural convection cooling of KMRR reflector tank. It was also confirmed that the average Nusselts numbers at the 'L' type heated wall were lower than those obtained from the existing ...
A large temperature differential (10K) thermal storage system in a small (4400 m{sup 2}) 8-storey office building is discussed and the monitoring results are analyzed in comparison with computer simulations. Requirements were a comfortable indoor environment and system cost effectiveness. Out of four potential system concepts, the Large Temperature Differential System was chosen. It comprises a flat-type thermal stratification heat storage tank in the under floor pit of the building as the heat source for a variable flow heat pump chiller. The heat sink is a set of serially connected air handling and fan coil units. The tank`s capacity is sized for one day operation and is made as large as possible to shift the electricity demand to night time. To avoid a large size and high cost, the water temperature differential was enlarged. The role of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) was to develop the chiller and its control system. It is concluded ...
A liquid column was used for the experiments reported in Part 1. However, it only gives the observation of the effect of fast reaction because the liquid flow was controlled to uniform laminar flow and the contact is limited to short time of around 10 ms. In practical absorbing operation, turbulence is involved in liquid flow, and the residence time for contact is long. Hence, the absorption of trace iodine in the purified air has been experimented by using a constant interface area type stirred absorption tank. Prior to the experiment, the characteristics of the absorption tank was investigated by conducting pure carbon dioxide absorption test with purified water. It gave the conclusion that the tank was sufficiently usable for fundamental researches. In short contact time absorption, the iodine dissolved and absorbed in liquid phase is affected by reaction of hypoiodous acid and poly-iodide ion formation due to hydrolysis ...
Bench-scale batch equilibration tests have been conducted with supernatants from two underground tanks at the Melton Valley Storage Tank (MVST) Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to determine the effectiveness of selected ion exchangers in removing cesium, strontium, and technetium. Seven sorbents were evaluated for cesium removal, nine for strontium removal, and four for technetium removal. The results indicate that granular potassium cobalt hexacyanoferrate was the most effective of the exchangers evaluated for removing cesium from the supernatants. The powdered forms of sodium titanate (NaTiO) and cystalline silicotitanate (CST) were superior in removing the strontium; however, for the sorbents of suitable particle size for column use, titanium monohydrogen phosphate (TiHP {phi}), sodium titanate/polyacrylonitrile (NaTiO-PAN), and titanium monohydrogen phosphate/polyacrylonitrile (TiP-PAN) gave the best results and were about ...
A pretreatment flowsheet was tested for separating key radionuclide components from the sludge stored in one of the high level waste tanks (B-110) at the Hanford Site; this sludge resulted primarily from the bismuth phosphate process, which was one of the three major plutonium separation processes used at Handford. This test involved (1) washing with water, (2) caustic leaching, (3) acid dissolution, (4) separation of transuranic elements (TRUs) by extraction with octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide(CMPO), (5) separation of Sr by extraction with di-t-butylcyclohexano-18-crown-6, (6) separation of Cs from the acid-dissolved sludge solution by treatment with ammonium molybdophosphate (AMP), and (7) separation of Cs from the sludge wash and caustic leach solutions by ion exchange using a phenol-formaldehyde resin (CS-100). The results of the radionuclide separation steps indicated that the proposed flowsheet is a viable approach to pretreating ...
The role of MRT in the prebiopsy diagnosis of muscular and vascular inflammatory conditions was evaluated prospectively and an optimal method of examination was investigated. 92 patients with a suspected diagnosis of myositis (60 cases) or vasculitis (32 cases) were examined, in each case two extremities were studied using transverse T_1 and T_2 weighted SE sequences and double echo STIR sequences on a 0.5 Tesla (56 patients) or 1.5 Tesla magnet (36 patients; T5/S15 Gyroscan, Philips). The site of the biopsy depended on the MRT findings. In 41 patients the suspected diagnosis was confirmed histologically, in two patients an infective myositis was diagnosed on clinical grounds despite negative histology. MRT demonstrated muscle oedema in 86% of patients. There were negative findings after immuno-suppressive therapy (two patients), in focal myositis (3 out of 4 patients) and in one of 7 patients with untreated vasculitis. ...
Described is the diagnosis for the cancer extension of cholangiocarcinoma by various imaging techniques and processes to support the current surgical procedure based on preoperative biliary drainage. The cancer tends to locally extend horizontally and/or vertically and its diagnosis is important for surgical indication. For the indication, multi-detector raw CT (MDCT) and MR cholangio-pancreatography (MRCP) are useful and particularly, the former can give multi-phase (arterial, portal and delayed) images to reconstruct multiplanar (MPR) and CT angiographic 3D images, which have made the previous invasive examinations like angiography and percutaneous transportal contrasting unnecessary. MDCT and MRCP can almost complete the diagnosis of the extension. The operative procedure is decided dependently on the site of the lesion, and of which diagnosis, whether it is hepatic hilar/on upper bile duct or ...
Project W-320 Acceptance Test Report for tank 241-C-106, 296-C-006 Ventilation System Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) HNF-SD-W320-012, C-106 Tank Process Ventilation Test, was an in depth test of the 296-C-006 ventilation system and ventilation support systems required to perform the sluicing of tank C-106. Systems involved included electrical, instrumentation, chiller and HVAC. Tests began at component level, moved to loop level, up to system level and finally to an integrated systems level test. One criteria was to perform the test with the least amount of risk from a radioactive contamination potential stand point. To accomplish this a temporary configuration was designed that would simulate operation of the systems, without being connected directly to the waste tank air space. This was done by blanking off ducting to the tank and connecting temporary ducting and an inlet air ...
During unit wise conditioning of unit 8, the vacuum started deteriorating inside the tube after a spark. The RGA reading was taken and it was found out that residual gas inside tube was sulphur hexafluoride. A leak was detected in second tube of unit number eight in between electrode 6 to 8. Leak was sealed with the sealant. Again leak check was done and no leak was found. The tank was closed and conditioning was started again. During the same unit number eight conditioning, leak developed again followed by a spark. So the damaged tube was replaced with a new accelerator tube. During the installation time the alignment of the machine was taken care. Again leak checking was done and the tube was baked properly. The tank was closed again and this particular unit was conditioned for about four days. The maximum voltage it has attained was 1.1 MV. (author)
The MiniBooNE experiment [1] is motivated by the LSND observation, [2] which has been interpreted as {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} oscillations, and by the atmospheric neutrino deficit, [3,4,5] which may be ascribed to {nu}{sub {mu}} oscillations into another type of neutrino. MiniBooNE is a single-detector experiment designed to: obtain {approx} 1000 {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} events if the LSND signal is due to {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} oscillations, establishing the oscillation signal at the > 5{sigma} level as shown in Fig. 1.1; extend the search for {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} oscillations significantly beyond what has been studied previously if no signal is observed; search for {nu}{sub {mu}} disappearance to address the atmospheric neutrino deficit with a signal that is a suppression of the rate of {nu}{sub {mu}}C {yields} {mu}N events from the expected 600,000 per year; measure the oscillation parameters as shown in Fig. 1.2 if ...
This series of measurements with a mixed Pu-U nitrate solution (280 g Pu/liter, 180 g U/liter) in a 35.54-cm-diam cylindrical tank provides a wide variety of experimental data for subcritical configurations that can be used to verify calculational methods and nuclear data. The Pu contained 7.85 wt% {sup 240}Pu and the uranium was natural uranium. The measurements performed were: inverse count rate, prompt neutron decay constants, inverse kinetics, and frequency analysis by the {sup 252}Cf source driven method. These data are presented in sufficient detail that the results of the experiments can be calculated directly. For purposes of extrapolating to the delayed critical height the ratio of spectral densities was linear with height and thus provided the best estimate of critical height.
Abstract Uniformly distributing slurry solids in -tall- (-2:1 aspect ratio) process vessels is a significant challenge in the chemical industry. This work determined the performance of various multi-tier agitation systems in uniformly distributing a settling solid throughout water in a -tall- laboratory vessel. It used a 0.445-m ID Plexiglas tank, with a slurry height of 0.889-m, to determine how solids distribution changes with solids loading (wt.%), impeller speed, and impeller type. Some impeller types uniformly distributed the solids even before energy input exceeded 1.00-W/kg. Significantly higher energy improved solids distribution little because flow within the vessel eventually became choked.
The scope of this RA is limited to the evaluation of potential human health risks associated with a failure event of a tank containing Basin F liquid. Section 1.0 contains an introduction to the health risk assessment. Section 2.0 describes the site history, location, and land use. Section 3.0 provides a brief description of exposure pathways and potention receptors. Section 4.0 describes the sources of data used and identifies chemicals of concern. Section 5.0 discusses the toxicity of concern. Section 6.0 explains the methods used for calculation of carcinogenic risks and the noncarcinogenic hazard indexes. Section 7.0 describes uncertainties inherent in the current methodology used to determine potential human health risks. Section 8.0 presents a summary of results and conclusions. Section 9.0 includes the references cited.
Ground water is treated in the Czech Republic so that small water tanks are built above each water source to serve the primary ground water treatment; water so pretreated is then concentrated in large basins for subsequent treatment. Some water tanks where the first contact of the ground water with air takes place were selected as sites predisposed to radon accumulation. The examination was carried out near the town of Jihlava, where the bedrock contains slightly elevated radium concentrations. The average radon concentrations lay within the region of 2-4 kBq/m"3; the instantaneous values, however, exhibited appreciable periodical variations during the day. The relatively high radon concentrations will not pose a marked hazard for the personnel because the employees only reside at the sites in question for 10 to 15 minutes within 2 days, not for the whole working day
The measurement of level in the liquid nitrogen vessel has been carried out by the weight conversion method using weigher or by putting directly a stick in the vessel. On a large CE tank, the pressure difference was read by manometer. These methods can not be used when the vessel does not put on the weigher or the pipe for manometer is stopped. We noticed the interaction between radiation ({gamma}-ray) and substance and applied it to determine the liquid nitrogen level. The results proved it the easy method for measurement of the level in the large CE tank. Cesium 137 ({gamma}-ray energy: 662 keV) was used as the radiation source. {gamma}-ray transmission dose was determined by GM survey meter. The liquid nitrogen level could be determined by using the change of the transmission dose with amount of liquid nitrogen. (S.Y.)
This engineering report compiles information on types and quantities of liquid waste discharged from B-Plant directly to cribs, ditches, reverse wells, etc., that are associated with B-Plant. Waste discharges to these cribs via overflow form 241-B, 241-BX, and 241-BY tank farms, and waste discharged to these cribs from sources other than B-Plant are discussed.Discharges from B-Plant to other cribs, unplanned releases, or waste remaining in tanks are not included in the report. Waste stream composition information is used to predict quantities of individual chemicals sent to cribs. This provides an accurate mass balance of waste streams from B-Plant to these cribs. These predictions are compared with known crib inventories as a verification of the process.
A small fleet of classic London Taxis (Black cabs) equipped with hydrogen fuel cell power systems is being prepared for demonstration during the 2012 London Olympics. This paper presents a Life Cycle Analysis for these vehicles in terms of energy consumption and CO2 emissions, focusing on the impacts of alternative vehicle technologies for the Taxi, combining the fuel life cycle (Tank-to-Wheel and Well-to-Tank) and vehicle materials Cradle-to-Grave. An internal combustion engine diesel taxi was used as the reference vehicle for the currently available technology. This is compared to battery and fuel cell vehicle configurations. Accordingly, the following energy pathways are compared: diesel, electricity and hydrogen (derived from natural gas steam reforming). Full Life Cycle Analysis, usin...
The invention concerns a device for the energy-saving heating of fuel in the supply pipe to an internal combustion engine to regain energy from the fuel itself, particularly but not exclusively for a Diesel engine. A part of the quantity of heat added to the fuel between the tank and the injection nozzles is given up by excess fuel not to the tank, but to the fuel lifted upstream of the injection pump. The device is characterised by the fact that it has a heat exchanger, which absorbs heat from the fuel at the level of the injection pump or upstream of it, and takes this to the fuel above the injection pump. The heat exchanger is preferably mounted upstream of a filter and close to it. A bridging pipe, which may be integrated in the heat exchanger, permits the heat exchanger to be short-circuited depending on the fuel temperature.
At the reference plant (Wolsung unit No. 1) a manual poison sampling system is provided to periodically sample gadolinium from each tank and analyze it in the laboratory to provide assurance that adequate poison concentration in each tank is maintained. The AECB required a continuous, on-line monitoring system. On Wolsung unit No. 2, process piping adapter and new instrument loops added to the Liquid Injection Shutdown System(LISS) which is part of SDS2. The new instrument loops continuously monitor SDS2 poison conductivity and initiate an alarm when the poison concentration is too low. 8 refs., 1 fig. (author).
This report describes experiments to determine whether a wiped film evaporator (WFE) might be used to concentrate low-level liquid radioactive waste (LLLW). Solutions used in these studies were surrogates that contain no radionuclides. The compositions of the surrogates were based on one of Oak Ridge National Laboratory`s (ORNL`s) Melton Valley Storage Tanks (MVSTs). It was found that a WFE could be used to concentrate LLLW to varying degrees by manipulating various parameters. The parameters studied were rotor speed, process fluid feed temperature and feed rate, and evaporator temperature. Product consistency varied from an unsaturated liquid to a dry powder. Volume reductions up to 68% were achieved. System decontamination factors were consistently in the range of 10{sup 4}.
This paper presents a novel domestic hot water heater model to be used in a multi-objective demand side management program. The model incorporates both the thermal losses and the water usage to determine the temperature of the water in the tank. Water heater loads are extracted from household load data and then used to determine the household water usage patterns. The benefits of the model are: (1) the on/off state of the water heater and temperature of the water in the tank can be accurately predicted, and (2) it enables the development of water usage profiles so that users can be classified based on usage behaviour. As a result, the amount of ancillary services and peak shaving that can be achieved are accurately predictable and can be maximized without adversely affecting users. (author)
In order to study nuclear criticality safety related to the development of fast breeder technology, /sup 252/Cf-source-driven neutron noise analysis measurements were performed with a Pu-U nitrate solution in a slab tank of various heights and thickness varying 11.43 cm to 19.05 cm. The results and conclusions of these experiments are (1) a capability to measure the subcriticality of a multiplying system of slab geometry to a k/sub eff/ as low as 0.7 was demonstrated, (2) calculated neutron multiplication factors agreed with those from the experiments within approx.0.02, and (3) the applicability of the method for plutonium solution systems was demonstrated. This paper describes measurements in which the height of the slab was varied for a fixed thickness and the thickness varied for a fixed height, which are the first applications of this measurement method to slab geometry.
Problems and solutions in the diagnosis and operative treatment were clarified by retrospective evaluation of cases of intramedullary tumor in which MRI and surgery had been performed. The subjects were 16 patients (21-75 years old, mean age: 45 years) whose tumor was surgically removed between 1991 and 1998. MRI was performed preoperatively, and T1-weighted images, T2-weighted images, and enhanced images were obtained. Angiography was also performed in some cases. The histological diagnosis based on the MRI findings before surgery were compared with the pathological diagnosis after the operation. In 9/16 cases (56%), the preoperative histological diagnosis based on the MR images was the same as the pathological diagnosis after the operation. In 8 of the 11 cases (73%) whose images showed clear tumor margins and well shaped the tumor, the tumors were completely removed. The ...
Monitoring nuclear plants components enable to save on operation and maintenance costs by reducing incidents gravity and casual plant stoppages thank to early detection and fast diagnosis. Improving the knowledge of the behaviour of the plant will also allow to optimize maintenance and to increase plant life. In order to improve monitoring and diagnosis capabilities in nuclear power plants. Electricite de France (EDF) is extending the existing data processing chains towards automatic aided interpretation and diagnosis. Therefore, EDF has designed an integrated monitoring and diagnosis assistance system: PSAD-Poste de Surveillance et d'Aide au Diagnostic, including several monitoring functions of the main components. It integrates on-line monitoring, off-line diagnosis and knowledge based systems. PSAD stations provide homogeneous aids to diagnosis which enable ...
Research at the Savannah River Technology Center aided development of a technical design basis for a Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) to pre-treat and vitrify Hanford tank waste as part of the River Protection Project (RPP). The research addresses safety concerns, process optimization, and waste form compliance. This program will provide technical data to ensure that the process functions as it was designed and minimizes costs.
This paper reviews the mill flowsheet applied at the SOMAIR (Societe des Mines de l'Air) uranium mill in Niger. It focuses on the yellow cake quality improvements achieved by molybdenum and zirconium elimination through double yellow cake precipitation in tanks at first stage and through size/density control in a fluidized bed precipitator at second stage. Water saving aspects in the plant are also presented. (author)
The Waste Acceptance Preliminary Specifications (WAPS) require that the DWPF estimate the inventory of long-lived radionuclides present in the waste glass, and report the values in the Waste Form Qualification Report. In this report, conservative (biased high) estimates of the radionuclide inventory of glass produced from waste currently in the Tank Farm are provided. In most cases, these calculated values compare favorably with actual data. In those cases where the agreement is not good, the values reported here are conservative.
The Sodium Storage Facility Project Quality Assurance Plan delineates the quality assurance requirements for construction of a new facility, modifications to the sodium storage tanks, and tie-ins to the FFTF Plant. This plan provides direction for the types of verifications necessary to satisfy the functional requirements within the project scope and applicable regulatory requirements determined in the Project Functional Design Criteria (FDC), WHC-SD-FF-FDC-009.
This Test Plan outlines the testing to be done on the Special Protective Coating (SPC) Polyurea which includes: Tank Waste Compatibility, Decontamination Factor Testing, and Adhesion Strength Testing after a sample has been exposed to Radiation.
This document describes the proposed strategy for disposal of spent and failed melters from the tank waste treatment plant to be built by the Office of River Protection at the Hanford site in Washington. It describes program management activities, disposal and transportation systems, leachate management, permitting, and safety authorization basis approvals needed to execute the strategy.
Vermicomposts as a biofertilizer can be a great option for pond manuring as they never cause any long term harm to the soil like chemical fertilizer. In this study vegetable and horticulture waste was used as an important media for vermiculture. Three separate cemented tanks (6 m{sup 3} each) were used in the system as control tank, vermicompost fertilized tank and inorganic fertilizer manured tank. Monoculture of fish was carried out with cat fish, Clarias batrachus. The produced earthworms were used as fish feed. Regular monitoring of water parameter was conducted in three different ponds. Specifically, the algal biomass variation was quite helpful in analysing the behavior of the ponds. NPK value of soil samples was analyzed intermittently to know the eutrophication level. Despite the hot summer temperature in northern part of India, which is not ideal for fish growth, we have recorded an encouraging ...
The Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Information Systems Definition architecture evaluated information Management (IM) processes in several key organizations. The intent of the study is to identify improvements in TWRS IM processes that will enable better support to the TWRS mission, and accommodate changes in TWRS business environment. The ultimate goals of the study are to reduce IM costs, Manage the configuration of TWRS IM elements, and improve IM-related process performance.
This document, the Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID) Phase 2 Assessment Report for the subject facility, represents the results of a Performance Assessment to determine whether procedures containing S/RID requirements are fully implemented by field personnel in the field. It contains a summary report and three attachments; an assessment schedule, performance objectives, and assessments for selected functional areas.
This document, the Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID) Phase I Assessment Report for the subject facility, represents the results of an Administrative Assessment to determine whether S/RID requirements are fully addressed by existing policies, plans or procedures. It contains; compliance status, remedial actions, and an implementing manuals report linking S/RID elements to requirement source to implementing manual and section.
A fluidic pump comprises a two-diode pump having a first displacement vessel, a third diode connected to receive output from the two-diode pump through a delivery line and discharge to an outlet, and a second displacement vessel connected to the delivery line. There is a feed tank at a greater height than the two-diode pump, and a drive unit for alternately pressurising and venting the first and second displacement vessels. The drive pressure required to operate the pump can be of the order of half that for a single stage 2-diode pump. (author).
The objectives of this report are: to demonstrate complete CSSX process flowsheet (proof of concept)--decontamination factor {ge} 40,000, and concentration factor {approx}15; Scientific and technical issues evaluated--stage efficiency, temperature control, hydraulic performance, long time (multi-day) operation, short-term shutdown, effect of solids, and recovery from Cs moving through strip section.
The kinetic parameters, ..cap alpha.. the coupling coefficient and tau-bar the mean neutron transit time have been determined using a reactor oscillator on the coupled-core of the Queen Mary College research reactor. By using correlation techniques it has proved possible to use detectors small enough to be inserted in the fuel tanks. It is shown that the simplified Baldwin model with one-group diffusion theory is inadequate to describe the kinetic behaviour and the experimentally-determined parameters are dependent upon the positioning of the detectors.
This inspection plan is written to meet the requirements of WAC 173-303 for operations of a TSD facility. Owners/operators of TSD facilities are required to inspection their facility and active waste management units to prevent and/or detect malfunctions, discharges and other conditions potentially hazardous to human health and the environment. A written plan detailing these inspection efforts must be maintained at the facility in accordance with Washington Administrative Code (WAC), Chapter 173-303, ``Dangerous Waste Regulations`` (WAC 173-303), a written inspection plan is required for the operation of a treatment, storage and disposal (TSD) facility and individual TSD units. B Plant is a permitted TSD facility currently operating under interim status with an approved Part A Permit. Various operational systems and locations within or under the control of B Plant have been permitted for waste management activities. Included are the following TSD units: Cell 4 Container Storage Area; B ...
Software quality assurance (SQA) for robotic systems used in nuclear waste applications is vital to ensure that the systems operate safely and reliably and pose a minimum risk to humans and the environment. This paper describes the SQA approach for the control and data acquisition system for a robotic system being developed for remote surveillance and inspection of underground storage tanks (UST) at the Hanford Site.
This paper presents a prescriptive account of diagnostic problem solving, or diagnosis, in quality and process control. This paper identifies a general strategy, named branch-and-prune, whose manifestations can be found in disciplines such as medical diagnosis, troubleshooting of devices, and model-based diagnosis in artificial intelligence. The work aims to offer a clear conceptualization of this strategy, based on the notions of structures for the search space, and constraints to the cause's nature.The idea is to treat the search space of candidate explanations as a tree structure, in which general and high-level causal directions are branched into more specific and detailed explanations. Constraints eliminate all but a few branches (pruning), which are explored in more detail. We enumer...
Contradictory reports in the literature on the reliability of lymphography stimulated the authors to test the diagnostic accuracy, employing methods which are approximately analogous to practice, using carcinoma of the cervix as the model on which the study was carried out. Using 21 observers it was found that there was no correlation between their experience and on-target accuracy of the diagnosis. Good observers obtained an accuracy of 85% with good proportions between sensitivity in the recognition of detail, specificity and readiness to arrive at a decision on the basis of discriminatory ability. With the help of the concept of the ROC curves, the position taken up by the observers in respect of diagnostic decisions, and a complex manner of assessing the various characteristic factors determining diagnostic accuracy, are demonstrated. This form of test, which permits manipulation of different variants of diagnosis, is recommended, among ...
In spite of the improved imaging techniques currently available, mortality for pancreatic cancer is still high, and pancreatics is often diagnosed only in its advanced stages. The authors investigated the value of different imaging techniques - i.e., US, CT, and ERCP - for an early diagnosis, when a more effective (curative?) treatment can be suggested. Fifty-six cases of pancreatic cancer and 36 cases of chronic pancreatitis were evaluated. The results indicate that ERCP, with the help of statistical methods, is superior to US and CT not only in evaluating early neoplastic or inflammatory lesions, but also for their differential diagnosis. In the letter case, ERCP can sometimes be used as a valid alternative to fine-needle aspiration biopsy.
Serious complications due to coronary artery fistulae have been described. Most authors recommend early intervention at the time of diagnosis. We present a case of a fistula originating from a dilated left coronary artery and draining into the right atrium, which was diagnosed prenatally by color Doppler echocardiography. During pregnancy, the echocardiographic findings remained unchanged, and there were no signs of heart failure. After birth, the fistula was confirmed by angiography. Additionally, a persistent left superior vena cava draining into the coronary sinus and a very small ventricular septal defect were detected. The fistula was closed successfully by transcatheter coil embolization. At 17 months old the child was in good clinical condition. Prenatal diagnosis of coronary artery fistulae may be possible and may improve perinatal management and outcome. PMID:12047543
MRI diagnosis for malignant tumors are made possible by direct comparison to the results obtained by the brain and it seems possible to differentiate malignant tumors from other benign lesions. Cystic lesions, and mycotic sinusitis sometimes resemble malignant tumors in MR Image. In the present report, we investigated the relationships between the biochemical contents of cystic lesions and NMR-parameters to clarify why some inflammatory lesions appeared similar to malignant tumors in MRI. The variation of relaxation time depends upon the amount of protein in the cystic contents and the amount of glucose affects the relaxation time. We conclude that NMR-parameters are useful for the differential diagnosis of malignant tumors, cystic lesions and mycositic sinusitis by using the multiple variation analysis.
Abstract In this brief report, we have described the fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of a hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL) in a 60-year-old female patient. The patient complained of fever and heaviness of left upper abdomen. Ultrasound-guided FNAC of the spleen showed immature lymphoid cells, and a diagnosis of primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of spleen was offered. Subsequently, the patient underwent splenectomy and wedge biopsy of liver that confirmed the cytological diagnosis. The lymphoma cells were positive for CD3 immunostain. Primary hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma is a rare entity and may often pose diagnostic problems on FNAC. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010. 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Because of the superior tissue contrast, high spatial resolution, and multiplanar capabilities, fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can depict fetal brain pathologies with high accuracy. Pathological fetal brain development may result from malformations or acquired conditions. Differentiation of these etiologies is important with respect to managing the actual pregnancy or counseling future pregnancies. As a widened ventricular system is a common hallmark of both maldevelopment and acquired conditions, it may cause problems in the differential diagnosis. Fetal MRI can provide detailed morphological information, which allows refinement of the diagnosis of ventricular enlargement in a large number of cases. Systematic work-up of morphological details that may be recognized on MR images provides an approach for achieving a correct diagnosis in cases of ventricle enlargement. (orig.)
A marine propulsion system is a very complicated system composed of many mechanical components. As a result, the vibration signal of a gearbox in the system is strongly coupled with the vibration signatures of other components including a diesel engine and main shaft. It is therefore imperative to assess the coupling effect on diagnostic reliability in the process of gear fault diagnosis. For this reason, a fault detection and diagnosis method based on bispectrum analysis and artificial neural networks (ANNs) was proposed for the gearbox with consideration given to the impact of the other components in marine propulsion systems. To monitor the gear conditions, the bispectrum analysis was first employed to detect gear faults. The amplitude-frequency plots containing gear characteristic sign...
Varying load can cause changes in a measured gearbox vibration signal. However, conventional techniques for fault diagnosis are based on the assumption that changes in vibration signal are only caused by deterioration of the gearbox. There is a need to develop a technique to provide accurate state indicator of gearbox under fluctuating load conditions. This paper presents an approach to gear fault diagnosis based on complex Morlet continuous wavelet transform under this condition. Gear motion residual signal, which represents the departure of time synchronously averaged signal from the average tooth-meshing vibration, is analyzed as source data due to its lower sensitiveness to the alternating load condition. A fault growth parameter based on the amplitude of wavelet transform is proposed ...
Identifying gear damage categories, especially for early faults and combined faults, is a challenging task in gear fault diagnosis. This paper proposes a new multidimensional hybrid intelligent diagnosis method to identify different categories and levels of gear damage automatically. In this method, Hilbert transform, wavelet packet transform (WPT) and empirical mode decomposition (EMD) are performed on gear vibration signals to extract additional fault characteristic information. Then, multidimensional feature sets including time-domain, frequency-domain and time-frequency-domain features are generated to reveal gear health conditions. Multiple classifiers based on several classification algorithms and input features are combined with genetic algorithm (GA). Because of the use of multidim...
The diagnosis of viral causes of many infectious diseases is difficult due to the inherent sequence diversity of viruses as well as the ongoing emergence of novel viral pathogens, such as SARS coronavirus...Full Text Available
Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is one of the most common inheritable disorders and is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). However, the predominant location...Full Text Available
The authors report a case of a cephalopagus conjoined twin that was diagnosed at 29 weeks of gestation despite the mother having had two ultrasounds done previously. The fetus had one head and face,...Full Text Available
1. We have studied determinants of outcome of 7 day courses of treatment in 77 middle aged and elderly patients, in whom the general practitioner's diagnosis of urinary tract infections had been confirmed...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND: A number of studies have shown that the early mortality following TURP is higher for patients with prostate cancer than those with benign disease. This study examines the effect of the histological...Full Text Available
The University of North Carolina Comprehensive Pain Center, which has been in existence since 1972, is a pain evaluation, treatment and research program based upon individual diagnosis, comprehensive...Full Text Available
The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of digital image analysis of pit-and-fissure discoloration in order to diagnose caries. Digital images showing pit-and-fissure discoloration in 100...Full Text Available
BackgroundAcute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) is a major cause of hospitalization for children in China, while the etiological diagnosis of ALRI remains a challenge. This study...Full Text Available
We describe the interactions of two benzimidazole derivatives, astemizole (AST) and lansoprazole (LNS), with anomalous aggregates of tau protein (neurofibrillary tangles). Interestingly, these...Full Text Available
The noninvasive assessment of cardiac function is of first importance for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Among all medical scanners only a few enables radiologists to evaluate the local cardiac...Full Text Available
Prostate biopsy is the current gold-standard procedure for prostate cancer diagnosis. Existing prostate biopsy procedures have been mostly focusing on detecting cancer presence. However, they...Full Text Available
Reliable characterization of locomotor dynamics of human walking is vital to understanding the neuromuscular control of human locomotion and disease diagnosis. However, the inherent oscillation and...Full Text Available
Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a disorder characterized by both acute generalized, widespread activation of coagulation, which results in thrombotic complications due to the intravascular...Full Text Available
The introduction of prenatal screening requires rapid high-throughput diagnosis of common aneuploidies. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) allows for quick, easily automated multiplex...Full Text Available
Radionuclide angiocardiography provides a noninvasive assessment of cardiac function and blood flow through the heart and lungs. During the past three years, this procedure has been used at the Duke...Full Text Available
In this chart review the authors describe 51 cases of PSOAS abscess treated at Hospital Universitario del Valle in Cali, Colombia in the last 10 years. It is not a rare condition and require high index of suspicion. epidemiology, bacteriology, diagnosis and treatment are discussed.
Computer-aided diagnosis of neural diseases from EEG signals (or other physiological signals that can be treated as time series, e.g., MEG) is an emerging field that has gained much attention in past...Full Text Available
Breast cancer is a progressive and potentially fatal disease that affects women of all ages. Like all progressive diseases, early and reliable diagnosis is the key for successful treatment and annihilation....Full Text Available
BackgroundLung cancer diagnosis in tissue material with commonly used histological techniques is sometimes inconvenient and in a number of cases leads to ambiguous conclusions. Frequently...Full Text Available
... based, disease treatment remains promising, the emphasis for stem cell research from the biomedical research community is clear, and ... diagnosis as a novel source of embryos for stem cell research. Repr...
In the past decade, we have witnessed a revolution in osteoporosis diagnosis and therapeutics. This includes enhanced understanding of basic bone biology, recognizing the severe consequences of fractures...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of heritable diseases that manifest as blistering and erosions of the skin and mucous membranes. In the dystrophic forms of EB (DEB), the diagnostic...Full Text Available
Patients with histopathologically proved sarcoidosis were studied serially by means of bronchoalveolar lavage, initially at the time of diagnosis and then six and 12 months later. Two years later they...Full Text Available
BackgroundIdentification of urinary biomarkers for detection of bladder cancer recurrence would be beneficial to minimize the frequency of cystoscopy. Our objective was to determine...Full Text Available
Idiopathic frozen shoulder is a common medical diagnosis for patients seeking physical therapy. Radiographic and surgical evidence exists that describes the coracohumeral ligament (CHL) as a major contributor...Full Text Available
We report the first case of human infection by Phaeoisaria clematidis. This fungus caused a corneal ulcer in a Brazilian man who had previously suffered an eye injury. Diagnosis was...Full Text Available
We present a case of cardiac tamponade following umbilical venous catheterization in a neonate, an uncommon, yet potentially fatal complication. Timely diagnosis by echocardiography and urgent pericardiocentesis proved lifesaving. PMID:21654008
BackgroundRapid and correct diagnosis of malaria is considered an important strategy in the control of the disease. However, it remains to be determined how well these tests can...Full Text Available
Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) has been measured hourly from waking to sleeping in 29 workers with respiratory symptoms exposed to the fumes of soft soldering fluxes containing colophony (pine resin)....Full Text Available
AIM: To investigate differential points of solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) of the pancreas and pancreatic endocrine tumor (PET).METHODS: Ten cases of SPN and fourteen cases of PET were studied...Full Text Available
The outcome of patients admitted to intensive care units is known to be influenced by such factors as age, previous health status, severity of disease, and diagnosis. To estimate the outcome of such...Full Text Available
Erythrovirus (formerly parvovirus) B19 causes a wide range of diseases in humans, including anemia due to aplastic crisis. Diagnosis of B19 infection relies on serology and the detection of viral DNA...Full Text Available
SummaryBecause increasing numbers of HIV vaccine candidates are being tested globally, it is essential to differentiate vaccine-from virus-induced antibodies. Most of the currently...Full Text Available
Ovarian carcinoma is now the leading cause of death among women. Surgery has reached its limits, and further aggressive surgery will result in an inordinate morbidity and mortality. Ovarian carcinoma...Full Text Available
Arriving at a firm diagnosis of neurosarcoidosis continues to pose serious problems, particularly when evidence of granulomatous disease outside the nervous system is lacking. The commonest mode of...Full Text Available
A case of neurocysticercosis with progressive severe neurological symptoms is described. The patient was a Turkish girl aged 4 1/2 years who had experienced intermittent neurological symptoms for two years. Rapid diagnosis and treatment with praziquantel and corticosteroid resulted in complete restitution.
Objective: To highlight the key differences in history, examination, and management of pyoderma gangrenosum and necrotizing fasciitis and to outline the importance of distinguishing these...Full Text Available
Neurodegenerative and infectious disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and stroke are rapidly increasing as population’s...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe precise mechanisms involved in the initiation and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are not known. Early stages of RA often have non-specific symptoms, delaying...Full Text Available
Breath analysis is a powerful noninvasive technique for the diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Nitric oxide...Full Text Available
A bladder neck obstruction was suspected after ultrasound investigation at 16 weeks' gestation. Evaluation of protein content in the amniotic fluid, fetal ascites, and fluid from the overdistended bladder...Full Text Available
Four infants with obstructive hydrocephalus caused by space occupying third ventricle and mesencephalic cysts are reported. Despite immediate shunt insertion in all patients, there was either lack of...Full Text Available
Currently, the outcome of patients with intermediate-and poor-risk germ cell tumors at diagnosis is optimized by the use of risk-appropriate chemotherapy and post-chemotherapy surgical resection of...Full Text Available
Background:In 2007, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) published new guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with unstable angina/non-ST...Full Text Available
BackgroundGastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal tumors that develop in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract and their diagnosis during pregnancy or puerperium...Full Text Available
In this paper we report a case with primarily unspecific arthralgia after surgical therapy of hallux valgus deformity and consecutive reflex sympathetic dystrophy in which MR led to the diagnosis of Lyme disease. (orig.)
Blunt chest-wall trauma is common; however, resultant tricuspid valve rupture is rare and can be subtle in its presentation. Transthoracic echocardiography plays a key role in diagnosis.Herein,...Full Text Available
BackgroundCavernous hemangiomas are the most frequent neoplasms of the liver and in routine clinical practice they often need to be differentiated from malignant tumors and other...Full Text Available
The major activities of the various Institute's departments are highlighted. The following departments are included: (i) Tokamak; (ii) Pulse plasma systems; (iii) Thermal plasma; (iv) Materials engineering; (v) Laser plasma; and (vi) Optical diagnosis. (P.A.)
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common cause of degenerative dementia after Alzheimer's disease (AD), and is clinically characterized by the progressive cognitive decline with fluctuations...Full Text Available
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common cause of death for which effective treatments are available provided that diagnosis is rapid. The current diagnostic gold standards are circulating cardiac...Full Text Available
Previous studies have documented diagnostic bias and noted that its reduction could eliminate misdiagnosis and improve mental health service delivery. Few studies have investigated clinicians'...Full Text Available
The accelerating development of biochemical and DNA-based diagnostic tests for human genetic conditions in the last decade has engendered a revolution in genetic diagnosis. Both genetic testing and...Full Text Available
BackgroundDue to the high morbidity and mortality of fulminant hepatitis, early diagnosis followed by early effective treatment is the key for prognosis improvement. So far, little...Full Text Available
This book provides differential diagnostic possibilities of specific scan abnormalities in one volume for easy reference. This book is organized by organ systems and covers the central nervous system, the endocrine, skeletal, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and cardiovascular systems. The gamuts are designed to teach differential diagnosis and to assist in the actual interpretation of patient slides.
Assessment of subtle changes in the primary macromolecular components of cartilage, proteoglycan (PG) and collagen, is critical for the diagnosis of early stages of osteoarthritis (OA), but...Full Text Available
Currently, accurate diagnosis of breast lesions depends on a triple assessment approach comprising clinical, imaging and pathologic examinations. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is widely adopted...Full Text Available
Thirteen fetuses (five twin, one triplet) were compromised by fetofetal transfusion syndrome in six pregnancies, five in the mid trimester, and one in the third trimester. This diagnosis, which was...Full Text Available
Extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma (EES) is an uncommon lesion included in the group of soft tissue tumors. We present a case in a 19-year-old woman in which the diagnosis was not initially suspected because of the absence of clinical and radiological evidence. (Author).
Rotazyme II, which is a shorter version of Rotazyme (less than 3 h), was compared with electron microscopy and Rotazyme for sensitivity and specificity on 229 human stool specimens. Compared with electron...Full Text Available
This case describes a 10-year-old girl who developed a Ewing's sarcoma in her proximal fibula. The radiologic features mimicked those of a unicameral bone cyst. The presence of pain and the atypical location led to a prompt biopsy and the correct diagnosis. The mechanism of this unusual radiographic presentation is discussed. (orig.)
The development of rapid and specific diagnostic tests to identify individuals infected with malaria is of paramount importance in efforts to control the severe public health impact of this disease....Full Text Available
The recombinant product (rK39) of the 39-amino-acid repeats encoded by a kinesin-like protein-encoding gene of Leishmania chagasi was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay...Full Text Available
BackgroundBlood spots collected onto filter paper are an established and convenient source of antibodies for serological diagnosis and epidemiological surveys. Although recommendations...Full Text Available
A serodiagnostic test has been developed for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum in infected blood. Using parasite antigens and infected red blood cells from in vitro...Full Text Available
Pancreatic cysts are challenging lesions to diagnose and to treat. Determining which of the five most common diagnoses—pancreatic pseudocyst, serous cystic neoplasm (SCN), solid pseudopapillary...Full Text Available
Examples are used to demonstrate that a shift in the point of emphasis is necessary with regard to radiation hazard in medicinal X-ray diagnosis. The parameters employed in this study to calculate somatic dose (SD) and somatically significant dose (SSD) m...
A 23-year-old woman presented to our hospital with nonspecific pain in the abdomen. She underwent radiological investigations, which revealed a solid and cystic mass in the tail end of the pancreas....Full Text Available
Spontaneous rupture of membranes (ROM) is a normal component of labor and delivery. Premature ROM (PROM) refers to rupture of the fetal membranes prior to the onset of labor irrespective of gestational...Full Text Available
BackgroundOptimal blood culture performance is critical for successful diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. To understand the status of blood culture, we investigated several aspects...Full Text Available
Objective:To estimate the prevalence of insulin resistant syndrome (IRS) among newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes and to test their validity against two indices...Full Text Available
IntroductionColonoscopic perforation is a rare but serious complication of colonoscopy. Factors known to increase the risk of perforation include colonic strictures, extensive diverticulosis,...Full Text Available
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the single most common cause of death in the developed world, responsible for about 1 in every 5 deaths. The morbidity, mortality, and socioeconomic importance...Full Text Available
Urethral and endocervical swabs and self-collected vaginal swabs (SCVSs) and urine specimens are all used as samples for diagnosis of urogenital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis....Full Text Available
Fifteen related dogs were studied for susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia using halothane challenge and caffeine contracture tests. These dogs had hypertrophied muscles, were of a nervous temperament...Full Text Available
BackgroundBiomarkers play a key role in risk assessment, assessing treatment response, and detecting recurrence and the investigation of multiple biomarkers may also prove useful...Full Text Available
...2 Resource type: documents Mesothelioma Information HON-code certified resource, covering the main aspects of asbestos exposure: diagnosis, diseases caused by asbestos, treatment options, prevention and legal options. Diagrams are included in articles, and links are provided to the references used. Also contains a listing of ...
BACKGROUND: DNA prenatal diagnosis for cystic fibrosis (CF) has been available for parents of affected children since late 1985. METHODS: Using anonymous questionnaires, we surveyed 395 parents of children...Full Text Available
The objective of this retrospective field study was to associate the type and smell of discharge, the size of the uterus, the ovarian and treatment status, and the time to diagnosis of animals with...Full Text Available
BackgroundMost analyses of spatial clustering of disease have been based on either residence at the time of diagnosis or current residence. An underlying assumption in these analyses...Full Text Available
We report an unusual patient with primary adenocarcinoma of lung causing malignant pleural and pericardial effusions. The diagnosis was made only at autopsy as his staging computed tomography scan of...Full Text Available
We report an unusual case of strangulated diaphragmatic (Morgagni) hernia resulting in ischaemia of the small and large bowel, which was initially diagnosed as a pneumonia. This case highlights the...Full Text Available
To diagnose asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV), self-sampled vaginal smears were collected during a study of risk factors for preterm birth in African American women. More than 90% of those...Full Text Available
BackgroundCow's milk is the most common food allergen in infants and the diagnosis of cow's milk allergy is difficult, even with the use of several diagnostic tests. Therefore, elimination...Full Text Available
A form for the clinical evaluation of bovine digital disease was developed. In this article, each section of the resulting Digit Evaluation Form is discussed and justified. By following the...Full Text Available
Significant research has been devoted to predicting diagnosis, prognosis, and response to treatment using high-throughput assays. Rapid translation into clinical results hinges upon efficient access...Full Text Available
Sixty-six cases of histologically proven hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) were studied by MRI. Detectability was better by MRI than by CT, especially in the tumor under 2 cm in diameter. The capsule was detected in all cases of HCC over 3 cm in diameter. The capsule was able to be diagnosed only by dynamic MRI study in some cases. High intensity on the T1-weighted image and iso or low intensity on the T2-weighted image suggested that the nodule was adenomatous hyperplasi (AH) or well differentiated HCC. MRI is concluded to be an essential modality in the diagnosis of HCC. (author).
Snapping or grating scapula is a condition of the shoulder girdle in which the patient complains of pain and an audible snapping sound which may be associated with pain. We evaluated the diagnostic value of the computed tomography (CT) scans using the clinical diagnosis of a grating scapula as the gold standard. This retrospective study reports the sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio and receiver operator characteristic curve for the CT scans and the k value as a measure of the interobserver agreement. None of the parameters validated the examination. We therefore concluded that CT scans are inappropriate for differentiation between a grating scapula and a normally functioning shoulder except in cases where bony abnormalities are present. (orig.)
The aortovenous fistulas are rare, most of them are aortocaval fistula. The non-caval communication of the fistula is sparse. Herein we report a 47-year-old female diagnosed as traumatic aorto-superior mesenteric vein (Ao-SMV) fistula. The abdominal pain, fullness, and frank bruit on abdominal auscultation suggested the diagnosis of an intra-abdominal arteriovenous fistula. The diagnosis of Ao-SMV was further confirmed by the computed tomography (CT) and aortography. The fistula was successfully treated with transcatheter coil embolization. This is the first case of Ao-SMV fistula. It provides an alternative option of treatment other than conventional surgery. PMID:19327940
The value of CT in respect of preoperative determination of tumour status and of tumour classification was studied using 127 histologically identified ovarial tumours as basis in a blind study via mutual image classification by the two participating institutes. The medium accuracy of diagnosis was 82%, but the results were found to be greatly dependent on tumour histology. Quotas of more than 90% were obtained in case of functional cysts, cystomas, cystadeno-carcinomas and dermoids, whereas classification was less successful with the other types of tumours such as germ cell tumours, tumours of the sexually differentiated stroma, metastases and tubo-ovarial abscesses.
Cross-sectional imaging has revolutionised the radiological diagnosis of pleural collections. Not only can the precise location and volume of a pleural effusion be established, but also features specific for the aetiology of the effusion can be demonstrated. Increasingly, radiologists are called upon to perform image-guided biopsies, aspirations and small bore chest drain placement, all of which have been shown to be safe and efficacious. Pneumothoraces occurring due to acute trauma and in an intensive care setting can also benefit from radiological input, both in terms of diagnosis and image-guided treatment. (orig.)
Abstract Neurodegenerative and neurometabolic disorders may cause significant morbidity and mortality in children. Imaging is important in early diagnosis of metabolic disorders and in determining the extent of brain injury. Especially after the development of new techniques such as diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), neuroimaging plays more important role in the diagnosis and management of these disorders. In these disorders, usually a mutation causes a clinically significant block in one or more metabolic pathways. This blockage usually results in either a deficiency of the product or in an accumulation of substrate with damage induced by either storage or toxicity. The presenting symptoms are usually nonspecific. In some of the ...
As part of the evolution of computer technology, Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) has been developed as a new system for radiographical diagnosis. In this system, the X-ray energy is stored on the imaging plate and then converted into digital signals utilizing scanning laser-stimulated luminence. After proper image processing, it offers much more improved information for diagnosis than the conventional film system does. Since April, 1986, we have principally used FCR (System 101) for neurosurgical practice. In this article, we present our recent experience and evaluate its usefulness.
As part of the evolution of computer technology, Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) has been developed as a new system for radiographical diagnosis. In this system, the X-ray energy is stored on the imaging plate and then converted into digital signals utilizing scanning laser-stimulated luminence. After proper image processing, it offers much more improved information for diagnosis than the conventional film system does. Since April, 1986, we have principally used FCR (System 101) for neurosurgical practice. In this article, we present our recent experience and evaluate its usefulness. (author).
Brucela serology using ELISA and standard agglutination test was performed on 23 patients with prolonged fever where the test was requested, on 26 randomly chosen patients with prolonged fever where it was not requested and on 17 controls. ELISA was positive in 39.1, 26.9 and 0 per cent respectively in these groups. Brucellosis may often be unsuspected because of its varied clinical manifestations and may be a more important cause of fever than previously considered. Our data reaffirm that ELISA is superior to the standard agglutination test for the diagnosis of brucellosis. PMID:8707374
We describe a 16-month-old boy presenting with stridor and fever. The chest X-ray suggested inhalation of a foreign body but here was no history of this. A high spot a T_1-weighted chest MRI was due to a peanut which was seen to have moved from the right main bronchus to the left inferior bronchus, between the two MRI studies. MRI can provide information on position and size of the peanut, the conditons of the surrounding tissues and may be also useful in treatment. We consider MRI to be a valuable new method for the diagnosis of peanut inhalation. (orig./GDG).
Computed tomography (CT) has already proved extremely effective both in cerebral and abdominal pathology. Several recent publications describing first heterogeneous series [1, 2, 7, 11-17], then studies of a single type of lesion [3-6, 8] have illustrated its usefulness in the study of bone lesions. This report deals with 41 cases of Ewing's sarcoma studied by CT at the Institut Gustave Roussy from October 1977 to July 1981, and tries to show both the limitations and indications of this technique for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of Ewing's sarcoma as well as in the diagnosis of any eventual recurrence. (orig.).
We report the cranial CT and MRI findings in three children with Lyme disease (neuroborreliosis). The neuroimaging findings in children have been rarely reported. We found cranial MRI far superior to cranial CT. Ring-enhancing lesions have been described in acute disseminating encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis but not in neuroborreliosis. Although other infectious and inflammatory diseases cannot be excluded, Lyme disease should be included in the differential diagnosis and put forward as being the most likely diagnosis in the appropriate clinical setting. Gadopentetate dimeglumine is helpful in assessing the response to antibiotic treatment. (orig.)
A diagnosis of the refrigerant flows in a refrigerator was carried out by real-time neutron radiography. The thermal neutron radiography system of JRR-3M in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute and the real-time image processing system developed by Musashi Institute of Technology were used. Freon evaporating flows in the evaporator, condensing flows in the condenser, flashing flows in the capillary tube and flows in the accumulator were visualized and the dynamic behaviors under practical conditions were clarified. In the case of the capillary tube of 0.8 mm i.d., a cooled-CCD camera was utilized. (orig.).
Cell voltage monitoring (CVM) systems are essential for the operation of fuel cell stacks and some battery systems, in the field as well as in the laboratory, because they allow the diagnosis and correction of problems that would otherwise go unnoticed and cause impaired performance or even permanent damage. A robust, safe, and low-cost design for a CVM unit is presented, using electromechanical relays as multiplexing switches. Some examples from the application of the unit on the University of Delaware's fuel cell battery hybrid buses are presented, including its use in automatically correcting anode flooding and diagnosing air channel blockage. (author)
Purpose: To assess the benefit and the effect of intraarterial lipiodol application on histological analysis of patients suspected of having HCC. To determine whether lipiodol marking leads to a better biopsy result and how lipiodol or a transarterial chemoembolization influences the histological diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Two groups of patients were examined. Group A included 14 patients highly suspected of having an HCC which had previously been unsuccessfully biopsied. A transarterial embolization with lipiodol was performed in these patients to mark intrahepatic tumors which could not otherwise be defined in unenhanced CT. A biopsy was then repeated. Group B included 22 patients undergoing therapy using transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). A biopsy was performed to support the diagnosis of a multifocal HCC before changing the therapy. Results: The transversal diameters of the biopsied tumors were similar in both groups (A: 22 mm; ...
In summary, a scaling analysis of a water-cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) system was performed based on generic information on the RCCS design of PBMR. The analysis demonstrates that the water-cooled RCCS can be simulated at the ANL NSTF facility at a prototypic scale in the lateral direction and about half scale in the vertical direction. Because, by necessity, the scaling is based on a number of approximations, and because no analytical information is available on the performance of a reference water-cooled RCCS, the scaling analysis presented here needs to be 'validated' by analysis of the steady state and transient performance of a reference water-cooled RCCS design. The analysis of the RCCS performance by CFD and system codes presents a number of challenges including: strong 3-D effects in the cavity and the RCCS tubes; simulation of turbulence in flows characterized by natural circulation, high Rayleigh numbers and low Reynolds numbers; validity of heat transfer ...
When completed, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) will be the world's largest laser with experimental capabilities applicable to stockpile stewardship, energy research, science and astrophysics. As construction of the conventional facilities nears completion, operations supporting the installation of specialized laser equipment have come online. Playing a critical role in the precision cleaning of mechanical parts from the NIF beamline are three pieces of aqueous cleaning equipment. Housed in the Optics Assembly Building (OAB), adjacent to NIF's laser bay, are the large mechanical parts gross cleaner (LMPGC), the large mechanical parts precision cleaner (LMPPC), and the small mechanical parts gross and precision cleaner (SMPGPC). These aqueous units, designed and built by Sonic Systems, Inc., of Newtown, Pennsylvania, not only accommodate parts that vary greatly in size, weight, geometry, surface finish and ...
This book describes one approach to building and operating biogas systems. The biogas systems include raw material preparation, digesters, separate gas storage tanks, use of the gas to run engines, and the use of the sludge as fertilizer. Chapters included are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Biogas Systems are Small Factories"; (3) "The Raw Materials of Biogas Digestion"; (4) "The Daily Operation of a Biogas Factory"; (5) "The Once a Year Cleaning of the Digester"; (6) "Tanks and Pipes: Storing and Moving Biogas"; (7) "The Factory's Products: Biogas"; (8) "The Factory's Products: Biofertilizer"; (9) "The ABCs of Safety"; and (10) "Conclusion: Profiting from an Appropriate Technology." Many diagrams are provided throughout this handbook. New ideas, composting, bioinsecticides, ferrocement, facts and figures, sources and resources, feasibility studies, problem solving, and vocabulary are presented in the appendices. (YP)
This paper describes recent measurements of the subcritical neutron multiplication factor using the /sup 252/Cf source-driven neutron noise analysis method. This work was supported by a program of collaboration between the United States Department of Energy and the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation of Japan related to the development of fast breeder technology. The experiment reported consists of a configuration of two interacting tanks of uranyl nitrate aqueous solution with different uranium concentrations in each tank. The /sup 252/Cf-source-driven neutron noise analysis method obtains the subcriticality from the signals of three detectors: the first, a parallel plate ionization chamber with /sup 252/Cf electroplated on one of its plates that is located in or near the system containing the fissile material, and produces an electrical pulse for every spontaneous fission that occurs and thereby serves as a timed source of ...
An approximate solution was proposed in which a sensitivity analysis by the storage and release of heat was performed for the subject issues and in which an operating method was thereby determined for the equipment constituting the system by means of a linear programming. Accordingly, a heat storage type energy supply system for a district cooling and heating was taken up as a concrete object to be examined. This system consisted of a gas turbine generator, initial power receiving equipment, gas boiler, electric heat pump for ice heat storage, cooling tower, heat exchanger, steam absorbing refrigerating machine, ice heat storage tank, cold and warm water heat storage tank, etc. As a result of comparison between the proposed method and the resolving method, the former showed -0.92 to 2.58% in the increase in the operating cost compared with the latter. A case where the operating cost of the resolving method was sometimes larger than the proposed ...
A reflux condensing start-up system includes a steam generator, a start-up vessel connected parallel to the steam generator, a main steam line connecting steam outlets of the steam generator and start-up vessel to a steam turbine, a condenser connected to an outlet of the turbine and a feedwater return line connected between the condenser and inlets of the steam generator and start-up vessel. The start-up vessel has one or more heaters at the bottom thereof for heating feedwater which is supplied over a start-up line to the start-up vessel. Steam is thus generated to pressurize the steam generator before the steam generator is supplied with a heat transfer medium, for example liquid sodium, in the case of a liquid metal fast breeder reactor. The start-up vessel includes upper and lower bulbs with a smaller diameter mid-section to act as water and steam reservoirs. The start-up vessel can thus be used not only in a start-up operation but as a mixing tank, a water ...
An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the use of local poultry by-product meal (PBM) in replacement of imported fishmeal in the diets of cobia, Rachycentron canadum. Six isolipidic (12%) and isoproteic (45%) experimental diets were formulated using PBM to replace fishmeal at 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% dietary protein. Eleven juvenile cobia (initial mean weight of 30.7???0.78?g) were randomly stocked in 300-L circular fibreglass tanks and hand-fed based on the total biomass of each tank, twice a day at 0900?h and 1500?h. The fish were group weighed at 2-week intervals to monitor their growth performance in order to adjust the feeding ratio. At the end of the feeding trial, weight gains (WGs) ranging from 221 to 322% were obtained. The specific growth rate (SGR), WG and protein effi...
In order to investigate pitting corrosion of copper coiled tubes for air conditioning systems with an open heat storage water tank, the effect of carbon films on the inner surface of copper tubes and fine corrosion-product particles in water as environmental corrosion factor on pitting corrosion was studied by field test under real environmental conditions. As a result, pitting corrosion of copper tubes was caused by synergistic effect of fine corrosion-product particles in water and carbon films. Generation of pitting corrosion was derived from deposition of the films and particles, while considerable growth of pitting corrosion was dependent on the particles. Time variation of spontaneous electrode potential also showed the effect of the film and particle. Pitting corrosion potential was estimated to be nearly 100mV vs. SCE. The following measures against pitting corrosion were considered to be effective: (1) Removal of the particles, (2) Corrosion proofing of ...
Five cycles of loading, elution, and regeneration were performed to remove technetium from a Hanford waste sample retrieved from Tank 241-AW-101 using SuperLig 639 resin. The waste sample was diluted to 4.95 M Na plus and then was processed to remove 137Cs through dual ion exchange columns each containing 15 mL of SuperLig 644. To remove 99Tc, the cesium decontaminated solution was processed downwards through two ion exchange columns, each containing 12 mL of SuperLig 639 resin. The columns, designated as lead and lag, each had an inside diameter of 1.45 cm and a height of 30 cm. The columns were loaded in series, but were eluted and then regenerated separately. The average technetium loading for the cycles was 250 BV at 10 percent breakthrough. There was no significant difference in the loading performances among the five cycles. The percent removal of 99Tc was greater than 99.94 percent and the average decontamination factor (DF) was approximately 1.7 x 103. ...
A featfinding committee of the German Federal Parliament in July 1980 recommended to perform a ''risk-oriented study'' of the SNR-300, the German 300 MW fast breeder prototype reactor being under construction in Kalkar. The main aim of this study was to allow a comparative safety evaluation between the SNR-300 and a modern PWR, thus to prepare a basis for a political decision on the SNR-300. Methods and main results of the study are presented in this paper. In the first step of the risk analysis six groups of accidents have been identified which may initiate core destruction. These groups comprise all conceivable courses, potentially leading to core destruction. By reliability analyses, expected frequency of each group has been calculated. In the accident analysis potential failure modes of the reactor tank have been investigated. Core destruction may be accompanied by the release of significant amounts of mechanical energy. The primary coolant system of SNR-300 is ...
Waste Management Area U (WMA U) includes the U Tank Farm, is currently regulated under RCRA interim-status regulations, and is scheduled for closure probably post-2030. Groundwater monitoring has been under an evaluation program that compared general contaminant indicator parameters from downgradient wells to background values established from upgradient wells. One of the indicator parameters, specific conductance, exceeded its background value in one downgradient well triggering a change from detection monitoring to a groundwater quality assessment program. The objective of the first phase of this assessment program is to determine whether the increased concentrations of nitrate and chromium in groundwater are from WMA U or from an upgradient source. Based on the results of the first determination, if WMA U is not the source of contamination, then the site will revert to detection monitoring. If WMA U is the source, then a second part of the groundwater quality ...
In this report, we have examined some of the fundamental mechanisms expected to be at work during mobilization of the waste within the double-shell tanks at Hanford. The motivation stems from the idea that in order to properly apply correlations derived from scaled tests, one would have to ensure that appropriate scaling laws are utilized. Further, in the process of delineating the controlling mechanisms during mobilization, the currently used computational codes are being validated and strengthened based on these findings. Experiments were performed at 1/50-scale, different from what had been performed in the previous fiscal years (i.e., 1/12- and 1/25-scale). It was anticipated that if the current empirical correlations are to work, they should be scale invariant. The current results showed that linear scaling between the 1/25-scale and 1/50-scale correlations do not work well. Several mechanisms were examined in the scaled tests which might have contributed to ...
The design of a small injection linac for a compact medical synchrotron is discussed. The linac design is based on interdigital H-type (IH) drift-tube structure with alternative phase focusing (APhF). A high acceleration rate and an absence of magnetic lenses inside drift-tubes reduce the cost and length of APhF-IH linac in comparison with HIMAC linac based on Alvarez structure with magnet quadrupoles inside drift-tubes. To reduce effects of emittance growth, the RFQ structure is used in front of the APhF linac. In such linac layout, the current transmission of a carbon beam can reach up to 90-100%. In this report, the basic parameters of whole linac are presented, while the design of APhF structure is considered in details. Two reference designs of 4 MeV/u 200 MHz APhF linacs with different voltage distributions along the whole tank have been generated and analyzed numerically. For the first design, a constant voltage distribution along the ...
The design boron concentration of the Boron Injection Tank (BIT) in Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station is 21000 #mu#g/g. The BIT should operate under high temperature to avoid boron crystallization, causing higher evaporation, frequent water makeup, higher deposition and pipe blockage to decrease the operability of the safety injection system. The author proposes to decrease the boron concentration in BIT from 21000 #mu#g/g to 7000 #mu#g/g to solve the existing problem. The safety analyses (core DNBR and containment response) are conducted and other impacts are evaluated for the BIT reduction. The analysis results show that the core DNBR meets the safety criterion and the containment pressure is within the design value for the steam line rupture accident after the BIT reduction. The feasibility study report of Daya bay BIT reduction has been approved by NNSA. The site implementation of BIT reduction has been finished successfully
This project was conducted to evaluate novel approaches for removing radioactive strontium (Sr) and cesium (Cs) from the tank wastes. The bulk of the Sr removal research conducted as part of this project investigated adsorption of Sr onto a novel adsorbent known as iron-oxide-coated sand. The second major focus of the work was on the removal of cesium. Since the chemistries of strontium and cesium have little commonality, different materials (namely, cesium scavengers known as hexacyanoferrates, HCFs) were employed in these tests. This study bridged several scientific areas and yielded valuable knowledge for implementing new technological processes. The applicability of the results extends beyond the highly specialized application niches investigated experimentally to other issues of potential interest for EMSP programs (e.g., separation of chromium from a variety of wastes using IOCS, separation of Cs from neutral and acidic wastes with EC-controlled HCFs).
The Wind2H2 system is fully functional and continues to gather performance data. In this report, specifications of the Wind2H2 equipment (electrolyzers, compressor, hydrogen storage tanks, and the hydrogen fueled generator) are summarized. System operational experience and lessons learned are discussed. Valuable operational experience is shared through running, testing, daily operations, and troubleshooting the Wind2H2 system and equipment errors are being logged to help evaluate the reliability of the system.
This analysis defines and evaluates the surface water supply system from the existing J-13 well to the North Portal. This system includes the pipe running from J-13 to a proposed Booster Pump Station at the intersection of H Road and the North Portal access road. Contained herein is an analysis of the proposed Booster Pump Station with a brief description of the system that could be installed to the South Portal and the optional shaft. The tanks that supply the water to the North Portal are sized, and the supply system to the North Portal facilities and up to Topopah Spring North Ramp is defined.
Rubber lining is used as a corrosion protection material in European flue gas desulfurization plants, for scrubbers, tanks, pipe systems, etc. Although these rubber linings can last more than 15 years, relining still is necessary. The difficulty of shutting down power station units requires that the time scale of this replacement be kept to a minimum. High-pressure water systems have proven successful as an efficient method for removal of the old lining. The working steps and time scale are demonstrated for one such relining case.
This paper presents a decision approach, and associated computer software tools, for prioritizing and selecting among technology development activities. The approach elicits and then summarizes technology development preferences from stakeholders, and then integrates preferences into a set of funding recommendations. By formalizing the technology review process, the decision approach builds consensus and clarifies the basis for final budget decisions. The software development was conducted jointly by Pacific Northwest Laboratory and Decisions Science Associates, Incorporated. The Underground Storage Tank Integrated Demonstration funded the task; however, the approach should also be valuable to the US Department of Energy Office of Technology Development, the Office of Waste Management, and the Office of Environmental Restoration.
The Waste Acceptance Preliminary Specifications (WAPS) require that the DWPF estimate the inventory of long-lived radionuclides present in the waste glass, and report the values in the Waste Form Qualification Report. In this report, conservative (biased high) estimates of the radionuclide inventory of glass produced from waste currently in the Tank Farm are provided. In most cases, these calculated values compare favorably with actual data. In those cases where the agreement is not good, the values reported here are conservative.
This document outlines the significant accomplishments of fiscal year 1998 for the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) team. Opportunities for improvement to better meet some performance expectations have been identified. The PHMC has performed at an excellent level in administration of leadership, planning, and technical direction. The contractor has met and made notable improvement of attaining customer satisfaction in mission execution. This document includes the team`s recommendation that the PHMC TWRS Performance Expectation Plan evaluation rating for fiscal year 1998 be an Excellent.
Following revisions to the Tri-Party Agreement for Hanford Site cleanup, which specified vitrification for Complete melter feasibility and system operability immobilization of the low-level waste (LLW) tests, select reference melter(s), and establish reference derived from retrieval and pretreatment of the radioactive LLW glass formulation that meets complete systems defense wastes stored in 177 underground tanks, commercial requirements (June 1996). Available melter technologies were tested during 1994 to 1995 as part of a multiphase program to select reference Submit conceptual design and initiate definitive design technologies for the new LLW vitrification mission.
The accuracy of stabilized, turreted gun systems like the 120mm gun on the M1A2 Abrams tank and the 30mm gun on the Apache helicopter are limited by, among other things, structural flexure of the gun barrel and support structure. An advanced actuation system based on piezoelectric translators and an optical fiber strain sensing system are described in conjunction with a rapid prototyping workstation for the design of distributed parameter control systems to actively minimize the effects of vibrations caused by traversing rough terrain or weapon firing.
In the quest to understand the ultimate nature of WIMPs, we propose the use of a hybrid detection technique: cylinders filled with liquefied noble gasses, acting as targets, are immersed inside a tank of Gd-doped ultra-pure water that provides an active and efficient veto against neutrons. The evaluation of the background rejection capabilities and physics potential of this instrument have been carried out through a full GEANT4 simulation, assuming the detector will be located at the Canfranc underground laboratory (in the Spanish Pyrenees). Our results compare very favourably with existing or planned experiments in the field. This technique is scalable and will allow to reach target masses of few tonnes in the next future.
In the experimental fast Reactor JOYO, gripper of Fuel Handling Machine and Ex-Vessel Transfer Machine that the sodium adhered is being washed with alcohol. This radioactive alcohol waste that was used to the washing is stored to the tank. If it is able to separate the alcohol and sodium in the alcohol waste it becomes possible to dispose of the alcohol waste. Japan Nuclear Institute and Fuji Electric Systems CO., LTD. Developed the device that adds carbonic acid gas to the alcohol waste and cause the sodium in the alcohol waste separated as carbonate and remove this carbonate by using the thin film evaporator. (author)
Papers are presented under 38 symposia. Subjects included reinforced concrete, protective coatings and linings, cathodic/anodic protection, chemical cleaning of boilers, managing corrosion with plastics, water treatment, HRSG boiler tube failure analysis, corrosion in oil and gas production, corrosion in petroleum refining and gas, processing, pipelines and tanks, high temperature materials, chemical process industry, aerospace equipment, materials technology developments for incinerators and waste fuel-fired processors, materials and corrosion in fossil-fuels conversion and combustion, corrosion in nuclear systems, marine corrosion, building systems, corrosion mechanisms, corrosion inhibitors and corrosion monitoring and measurement.
Some recent achievements in the field of high pressure vessels and safety devices have offered a concrete chance to the application of compressed hydrogen for fleet commercial vehicles for urban use. Accordingly with this concept, ENEA has modified a Fiat Ducato van with a dual fuel engine, retaining the gasoline tank for long distance travelling and adopting the external mixture formation technique, with hydrogen injectors developed by ENEA, for non-polluting short-range duties in urban traffic. The article deals with the rationale for this choice and gives a general view of the project. (author)
Robotics technology is successfully being transitioned from space to terrestrial applications. It is being modified and enhanced to help in the US DOE's Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Program. Some examples of these applications, ranging from large multijointed manipulators to autonomously navigated remote vehicles, are outlined in this article. They include the following: underground storage tank technology demonstration; light-duty utility arm system; remotely controlled material-handling system; remotely operated excavator; self-guided transfer vehicle. 10 figs.
Insulated pressure vessels are cryogenic-capable pressure vessels that can be fueled with liquid hydrogen (LIQ) or ambient-temperature compressed hydrogen (CH2). Insulated pressure vessels offer the advantages of liquid hydrogen tanks (low weight and volume), with reduced disadvantages (lower energy requirement for hydrogen liquefaction and reduced evaporative losses). This paper shows an evaluation of the applicability of the insulated pressure vessels for light-duty vehicles. The paper shows an evaluation of evaporative losses and insulation requirements and a description of the current experimental plans for testing insulated pressure vessels. The results show significant advantages to the use of insulated pressure vessels for light-duty vehicles.
Reclaimed Energy Company, Inc., Connersville, IN, receives waste generated from a wide variety of industrial applications which include paint, printing and degreasing companies. The wastes are stored in separate tanks and then distilled in batches (pot distillation). The recovered solvents can be returned to the originator. The residue, left after the solvents are distilled, is disposed of using an environmentally safe, economical procedure. The company worked with an engineering and fabrication firm to develop a continuous processing system that employs a mechanically agitated thin-film evaporator to distill the solvents. Successful performance of the evaporator was ensured by processing samples of solvents through the evaporator manufacturer's pilot plant facilities before the full-sized system was designed. Reclaimed Energy Company, Inc., has realized a number of advantages by going from pot distillation to the agitated thin-film evaporator system to ...
The 177 underground storage tanks at the DOE's Hanford Site contain an estimated 180 million tons of high-level radioactive wastes. It is desirable to remove and concentrate the highly radioactive fraction of the tank wastes for vitrification. Resorcinol-formaldehyde (R-F) resin, an organic ion-exchange resin with high selectivity and capacity for the cesium ion, which is a candidate ion-exchange material for use in remediation of tank wastes. The report includes information on the structure/function analysis of R-F resin and the synthetic factors that affect performance of the resin. CS-100, a commercially available phenol-formaldehyde (P-F) resin, and currently the baseline ion-exchanger for removal of cesium ion at Hanford, is compared with the R-F resin. The primary structural unit of the R-F resin was determined to consist of a 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted resorcinol ring unit while CS-100, was composed mainly of a ...
The Army Reactor Area (ARA) II was constructed in the late 1950s as a test site for the Stationary Low Power Reactor No. 1 (SL-1). The SL-1 was a prototype power and heat source developed for use at remote military bases using a direct cycle, boiling water, natural circulation reactor designed to operate at a thermal power of 3,000 kW. The ARA II compound encompassed 3 acres and was comprised of (a) the SL-1 Reactor Building, (b) eight support facilities, (c) 50,000-gallon raw water storage tank, (d) electrical substation, (e) aboveground 1,400-gallon heating oil tank, (f) underground 1,000-gallon hazardous waste storage tank, and (g) belowground power, sewer, and water systems. The reactor building was a cylindrical, aboveground facility, 39 ft in diameter and 48 ft high. The lower portion of the building contained the reactor pressure vessel surrounded by gravel shielding. Above the pressure vessel, in the center portion ...
The Salt Decontamination Demonstration confirmed that the precipitation process could be used for large-scale decontamination of radioactive waste sale solution. Although a number of refinements are necessary to safely process the long-term requirement of 5 million gallons of waste salt solution per year, there were no observations to suggest that any fundamentals of the process require re-evaluation. Major accomplishments were: (1) 518,000 gallons of decontaminated filtrate were produced from 427,000 gallons of waste salt solution from tank 24H. The demonstration goal was to produce a minimum of 200,000 gallons of decontaminated salt solution; (2) cesium activity in the filtrate was reduced by a factor of 43,000 below the cesium activity in the tank 24 solution. This decontamination factor (DF) exceeded the demonstration goal of a DF greater than 10,000; (3) average strontium-90 activity in the filtrate was reduced by a factor of 26 to less ...
This report describes the results of a program conducted at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) and Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to identify alternative methods to measure the surface level in the waste tanks. This program examined commercially available devices for measuring the distance to a target. This is a continuation of a program started in FY93. In the first test sequence, tests were performed.on five devices to determine their applicability to measure the surface level in the waste tanks. The devices were the Enraf-Nonius{trademark} Model 872 Radar Gauge, the Enraf-Nonius{trademark} Model 854 Advanced Technology Gauge (ATG), the Stanley Tool Laser Measuring Device, the Robertshaw Inven-Tel{reg_sign} Precision Level Gauge, and the Micro Switch Model 942 Acoustic Sensor. In addition, discussions were held with several manufacturer representatives regarding other potential devices. The results of these tests were documented in a ...
The purpose of this study was to assess the energy flux and energetic balance related to the swine production and the recycling of residues generated by the system for utilization as organic fertilizers. The experiment was carried out at Vale dos Ipes Farm, located in the city of Ouro Verde do Oeste, in the Western of Parana State. One finishing phase swine unity containing 600 animals was monitored from January to June 2005. The treatment system is composed by one steel digester with capacity for 50 m{sup 3}, one sedimentation tank, one algae tank and one bio fertilizer storage tank. The swine barn cleaning is performed by dry scratching on a daily basis. The generated residues flow by gravitation through ducts towards the digester. The duration of the hydraulic retention period was 12 days. In the calculation of energetic efficiency, the energetic component ration is the greatest energetic cost in production system of ...
There is a crescent interest in the scientific community in the study of natural circulation phenomenon. New generation of compact nuclear reactors uses the natural circulation of the fluid as a system of cooling and of residual heat removal in case of accident or shutdown. The objective of this paper is to present a study through the comparison of experimental data and numerical simulation for the natural circulation phenomenon in one and two-phase flow regime. An experimental circuit built with glass tubes is used for the experiments. Thus, it allows the thermal hydraulic phenomena visualization. There is an electric heater as the heat source, a heat exchanger as the heat sink and an expansion tank to accommodate fluid density excursions. The circuit instrumentation consists of thermocouples and pressure meters to better keep track of the flow and heat transfer phenomena. Instrumentation data acquisition is performed through a computer interface developed with ...
This Closure Report (CR) documents closure activities for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 543, Liquid Disposal Units, according to the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO, 1996) and the Corrective Action Plan (CAP) for CAU 543 (U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office [NNSA/NSO], 2007). CAU 543 is located at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), Nevada (Figure 1), and consists of the following seven Corrective Action Sites (CASs): CAS 06-07-01, Decon Pad; CAS 15-01-03, Aboveground Storage Tank; CAS 15-04-01, Septic Tank; CAS 15-05-01, Leachfield; CAS 15-08-01, Liquid Manure Tank; CAS 15-23-01, Underground Radioactive Material Area; CAS 15-23-03, Contaminated Sump, Piping; and CAS 06-07-01 is located at the Decontamination Facility in Area 6, adjacent to Yucca Lake. The remaining CASs are located at the former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Farm in Area 15. The ...
Background: Pleural biopsy and cytology are standard procedures for the investigation of pleural disease. Recent medical literature has suggested that image-guided pleural biopsy shows improved sensitivity for the diagnosis of pleural malignancy, when compared with the more commonly performed reverse bevel needle biopsy such as Abrams' needle. In our centre there has been an increasing trend towards performing image-guided pleural biopsies, and to our knowledge there is no large published series documenting the complication rate and diagnostic yield. Methods: The radiology and pathology databases were searched for all image-guided [computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US)] pleural biopsies from January 2001 to December 2004. All imaging and histology were reviewed, and final diagnostic information about patients was obtained from the respiratory multidisciplinary team database and patient notes. A record was made of complications following biopsy, presence of ...
The required introduction of on board diagnosis II in the USA from the 94 models onward has led vehicle manufacturers and system suppliers to develop corresponding diagnosis processes at the beginning of the 1990`s. These systems are now in mass production for TLEV and partly for LEV requirements. Based on experience from the wide use of these functions, new knowledge has been obtained, which must be taken into account in the development of future systems. The additionally more severe emission and diagnosis requirements make further minimisation of the overall tolerances on the one hand, and a revision of the existing diagnosis algorithms necessary. In parallel with this, the Law must create the necessary outline conditions, where the requirements for the vehicle manufacturer and system suppliers must also be met. The OBD II development must therefore certainly not be regarded as complete. [Deutsch] Die ...
Background:The validity of dementia diagnoses in the Danish nationwide hospital registers was evaluated to determine the value of these registers in epidemiological research about dementia. Methods: Two hundred patients were randomly selected from 4,682 patients registered for the first time with a dementia diagnosis in the last 6 months of 2003. The patients' medical journals were reviewed to evaluate if they fulfilled ICD-10 and/or DSM-IV criteria for dementia and specific dementia subtypes. The patients who were still alive in 2006 were invited to an interview. Results: One hundred and ninety-seven journals were available for review and 51 patients were interviewed. A registered diagnosis of dementia was found to be correct in 169 (85.8%) cases. Regarding dementia subtypes, the degree of agreement between the registers and the results of the validating process was low with a kappa of 0.36 (95% CI 0.24-0.48). Conclusion: The validity of ...
The diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) may be elusive. A 6-year-old boy had microcytic hypochromic anemia and a hemolytic component. Hemosiderin-laden macrophages were not found in the gastric aspirate. He had no pulmonary signs or symptoms. Extensive hematologic and roentgenologic investigations failed to reveal the cause of the anemia. Quantitative serial scintigraphic scanning showed significant (35%) pulmonary sequestration of autologous erythrocytes labeled with sodium chromate Cr51. The half-life of the RBCs was moderately decreased (half-life, 15 days; normal, 25 to 35 days). An open-lung biopsy spece Cr51. The half-life of the RBCs was moderately decreased (half-life, 15 days; normal, 25 to 35 days). An open-lung biopsy specimen confirmed the diagnosis of IPH. A diagnosis of IPH should be considered when children have iron deficiency anemia and pulmonary signs or symptoms. Organ sequestration ...
Non-destructive methods of diagnosis for detecting cable degradation by aging are being studied recently for improvement of electric wires and cables. This study examines degradation behaviors of cable sheath and insulation by combined accelerated aging tests applying thermal and radiation stresses simultaneously using a typical low voltage cable. According to experiments, elongation of cross-linked polyethylene insulation deteriorated at a faster rate than PVC sheath did under low doses below 50 Gy/h. Therefore, measurements using a time domain dielectric spectrometer (TDS) were carried out for the purpose of developing a method of degradation diagnosis of insulation. It was found that values of tan#delta# measured at very low frequencies below 0.1 Hz increase in pace with degradation of insulation reflecting the level of degradation more effectively than those measured at frequencies around the commercial frequency. In order to consider ...
The aim of this study was to evaluate typical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in early rheumatic diseases manifesting at the soft tissues of the hand using a retrospective analysis. A total of 186 MRI examinations of patients with clinical suspicion of a rheumatic disease were evaluated in a consensus reading by two experienced radiologists. All imaging patterns were assessed with respect to their type and localization. Under blinded and non-blinded conditions diagnoses were correlated with final clinical diagnosis. The most frequent diagnoses were rheumatoid arthritis (RA, 45.7%) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA, 15.6%). The mean correlation between clinical and MRI diagnosis (r) was 0.75 in blinded and 0.853 in non-blinded reading (p <0.001). The following extra-articular imaging patterns were found: synovitis (59.1%), tendovaginitis (91.4%), dactylitis (14.5%), and bone marrow edema (18.3%). Only dactylitis was specific for a ...
Purpose: To evaluate a T_2-weighted URSE sequence for the assessment of pulmonary infiltrations in comparison to CT. Methods: 28 MRT scans of 22 patients with confirmed pneumonia were recorded on a 1.5 Tesla apparatus with an expiratory and diastolic triggered, T_2-weighted ultrafast-spin-echo sequence in axial slice mode with the following parameters: TR_e_f_f/T_E/Turbofactor 2000-4000/90 ms/21-23; slice thickness/separation 6/0.6 mm; FOV 360 mm; 24 slices. 24 spiral CTs (sice thickness/table advance: 1-2 mm/10 mm) were available for comparison. The separate evaluation of MRTs and CTs was performed by three radiologists in a consensus procedure with regard to pulmonary lesions (e.g., infiltration, round foci, net patterns) and image quality of the MRTs (4-step scale). Results: In 71% of the cases the CTs and MRTs agreed with the diagnosis and representation of the lesions, in 25% MRT was superior. MRT was better for the detection of pulmonary abscesses. In 93% the ...
Abstract in english INTRODUCTION: Treatment of the cryptorchid testicle is justified due to the increased risk of infertility and malignancy as well as the risk of testicular trauma and psychological stigma on patients and their parents. Approximately 20% of cryptorchid testicles are nonpalpable. In these cases, the videolaparoscopic technique is a useful alternative method for diagnosis and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present data concerning 90 patients submitted to diagnostic lapa (more) roscopy for impalpable testicles. Forty-six patients (51.1%) had intra-abdominal gonads. In 25 testicles of 19 patients, we performed a two stage laparoscopic Fowler-Stephens orchiopexy. The other 27 patients underwent primary laparoscopic orchiopexy, in a total of 29 testicles. RESULTS: We obtained an overall 88% success rate with the 2 stage Fowler-Stephens approach and only 33% rate success using one stage Fowler-Stephens surgery with primary vascular ligature. There ...
Uterus didelphys with obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis is a rare entity, sometimes referred to as Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome (HWW). It usually presents after menarche with progressive pelvic pain, sometimes with regular menses, and a palpable mass due to hemihaematocolpos. The diagnosis is generally made only if the suspicion of this genitourinary syndrome is raised. To highlight the imaging diagnostic clues in this rare condition. We report on 11 adolescents with this condition. Sonography mostly allowed the correct diagnosis by showing uterovaginal duplication, haematocolpos or haematometrocolpos, and the absence of the ipsilateral kidney. MRI provided more detailed information regarding uterine morphology, the continuity with each vaginal channel (obstructed and nonobstructed), and the bloody nature of the contents. Early and accurate diagnosis of this syndrome is important so that adequate and ...
Fault symptoms of running gearboxes must be detected as early as possible to avoid serious accidents. Diverse advanced methods are developed for this challenging task. However, for multiwavelet transforms, the fixed basis functions independent of the input dynamic response signals will possibly reduce the accuracy of fault diagnosis. Meanwhile, for multiwavelet denoising technique, the universal threshold denoising tends to overkill important but weak features in gear fault diagnosis. To overcome the shortcoming, a novel method incorporating customized (i.e., signal-based) multiwavelet lifting schemes with sliding window denoising is proposed in this paper. On the basis of Hermite spline interpolation, various vector prediction and update operators with the desirable properties of biorthogonality, symmetry, short support and vanishing moments are constructed. The customized lifting-based multiwavelets for feature matching are chosen by the ...
Purpose: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the typical appearance of ganglioneuromas in computer-assisted tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Material and methods: Retrospective analysis of diagnostic imaging (9 CT, 6 MRI) in 9 children aged 3 to 15 years with the histological diagnosis of ganglioneuroma. Results: The tomographies showed large (max. 13.4 cm in diameter) round or oval tumors with sharp delineation. The sites of the tumors were the retroperitoneum (5), the mediastinum (3), and the adrenal gland (1). Intraspinal tumor involvement occurred in 4 cases. On comparing CT with MRI, MRI was more accurate in defining the intraspinal involvement. The ganglioneuromas were of hypodense appearance in the native CT scan and showed moderate enhancement upon administration of contrast media. In five patients tumor calcifications with a disseminated sprinkled pattern were seen in CT. In MRI T_1-weighted scans the tumors were homogeneous and ...
The fault detection and diagnosis system for gas engines was developed to improve the reliability of cogeneration systems (CGS). Most of existing fault detection systems monitor the trend of each part condition of engines and diagnose faults based on trend change, resulting in slow detection. Although early detection systems are available, those are complex, expensive and poor in flexibility and applicability. Since CGSs combined with gas engines increased to 1/3 of the whole CGS, engine troubles cause possible serious faults. The fault diagnosis system was thus developed to prevent serious faults which can early detect, in particular, abnormal conditions of parts around a combustion chamber such as ignition plug, intake valve and exhaust valve by monitoring exhaust pressure waveforms in an exhaust collector. Since this system can detect progressive occurrence frequency of abnormal conditions and degradation of engine parts, it can transfer ...
Forty resected cases of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma were classified into four types according to the gross appearance; type I: mass forming type (n=8), type II: mass forming with periductal infiltrating type (n=20), type III: periductal infiltrating type (n=9) and type IV: intraductal growth type (n=3). Diagnostic features of these four types were studied. Peripheral enhancement was a common angiographic feature and tumor stains were recognized in 88%, 20%, 0%, 33%, respectively. Angiography and dynamic computed tomography (D-CT) were useful in differential diagnosis with hepatocellular carcinoma. Accuracy rate in diagnosis of portal vein involvement by angiography and D-CT was 82% and 91%, respectively. MRI was more useful in tumor detection than D-CT in cases with attenuation difference, in 55% of type II and in 75% of type III. Increase of arterial involvement, biliary tract involvement and portal vein involvement, incidence of lymph ...
The microelectronic cable diagnosis is a substantial tool to determine destruction free the residual strength and the lifetime of laid PE/XLPE medium voltage cables. Fundamentals of the ageing diagnosis and a cost reduced inspection concept are the `Isothermal-Relaxation-Current` Analysis and the Neuro-Fuzzy evaluation software. These new tools are able to determine the ageing status of the investigated cable without any references. The authors also show that the test breakdown during the assessment of the ageing status of criterial systems can be reduced by this approach. The cable diagnosis equipment KDA is also useful for the steering of investment as well as for preventive maintenance. (orig.) [Deutsch] Die zerstoerungsfreie dielektrische Kabeldiagnostik kann heute einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur Bestimmung der Restfestigkeit und der Restlebensdauer eines PE/VPE-isolierten Mittelspannungskabels leisten. Basis der ...
Varying load can cause changes in a measured gearbox vibration signal. However, conventional techniques for fault diagnosis are based on the assumption that changes in vibration signal are only caused by deterioration of the gearbox. There is a need to develop a technique to provide accurate state indicator of gearbox under fluctuating load conditions. This paper presents an approach to gear fault diagnosis based on complex Morlet continuous wavelet transform under this condition. Gear motion residual signal, which represents the departure of time synchronously averaged signal from the average tooth-meshing vibration, is analyzed as source data due to its lower sensitiveness to the alternating load condition. A fault growth parameter based on the amplitude of wavelet transform is proposed to evaluate gear fault advancement quantitatively. We found that this parameter is insensitive to varying load and can correctly indicate early gear fault. ...
Based on the Morlet wavelet transformation and Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD), we present a wind turbine fault diagnosis method in this paper. Wind turbine can be damaged by moisture absorption, fatigue, wind gusts or lightening strikes. Due to this reason, there is an increasing need to monitor the health of these structures. Vibration analysis is the best-known technology applied in wind turbine condition monitoring, in which the time-frequency analysis techniques such as Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD) are widely used. Theoretically WVD has an infinite resolution in time-frequency domain. For early wind turbine fault signals, however, there are two main difficulties in WVD analysis. One is strong noise signals in the background and the other is cross terms in WVD itself. In this paper,...
Aim.- To identify what determinants influence the prevalence and accuracy of nursing diagnosis documentation in clinical practice. Background.- Nursing diagnoses guide and direct nursing care. They are the foundation for goal setting and provide the basis for interventions. The literature mentions several factors that influences nurses- documentation of diagnoses, such as a nurse-s level of education, patient-s condition and the ward environment. Design.- Systematic review. Method.- MEDLINE and CINAHL databases were searched using the following headings and keywords: nursing diagnosis, nursing documentation, hospitals, influence, utilisation, quality, implementation and accuracy. The search was limited to articles published between 1995-October 2009. Studies were only selected if they were...
Objective To investigate value of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) using oral diluted gadolinium (Gd)-diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) as negative contrast materials in diagnosis of juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum with atypical imaging features. Methods Nineteen patients with juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula of which imaging findings were atypical underwent MRCP using oral diluted Gd-DTPA as negative contrast materials after conventional MRCP without any oral contrast materials. Results Twenty diverticula were revealed in the 19 patients. At conventional MRCP, the diverticula appeared as rounded lesion with high signal intensity. After oral administration of diluted Gd-DTPA, they disappeared at MRCP. These entities were diagnosed as duodenal diverticula...
The use of magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis and the preoperative staging of renal cell carconoma was evaluated in 79 patients with 88 tumors. Gradient-echo and spin-echo images before and after intravenous administration of Gadolinium DTPA were compared with the results of computed tomography (CT) and histologic staging. The two imaging techniques had comparable results: T-stage was predicted correctly with CT in 78%.4% and with MRI in 84.0% of the cases, while the N-stage was accurately assessed in 81.8% and 79.5%, respectively. MRI had some advantages in diagnosing perirental tumor spread and in excluding an infiltration beyond Gerota's fascia. Therefore, MRI is a true alternative to CT for staging large renal cell carcinomas and especially for patients with contraindications for iodinated contrast agents. (orig.).
MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) has been widely used in the diagnosis of primary carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, it has had limited clinical application in diagnosing persistent or recurrent CTS. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of this imaging modality in patients who had previously undergone open carpal tunnel release without relief of symptoms, and assess the correlation of MRI with intra-operative findings upon re-exploration. MRI studies were performed on 17 wrists (16 patients) presenting with recurrent/persistent symptoms and signs of CTS in whom repeat nerve conduction studies were also performed. Surgical re-exploration was undertaken on 16 wrists in which a 100% correlation was noted between MRI and intra-operative findings of an incompletely released or re-grown tran...
The generalized demodulation time-frequency analysis is a novel signal processing method, which is particularly suitable for the processing of multi-component amplitude-modulated and frequency-modulated (AM-FM) signals as it can decompose a multi-component signal into a set of single-component signals whose instantaneous frequencies own physical meaning. While fault occurs in gear, the vibration signals measured from gearbox would exactly display AM-FM characteristics. Therefore, targeting the modulation feature of gear vibration signal in run-ups and run-downs, a fault diagnosis method in which generalized demodulation time-frequency analysis and envelope order spectrum technique are combined is put forward and applied to the transient analysis of gear vibration signal. Firstly the multi-...
This study was developed as part of the project ?Studies for Environmental and Cultural Sustainability of the Fulni-? Medical System: Office on handling medicinal plants?. The Fulni-? people are located in Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil. One of the components of this project was an ethnobotanical diagnosis of the indigenous land, where a phytosociological survey was performed in an area of Caatinga vegetation, located at Ouricuri settlement. Based on these ethnobotanical data, we calculated a conservation priority index aiming to rank species that should receive immediate attention from the Fulni-? people. We identified 44 woody plants, 50% of which have a medicinal use. Among these, six plants were considered highly vulnerable and in need of immediate conservationist attention, in ...
Between 1983 and 1986, 35 of 90 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) had double-contrast esophagograms to rule out opportunistic esophagitis. The radiographs were reviewed without knowledge of the clinical or endoscopic findings. Candida esophagitis was diagnosed radiographically in 17 patients who had varying degrees of plaque formation and viral esophagitis in three who had discrete ulcers without plaques. All three patients with viral esophagitis (herpes in 2 and cytomegalo virus in one) and 15 of 17 with Candida esophagitis had endoscopic and/or clinical corroboration of the radiographic diagnosis. Thus, the authors' experience suggests that fungal and viral esophagitis can often be differentiated on double-contrast esophagography, so that appropriate antifungal or antiviral therapy can be instituted without need for endoscopic intervention.
PURPOSE.- The study aims to clinically validate the defining characteristics (DCs) of the nursing diagnosis (ND) of Activity Intolerance for patients with ischemic heart disease and refractory angina. METHODS.- Cross-sectional study was used, involving 22 patients with ND of Activity Intolerance. The Fehring method was used to validate the ND. FINDINGS.- Most DCs presented reliability indexes between 0.5 and 0.79. Three DCs presented reliability indexes - 0.8. CONCLUSION.- All DCs were validated, and electrocardiographic changes indicating ischemia, verbal report of fatigue, and abnormal rate response to activity were considered as DC major. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE.- This study is relevant in daily nursing practice for guidance in establishing the care plan and describing the ass...
A novel approach to fault diagnosis is proposed using multiscale morphology analysis to extract impulsive features from the signals with strong background noise. Multiscale morphology is applied to one-dimensional signal by defining both the length and height scales of structuring elements (SEs). A local-peak-value based adaptive algorithm is also introduced. The new approach makes the selection of SEs more transparent and is independent of empirical rules. Both simulated impulsive and vibration signals of two defective roller bearings are employed to validate the proposed algorithm. The roller bearing faults presented in the validation include both inner and outer race faults. The test results show that the multiscale morphology analysis is effective and robust to extract morphological features.
Magnetic resonance imaging has proven an invaluable method in the diagnosis of joint diseases associated with osteonecrotic, inflammatory, traumatic and degenerative processes. At the clinical level, it has an important role in decisions about the method of treatment and evaluations of the therapeutic success. When the merits of MRT are balanced against those of conventional radiography including tomography and CT, which both ensure better spatial resolution in the visualisation of cortical and spongy bone structures, it becomes quite evident that MRT must not be regarded as an alternative method of imaging but as one that can be used additionally to obtain the most information for the diagnosis of arthropathy. The question as to whether new pulse sequences (snap shots) or invasive techniques like intra-articular injection of paramagnetic substances (MR arthrography) are likely to become routine procedures in the detection of joint diseases ...
Fault symptoms of running gearboxes must be detected as early as possible to avoid serious accidents. Diverse advanced methods are developed for this challenging task. However, for multiwavelet transforms, the fixed basis functions independent of the input dynamic response signals will possibly reduce the accuracy of fault diagnosis. Meanwhile, for multiwavelet denoising technique, the universal threshold denoising tends to overkill important but weak features in gear fault diagnosis. To overcome the shortcoming, a novel method incorporating customized (i.e., signal-based) multiwavelet lifting schemes with sliding window denoising is proposed in this paper. On the basis of Hermite spline interpolation, various vector prediction and update operators with the desirable properties of biorthog...
339 CT und 95 MRT examinations in 210 partients were evaluated retrospectively to determine the value of CT and MRT for follow-up of head and neck tumors and for diagnosing recurrences. Semi-quantitative evaluation of tumor extent during and after radiotherapy showed advantages for MRT since changes induced by treatment, particularly oedema, produced less contrast loss in the images. CT had a sensitivity of 81% for the recognition of recurrences; this was 92% for MRT. Specificity for CT was 76% and for MRT 86%. Concerning the reliability of individual diagnostic criteria, space occupying lesions were the most valuable in CT diagnosis. For MRT, space occupying lesions and infiltration into neighbouring structures were of equal value. Because of differences in the nature of the signals, MRT proved better than CT in characterising recurrent masses and this improved the differentiation between scarring and local tumour recurrence. (orig.).
Roller bearing is one of the most widely used elements in rotary machines. Condition monitoring of such elements is conceived as pattern recognition problem. Pattern recognition has three main phases: feature extraction, feature selection and feature classification. Histogram features can be used for fault diagnosis of roller bearing. This paper presents the use of decision tree for selecting best few histogram features (bin ranges) that will discriminate the fault conditions of the bearing from given train samples. These features are extracted from vibration signals. A rule set is formed from the extracted features and fed to a fuzzy classifier. The rule set necessary for building the fuzzy classifier is obtained largely by intuition and domain knowledge. This paper also presents the usag...
Digital radiography for diagnosis of chest diseases using Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) was evaluated. The results were as follows; 1. Compared to the conventional chest X-ray films, various types of image enhancement could be made by manipulation of the digital information such as tone conversion, spatial frequency modification etc. 2. Digital radiography lessens the X-ray exposure dose and will ultimately permit speedy transmission of image data from outlying clinics to central processing hospitals. 3. Digital radiographic images are useful in chest X-ray diagnosis especially in mass surveys for lung cancer and in primary care medicine because of its full imaging capability. (author).
The aim of this article is to report our experience in the diagnosis of two cases of iliac artery endofibrosis or arteriopathy, a rare entity occurring in high-performance athletes, presenting with intermittent claudication (right-sided in both) after maximal exercise. External iliac artery endofibrosis or arteriopathy is a likely diagnosis in competitive athletes free of cardiovascular risk factors who present with leg claudication. Arteriography and a papaverine-assisted mean pressure gradient across the iliac arteries of more than 10 mmHg is a useful diagnostic approach. Moreover, balloon angioplasty of the iliac artery in that patient, in whom a pressure gradient was detected, resulted in symptomatic relief for 2 months followed by mild symptom recurrence. Thus, although balloon angioplasty is feasible and safe, it might not be adequate to treat this entity and, thus, its value remains undefined.
The early diagnosis of such disorders is of major importance because, in most cases, severe consequences can only be averted by early treatment. The value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in many orthopaedic and traumatological conditions is generally accepted. The value of MRI in this particular field is illustrated by typical case reports on common clinical problems [Deutsch] Der Fruehdiagnose von Erkrankungen des Kindes- und Jugendalters kommt grosse Bedeutung zu, da oftmals nur durch eine daraus resultierende Fruehbehandlung schwerwiegende Folgen vermieden werden koennen. Die Kernspintomographie (Magnetresonanztomographie=MRT) ist in zahlreichen orthopaedischen-traumatologischen Fragestellungen bereits etabliert. An ausgewaehlten Fallbeispielen haeufiger klinischer Problemstellungen soll in der vorliegenden Arbeit der Stellenwert der MRT dargestellt werden. (orig.)
The ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) can overcome the mode mixing problem of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and therefore provide more precise decomposition results. Wavelet neural network (WNN) possesses the advantages of both wavelet transform and artificial neural networks. This paper combines the merits of EEMD and WNN to propose an automated and effective fault diagnosis method of locomotive roller bearings. First, the vibration signals captured from the locomotive roller bearings are preprocessed by EEMD method and intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are produced. Second, a kurtosis based method is presented and used to select the sensitive IMF. Third, time- and frequency-domain features are extracted from the sensitive IMF, its frequency spectrum and its envelope spe...
Cognitive decline has been described in elderly patients with schizophrenia, but the underlying pathology remains unknown. Some studies report increases in plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, but there is no evidence for an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in elderly schizophrenics. Models of a decreased cerebral reserve suggest that increases in AD-related neuropathology below the threshold for a neuropathological diagnosis could be related to dementia severity in elderly schizophrenia patients. We tested this hypothesis in 110 autopsy specimens of schizophrenia patients, without a neuropathological diagnosis of AD or other neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, we assessed the effects of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) status, a known genetic risk factor for AD. Measures of densit...
Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) is a new system of digital radiography that is based on the latest computer technologies. We applied this FCR system to the X-ray diagnosis of the laryngeal disease. Twenty patients with various laryngeal diseases were evaluated by both FCR frontal tomography and conventional screen-film frontal tomography under the same exposure condition. Both tomograms were then compared on the subject of the clarity of delineation of laryngeal structures. As the result, FCR tomograms revealed the feature of the laryngeal lumen and cartilages more clearly than conventional tomograms. In addition, energy subtraction method, which is one of FCR image processing systems, was presented as a new technical procedure to extinguish cervical spine shadows in plain anteroposterior laryngeal X-photograph. We stress that FCR system is the suitable procedure for X-ray analysis of laryngeal diseases, especially in the region related with the phono-surgery. ...
Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and sometimes leads to death. Understanding mechanisms, triggers, and patient-specific risk factors for severe or fatal anaphylaxis is critically important. Diagnosis of anaphylaxis is currently based on established clinical criteria. Epinephrine (adrenaline) is the first-line medication for anaphylaxis treatment and delay in injecting it contributes to biphasic reactions, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and fatality. Here, we focus on four important areas of translational research in anaphylaxis: studies of potential new biomarkers to support the clinical diagnosis of anaphylaxis, laboratory tests to distinguish allergen sensitization from clinical risk of anaphylaxis, the primary role of epinephrine (adrenaline) in anaphylaxis treatment, and strengthening the overall evidence base for anaphylaxis treatment. PMID:21668849
Pyogenic sacroiliitis is a rare entity in children. Diagnosis is often delayed because of its variable clinical presentation, low suspicion by the examining physician, and rare findings on radiographs. Delayed diagnosis, however, results in complications such as iliopsoas abscess. We report the case of a 12-year-old girl hospitalized with a 21-day history of fever, pain in the left iliac fossa, and flexion contracture of the hip. On examination, she had fever (38.9 ^oC), psoitis, localized tenderness at the left sacroiliac joint, and pain elicited by lateral compression of the pelvis. The abdominal examination was normal. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 130mm in the first hour, C-reactive protein was 186mg/l, and the white blood cell count was 18,400/mm^3, with 79% neutrophils. Urin...
When gear fault occurs, the vibration signals always display non-stationary behavior. Therefore time-frequency analysis has become the well-accepted technique for vibration-based gear fault diagnosis. This paper presents the application of a new time-frequency signal processing technique, the Hilbert spectrum based on the maximal overlap discrete wavelet packet transform (MODWPT), to the analysis of simulation signals and gear fault vibration signals measured by the acceleration sensor fixed on the bearing house. As long as the decomposition scale and disjoint dyadic decomposition are chosen suitably, the original signal could be decomposed into a set of monocomponent signals whose instantaneous amplitude and instantaneous frequency own physical meaning. After the instantaneous amplitude a...
Ewing's sarcoma and Triton's tumor are two uncommon bone tumors of the skull that have nonspecific clinical and imaging features. However, imaging methods are important in the detection of the lesions during the diagnostic investigation in order to evaluate the extent of the bone lesions, involvement of the soft tissues and brain, and to determine the presence of local recurrence and metastases. The confirmatory diagnosis relies on histological studies and immunohistochemistry. The authors report two cases of patients with these tumors and present the radiological findings. (author)
In 15 children (in age 2 weeks - 15 years) the computer tomography beside radiological examination was done because of mediastinal diseases. In all cases the computer tomography was valuable. In 4 cases obtained results have changed diagnostic conclusions. The examples are described showing the usefulness of the computer tomography as supplementary diagnostic method in mediastinal diseases in children.
The measurement of thyroidal uptake of radioiodine using a gamma camera and computer is described. In 12 children there was good agreement with simultaneous measurements using a probe, while in a further 14 patients the uptake values were consistent with the clinical diagnosis. The technique should be especially useful for infants and small children.
Brain scintiscanning which was first carried out exclusively 'statical' and only with test substances of limited quality has been replaced nowadays by 'dynamical' camera-sequency-scintiscanning with technetium. This brought considerable progress not only for identifying but also for the differential diagnosis of cerebro-organic processes. Development, methods, and integration of brain scintiscanning in a diagnostical conception are described briefly. (orig.).
The concept of unstable burst fracture has been discussed since over 50 years and this injury has received much attention in the literature as regards its radiological diagnosis and clinical treatment. The purpose of this article is to review the way we use imaging to diagnose the injury and to guide treatment.
The risks of genetic, leukemia and malignant diseases from medical X-ray diagnostic examinations were estimated using the frequency of radiographic and fluoroscopic exposures per diagnostic examination, child expectancy, leukemia and malignancy significant factors, and using a weighting factor determined on the basis of data concerning the cancer mortality among atomic bomb survivors in Nagasaki and of a recommendation of International Commission of Radiological Protection. The organ or tissue doses with respect to the stochastic risks were determined with ionization chambers and thermoluminescent dosimeters placed at the positions of the organs or tissues in a RANDO woman phantom which was exposed to diagnostic X-rays according to technical factors of typical radiographic and fluoroscopic examinations obtained from a nationwide survey. The resultant risks by age-group and type of radiographic and fluoroscopic examination are tabulated in terms of risk level of 10"-"6. In general, the ...
BackgroundMalaria is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Nigeria. It is not known how user fees introduced under the Bamako Initiative (BI) system affect healthcare...Full Text Available
It is reported on examination-technical possibilities with craniocerebral Computer Tomography in the peri- and postnatal period. Some typical tomographic images from a 17 1/2 months period in our own patient material of 327 children are demonstrated. The special advantages of this new technical-extensive method are: exact diagnoses, observation possibility of the longitudinal section, and the absolute harmlessness to the child.
This case report demonstrates an hepatic amebic abscess by scintigrapy, utilizing a new radiopharmaceutical designed specifically for that purpose. The abscess is delineated as a positive lesion after twenty four hours. The agent, "1"3"1I-labeled bromometronidazole, may prove to be specific for the diagnosis of these abscesses. (orig.).
A small cholangiocarcinoma was detected at autopsy in a patient with thorotrastosis who died from the rupture of esophageal varices at the esophagogastric junction. Prior to the advent of recent diagnostic imaging technique, a correct antemortem diagnosis could only be obtained from tumor markers. However, the tendency for the opacity of the liver to decrease slowly with time and develop uneven trabeculation suggests that small tumors may be difficult to detect against such a non-homogeneous background. (author).
Attention is given to recent research on gear fault diagnostic techniques. A mathematic model for vibration signals of defective gears is presented. Novel methods of gear fault diagnosis, such as zoom complex envelope analysis, wideband demodulation techniques, bispectrum analysis, correlation spectrum analysis, and maximum entropy spectrum analysis, are demonstrated. The wide-band demodulation technique is found to exhibit a high SNR. Bispectrum and correlation spectrum are excellent for some mechanical fault forms.
Radionuclide techniques have commonly been used to assess ventriculovenous shunt function, cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, and for the diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid leaks. All of these techniques were utilized in this unusual case of retrograde migration of a ventriculoatrial catheter into the neck, with cutaneous fistulization and CSF leak. (orig.).
During their life, intervertebral discs undergo degenerative changes which need not necessarily become lesions. Conventional X-rays do not provide information on the condition of the intervertebral discs, so MRT or CT are recommended as primary techniques as they are non-invasive. Invasive methods like myelography and especially discography should not be used unless a case is highly problematic. In infants with pains in the back, MRT should be carried out as early as possible as there is nearly always an organic cause. (orig.)
Objective: To ascertain people's views regarding disclosure of cancer diagnosis and whether they would like to share this information with their family. The study also looked at whether if their parents were diagnosed to be suffering from cancer, would they like this information to be communicated to them. Results: The total number of persons surveyed were 520. Fifteen persons refused to participate in the survey, hence they were excluded and 505 respondents 299 male and 206 female were analyzed. Ages of the respondents were between 18 to 80 years. The study population belonged to different socio-economic groups in the society. Three hundred ninety-one (77.4%) responded positively that they would like to know if they ever suffer from cancer, while 112 (22.1%) said No and 2 (0.39%) said it doesn't matter. Three hundred seventeen (62.7%) wanted their family to be informed while 187 (37.%) said No and the attitude of 1 (0.19%) was Indifferent. One hundred seventy ...
Substances which exercise a pulmonary toxic action will first of all produce alveolar and perivascular oedemas followed by fibrosis. Differential diagnosis is explained on the basis of two cases of a fatal mitomycin fibrosis of the lung, as well as the observation of fibrous changes following the administration of Bleomycin and Metothrexat. The course of pulmonary fibroses caused by paraquat is described for two cases of fatal paraquat intoxications. (orig.).
Osteonecrosis (ON) of the hip joint remains an unsolved therapeutical problem. Diagnosis of ON of the hip has been improved by the technical progress of imaging modalities and better understanding pathomorphology. Over a long period only plain radiographs have been available. Scintigraphy and computed tomography contributed to differential diagnosis and early detection of bone necrosis. Diagnosis in an early reversible stage is of importance. Understanding of pathophysiology, early diagnosis and therapeutical approach has been significantly improved by MR imaging. Using the ARCO system all imaging modalities and their diagnostic viability are described in the five ARCO stages. At the end a diagnostic algorithm will be proposed. (orig.) [German] Die Osteonekrose des Hueftgelenks (ON) stellt noch immer ein nicht geloestes therapeutisches Problem dar. Die diagnostischen Moeglichkeiten bei der ON wurden in ...
Heart failure goes beyond mechanical dysfunction and involves an interplay of multiple pathophysiologic mechanisms, including inflammation, tissue remodeling, neurohormonal and endocrine signaling, and interactions with the renal and nervous systems. This article highlights some novel biomarkers that may aid in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of acute heart failure, specifically focusing on ST2, endoglin, galectin-3, cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase?associated lipocalin, midregional pro-adrenomedullin, chromogranin A, adiponectin, resistin, and leptin and their emerging clinical roles.
Cytologic smears obtained by needle aspiration biopsy of lytic bone lesions in 15 patients with histiocytosis X, Ewing's sarcoma and neuroblastoma were reviewed. After conventional staining, histiocytosis X could be diagnosed and differentiated from small cell tumours such as Ewing's sarcoma and neuroblastoma. The need for sampling material for cytochemical and ultrastructural analysis of these small cell tumours by needle aspiration is emphasized. (Auth.).
Ultrasound examinations for foetal brain abnormalities have been a part of the routine antenatal screening programme in the UK for many years. In utero brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now being used increasingly successfully to clarify abnormal ultrasound findings, often resulting in a change of diagnosis or treatment plan. Interpretation requires an understanding of foetal brain development, malformations and acquired diseases. In this paper we will outline the technique of foetal MRI, relevant aspects of brain development and provide illustrated examples of foetal brain pathology.
Nodular hepatic involvement of multiple myeloma is very rare. We report here on a case of nodular hepatic involvement of multiple myeloma that mimicked intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. In patients with multiple myeloma, hepatic involvement of the multiple myeloma might be included in the differential diagnosis of hepatic mass.
The reconstruction of coronal and Sagittal Image of Brain C. T. is helpful to diagnosis of Brain. Three Dimensional Reconstruction software package allows to display three dimensional Image clerived from a series of Horizontal, Sagittal and Coronal Brain C. T. images. It useful in determine approach of operation, to define portals of deep radiation therapy.
In this work, energy-based features for gear fault diagnosis and prediction are proposed. The instantaneous energy density is shown to obtain high values when defected teeth are engaged. Three methods are compared in terms of sensitivity, reliability and computation effectiveness. The Wigner Ville distribution is contrasted to the wavelet transform and the newly proposed empirical mode decomposition scheme. It is shown that all three methods are capable of a reliable prediction. An empirical law, which relates the energy content to the crack magnitude is established.
We retrospectively studied the computed tomography scans of the orbit in 75 patients in order to identify the presence of incidental calcifications (scleral and trochlear apparatus calcifications.). These imaging findings should integrate the vast list of differential diagnosis of orbital calcifications, as they may help radiologists to distinguish these calcifications from orbital foreign bodies. (author)
In a joint study conducted by the University Clinic of Radiology, Graz, and the Medical University Clinic, Innsbruck, the results of computer tomography examinations of the abdomen and pelvis in 23 cases of tumours in children are discussed. In children computer tomography resents special difficulties on account of the very poorly developed fatty layers between the organs and the increased incidence of movement artifacts. The importance of computer tomography for the diagnosis of abdominal and pelvic tumours is discussed.
A simple dose-saving procedure for the diagnosis of congenital hip dysplasia employing a diaphragm in nearfocus position is presented. Doses to the skin and the gonads were measured with a phantom for the new and other techniques. With optimal techniques the skin dose is smaller than 2 mR and the gonadal doses lie around 0.1 mR for both male and female patients. An estimate of the dose burden from undesired radiation is appended. (orig.).
The history of the Czech Institute of Plasma Physics is highlighted. The article is structured as follows: Cyclic accelerators; Interaction of an external high-frequency field and high-temperature plasma - the tokamak; Interaction of an external high-frequency field and high-temperature plasma - pulse plasma systems; Low-temperature plasma - plasma technologies and new materials; Laser plasma - PALS; Optical diagnosis; and Teaching, conferences and international cooperation. (P.A.)
A marine propulsion system is a very complicated system composed of many mechanical components. As a result, the vibration signal of a gearbox in the system is strongly coupled with the vibration signatures of other components including a diesel engine and main shaft. It is therefore imperative to assess the coupling effect on diagnostic reliability in the process of gear fault diagnosis. For this reason, a fault detection and diagnosis method based on bispectrum analysis and artificial neural networks (ANNs) was proposed for the gearbox with consideration given to the impact of the other components in marine propulsion systems. To monitor the gear conditions, the bispectrum analysis was first employed to detect gear faults. The amplitude-frequency plots containing gear characteristic signals were then attained based on the bispectrum technique, which could be regarded as an index actualizing forepart gear faults diagnosis. ...
BackgroundThe present study evaluated the SD Bioline Malaria Ag 05FK40 (SDFK40), a three-band RDT detecting Plasmodium falciparum-specific parasite lactate dehydrogenase...Full Text Available
Intravenous digital subtraction angiography using Fuji computed radiography system (FCR-DSA) was used to evaluate 57 preoperative patients with clinical manifestations of peripheral vascular disease of lower extremity. With its high contrast resolution and good special resolution, image of FCR-DSA could offer optimal information of vascular abnormality in lower extremity distal to midfoot for the diagnosis and the choice of management.
Intravenous digital subtraction angiography using Fuji computed radiography system (FCR-DSA) was used to evaluate 57 preoperative patients with clinical manifestations of peripheral vascular disease of lower extremity. With its high contrast resolution and good special resolution, image of FCR-DSA could offer optimal information of vascular abnormality in lower extremity distal to midfoot for the diagnosis and the choice of management. (orig.).
The risks from radiation exposure during radiological diagnosis has usually been estimated in relation to genetic changes. Relevant information has been expressed as the genetically significant dose. In this paper we attempt to produce an analogous measure for evaluating the somatic risk in the form of a somatically significant dose index for radiological and CT examinations. It is shown that, for both types of examination, the two risk factors may be entirely different.
The risks from radiation exposure during radiological diagnosis has usually been estimated in relation to genetic changes. Relevant information has been expressed as the genetically significant dose. In this paper we attempt to produce an analogous measure for evaluating the somatic risk in the form of a somatically significant dose index for radiological and CT examinations. It is shown that, for both types of examination, the two risk factors may be entirely different. (orig.).
Background/AimsAlthough endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) has been introduced and its use has been increasing in Korea, there have not been many reports...Full Text Available
In the past, Condition Monitoring Systems (CMS) still showed weaknesses during the employment in the damage diagnosis and/or early failure detection of damages of roller bearings in transmissions of wind power plants. This is not only due to the insufficient consideration of the variable frequency of the wind power plants during the internal processing. The presently used methods of analysis result from the communication technology and are used successfully for years at frequency solid systems. Usually, only too few information are at the disposal to the supplier of CMS in order to parametrize their systems on the respective application particularly. An exact knowledge of the internal structure of the object to be diagnosed is compellingly necessary for a successful diagnosis so that a loadable statement based on the acquired measuring data base becomes possible. Furthermore, one must clarify the borders of the presently used systems. The ...
The radiologic appearance of inflammatory and tumorous lesions in the iliac bone is characterized by destructive alterations and consolidations simultaneously. This pattern is nonspecific. The value of plain films of this area is compromised by the anatomy of the iliac bone and by overlying structures. Therefore tomography, computer tomography and bone scans are necessary. Difficulties in differentiation between benign and malignant lesions are discussed and case reports are given. The importance of histologic examination is stressed.
An analysis of the diagnosis of loading and service dependability of a rail-mounted excavator used in surface lignite mining is described. Wheel power vibrations in electric motor bearings and electric motor input bearings to the gearbox were measured in situ, in horizontal, vertical, and axial directions. The data were analyzed using a mathematical relationship. The results are presented in a loading diagram that shows the deterioration and the acceptable lower bound of machine conditions over time. Work is continuing. 5 refs., 1 fig.
We determined the Na/K x-ray intensity ratio in frozen sections of myocardial tissues obtained at autopsy from patients who died from various causes, using electron probe analysis. We have been able to distinguish between the ischemically injured and normal cells. The method is simple, fast, and dependable even when the duration of ischemia is only 30 minutes.
The previously described (M. De Kesel, P. Gilot, M.-C. Misonne, M. Coene, and C. Cocito, J. Clin. Microbiol., 31:947-954, 1993) a362 recombinant polypeptide of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis was used...Full Text Available
Infections of aortoarterial prostheses are serious, difficult to detect, and difficult to treat. Scintigraphy with indium-111 labeled autologous leukocytes is an accurate noninvasive method of assessing the presence and extent of such an infection. In three cases of aorto-arterial bypass graft infections, the leukocyte study was successful in establishing the diagnosis and in assessing the extent of infection. Other noninvasive diagnostic techniques are useful, but all have serious limitations. The leukocyte study alone appears to be free of likely sources of error.
The puborectalis syndrome is a defecation disorder supported by the nonrelaxation of puborectalis sling with consequent dyschezia. They report on a series of 98 patients submitted to clinical examination, defecography, anorectal manometry, electromyography and intestinal transit time studies. The main symptoms of puborectalis syndrome in their patients were incomplete defecation (89 %) and intermittent evacuation (63 %); 28 % of patients turned to finger defecation. In all patients, defecography showed an abnormal increase in puborectalis impression on the posterior anorectal wall, reduced anorectal angle opening under straining (mean value: 113 deg) and prolonged expulsion time with barium pooling in the ampulla (mean evacuation time: 38 seconds). Such anorectal abnormalities as rectal mucosal prolapse (47 cases) and anterior rectocele (36 cases) were also associated. In 33 of 98 patients (34 % of cases), sling assessment by bidigital palpation at preliminary clinical examination ...
Brucellosis is a common worldwide zoonotic disease. Cutaneous manifestations are not specific and affect 1-14% of patients with brucellosis. Here, we describe 49-year-old female with fever and a diffuse maculopapular rash due to Brucella melitensis infection. Histopathology of skin biopsy revealed leukocytoclastic vasculitis; positive blood cultures for B. melitensis established the diagnosis of brucellosis. We provide a review of the relevant literature. PMID:21772606
The introduction of CT scan and, more recently, magnetic resonance imaging, has radically changed the diagnostic approach to tumors developed in the internal auditory canal and cerebellopontine angle. CT scan with intravenous injection visualizes tumors lying in the cerebellopontine angle. Magnetic resonance imaging, especially using gadolinium, is a very accurate means for diagnosing tumors of both the auditory canal and cerebellopontine angle.
The accurate measurement of a stress level is one of the most important issues in a stress diagnosis and its measurement could be of great value in clinical medicine. Stress has a potent effect on the spirit and physical condition of an individual. There are various methods available for its measurement. Some of the commonly used techniques for the diagnosis of a stress level include analysis of the body fluids, questionnaire assessments, psychophysiological evaluations and by determining heart rate variability (HRV) of subjects. However, the existing diagnostic methods have several defects like, a low sensitivity, inaccuracy and long of operation time. In this report, we present a diagnostic technology to detect a stress level which is the origin of various diseases. This method can be of great help in providing an early diagnosis through a biosensor and might play a vital role in preventing diseases like hypochondria and ...
Accurate diagnosis of local invasion of hilar cholangiocarcinomas is challenging due to their small size and the anatomic complexity of the hepatic hilar region. On the other hand, the correct diagnosis of local invasion is essential for assuring the possibility of curative surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of four-channel multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) in the assessment of vascular and bile duct involvement, by which we could obtain useful information for the surgical management of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The subjects were 18 patients for whom the extent of tumor invasion was surgically and pathologically confirmed. All patients underwent preoperative multiphasic CT scanning by MDCT. Arterial and portal dominant phases were acquired using a detector configuration of 1.25 mm x 4 mm, and both axial and multiplanar reconstructed images were interpreted. Longitudinal extension was evaluated up to ...
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indirect immunofluorescent-antibody assay (IFA), and Western immunoblot were used to test serum samples from 128 dogs for the presence of antibody to Borrelia...Full Text Available
The non-invasiveness of autofluorescence technology may reduce sampling error and time delay for histopathology diagnosis. We establish biophotonic methods and guidelines to visualize and interpret early epithelial tissue changes that signify disease. Flexible and rigid fiber endomicroscopy instrumentation design parameters feasible for translation towards clinical use are in development.
In the past few months, there has been public discussion relating to a new perspective on blood safety and specifically upon measures to prevent or discourage donation by individuals with a diagnosis of myalgic encephalopathy-chronic fatigue syndrome. This reflects an intriguing interplay between science, public health and public concern and illustrates some of the difficulties of making decisions in the face of uncertainty and inadequate information.
This study reviews 16 cases of chondroblastoma of the patella which constitute mearly 6% of a large group of chondroblastomas scattered throughout the skeleton. Both radiologic and histologic appearances of chondroblastomas of the patella are indistinguishable from those of chondroblastomas arising in other sites. A reasonable differential diagnosis, including chondromalacia patella, is discussed together with important therapeutic considerations. (orig.).
After a presentation of methods and tools for the basic and extensive characterization of polluted sites and the study of evolution and transfer of current organic pollutants in the ground, the example of the rehabilitation of an old Rhone-Poulenc site (at Chauny, France) polluted with metals and arsenic, is described: soil and aquifer diagnosis, risk analysis and determination of migration schemes
The authors present a case in which primary Ewing's sarcoma of the right petrous pyramid in a 9-year-old girl showed no uptake on a /sup 99m/Tc-pertechnetate nuclide angiogram. Intense uptake was present on a /sup 99m/Tc-polyphosphate bone scan, but a static brain scan was only minimally abnormal. The diagnosis and treatment of Ewing's sarcoma are reviewed.
The authors present an unusual case of a patient with orbital metastases from renal carcinoma involving the extra ocular muscles bilaterally. The importance of computed tomography for the differential diagnosis with other orbital lesions is emphasized. (author)
The fundamental ionisation process of negative surface ionisation is described and two applications are discussed. One is in the so called surface-plasma sources which enable the production of intense negative ion beams. The second application is in the passive diagnosis of the charge exchange of neutrals emitted from hydrogen plasmas.
Angiography plays a vital role in the investigation of the patient suffering from multiple trauma. The commonest injuries have been rupture of the thoracic aorta, renal lacerations, arterial bleeding associated with fractures and soft-tissue injuries to the pelvis, and occlusions of the arteries supplying the limbs. Transcatheter arterial embolization may be the definitive therapeutic procedure in pelvic bleeding.
A case is presented in which the diagnosis of acute myelomonocytic leukemia was made 16 months after the start of irradation and chemotherapy for Ewing's sarcoma. The association of these two diseases is rare. The etiologic role of therapy in the development of leukemia is speculative in this case. However, there is need for surveillance for secondary neoplasms of all types so that the benefits of therapy may be properly weighed against the risks.
CT-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is known to improve diagnosis of expansive abdominal lesions, especially relative to more invasive procedure like explorative laparotomy. FNAB in not commonly use in pediatric patients because of their poor collaboration and of associated risks. The authors investigated the feasibility of FNAB in the pediatric age.
Radiotherapy has been reported to be of benefit in prolonging the survival of patients with cholangiocarcinoma. This study examined whether radiotherapy in addition to endoscopic stenting improved survival. The survival advantage of radiotherapy in those with a type II/III stricture is seen only in the first 10 months after diagnosis. The costs of radiotherapy and significantly increased time spent in hospital, however, raise doubts over its routine use in the management of non-resectable cholangiocarcinoma. (Author).
Quantitative evaluation of CRT and CR observations in indentification of malignancy using phantom and clinical data. A breast phantom and a total of 40 patients were imaged by Fuji computed radiography (FCR). The images were interpreted twice by six radiologists both on CR film (2510 x 2000 pixels x 10 bits, 0.1 mm spatial resolution) and on a CRT monitor (1568 x 1152 pixels x 10 bits, 0.1 mm pixel size with double expansion) with image processing parameters of a toutine (RN 1.0, RE 0.2), for a calcification (RN 9.0, RE 4.0) and for a mass (RN 7.0, RE 2.0). The forty clinical cases included breast diseases with calcifications, masses, and normal breasts. Two-tailed t-test was performed to analyze interpretation of simulated microcalcifications and masses in the phantom. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate clinical cases. In all interpretation studies using both breast phantom and clinical cases, there was no significant difference between the ...
Full text of publication follows: Energy and environment are two major concerns in our modern society due to the coming shortage in fossil energy sources and the growing of greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge for the coming years is to discover new energy resources and to develop devices that are compatible with a sustainable development and generate few (or zero) emission. One of these devices is the fuel cell feed by hydrogen, whose application fields are very large. In particular, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is the most realistic device for automotive application. However, hydrogen storage remains one of the most important challenges regarding its development. Although different techniques are available for storing hydrogen, no ideal solution has been found yet. Compression needs elaborated tanks in shape for supporting high pressures, liquefaction requires an expensive hydrogen cooling and adapted tanks. Chemical ...
Full text of publication follows: Energy and environment are two major concerns in our modern society due to the coming shortage in fossil energy sources and the growing of greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge for the coming years is to discover new energy resources and to develop devices that are compatible with a sustainable development and generate few (or zero) emission. One of these devices is the fuel cell feed by hydrogen, whose application fields are very large. In particular, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is the most realistic device for automotive application. However, hydrogen storage remains one of the most important challenges regarding its development. Although different techniques are available for storing hydrogen, no ideal solution has been found yet. Compression needs elaborated tanks in shape for supporting high pressures, liquefaction requires an expensive hydrogen cooling and adapted tanks. Chemical ...
High-flux neutron sources are continuing to be of interest both in Canada and internationally to support materials testing for advanced power reactors, new developments in extracted-neutron-beam applications, and commercial production of selected radioisotopes. The advanced MAPLE reactor concept has been developed to meet these needs. The advanced MAPLE reactor is a new tank-type D_2O reactor that uses rodded low-enrichment uranium fuel in a compact annular core to generate peak thermal-neutron fluxes of 1 x 10"1"9 n#centre dot#s"-"1 in a central irradiation rig with a thermal power output of 50 MW. Capital and incremental development costs are minimized by using MAPLE reactor technology to the greatest extent practicable.
Surveillance and maintenance (S & M) of 75 sites were conductd by the Remedial Action Section for the Environmental Restoration Program for surplus facilities and sites contaminated with radioactive materials and/or hazardous chemicals. S & M activities on these sites were conducted from the end of their operating life until final facility disposal or site stabilization. The objectives of the Waste Area Grouping S & M Program are met by maintaining a program of routine S & M as well as by implementing interim corrective maintenance when deemed necessary as a result of site surveillance. This report briefly presents this program`s activities and includes tables indicating tank levels and dry well data for FY 1991.
Surveillance and maintenance (S M) of 75 sites were conductd by the Remedial Action Section for the Environmental Restoration Program for surplus facilities and sites contaminated with radioactive materials and/or hazardous chemicals. S M activities on these sites were conducted from the end of their operating life until final facility disposal or site stabilization. The objectives of the Waste Area Grouping S M Program are met by maintaining a program of routine S M as well as by implementing interim corrective maintenance when deemed necessary as a result of site surveillance. This report briefly presents this program's activities and includes tables indicating tank levels and dry well data for FY 1991.
The surface losses in the drift-tube linac (DTL) tanks 3 and 4 of the LANSCE linear accelerator are calculated using 3-D electromagnetic modeling with the CST MicroWave Studio (MWS). The results are used to provide more realistic power estimates for the 201.25MHz RF upgrade design within the LANSCE-R project. We compared 3-D MWS results with those from traditional 2-D Superfish computations for DTL cells and their simplified models and found differences on the level of a few percent. The differences are traced to a 3-D effect consisting in a redistribution of the surface currents on the drift tubes (DT) produced by the DT stem. The dependence of MWS results on the mesh size used in computations is also discussed.
Abstract Suspension of solids in stirred reactor is widely used for catalytic reactions, dissolution, etc. Quality of solid suspension is an important parameter required for the reliable design, optimum performance, and scale up of the system. Quality of suspension depends on local characteristics of solid velocity and hold up profiles. The present work was focused on investigating quality of solid suspension using ultrasound velocity profiler (UVP) measurements and CFD simulations. The slip velocity measurements carried out with UVP were used to evaluate different drag correlations used in CFD simulations. Results discussed in this work would be useful for extending the applications of CFD models for simulating large stirred slurry reactors.
Source Philippe (on the island of La Govave, near Haiti) is described in terms of climatic, sociological, agricultural and technical background. Because of drought conditions, it became necessary to develop a solar still to provide the town with sufficient fresh water. The still, which has been in operation since 1969, is described in some detail as is the construction process. Brackish and sea water are used to produce more than 1250 liters of fresh water each day. A windmill is used to pump the brackish water from a well to an elevated storage tank; it flows by gravity to solar still basins where it is vaporized, then condensed on a sloping glass surface and collected. Benefits of the solar still to the town's economy and health are discussed. Cost of the project was $17,000. 10 references. (MJJ)
In this paper the simulation of hybrid processes containing membrane units will be discussed. For this purpose a user-defined module for simulation and design of membrane processes was implemented into the simulation program AspenPlus. The advantages can be summarized as follows: - any combination of membrane processes with all other units already implemented in AspenPlus is possible, including internal recycle streams, - utilization of the physical property models and data bases of AspenPlus is possible, - cost and sensitivity analysis can be performed. These benefits are demonstrated in detail for a membrane vapor recovery unit for the treatment of tank farm off-gas, for a two-stage reverse osmosis plant for organic/-organic separations and for a combination of distillation and pervaporation for the separation of a dimethylcarbonate/methanol mixture. (orig.)
The Mediated Electrochemical Oxidation (MEO) system is an aqueous process which treats low-level mixed wastes by oxidizing the organic components of he waste into carbon dioxide and water. As MEO system continues to run, dissolved ash and radionuclides slowly accumulate in the anolyte and must be removed to maintain process efficiency. At such time, all of the anolyte is pumped into a still feed tank, and the silver ions need to be removed before sending the solution to a thin-film evaporator for further concentration. The efficiency of removing silver ions in the solution needs to be high enough such that the residual silver sent to Final Forms would be less than 1% wt. The purpose of this work is to develop an efficient process to remove silver ions during the MEO cleanout and to demonstrate the capability of centrifugation for separating small silver chloride particles from the solution. This development work includes lab scale experiments and bench scale tests. ...
The Rotary Mode Core Sample System (RMCSS) is used to obtain stratified samples of the waste deposits in single-shell and double-shell waste tanks at the Hanford Site. The samples are used to characterize the waste in support of ongoing and future waste remediation efforts. Four sampling trucks have been developed to obtain these samples. Truck I was the first in operation and is currently being used to obtain samples where the push mode is appropriate (i.e., no rotation of drill). Truck 2 is similar to truck 1, except for added safety features, and is in operation to obtain samples using either a push mode or rotary drill mode. Trucks 3 and 4 are now being fabricated to be essentially identical to truck 2.
The Advanced MAPLE is a research reactor design under development as a high-flux neutron source. The main performance goals for the reactor are a high peak thermal neutron flux in a heavy-water reflector tank, and a high average fast neutron flux in a central irradiation facility, with a maximum linear fuel rod rating of less than 120 kW/m. This study investigated the neutronic and reactor design consequences of the use of H_2O coolant as opposed to D_2O. The neutronics results, and several other considerations, indicate that H_2O coolant has a number of advantages. It is suggested that the H_2O coolant option be considered in the design of the Advanced MAPLE reactor. (L.L.) 9 refs., 4 figs., tab.
In the spring of 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 (EPA), launched an investigation into tanker waste disposal practices for vessels discharging ballast water at the Alyeska Pipeline Services Company's Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) facility and marine terminal in Valdez, Alaska. It had been alleged that the Exxon Shipping Company was transferring 'toxic wastes originating in California' to Valdez. In response, EPA decided to examine all waste streams generated on board and determine what the fate of these wastes were in addition to investigating the Exxon specific charges. An extensive Information Request was generated and sent to the shipping companies that operate vessels transporting Alaska North Slope Crude. Findings included information on cargo and fuel tank washings, cleaning agents, and engine room waste.
The ORR operated at an average power level of 29.7 MW for 85.3% of the time during this period. The reactor was shut down on fifteen occasions, nine of which were unscheduled. Reactor downtime needed for refueling and checks was normal. The reactor remained available for operation 88.3% of the time. Special tests completed during the quarter included: (1) transfer of LEU fuel elements CLE-202 and NLE-201 from core positions B-9 and B-2 to core positions C-5 and C-6 for continued operation; and (2) calculation of maximum heat flux in LEU elements CLE-201 and NLE-202 in core positions A-2 and A-8. In-service inspections included inspections of ORR decay tank, primary heat exchanger No. 4, and the 24-in. strainer.
A three-dimensional, continuous-energy, coupled neutron-gamma Monte Carlo model of the advanced neutron source (ANS) final preconceptual reference core design has been developed using MCNP Version 3b. This model contains the reactor core with control rods, the heavy-water reflector tank with shutdown rods and representative beam tubes, and the outer light-water poor. Eighty homogenized fuel zones per fuel element are used to represent the radical and axial {sup 235}U fuel grading. This model is the most sophisticated, physically accurate reactor physics model of the ANS currently available. The purpose of this summary is to demonstrate the MCNP methods and applications for the ANS.
A characterization study was performed on monosodium titanate (MST) particles to determine the effect of high shear forces expected from the In-Tank Precipitation (ITP) process pumps on the particle size distribution. The particles were characterized using particle size analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). No significant changes in particle size distributions were observed between as-received MST and after 2--4 hours of shearing. Both as-received and sheared MST particles contained a large percentage of porosity with pore sizes on the order of 500 to 2,000 Angstroms. Because of the large percentage of porosity, the overall surface area of the MST is dominated by the internal surfaces. The uranium and plutonium species present in the waste solution will have access to both interior and exterior surfaces. Therefore, uranium and plutonium loading should not be a strong function of MST particle size.
Abstract Four methods were used to extract length scales from mixing data: the maximum striation thickness, point-to-nearest-neighbour (PNN) distributions, the correlogram and the variogram. Four test data sets were analysed: blending in a micromixer; particle dispersion in a stirred tank; dispersion of a smoke plume and a pulse tracer test in a reactor. The maximum striation thickness captures the largest length scale. The PNN method quantifies differences between clustered, random and regular spatial distributions. The correlogram calculation cannot be consistently used for all types of mixing data and has therefore been rejected. The variogram reveals both large-scale segregation and periodicity. Sub-sampling is needed to isolate smaller structures. The variogram, PNN and transect metho...
''Hybrid'' hydrogen storage, where hydrogen is stored in both the solid material and as a high pressure gas in the void volume of the tank can improve overall system efficiency by up to 50% compared to either compressed hydrogen or solid materials alone. Thermodynamically, high equilibrium hydrogen pressures in metal-hydrogen systems correspond to low enthalpies of hydrogen absorption-desorption. This decreases the calorimetric effects of the hydride formation-decomposition processes which can assist in achieving high rates of heat exchange during hydrogen loading-removing the bottleneck in achieving low charging times and improving overall hydrogen storage efficiency of large hydrogen stores. Two systems with hydrogenation enthalpies close to -20kJ/mol H2 were studied to investigate the h...
The purpose of the Hanford Waste Management Plan (HWMP) is to provide an integrated plan for the safe storage, interim management, and disposal of existing waste sites and current and future waste streams at the Hanford Site. The emphasis of this plan is, however, on the disposal of Hanford Site waste. The plans presented in the HWMP are consistent with the preferred alternative which is based on consideration of comments received from the public and agencies on the draft Hanford Defense Waste Environmental Impact Statement (HDW-EIS). Low-level waste was not included in the draft HDW-EIS whereas it is included in this plan. The preferred alternative includes disposal of double-shell tank waste, retrievably stored and newly generated TRU waste, one pre-1970 TRU solid waste site near the Columbia River and encapsulated cesium and strontium waste.
Geologic studies in connection with Project Discus Thrower have furnished detailed stratigraphic and structural information about northwestern Yucca Flat, Nevada Test Site. The Paleozoic rocks consist of a lower carbonate sequence, argillite of the Eleana Formation, and an upper carbonate sequence. The distribution of these rocks suggests that both top and bottom of the Eleana are structural contacts, probably thrusts or reverse faults. The overlying tuff includes several units recognized in the subsurface, such as the Fraction Tuff and tuff of Redrock Valley. Other units recognized include bedded tuff associated with the Grouse Canyon Member of Belted Range Tuff, and the Rainier Mesa and Ammonia Tanks Members of the Timber Mountain Tuff. The Timber Mountain and Grouse Canyon are extensively altered to montmorillonite (a swelling clay), possibly as a result of ponding of alkaline water. The overlying alluvium locally contains at the base a clayey, tuffaceous ...
Several natural gas vehicles have been built as part of Ford's Alternative Fuel Demonstration Fleet. Two basic methods, compressed gas (CNG), and liquified gas (LNG) were used. Heat transfer danger and the expense and special training needed for LNG refueling are cited. CNG in a dual-fuel engine was demonstrated first. The overall results were unsatisfactory. A single fuel LNG vehicle was then demonstrated. Four other demonstrations, testing different tank weights and engine sizes, lead to the conclusion that single fuel vehicles optimized for CNG use provide better fuel efficiency than dual-fuel vehicles. Lack of public refueling stations confines use to fleet operations.
To evaluate safety of horizontal steam generator used in passive safety system, it is needed to make clear flooding characteristics in U bend pipe. In this study, two-phase flow experiment in a horizontal U bend pipe was carried out to make clear the influence of the length of horizontal pipe and the radius of U bend. Flooding in the U bend pipe was observed in the condition of lower gas or liquid volumetric flux than that in the horizontal pipe or the vertical pipe. Flooding and carry-up in the U bend pipe is hardly change with increasing the length between the water inlet and the U bend, but greatly related with the length from the water inlet to the lower tank and the shape of the U bend inlet. (author).
Thirteen summaries of exploratory development work carried out under a grant to the Naval Postgraduate School Research Foundation are included. This research was carried out in the areas of electrical engineering (slot lines; phase lock loops), aeronautics (aircraft survivability; composite materials for structures), material sciences (relation between high temperature compressive behavior and microstructure), mechanical engineering (fatigue life of ferrocement hull structures; flow fields), economics (hazardous employment incentives for DoD personnel), operations research (missile allocation modeling; combat dynamics; shipboard tank designs), oceanography breakwater construction effects on ecology), and physics (evaluation of an underwater acoustic parametric source).
In this study, usage of a variable speed refrigeration system in latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) system is investigated to increase energy storage efficiency. Four different compressor speed control cases are compared to obtain a constant heat transfer fluid (HTF) temperature at the inlet of the energy storage tank. These control cases are (i) control with evaporation temperature, (ii) control with ethylene glycol temperature at the outlet section of evaporator, (iii) control with suction pressure of the compressor and (iv) on/off control. By means of the experimental analysis the best control strategy is obtained as control with Case (ii), in terms of stability of inlet temperature of heat transfer fluid, variations of energy efficiency of LHTES and coefficient of performance (...
This report describes the physical characteristics of a ceramic-lined, joule-heated glass melter that is directly connected to the discharge of a spray calciner and is currently being used to study the vitrification of simulated nuclear-waste slurries. Melter performance characteristics and subsequent design improvements are described. The melter contains 0.24 m/sup 3/ of glass with a glass surface area of 0.76 m/sup 2/, and is heated by the flow of an alternating current (ranging from 600 to 1200 amps) between two Inconel-690 slab-type electrodes immersed in the glass at either end of the melter tank. The melter was maintained at operating temperature (900 to 1260/sup 0/C) for 15 months, and produced 62,000 kg of glass. The maximum sustained operating period was 122 h, during which glass was produced at the rate of 70 kg/h.
FELs require tight control of the amplitudes and phase of the fields in two linear accelerator tanks to obtain stable lasing. The accelerator control loops must establish constant, stable, repeatable amplitudes and phases of the rf fields and must have excellent bandwidth to control high-frequency noise components. A model of the feedback loops has been developed that agrees well with measurements and allows easy substitution of components and circuits, thus reducing breadboarding requirements. The model permits both frequency and time-domain analysis. The accelerator control scheme and model are described and the control of noise in feedback loops is discussed, showing how low-frequency-noise components (errors) can be corrected, but high-frequency-noise components (errors) are actually amplified by the feedback circuit. Measurements of noise in both open- and closed-loop modes is shown and comparison is made with results from the model calculations.
Humans are exposed to chemicals in contaminated groundwaters that are used as sources of drinking water. Chemicals contaminate groundwater resources as a result of waste disposal methods for toxic chemicals, overuse of agricultural chemicals, and leakage of chemicals into the subsurface from buried tanks used to hold fluid chemicals and fuels. In the process, both the solid portions of the subsurface and the groundwaters that flow through these porous structures have become contaminated. Restoring these aquifers and minimizing human exposure to the parent chemicals and their degradation products will require the identification of suitable biomarkers of human exposure; better understandings of how exposure can be related to disease outcome; better understandings of mechanisms of transport of pollutants in the heterogeneous structures of the subsurface; and field testing and evaluation of methods proposed to restore and cleanup contaminated aquifers. In this review, ...
Novel and unprecedented ion exchange resin cleaning system, for use in BWR plants and featuring a vibration separator and basic design factors of Radiological Solutions, Inc., had been delivered to Tokai No. 2 Power Station, Japan Atomic Power Company, in October 2005. This compactly-designed system effectively separates crud and resin fines from ion exchange resins, with no clogging of separation screens. It generates minimized waste liquid and has a specially designed over-pack cleaning tank. The system has been in operation for about 2 years and half now and favorable operational data, such as crud and sulfate concentration decrease in feed water and reactor water respectively, and evaluation results have been reported from Japan Atomic Power Company and so on. (author)
The T Plant facilities in the 200-West Area of the Hanford site were constructed in the early 1940s to produce nuclear materials in support of national defense activities. T Plant includes the 271-T facility, the 221-T facility, and several support facilities (eg, 2706-T), utilities, and tanks/piping systems. T Plant has been recommended as the primary interim decontamination facility for the Hanford site. Project W-259 will provide capital upgrades to the T Plant facilities to comply with Federal and State of Washington environmental regulations for secondary containment and leak detection. This document provides an advanced conceptual design concept that complies with functional requirements for the T Plant Secondary Containment and Leak Detection upgrades.
The concentration decay curves for the adsorption of phenol on organobentonite were obtained in an agitated tank batch adsorber. The experimental adsorption rate data were interpreted with diffusional models as well as first-order, second-order and Langmuir kinetic models. The surface diffusion model adjusted the data quite well, revealing that the overall rate of adsorption was controlled by surface diffusion. Furthermore, the surface diffusion coefficient increased raising the mass of phenol adsorbed at equilibrium and was independent of the particle diameter in the range 0.042-0.0126cm. It was demonstrated that the overall rate of adsorption was essentially not affected by the external mass transfer. The second-order and the Langmuir kinetic models fitted the experimental data quite well; however, the kinetic constants of both models varied without any physical meaning while increasing the particle size and the mass of phenol adsorbed at equilibrium. ...
In the present work, the process of carbon dioxide absorption is analyzed at high partial pressures, in aqueous solutions of 1-amino-2-propanol (monoisopropanolamine (MIPA)), in relation to the thermal effects involved. All experiments were made in a stirred-tank reactor with a plane unbroken gas-liquid interface. The variables considered were the MIPA concentration within the range 0.1--2.0 M and the temperature within the interval 288--308 K. From the results, the authors deduce that the absorption process takes place in the nonisothermal instantaneous regime and propose an equation which not only relates the experimental results of flow density with the initial concentration of amine but at the same time enables the evaluation of the rise in temperature in the gas-liquid interface.
A new semi-submersible floating structure is proposed on which three wind turbine towers are installed. This paper presents a basic characteristic of the wave-induced motion of this semi-submersible floating structure via. numerical computations and 1/150 scaled rigid model experiments in a wave tank. In the numerical computations, nonlinear damping effect due to drag forces modeled by the Morison's formula is considered in the equation of motion, where the linear hydrodynamic forces are obtained from the Green's function model. As a result, the response characteristics around the resonant frequency region were successfully improved. In addition to such basic examination, major results of feasibility studies, including the structural stability for severe wave conditions and the long-term fatigue limit state, are presented for a realistic situation.
The UNSAT-H model was developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to assess the water dynamics of arid sites and, in particular, estimate recharge fluxes for scenarios pertinent to waste disposal facilities. During the last 4 years, the UNSAT-H model received support from the Immobilized Waste Program (IWP) of the Hanford Site's River Protection Project. This program is designing and assessing the performance of on-site disposal facilities to receive radioactive wastes that are currently stored in single- and double-shell tanks at the Hanford Site (LMHC 1999). The IWP is interested in estimates of recharge rates for current conditions and long-term scenarios involving the vadose zone disposal of tank wastes. Simulation modeling with UNSAT-H is one of the methods being used to provide those estimates (e.g., Rockhold et al. 1995; Fayer et al. 1999). To achieve the above goals for assessing water dynamics and estimating ...
An overall systems approach has been applied to develop action plans to support the retrieval and immobilization waste disposal mission. The review concluded that the systems and infrastructure required to support the mission are known. Required systems are either in place or plans have been developed to ensure they exist when needed. The review showed that since October 1996 a robust system engineering approach to establishing integrated Technical Baselines, work breakdown structures, tank farm structure and configurations and work scope and costs has been established itself as part of the culture within TWRS. An analysis of the programmatic, management and technical activities necessary to declare readiness to proceed with execution of the mission demonstrates that the system, people and hardware will be on line and ready to support the private contractors. The systems approach included defining the retrieval and immobilized waste disposal mission requirements ...
The subcriticality of two interacting solution tanks was determined using /sup 252/Cf-source-driven neutron noise analysis methods. These experiments were the first test of this method for an interacting system with materials (in this case, uranyl nitrate) typical of nuclear materials in processing plants. The experiments were performed to test the conclusions from previous interaction experiments with uranium metal discs for a fissile system with moderation, and to provide data to test theoretical models for coupled systems. The uranium metal experiments showed that the subcritical neutron multiplication factor, k/sub eff/, could be determined using point kinetics without any correction for spatial effects from measurements with the source and detectors located adjacent to the same cylinder, whereas for source-detector configurations with either the source and/or detectors adjacent to different cylinders, a model which incorporates the coupling is required to ...
A number of ion exchange materials are being evaluated as part of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) Pretreatment Project for the removal of "1"3"7Cs from aqueous tank wastes. Two of these materials are organic resins; a phenol-formaldehyde resin (Duolite CS-100) produced by Rohm and Haas Co. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and a resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin produced by Boulder Scientific Co. (Mead, Colorado). One of the key parameters in the assessment of the organic based ion exchange materials is its useful lifetime in the radioactive and chemical environment that will be encountered during waste processing. The focus of the work presented in this report is the radiation stability of the CS-100 and the RF resins. The scope of the testing included one test with a sample of the CS-100 resin and testing of two batches of the RF resin (BSC-187 and BSC-210). Samples of the exchangers were irradiated ...
A number of ion exchange materials are being evaluated as part of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) Pretreatment Project for the removal of {sup 137}Cs from aqueous tank wastes. Two of these materials are organic resins; a phenol-formaldehyde resin (Duolite CS-100) produced by Rohm and Haas Co. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and a resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin produced by Boulder Scientific Co. (Mead, Colorado). One of the key parameters in the assessment of the organic based ion exchange materials is its useful lifetime in the radioactive and chemical environment that will be encountered during waste processing. The focus of the work presented in this report is the radiation stability of the CS-100 and the RF resins. The scope of the testing included one test with a sample of the CS-100 resin and testing of two batches of the RF resin (BSC-187 and BSC-210). Samples of the exchangers were irradiated ...
This report summarizes the major activities conducted in the Chemical and Energy Research Section of the Chemical Technology Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) during the period October--December 1997. The section conducts basic and applied research and development in chemical engineering, applied chemistry, and bioprocessing, with an emphasis on energy-driven technologies and advanced chemical separations for nuclear and waste applications. The report describes the various tasks performed within six major areas of research: Hot Cell Operations, Process Chemistry and Thermodynamics, Separations and Materials Synthesis, Fluid Structure and Properties, Biotechnology Research, and Molecular Studies. The name of a technical contact is included with each task described, and readers are encouraged to contact these individuals if they need additional information. Activities conducted within the area of Hot Cell Operations included efforts to optimize the processing conditions ...
Here we report a new method for measuring the heterogeneous chemistry of submicron organic aerosol particles using a continuous flow stirred tank reactor. This approach is designed to quantify the real time heterogeneous kinetics, using a relative rate method, under conditions of low oxidant concentration and long reaction times that more closely mimic the real atmosphere. A general analytical expression, which couples the aerosol chemistry with the flow dynamics in the chamber is developed and applied to the heterogeneous oxidation of squalane particles by hydroxyl radicals (OH) in the presence of O2. The particle phase reaction is monitored via photoionization aerosol mass spectrometry and yields a reactive uptake coefficient of 0.51+-0.10, using OH concentrations of 1-7x108 molec cdot cm-3 and reaction times of 1.5+-3 hours. This uptake coefficient is larger than that found for the reaction carried out under high OH concentrations (~;;1x1010 molec cdot cm-3) and ...
A method for determining the reactivity of highly subcritical systems of fissile material, using neutron-noise power spectral densities in conjunction with a /sup 252/Cf source, had previousy been tested in two fast reactor critical assemblies (a mockup of the Fast Flux Test Facility reactor and unreflected enriched uranium metal assemblies) and one thermal reactor (a light-water moderated and reflected lattice of Oak Ridge Research Reactor fuel elements). The last-mentioned test demonstrated the effectiveness of the method in water-moderated systems and thereby prompted the present study of its application to facilities for fuel preparation, reprocessing, and storage. To investigate the applicability of this method to facilities for fuel preparation, reprocessing, and storage, limited experiments were performed with a uranyl fluoride solution. The Los Alamos National Laboratory SHEBA facility, an unreflected cylindrical tank (56 cm diam), was partially filled with ...
Before low-level waste may be disposed of, a performance assessment must be written and then approved by the DOE (DOE 1988a DOE 1999a). The performance assessment is to determine whether ''reasonable assurance'' exists that the performance objectives of the disposal facility will be met. The DOE requirements for waste disposal (DOE 1988a DOE 1999a) require the protection of public health and safety; and the protection of the environment. Although quantitative limits are sometimes stated (for example, the all-pathways exposure limit is 25 mrem/year), usually the requirements are stated in a general nature. Quantitative limits were established by: investigating all potentially applicable regulations as well as interpretations of the review panels which DOE has established to review performance assessments, interacting with program management to establish the additional requirements of the program, and interacting with the public (i.e., the Hanford ...
To demonstrate that the caustic-side solvent extraction (CSSX) process could remove cesium from Savannah River Site (SRS) high-level waste over long periods of time, an improved minicontactor (2-cm centrifugal contactor) was needed that could be operated for several days. In particular, the contractor temperature had to be controlled and contactor hydraulic performance needed to be improved. Because the process was to be continuous, provisions were made for a three-shift operation. With the improvements made and the operators trained, the CSSX process was run in a 33-stage minicontactor over a period of three days to remove cesium from an average SRS siumulant for the waste feed. The two key process goals were achieved: (1) the cesium was removed from the waste with decontamination factors greater than 40,000 and (2) the recovered cesium was concentrated by a factor of 15 in dilute nitric acid. These goals were maintained for 71 h as 1.4 L of solvent was recycled 42 times while ...
As part of our ongoing research to provide quality improvements to heating oil, Mobil Oil together with Santa Fuel, Inc., conducted a field trial to investigate the performance of a new premium heating oil. This premium heating oil contains an additive system designed to minimize sludge related problems in the fuel delivery system of residential home heating systems. The additive used was similar to others reported at this and earlier BNL conferences, but was further developed to enhance its performance in oil heat systems. The premium heating oil was bulk additized and delivered to a subset of the customer base. Fuel related, unscheduled service calls were monitored in this test area, as well as in a similar baseline area that did not receive the premium heating oil. Overall, the premium fuel provided a 45% reduction in the occurrence of fuel related, unscheduled service calls as compared to the baseline area. Within this population, there was a reduction of 38% in systems with 275 ...
The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) requires a Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) for federal facilities placed on the National Priorities List. The Oak Ridge Reservation was placed on that list on December 21, 1989, and the agreement was signed in November 1991 by the Department of Energy Oak Ridge Field Office (DOE-OR), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-Region IV, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). The effective date of the FFA was January 1, 1992. Section 9 and Appendix F of the agreement impose design and operating requirements on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) liquid low-level radioactive waste (LLLW) tank systems and identify several plans, schedules, and assessments that must be submitted to EPA/TDEC for review or approval. The initial issue of this document in March 1992 transmitted to EPA/TDEC those plans ...
Source term release characteristics are analyzed for the severe SGTR (Steam Generator Tube Rupture) sequences beyond the design basis accidents in Wolsong 2/3/4 plants which are of CANDU6 type reactor. In PWRs, SGTR sequences have long been recognized to be important and are distinctly different from the non-bypass sequences since there is a direct fission product release path from the primary system to the environment bypassing the containment gas volume. Meanwhile, a SGTR in a CANDU reactor is analyzed not to provide a complete and direct path into the environment for the source term resulting from a severe accident. This is because the majority of the fission product released arises from heatup and interactions of the disassembled fuel channel segments and debris in the calandria tank rather than from fuel heatup in the fuel channel. These fission products are released from the calandria tank into the containment atmosphere through the four ...
The objective of this 3.5 year project is to develop a commercially competitive vehicle powered by ethanol (or ethanol blend) that can meet California`s ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) standards and equivalent corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) energy efficiency for a light-duty passenger car application. The definition of commercially competitive is independent of fuel cost, but does include technical requirements for competitive power, performance, refueling times, vehicle range, driveability, fuel handling safety, and overall emissions performance. This report summarizes a system design study completed after six months of effort on this project. The design study resulted in recommendations for ethanol-fuel blends that shall be tested for engine low-temperature cold-start performance and other criteria. The study also describes three changes to the engine, and two other changes to the vehicle to improve low-temperature starting, efficiency, and emissions. The three engine ...
The need for a Combustion and Melting Research Facility focused on the solution of glass manufacturing problems common to all segments of the glass industry was given high priority in the earliest version of the Glass Industry Technology Roadmap (Eisenhauer et al., 1997). Visteon Glass Systems and, later, PPG Industries proposed to meet this requirement, in partnership with the DOE/OIT Glass Program and Sandia National Laboratories, by designing and building a research furnace equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostics in the DOE Combustion Research Facility located at the Sandia site in Livermore, CA. Input on the configuration and objectives of the facility was sought from the entire industry by a variety of routes: (1) through a survey distributed to industry leaders by GMIC, (2) by conducting an open workshop following the OIT Glass Industry Project Review in September 1999, (3) from discussions with numerous glass engineers, scientists, and executives, and (4) during visits to ...
BackgroundMetastases to the stomach from an extra-gastric neoplasm are an unusual event, identified in less than 2% of cancer patients at autopsy. The stomach may be involved by hematogenous spread from a distant primary (most commonly breast, melanoma or lung), or by contiguous spread from an adjacent malignancy, such as the pancreas, esophagus and gallbladder. These latter sites may also involve the stomach via lymphatic or haematogenous spread. We present three cases of secondary gastric malignancy.Methods/ResultsThe first is a 19-year-old male who received a diagnosis of testicular choriocarcinoma in September 2004. Metastatic malignancy was demonstrated in the stomach after partial gastrectomy was performed to control gastric hemorrhage.The second is a 75-year-old male, generally well, who was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung in September 2005. Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung was demonstrated in a subsequent biopsy of "gastric ...
Increasingly stringent safety requirements governing the nuclear industry have made it essential to gain in-depth knowledge of the injuriousness of cracking phenomena in auxiliary and secondary nuclear power plant systems, and to devise methods of rapidly evaluating potentially injurious flaws. The Defect Injuriousness Diagnosis and Treatment Package (DIDTP) discussed in this paper was developed by Framatome, a French-based PWR builder, with this goal in mind. A general description is given of the DIDTP, which is made up of tables and nomographs illustrating the injuriousness of flaws liable to be encountered in the most severely loaded regions of plant systems. The basic principles underlying the DIDTP, together with computational methods and application procedure, are detailed. Two practical examples illustrating the use of the diagnostic system are presented, one applied to the main steam line, the other to gate valve wedges. The types of results obtained and ...
To assess the potential of CT in evaluating the histological severity of acute appendicitis in comparison with surgical and pathological findings. The CT images of 75 patients with surgically proven appendicitis, including 10 cases of catarrhal, 34 of phlegmonous, and 31 of gangrenous appendicitis, were retrospectively analyzed for the following five CT findings: hazy periappendiceal densities, enlarged appendix, increased enhancement of the appendiceal wall, increased enhancement of the periappendiceal intestinal wall, and deficiency of the appendiceal wall. By comparing all the CT findings and the pathological severity of appendicitis (catarrhal, phlegmonous, and gangrenous), the prevalence of the five CT findings was calculated for each pathological category. Abnormal CT findings were noted in only one case of catarrhal appendicitis. Increased enhancement of the appendiceal wall was observed in all 29 cases of phlegmonous appendicitis (100%), but in only 66.7% (18 cases) of ...
Gallstone is a common disease with a 10% prevalence in the United States and Western Europe. However, it is only symptomatic in 20-30% of patients, with biliary pain "colic" being the most common symptom. Complications of asymptomatic gallstone disease are generally rare, with an incidence of <1 %/yr. The most common complications of gallstone disease are acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis, ascending cholangitis, and gangrenous gallbladder. Less frequent complications include Mirizzi syndrome, cholecystocholedochal fistula, and gallstone ileus. Mirizzi syndrome and cholecystocholedochal fistula are two manifestations of the same process that starts with impaction of a gallstone in the gallbladder neck that results in obstruction of the bile duct, causing jaundice. The gallstone may erode into the bile duct, causing cholecystocholedochal fistula. Gallstone ileus refers to small bowel obstruction resulting from the impaction of one or more gallstones after they have migrated ...