UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Previous ultrasound elasticity imaging experiments supported a generally accepted concept that the hardness of deep venous thrombi increases with thrombus aging. Results also showed that this...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Advances in neuroscience have resulted in the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic agents for potential use in the central nervous system (CNS). However, the ability to deliver the...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose Skilled placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) has a profound impact on patient well-being and costs of care. The use of ultrasound-guided methods and prescribed training for cannulation skills are evidence-based practice recommendations. The purpose of this study was to compare two methods of PICC instruction on the acquisition of applied skills. Methods Residents were randomly assigned to one of two groups (N?=?16/16) of this blind-rater study and were trained to perform ultrasound-guided PICC cannulation using either simulation or apprenticeship methods. All residents were assessed placing a PICC in applied clinical patient care. Results Residents who completed simulation training had significantly better transfer of skills to applied clinical practice than ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A prospective comparative study with pathology was performed to assess the clinical value of Computed Tomography (CT) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for nodal staging in lung cancer. A total of 329 nodal stations were dissected or sampled and 755 lymph nodes were examined at histology. On a pre-station basis, CT had greater sensitivity (74%) than EUS (56%), but EUS was more specific (83% versus 93%). The accuracy rates of the two techniques were similar. In conclusion, endoscopic ultrasound should be part of a routine preoperative diagnostic approach to non-small-cell lung cancer., because of its high specificity. Results can be improved when EUS and CT are combined., which suggests that these imaging modalities should be used together in selected patients for the noninvasive staging of non-small-cell lung cancer to identify local lymphatic spread.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Short communication. 1 fig.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In principle four different methods (ultrasound, microwaves, {gamma}-radiation and x-rays) are available for the non-destructive testing of refractories. Three of these methods, i.e. ultrasound, microwaves and {gamma}-radiation, are in use by different producers of AZS materials to carry out the quality control of their products. This paper will compare the three methods on the basis of the physical properties, present the existing devices, and show the advantages as well as the limits of the different methods. {gamma}-radiography, the oldest method in use, has one main disadvantage, which is the requirement of protection against radioactive radiation. Furthermore, while cracks and cavities can be detected with this method, structural changes can not be monitored. Therefore, the ultrasonic method was developed that allows to detect variations of porosity and grain size as well as cracks and voids when the ultrasonic parameters are tuned as well ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Background: Mechanisms underlying the association between myocardial bridge (MB)-stenting and in-stent restenosis (ISR) are still unclear. Objective: To assess the impact of MB on ISR using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Methods: In the Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) trial, 100 left anterior descending artery (LAD) culprit lesions (79 treated with paclitaxel-eluting stents [PES] and 21 treated with bare metal stents) were imaged with serial IVUS immediately postprocedure and at 13 months. Results: At baseline the LAD stent extended into the MB segment beyond the culprit lesion in seven patients (MB-stent group). In the remaining 93 patients the LAD stent was implanted only in the culprit lesion without extending into t...

Science.gov (United States)

We report on the results of a preliminary study of the GCR-induced photon luminescence of the Moon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Purpose: To visualise the vessel wall of the descending thoracic aorta using magnetic resonance imaging. To evaluate the diagnostic potential of tailored T{sub 1}-weighted sequences with contrast enhancement to assess systemic atherosclerotic disease. Methods: This study was performed on a clinical 1.5 Tesla scanner using a gradient strength of 30 mT/m and the phased array spine coil. A cadaver was examined to optimise a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol to evaluate atherosclerotic aortic wall disease. The acquired MR images were compared to gross specimens and histology. Subsequently seven patients who had undergone transesophageal ultrasound (TEU) with detailed assessment of the descending thoracic aorta were examined with MRI. The optimised protocol included untriggered and fat suppressed T{sub 2}-weighted turbo spin echo sequences and ECG-triggered and fat suppressed T{sub 1}-weighted spin echo sequences before and after iv administration of Gd-DTPA. ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Norwegian Open Research Archives (NORA)

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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Objective: To compare the enhancement pattern of hilar cholangiocarcinoma on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with that on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients with pathologically proven hilar cholangiocarcinomas were evaluated by both low mechanical index CEUS and CECT. The enhancement feature of the tumor, portal vein infiltration, and lesion conspicuity on them was investigated. Results: In the arterial phase, the numbers of the lesions showing hyperenhancement, isoenhancement, and hypoenhancement, were 14 (43.8%), 14 (43.8%), and 4 (12.6%), on CEUS, and 12 (37.5%), 9 (28.1%), and 11 (34.4%), on CECT (P = 0.162). In portal phase, the numbers of the lesions showing hypoenhancement, isoenhancement, and hyperenhancement were 30 (93.8%), 1 (3.1%), and 1 (3.1%), on CEUS, and 23 (71.9%), 8 (25.0%), and 1 (3.1%), on CECT (P = 0.046). The detection rates for portal vein infiltration were 84.2% ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A thermal neutron imaging facility for real-time neutron radiography and computed tomography has recently been developed and built at the University of Texas TRIGA reactor. Herein the authors present preliminary results of radiography and tomography test experiments. These preliminary results showed that the beam is of high quality and is suitable for radiography and tomography applications. A more detailed description of the facility is given elsewhere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A combination of computer codes such as LATREP, HWRAXAV and CITATION is utilized in an attempt to analyze the nuclear design characteristics of the CAXDU-PHWR of the Wolsung Unit 1. The major nuclear properties to be computed are the lattice properties of CANDU fuel channel and the core channel power distribution. The computed results are compared with the preliminary safety reports documentation for the Wolsung reactor. The observed discrepancies between our computations and the preliminary safety reports values are discussed in terms of incomplete information on the description of the core configuration in the preliminary safety reports and the different calculation methods. (author).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We investigate a method for gene delivery to vascular smooth muscle cells using ultrasound triggered delivery of plasmid DNA from electrostatically coupled cationic microbubbles. Microbubbles...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

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

Science.gov (United States)

Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Insertion Technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The use of WPC as an important insulating material is studied by determining its dielectric constant. The variation of dielectric constant with moisture content is also investigated. Preliminary results show that all untreated woods studied have a higher dielectric constant than their polymer composites with the exception of Kapur and Keruing. It is therefore postulated that the presence of polymers has led to a decrease in the number of polarizable units. Such a material may be useful commercially.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

AIM: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the percutaneous use of the new nitinol SMARTeR stents in patients with biliary obstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four stents were placed in three patients percutaneously under ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance. RESULTS: The deployment of the stents was successful in all three patients. All stents maintained their patency and position after short-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: The nitinol SMARTeR stent is useful in the management of patients with biliary obstruction although accurate placement across the ampulla was found to be technically more difficult than with the Wallstent. Larger, long-term follow-up studies are required to evaluate the long-term patency of these new devices.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

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.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The techniques in order to measure the depth of defect in weldment and structure accurately have been developed. Many researches have made efforts to develop the methods for the accurate depth sizing of defect. TOFD is known as the most accurate method of various methods for measuring depth sizing. However, there is a possibility to miss defects because of the limitation of beam coverage for the ultrasound incident angle. In this study, the results for detectability and depth sizing using phased array ultrasonic technique for thick body were compared with those of conventional TOFD technique. It was experimentally confirmed that the phased array ultrasonic TOFD technique gives good detectability and accurate depth measurement for the various types of defects. The phased array ultrasonic TOFD technique developed in this study will contribute to increase the inspection reliability in thick component such as the pressure vessel of power generation ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paraquat poisoning in mammals results in a characteristic lung lesion manifested principally as progressive pulmonary fibrosis. Paraquat is actively concentrated into the lung but the site of uptake remains undefined. A method is described for the autoradiographic localization of paraquat in rats. Preliminary evidence for the site of uptake implicates the bronchiol. (author).

Science.gov (United States)

... (Starfish), we note that Qi - Qio(VdO/VAa)(l + R /RM3 )- which is based on ... OCY ATTN R. JEFFRIES KENNETH SW CHAMPION OCY ATTN J. ZINN ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

After that power fluctuations had occurred at Borssele nuclear power station it was decided to install a power system stabilizer. This stabilizer shall reduce the unwanted power fluctuations. The preliminary research and the results of measurements carried out during commissioning are described. (J.C.R.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purpose: For planning the therapeutic strategies and estimating the prognosis in esophageal cancer, N-staging is very important. To date, MRI still is of minor importance as imaging modality of the mediastinum despite promising developments in the past, like ECG-gating or 'averaging' sequences, e.g. LOTA (Long-term averaging), which facilitate mediastinal and thoracic MR-imaging. In a prospective approach, the value of MRI based N-staging was examined with respect to LOTA-sequences. Material and Methods: Within from weeks prior to esophagectomy, standardized MRI of the esophagus was performed in 15 patients (10 squamous-cell-carcinomas and 5 adenocarcinomas) using a 1.5 T whole body scanner. Imaging quality was classified based on depiction of aortic wall or tracheal wall layers. Criteria for malignant infiltration were a diameter of more than 15 mm or a round appearance of a lymph node together with GD-DTPA enhancement. All data were blinded and separately read by two radiologists. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous ultrasound (US)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICCA) in a small, nonrandomized series. From February 2004 to July 2008, six patients (four men and two women; mean age 69.8 years [range 48 to 83]) with ICCA underwent percutaneous US-guided RFA. Preintervetional transarterial embolization was performed in two cases to decrease heat dispersion during RFA in order to increase the area of ablation. The efficacy of RFA was evaluated using contrast-enhanced dynamic computed tomography (CT) 1 month after treatment and then every 3 months thereafter. Nine RFA sessions were performed for six solid hepatic tumors in six patients. The duration of follow-up ranged from 13 to 21 months (mean 17.5). Posttreatment CT showed total necrosis in four of six tumors after one or two RFA sessions. Residual tumor was observed in two patients with larger ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A wind energy study (WEST) in the coastal region of Bangladesh has been undertaken, in collaboration with Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and with technical support of the UK`s Energy Technology Support Unit (ETSU) under an ODA programme. Seven 25m high masts have just been installed at selected places and data for a complete year will be recorded. A brief account of the mast erection is given and some preliminary data is presented. Results indicate that fresh data is going to give higher figures than the meteorological ones. (author)

Science.gov (United States)

... [5] GT Gullberg, RH Huesman, DNG Roy, J. Qi and BW Reutter, Esti- mation of the parameter covariance matrix for a one-compartment cardiac ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveAngiography remains a critical component for diagnostic imaging and therapeutic intervention in peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The goal of this study...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report presents the results of the preliminary assessment (PA) conducted by Argonne National Laboratory at the Georgia Army National Guard (GAARNG) facility near Hinesville, Georgia, known as the National Guard Training Center (NGTC). Preliminary assessments of federal facilities are being conducted to compile the information necessary for completing preremedial activities and to provide a priority basis for completing corrective actions (where necessary) in response to releases of hazardous substances. The principal objective of the PA is to characterize the site accurately and determine the need for further action by examining previous site activities, types and quantities of hazardous substances utilized, and potential pathways by which contamination could affect public health and the environment. The scope of this assessment is limited to the facilities and past activities contained within the NGTC. ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundCardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) allows volumetric carotid plaque measurement that has advantage over 2-dimensional ultrasound (US) intima-media thickness (IMT)...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Due to the intensity and vast number of subjects, this Bremen experts' discussion, too, could discuss only part of the problem of the possibilitiy to quantify the radiation hazard. One preliminary result is that there is no scientific proof of the harmlessness of radiation exposure during normal operation of a nuclear power plant, either within the plant or in its vicinity. Other results are that some important questions can not be answered yet, and that there are important hints on the dangers even of low radiation doses. (GL).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuel elements used in the ORR whole-core LEU fuel demonstration have been gamma-scanned to determine axial distributions of UZLa and TXCs fission product activities. This data has been analyzed to determine cycle-averaged fuel element powers, residual STVU masses, and burnups of discharged fuel elements. Methods used to analyze the data are discussed and results are presented for the LEU fuel elements. Measured and calculates fuel element powers agree to within 5%, residual STVU masses to within 2%, and burnups to within 3%. These results are somewhat preliminary and await improved burnup calculations and independent calibration data to be based on the destructive analyses of a number of irradiated fuel elements. 4 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Materials and methods: 12 patients with 22 coronary bypass grafts underwent intraoperative flow quantification using the transit time ultrasound method. These values were compared to postoperative MR phase shift measurements. Flow measurements were performed preoperatively in 28 coronary arteries of 20 patients. For flow measurement, we used a velocity-encoded k-space segmented gradient echo sequence with a temporal resolution of 110 or 125 ms, respectively. 6-8 pase shift images could be acquired during one cardiac cycle. Results: There was a significant correlation between intraoperative and flow measurements using velocity-encoded MR imaging (r=0.76, p<0.0001, t-test). Flow volumes determined by MR imaging were systematically larger than those determined by the transit time ultrasound method. Mean flow in coronary arteries was reduced in severely stenosed vessels (>70%) compared to normal vessels. Intra- ...

Science.gov (United States)

No Abstract Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fatty acid esters such as Lipiodol or Ethiodol are known to selectively localize in vascular hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), following intraarterial hepatic administration. Lipiodol was labeled with radioactive /sup 131/I and administered in 47 patients with HCC for both imaging and therapy. The short term preliminary results suggest radiolabeled Lipiodol is effective in eliminating ascites, shrinking the tumor by a high internal radiation dose, and in improving symptomatology of these tumors. In the future, /sup 90/Y, which is a stronger pure beta-emitter (maximum beta energy of 2.27 MeV, a half life of 64 h, and a maximum penetration or beta range of 11mm), than /sup 131/I will be used for more effective treatment of HCC.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A prototype trumpet type nonimaging secondary concentrator has been designed and fabricated for use with the Cummins Power Generation (CPG) 7.5 kW(e) dish-Stirling system and a preliminary set of operating tests has been carried out. The secondary is 26.7 cm (10.5 in.) deep by about 69 cm (27 in.) wide, and has a geometric concentration of 1.7X. The test units were fabricated from polished copper spinnings, overcoated with vapor deposited aluminum and aluminum oxide layers and are water cooled. The basic design considerations are reviewed, the objectives and test procedures for the experiment are summarized and some preliminary results are presented.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Research on the emotion of shame has increased significantly in recent years. However, there remains a need for more psychometrically sound measures of shame, including measures of shame in response to specific, idiographic experiences. The Shame Inventory was developed in order to assess both global feelings of shame as well as shame in response to specific life events or personal characteristics. Two studies were conducted to determine the preliminary psychometric properties of the Shame Inventory. Across both studies, results indicate that the inventory has high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and predictive validity. The Shame Inventory holds promise as a new measure designed to assess both global feelings of shame as well as specific shame-eliciting ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Gibbs energy of mixing in liquid phase and the Gibbs energy of formation of various compounds in a binary Pu-Cd system were re-optimized by applying both recent and earlier experimental data. Those of the binary Pu-Bi and U-Bi systems were newly optimized. The results were summarized in a database and applied to the preliminary prediction of multi-solute systems in liquid Cd or Bi solvent. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Presented are some preliminary studies made in preparation for the design of a solar powered loop for desalination by humidification - dehumidification process. The studies concentrated on the evaluation of different parameters affecting the performance of the combination of different components in such a loop in the hope of outlining the most decisive factors for the choice or design of solar collectors or heat source. The results presented relate to the performance of two of the most important components in a loop of such purpose, that is: the humidifying and the dehumidifying columns or stacks. 4 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this thesis the search for a strange pentaquark {theta}{sup +}, decaying into pK{sup 0}{sub S}, in the process eN{yields}e'{theta}{sup +} anti K at 27.5 GeV, studied with a deuteron target. Preliminary results on the invariant-mass spectra are presented from which the {theta}{sup +} can neither be confirmed nor ruled out. (HSI)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experimental results of a search for the {Xi}{sub 3/2}(1860) cascade pentaquark state in data collected with the CDF 2 Detector in Run II at the Tevatron are presented. No evidence for these states in the neutral {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} and doubly charged {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -} modes has been found. Preliminary upper limits on yields at 1862 MeV/c{sup 2} relative to the well established resonance {Xi}*(1530){sup 0} are presented.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We have investigated the detection performance of GaAs detectors made with different thickness and contact geometries. A comparison is made between these detection capabilities and the imaging requirements for the following medical applications: digital mammography, digital chest radiography and nuclear medicine. Experimental results and preliminary images are presented and discussed. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prior to an industrial-scale test of zinc/air batteries at Greven, the TUeV Bayern-Sachsen carried out preliminary tests on behalf of the Deutsche Bundespost. The results were quite promising: The energy density of the new battery is ten times as high as that of conventional lead batteries, and the battery-powered test vehicle had a range of up to 300 km. (orig.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uranyl nitrate ("2"3"3U) was retained mainly in lung, skeleton, pelt and kidney 60 days after inhalation exposure. The concentration in lung exceeded that in other tissues. Preliminary results with "2"3"2U indicate retention in lung similar to that of "2"3"3U, at total deposited mass levels of 0.1 #mu#g or less.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effect of finite gyroradius on the current diffusive ballooning mode is examined. Starting from the reduced MHD equations including turbulent transports, coupling with drift motion and finite gyroradius effect of ions, we derive a ballooning mode equation with complex transport coefficients. The eigenfrequency, saturation level and thermal diffusivity are evaluated numerically from the marginal stability condition. Preliminary results of their parameter dependence is presented. (author)

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Femur fractures typically affect elderly patients with multiple co-morbidities. Pain control can be difficult, requiring intensive nursing and physician care as elderly patients may manifest cardiovascular...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A novel method for non-destructive intramuscular fat (IMF) estimation via spectral ultrasound backscatter analysis of signals obtained from pig carcasses early post mortem is described. A commercial hand-held ultrasound device (center frequency: 2.7MHz) was modified to focus the sound beam to the longissimus muscle at the 2nd/3rd last rib. Time-resolved ultrasound backscatter signals of loin muscle were recorded 45minp.m. on 82 pig carcass sides. Backfat width (d"B"F=18.9+/-3.8mm) and muscle attenuation (@a"m"u"s"c"l"e=.77+/-.15dBMHz^-^1cm^-^1) were assessed from the measured pulse echo data. Other propagation properties of skin, backfat and muscle tissue obtained in a previous investigation were incorporated into the signal pre-processing to minimize parameter estimation artifacts. Spectr...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVES: To define a method for measurement of the cross sectional area and volume of the quadriceps femoris muscle using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in conjunction with stereology, and to compare...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Endovascular surgery is a new multidisciplinary field that applies the recently innovated techniques of angioscopy, intraluminal ultrasound, balloon angioplasty, laser, mechanical atherectomy, and stents....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundLifestyle, genetics and environmental factors are established determinants of bone density. We aimed to describe the bone characteristics of competitive top-ranked Nigerian...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report presents the main conclusions of 15 years of researches managed by the CEA. This report is the preliminary version of the 2005 final report. It presents the main conclusions of the actions on the axis 1 and 3 of the law of the 30 December 1991. The synthesis report on the axis 1 concerns results obtained on the long lived radionuclides separation and transmutation in high level and long lived radioactive wastes. the synthesis report on the axis 3 presents results obtained by the processes of conditioning and of ground and underground long term storage. (A.L.B.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Some results on mechanical property study of copper and titanium subjected to impact load and next to neutron irradiation are presented. It was shown that shock wave influence involves a substantial shape change of the stress-strain diagram and of respective mechanical characteristics. Yield- and ultimate strength were substantially increased, as well as hardness with a considerable drop of plasticity. Also a heat stability of copper and titanium specimens was studied after being treated with shock-waves and neutron radiation. Results are given of electron microscope study of titanium structure sfter explosion hardening, which caused decomposition of hydride segregations in titanium and increased dislocation density.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

During the last decade there was a growing interest on the application of Positron Emission Tomography, PET, techniques to Breast Imaging. More recently, preliminary results suggested the use of dedicated devices to Breast Imaging using the same technique, the so-called Positron Emission Mammography cameras, PEM. In this article we review the arguments leading to a dedicated instrument. Based on these arguments we describe the concept of a PEM camera under development within the Crystal Clear Collaboration and the first results of its expected performance in terms of sensitivity and position resolution.

Science.gov (United States)

In March 2007 in-pile testing of LEU U-Mo full-size IRT type fuel elements was started in the MIR reactor. Four prototype fuel elements for Uzbekistan WWR SM reactor are being tested simultaneously - two of tube type design and two of pin type design. The dismountable irradiation devices were constructed for intermediate reloading and inspection of fuel elements during reactor testing. The objective of the test is to obtain the experimental results for determination of more reliable design and licensing fuel elements for conversion of the WWR SM reactor. The heat power of fuel elements is measured on-line by thermal balance method. The distribution of fission density and burn-up of uranium in the volume of elements are calculated by using the MIR reactor MCU code (Monte-Carlo) model. In this paper the design of fuel elements, the technique, main parameters and preliminary results are described. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Preliminary results from a large-scale testbed of advanced lighting control technologies at the Phillip Burton Federal Building at 450 Golden Gate Ave. in San Francisco are presented. The first year objective of this project is to determine the sustainable energy savings and cost-effectiveness of different lighting control technologies compared to a portion of the building where only minimal controls are installed. The paper presents the analyzed results from six months of tests focused on accurately characterizing the energy savings potential of one type of daylight-linked lighting controls compared to the lighting in similar open-planned areas without dimming controls. After analyzing a half year;s data, we determined that the annual energy savings for this type of daylight- linked controls was 41% and 30% for the outer rows of lights on the South and North sides of the building, respectively. The annual energy savings ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In a prospective study 102 patients with malignant tumors of the tongue, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx were staged by means of MRI. Special attention was directed at those tumour extensions that could influence the treatment strategy. The MR findings were correlated with the results of palpation, endoscopy, ultrasound, computerised tomography and histopathological findings. MRI showed a good delineation of pT{sub 2} to pT{sub 4} tumours. However, visualisation of small tumours in the soft palate, the tonsils, the pyriform sinuses and vocal cords was difficult. In conclusion our results suggest that in addition to endoscopy MRI is a valuable tool for the examination of tumours of tongue, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx. (orig.) [Deutsch] In einer prospektiven Studie wurden 102 Patienten mit malignen Tumoren der Mundhoehle, des Oro- und Hypopharynx sowie des Larynx mit der Mgnetresonanztomographie (MRT) untersucht, ...

CERN Document Server

There are various interesting semantics' (extensions) designed for argumentation frameworks. They enable to assign a meaning, e.g., to odd-length cycles. Our main motivation is to transfer semantics' proposed by Baroni, Giacomin and Guida for argumetation frameworks with odd-length cycles to logic programs with odd-length cycles through default negation. The developed construction is even stronger. For a given logic program an argumentation framework is defined. The construction enables to transfer each semantics of the resulting argumentation framework to a semantics of the given logic program. Weak points of the construction are discussed and some future continuations of this approach are outlined.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Six kinds of diamino-dithiol compounds are labelled with "9"9Tc"m by ligands exchange reaction. Their ligands exchange percentage is over 95%. The biodistribution of one of these compounds in mice shows 0.88% brain uptake after two minutes and 0.28% after 15 minutes respectively. Although the brain uptake is lower for this compound, it has longer retention in brain. So, the experiment results are valuable to the design of new brain imaging agent in the future.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Considering the hardware characteristics of the laser-induced plasma X-ray source and the limitations of the conventional cone-beam reconstruction algorithm, a general cone-beam reconstruction algorithm has been developed at our laboratory, in which the motion locus of the X-ray source is an arbitrary curve corresponding to at least a 2{pi} continuous horizontal angular displacement in the coordinate system of the specimen. The preliminary simulation shows that the general cone-beam reconstruction algorithm consistently results in visually satisfactory images.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We have measured the neutron capture and fission cross section of "2"3"3U at the neutron time-of-flight facility n-TOF at CERN in the energy range from 1 eV to 1 MeV with high accuracy by using a high performance 4#pi# BaF_2 Total Absorption Calorimeter (TAC) as a detection device. The method, based on the shape analysis of the TAC energy response, allowing to disentangle between #gamma#'s originating from fission and capture will be presented as well as the first very preliminary results. (authors)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In the Aqueous Self-Cooled Blanket (ASCB) concept, an aqueous "6Li solution in a metallic structure is used as a shielding-breeding blanket for fusion reactors. The experimental results of this study indicate that the radiolytic gas production in an ASCB will be proportional to the absorbed radiation energy. The observed radiation chemical yields allow the preliminary estimation of the radiolysis effects for a specific ASCB design. Contrary to the theoretical predictions, the use of hydrogen as a cover gas at up to 1 MPa had no measurable effect on the radiolytic gas production. Probably it will thus not be possible to suppress the radiolytic decomposition of a low-pressure ASCB by the addition of hydrogen. Catalytic recombination will be required. (orig.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper presents the results of a series of experiments performed to study the effect of initial pressure vessel conditions on the extent of melt dispersal from scaled reactor cavities and describes progress in development of a mathematical model which is designed to predict the melt mass dispersed from reactor cavities as a function of reactor vessel initial conditions and on the vessel breach area. The model, which is being developed to also characterize the heat transfer and chemical reaction phenomena which would take place within the reactor cavity, is designed to be incorporated into a lumped-parameter containment analysis computer code.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The purpose of-this planning guide is to present the process used to identify, document, and control PFP Stabilization and Deactivation Project interfaces. Revisions to this document will include, as attachments, the most recent version of the Project Interface Management List. A preliminary Interface Management List is included in Appendix A. This document is intended be a Project owned management tool. As such, this document will periodically require revisions resulting from improvements of the information, processes, and techniques as now described. For most revisions that suggest improved processes, PFP management approval is all that will be required.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The ongoing upgrade of the Los Alamos Free-Electron Laser (FEL) Facility involves the addition of a photoelectric injector (PEI) and acceleration capability to about 40 MeV. The electron-beam and high-speed diagnostics provide key measurements of charge, beam position and profile, divergence emittance, energy (centroid, spread, slew, and extraction efficiency), micropulse duration, and phase stability. Preliminary results on the facility include optical transition radiation interferometer measurements of divergence (1 to 2 mrad), FEL extraction efficiency (0.6 {plus minus} 0.2%), and drive laser phase stability (< 2 ps (rms)). 10 refs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The present work gives preliminary results of analysis of drug mixtures (NEPHROSAL tea bag) and its water infusion. In a sample of dried drugs the elements K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sr, Pb were identified, whereas in their water infusion only Ca, Mn, Zn and Sr were found. The method applied was radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis using a radionuclide source "1"0"9Cd, a Si/Li semiconductor detector and a multichannel analyzer Canberra 8100. (author) 6 refs.; 3 figs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The fusion excitation function for the radioactive projectile "8 Li on a "2"0"8 Pb target has been measured at energies near the Coulomb barrier. The results show that in the considered energy interval, the evaporation of four neutrons is the most relevant mechanism. However, at the highest energies used in the experiment, the Sn channel begins to appear. The preliminary experimental cross sections show a good agreement with the predictions of a simple evaporation calculation using the code PACE. (Author) 16 refs., 1 tab., 4 figs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

To support the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), a study was performed to investigate power system alternatives for the rover vehicles and servicers that were subsequently generated for each of these rovers and servicers, candidate power sources incorporating various power generation and energy storage technologies were identified. The technologies were those believed most appropriate to the SEI missions, and included solar, electrochemical, and isotope systems. The candidates were characterized with respect to system mass, deployed area, and volume. For each of the missions a preliminary selection was made. Results of this study depict the available power sources in light of mission requirements as they are currently defined.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Condensing curves are presented for a number of two-component mixed hydrocarbon working fluids which are potentially usable in binary geothermal cycles. Performance of geothermal thermodynamic cycles incorporating these fluids has been evaluated under separate cover; two figures summarizing the results of those evaluations have been included here for continuity. The purpose of this report is: first, to document the condensing curves which were used in the mixed fluid cycle analyses, and second, to provide background useful in the preliminary evaluation of heat rejection systems for advanced geothermal electric power plants utilizing mixed hydrocarbon working fluids. Some concluding remarks are presented.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

sup(99m)Tc-MDP bone scintigraphy was performed on patients who received muscle-pedicle bone graft. In each of the bone head and the bone graft, a time-activity curve was obtained. In this muscle-pedicle bone graft, active revascularization and marked osteogenesis, which suggested rapid bone repairing, were observed. The bone scintigraphy was considered to be useful in observing the result of bone grafts, blood circulation, and time of bone fusion, and of value for early detection of secondary changes.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The multicell proportional chambers at the backing calorimeter of the ZEUS experiment at the storage ring HERA are supplied with a gas mixture of Ar/CO[sub 2] by an open gas system. Flow proportional counters with the build-up [sup 55]Fe sources are used as gas system monitoring detectors. The ZEUS experiment is planned to collect data for about 10 years. Therefore, the lifetime of the Ar/CO[sub 2] mixture should be known. In this paper, the results of laboratory tests and preliminary measurements of the aging effects for monitoring counters are presented. ((orig.))

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new technique for radon measurement in the natural environment was investigated. It is based on the use of activated charcoal and a track-etch detector. The charcoal acts as a radon collector from the air and the track-etch detector as a recorder of the alpha particles emitted by radon and its decay products. Our preliminary results show that the response of the new dosimeter to radon, using Deodorant activated charcoal (TOK, Yugoslavia) and a CR-39 track-etch detector, is 1.4 tracks cm{sup -2}/Bqm{sup -3}d, which is about eight times higher than that obtained with a standard track-etch dosimeter. (author).

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Previous investigations have shown promising results in using the directional cross-correlation method to estimate velocity vectors. The velocity vector estimate provides information on both velocity direction and magnitude. The direction is estimated by beamforming signals along directions in the range $[0^{\\circ}; 180^{\\circ}[$ and identifying the direction that produces the largest correlation across emissions. An estimate of the velocity magnitude is obtained from the spatial shift between signals beamformed along the estimated direction. This paper expands these investigations to include estimations of the vector velocities of a larger region by combining the estimations along several scan lines. In combination with a B-mode image, the vector velocities are displayed as an image of the investigated region with a color indicating the magnitude, and arrows showing the direction of the flow. Using the RASMUS experimental ultrasound scanner, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pipeline automated ultrasonic testing (AUT) uses fully automated equipment that travels around a pipe on a welding band in a linear scan to allow array pulses to provide ultrasound information on weld zones. Pipeline AUT is also used for zone discrimination as well as with special calibration blocks, dual gate output displays, and rapid defect sizing. AUT allows for the inspection of welds soon after completion, and can save construction costs by process control when combined with engineering critical assessment (ECA) to minimize rejection rates. Ultrasonic phased arrays (UPA) use an array of elements that are all individually wired, pulsed, and time-shifted. Elements are pulsed in groups of approximately 16 elements at a time for pipeline welds. Phased arrays can be used to combine electronic scanning, sectorial scanning and precision focusing to give a practical combination of displays. Optimum angles can be selected for welds and other components, and the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As an alternative to surgery, endovascular therapy with stent grafts has become the second main treatment option for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. Unlike surgery, endovascular treatment with stent grafts is also applicable in patients unfit for open repair. Despite current improvements in endovascular repair devices, significant anatomic barriers still exclude this technique for a large number of patients. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound are essential for diagnostics, preintervention planning, and postintervention follow-up of abdominal aneurysms treated with stent grafts. This review covers etiology, pathology, and diagnostic aspects. Materials and methods for endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms are presented in detail, and clinical results and complications are discussed. (orig.) [German] Die endovaskulaere Therapie des infrarenalen Bauchaortenaneurysmas hat sich als Alternative zur ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Objective was to assess the accuracy of a single versus combined use of ultrasound (US) or computed tomography (CT) in the localization of diseased parathyroid glands. Forty-one patients with hyper-parathyroidism treated surgically between January 2000 to December 2005 at Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan were included in this study. Preoperative ultrasonographic and CT findings were reviewed and compared to the intraoperative and pathologic diagnosis of diseased parathyroid glands. The mean age of patients was 46 years (range 16-70; 15 males and 26 females). Parathyroid adenoma was confirmed in 33 patients and hyperplasia of the parathyroid glands in 8 patients. Preoperative evaluation was carried out in 32 patients (CT scan) and in 23 patients (US). In 18 cases, the diagnosis of parathyroid disease was based on CT findings alone and in 9 patients the diagnosis was based on a single US finding. Combined CT and US evaluation was carried out in 14 cases and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Surry low power and shutdown probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) is an ongoing project at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to identify and quantify potential accident scenarios that may occur in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) during low power and shutdown. It was initiated as a result of various incidents and accidents that have occurred within the United States and overseas. The project involves review and evaluation of PWR experience at shutdown, identification of accident scenarios, determination of methods to mitigate the accidents, and performance a level 1 PRA. An evaluation of accident progression, source terms and consequences has also been initiated. The results will be used to address issues related to shutdown conditions. The objective of this paper is to provide a progress report on the project, and to present the approach used as well as the preliminary results of the ongoing and ...

Science.gov (United States)

The purpose of this project was to design, build, and characterize the performance of a volume breast ultrasound (VBUS) scanner that images the pendant breast. VBUS scanner design includes a: 1) clinical ultrasound scanner and transducer; 2) scanning table with a hole for the pendant breast; 3) rotational gantry; 4) probe mounting assembly; 5) compressionless breast stabilization device; 6) acquisition, control, reconstruction, and display software. Performance assessment characterized a variety of parameters including: spatial resolution, uniformity, and distortion using high and low contrast test objects in both horizontal and vertical scanning modes. The VBUS scanner modules have been constructed and initial performance evaluated. Approximately 300 scans are acquired over 360 degrees in 18 seconds. Reconstruction requires 25 ms per slice. Test object images depicted hyper- and hypo-echoic masses and demonstrated good resolution, soft tissue ...

Science.gov (United States)

In this article, we describe the development and preliminary psychometric properties of the Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO), a semistructured interview designed for the dimensional assessment of identity, primitive defenses, and reality testing, the three primary content domains in the model of personality health and disorder elaborated by Kernberg (1984; Kernberg & Caligor, 2005). Results of this investigation, conducted in a clinical sample representing a broad range of personality pathology, indicate that identity and primitive defenses as operationalized in the STIPO are internally consistent and that interrater reliability for all 3 content domains is adequate. Validity findings suggest that the assessment of one's sense of self and significant others (Identity) is predictive of measures of positive and negative affect, whereas the maladaptive ways in which the subject uses his or her objects for purposes of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laser-assisted processing techniques, utilized to produce fine, metal grid patterns for high-efficiency solar cells, are being investigated, developed, and characterized. The work performed in the third quarter of this contract is detailed here. A preliminary economic evaluation has yielded the conclusion that laser-assisted pyrolysis of spun-on silver neodecanoate is the most promising of all the metallization techniques being investigated in this contract. Early adhesion problems have been solved by optimizing deposition parameters. Linewidth studies have been carried out as a function of laser power, scan speed, and film thickness. Preliminary solar cells have been fabricated and characterized using this metallization scheme. Silver neodecanoate films have also been decomposed using a pulsed uv laser and metal mask. A detailed study of the various models of localized surface temperature rise in silicon due to laser heating has been carried ...

CERN Document Server

Delta Scorpii is a double giant Be star in the forefront of the Scorpio, well visible to the naked eye, being normally of magnitude 2.3. In the year 2000 its luminosity rose up suddenly to the magnitude 1.6, changing the usual aspect of the constellation of Scorpio. This phenomenon has been associated to the close periastron of the companion, orbiting on a elongate ellipse with a period of about 11 years. The periastron, on basis of high precision astrometry, is expected to occur in the first decade of July 2011, and the second star of the system is approaching the atmosphere of the primary, whose circumstellar disk has a H-alpha diameter of 5 milliarcsec, comparable with the periastron distance. The preliminary results of a photometric campaign, here presented in the very days of the periastron, show an irregular behavior of the star's luminosity, which can reflect some shocks between material around the two stars. The small luminosity ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The long-lived nuclides of the americium and curium elements are of interest for their use in certain safeguard applications and for nuclear reactor burnup studies in waste management. Recommended values are presented for /sup 241,242m,243/Am, and for /sup 242,243,244,245,246,247,248,250/Cm. These values result from a consistent evaluation of all these half-lives. These preliminary estimates were presented earlier. The uncertainties are provided at the 95% confidence limit for each of the recommended values. It will be noted that many of the recommended errors considerably exceed errors quoted by individual authors in their publication, by up to an order of magnitude, e.g. the total half-life of /sup 242,246,248/Cm and the spontaneous fission half-life of /sup 244/Cm. These preliminary estimates for the half-lives were given previously. Efforts continue to reevaluate the various experiments to better gauge the systematic ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Calcaneus quantitative ultrasound (QUS) assessment is a safe and reliable method for evaluating skeletal status. Until now, considerable data have been accumulated on the distribution of QUS in Caucasian populations, whereas such data are still insufficient in Asian populations, especially in Chinese mainland. The present study aimed to obtain the distribution characteristic of calcaneus QUS in healthy Chinese women, and to further investigate the distribution of low bone mass by QUS stiffness index (SI). This study included 2,498 healthy Chinese females aged 10-87 yr. The QUS exhibited a characteristic mild rise and then fall pattern with increasing age. Age, body height, and weight were significant influencing factors on SI, especially age and weight. The prevalence of osteoporosis detec...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Previous analyses of binary cycles for conversion of geothermal energy from moderate temperature resources to electrical energy have shown potential gains in net geofluid effectiveness of on the order of 8%, resulting from selection of turbine-expansion processes whose equilibrium states pass through the two-phase region (assuming major condensation does not occur). If condensation occurs, this gain could be reduced or eliminated by the resulting loss in turbine efficiency. Experience with many fluids, however, indicates that vapor supersaturation (or subcooling) permits metastable pure-vapor states to exist at temperatures considerably below the saturation temperature at a given pressure; thus, by better understanding the condensation process, and properly structuring the cycle, substantial performance gains may be achievable. The present study assessed, qualitatively, the probability for attaining this performance gain.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experience with the identification and tuning of exciter constants for a generating unit as the Second Nuclear Power Plant of Taiwan Power Company is reported. Field test is first performed on the excitation system with the generator open-circuited. Since the field test results differ from the computer simulation results using manufacturer`s constants, the authors first modify the manufacturer`s constants based on their previous experience to reach a preliminary set of parameters for the excitation system. Then a hybrid nonlinear simulation-sensitivity matrix method is developed to further refine the excitation system parameters. The exciter constants are tuned in order to give better dynamic response before a power system stabilizer is applied to the generator. Field tests are then performed in order to compare the dynamic response of the generator without and with power system stabilizer.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Aim of study: Clitoria ternatea L. (Family: Fabaceae) is being used in traditional medicine for the treatment of severe bronchitis and asthma. So the aim of study was to evaluate antiasthmatic activity of ethanol extract of Clitoria ternatea roots. Materials and methods: In the present study ethanol extract of Clitoria ternatea root (ECTR) was evaluated for preliminary phytochemical screening, acute toxicity studies and antiasthmatic activity using milk induced leucocytosis and eosinophilia in mice, egg albumin induced mast cell degranulations in rats and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in rats at doses (100-150mg/kg ip). Results: The results of present investigation showed that the LD50 of ECTR is more than 1300mg/kg. ECTR significantly decreases milk induced leucocytosis and eosinophilia, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Some results and experimental procedures of laboratory are reported in the frame of researches conducted for the development of new nanostructured composite materials. These new materials, which are constituted by an organic phase: the polymer and an inorganic phase: the silicate, are being strongly investigated nowadays so it is expected that they could provide, among other, better electrical insulation properties and flame-delay in electrical and electronic applications. The laboratory experimental work has been developed from two families of polymers, thermoplastics and thermosets and clays silicates providing lamellar type. There are now some preliminary results, such as obtaining thin films of these nanocomposite materials, their complete characterization by X-ray diffraction, scanning microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, they do well to wait for future research activities. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report provide appropriate guidance for addressing the major technical issues associated with the design and installation of a photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) system. Nomographs are presented for developing preliminary sizing and costing, and issues associated with specific components and the overall design of the electrical and mechanical system are discussed. SAND82-7157/2 presents a review of current PV-T technology and operating systems and a study of potential PV-T applications. Detailed PV-T system designs for three selected applications and the results of a trade-off study for these applications are presented in SAND82-7157/4. A summary of the major results of this entire study and conclusions concerning PV-T systems and applications is presented in SAND82-7157/1.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ultrasound tomography is an attractive imaging method for the detection of breast cancer. The complex anatomy of the breast with its different spatial scales and material property contrasts make accurate reconstructions very challenging. This paper proposes a hybrid approach whereby Travel-of-Flight and Diffraction Tomography are combined together to achieve high-resolution and high-accuracy sound-speed reconstructions. The method is validated with several numerical phantoms.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

High-intensity contact ultrasound (HICU) under MRI guidance may provide minimally invasive treatment of endocavitary digestive tumors in the esophagus, colon or rectum. In this study, a miniature receive-only coil was integrated into an endoscopic ultrasound applicator to offer high-resolution MRI guidance of thermotherapy. A cylindrical plastic support with an incorporated single element flat transducer (9.45 MHz, water cooling tip) was made and equipped with a rectangular RF loop coil surrounding the active element. The integrated coil provided significantly higher sensitivity than a four-element extracorporeal phased array coil, and the standard deviation of the MR thermometry (SDT) improved up to a factor of 7 at 10 mm depth in tissue. High-resolution morphological images (T1w-TFE and IR-T1w-TSE with a voxel size of 0.25 x 0.25 x 3 mm3) and accurate thermometry data (the PRFS method with a voxel size of 0.5 x 0.5 x 5 mm3, 2.2 s/image, 0.3 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minimally invasive thermotherapies for focal tissue destruction on the basis of laser-, microwave-, focused ultrasound-, or cryogeninduced changes of tissue temperature represent an alternative to surgical tissue ablation, particularly in the treatment of tumors. The thermotherapy modalities listed necessitate indirect guidance and monitoring, since they often do not lend themselves to immediate visual control. In the brain, in head and neck tumors, in the liver, and in the prostate, MRI reliably and accurately delineates both the positions of interstitial thermotherapy applicators and - in contrast-enhanced, T1-weighted images - the perfusion defects in tissue necrosis induced by thermotherapy. The transfer of results of in-vitro and in-vivo model studies to assess interstitial temperature and lesion development during thermotherapy to the actual treatment of patients, however, is still in an initial phase. Further development of both rapid ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Compared with that of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, the reactor power of QS-II Nuclear Power Plant is decreased and the primary coolant system is changed from three loops to two loops. Thereby the related systems were re-designed, and corresponding tests and engineering validation were carried out. Results of preliminary operation indicate that it is successful. The author describes the design modifications, features and corresponding tests of some systems, reflecting the successful incorporation of engineering and testing, and revealing the capability to develop nuclear power and design the large or medium sized commercial NPP on Self-Reliance in China

Science.gov (United States)

The long-lived nuclides of the americium curium elements are of interest for their use in certain safeguard applications and for nuclear reactor burnup studies in waste management. Recommended values are presented for /sup 241,242m,243/Am, and for /sup 242,243,244,245,246,247,248,250/Cm. These values result from a consistent evaluation of all these half-lives. These preliminary estimates were presented earlier. The uncertainties are provided at the 95% confidence limit for each of the recommended values. It will be noted that many of the recommended errors considerably exceed errors quoted by individual authors in their publication, by up to an order of magnitude, e.g., the total half-life of /sup 242,246,248/Cm and the spontaneous fission half-life of /sup 244/Cm. 65 refs., 18 tabs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radio-frequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of the distal pulmonary veins is increasingly being used to treat recurrent or refractory atrial fibrillation that doesn't respond to pharmacologic therapy or cardioversion. Successful RFCA of atrial al fibrillation depends on the pre-procedural understanding of the complex anatomy of the distal pulmonary veins and the left atrium. Aim of this parer is to describe the technical main features that characterise the multidetector helical computed tomography in the evaluation of this anatomic region before and after RFCA procedure. The 3D post-processing techniques useful for pre-RFCA planning are straightforward.

CERN Document Server

We observed at 22 GHz with the VLBI array VERA a sample of 1536 sources with correlated flux densities brighter than 200 mJy at 8 GHz. One half of target sources has been detected. The detection limit was around 200 mJy. We derived the correlated flux densities of 877 detected sources in three ranges of projected baseline lengths. The objective of these observations was to determine the suitability of given sources as phase calibrators for dual-beam and phase-referencing observations at high frequencies. Preliminary results indicate that the number of compact extragalactic sources at 22 GHz brighter than a given correlated flux density level is twice less than at 8 GHz.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We have studied energy levels in "6"3Fe populated in the #beta#-decay of "6"3Mn. A new (preliminary) level scheme of "6"3Fe includes 10 excited states connected by 21 #gamma#-rays. The first excited states at 357 and 451 keV have the level half-lives of 110 ps and 780 ps, respectively. Three states, at 357, 451 and 1132 keV, are strongly #beta#-fed with log ft #approx# 5, while there is only a very week #beta#-feeding, if any at all, to the ground state. The new results imply that "6"3Fe departs from a simple shell model structure observed for heavier N = 37 isotones of "6"5Ni and "6"7Zn. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The primary aims of the BESS-Polar program are precise measurements of the low-energy antiproton spectrum and search for cosmologically significant antimatter, which would provide new clues to understand the early Universe. The second flight (BESS-Polar II) over Antarctica was successfully carried out in December 2007 - January 2008. We performed 24.5 days scientific observation just at the solar minimum. The payload worked well during the flight and 4.7 billion cosmic-ray events were collected, which corresponds to 10-20 times statistics of the BESS data taken in the previous solar minimum period (1995 and 1997). Based on the BESS-Polar II data, we will present recent preliminary results of cosmic-ray antiproton measurements and sensitive search for antimatter. (authors)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This remedial investigation (RI)/feasibility study (FS) supports the selection of remedial actions for the David Witherspoon, Inc. 901 Maryville Pike Site in Knoxville, Tennessee. Operations at the site, used as a recycling center, have resulted in past, present, and potential future releases of hazardous substances in to the environment. This Site is a Tennessee Superfund site. A phased approach was planned to (1) gather existing data from previous investigations managed by the Tenn. Dept. of Environment and Conservation; (2) perform a preliminary RI, including risk assessments, and an FS with existing data to identify areas where remedial action may be necessary; (3) gather additional field data to adequately define the nature and extent of risk-based contaminants that present identifiable threats to human and/or ecological receptors; and (4) develop remedial action alternatives to reduce risks to acceptable levels.

CERN Document Server

This document is divided in two parts. The first part deals with the radial velocities (RV) distributions for B-type stars and nebulosities observed with the VLT-GIRAFFE in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds towards the open clusters NGC2004 and NGC330. Thanks to the resolution of GIRAFFE spectra, we found that the RV distribution for the nebulosities in the LMC is bi-modal. This bi-modality can be interpreted, in term of dynamics, by the expansion of the LMC4 superbubble. The second part deals with the GAIA space mission and the determination of the radial velocities by using Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS) spectra. The methods to determine the radial velocities are presented as well as preliminary results on simulated RVS spectra.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribbon parachute fabrics were tested during development and production of a 24 ft parachute, and after 2.5 years ambient exposure at several storage sites. The effects of sewing, packing, and parachute deployment on material strength were obtained in the 1000 lb Kevlar ribbon after moisture exposure during packing, and when packed parachutes absorbed moisture or were thermal cycled. Individual yarn samples from the low strength ribbons exhibited little change in strength indicating that the material itself had not degraded. Factors leading to the change in ribbon strength are discussed. Considering all materials, there have been no indications to date of any uncontrollable changes in material strength that would limit the use of Kevlar in parachute applications.

CERN Document Server

Monte Carlo calculations of proton irradiation of permanent magnets for the TRADE experiment have been performed. An irradiation dose of about 4´106 Gy/yr/mA has been estimated due to beam losses in normal operating conditions. Existing experimental results indicate that this irradiation level may induce a considerable demagnetization: in fact, a dose of 6´107 Gy induces a remanence loss of 0.3 % on samples of Sm2Co17 magnets, which are the most resistant type. More detailed calculations with the final design of the magnets and of the beam line are suggested, to determine if the irradiation levels allowed a reliable operation of the permanent magnets for the entire duration of the TRADE experiment. Damage and gas production rates have also been calculated; the values obtained are very low, thus confirming that the demagnetization process is in great part reversible.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The neutron elastic magnetic form factor G_M"n has been extracted from quasielastic scattering from deuterium in the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer, CLAS [B. Mecking et al., Nucl. Inst. and Meth. A 503 (2003) 513]. The kinematic coverage of the measurement is continuous over a broad range, extending from below 1 GeV"2 to nearly 5 GeV"2 in four-momentum transfer squared. High precision is achieved by employing a ratio technique in which most uncertainties cancel, and by a simultaneous in-situ calibration of the neutron detection efficiency, the largest correction to the data. Preliminary results are shown with statistical errors only.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose The primary objective of this sub-study, undertaken as an extension to the previously reported phase-I study, was to explore the feasibility, tolerability and pharmacokinetics (PK) of belinostat when administered by the oral route. Preliminary pharmacodynamic (PD) studies were also performed to enable comparison of the biological effects of the oral and intravenous formulations. Patients and methods Oral belinostat was administered in a range of doses and schedules (once, twice or thrice daily), on either day 1 or days 1?5, of the second or a subsequent treatment cycle in 15 patients who were included in the phase-I trial of intravenous belinostat. Serial blood samples were collected for PK and PD (histone acetylation) analyses, and the results compared with corresponding analyses ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The authors describe a new method which makes it possible to determine the radial distribution of the diffuse component of galactic gamma rays outside the solar circle. They use the observation that a good correlation exists between gamma-ray intensities and total column densities of the local interstellar gas and that the fractional column density of H_2<0.1 HI outside the solar circle. Thus the gamma-ray intensities are shown to be proportional to N(HI). The authors use the kinematics of the HI to determine the distances from which various fractions of the emission originate in the second and third galactic quadrants. Preliminary results of our analysis show that a significant flux of gamma rays originates from distances as large as 18 kpc from the galactic centre. (Auth.).

Science.gov (United States)

We present here a study based on the migration of protoplanets in an accretion disc of a forming star, as the mainly proposed scenario for the formation of planetary systems. Attention is here focused on the mutual interactions between two protoplanets, both embedded in the accretion disc, as a function of the protoplanets masses, their relative positions, the dynamic properties of the accretion disc particles. The study is performed through a 2D SPH code and preliminary results show an oscillation of the distance between the two protoplanets, together with a slow migration of the two planets towards the central star when two Jupiter-like planets are considered. Less correlated behaviour is observed when at least one of the two protoplanets has an Earth-like mass. The role played by the disc particles initial angular momentum is discussed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In order to get the separation of natural isotopes of lithium by electrolytic amalgamation, an electrolytic cell with a confined mercury cathode was used to obtain data for the design of a separation stage. The initial work was followed by the design of a moving mercury cathode electrolytic cell and three experiments with six batches stages were performed for the determination of the elementary separation factor. The value obtained, 1.053, was ill agreement: with the specialized literature. It was verified in all experiments that the lithium - 6 isotope concentrated in the amalgam phase and that the lithium - 7 isotope concentrated in the aqueous phase. A stainless-steel cathode for the decomposition of the lithium amalgam and the selective desamalgamation were also studied. In view of the results obtained, a five stages continuous scheme was proposed. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The objective of this research is to replace the current flow regime dependent interfacial area correlations in the thermal-hydraulic system analysis codes with an interfacial area transport equation, which dynamically models two-phase flow regime transitions. The interfacial area transport equation applicable to bubbly flows has been developed based on mechanistic modeling of bubble interaction. Detailed experiments have been performed for bubbly conditions in 2.54, 5.08 and 10.16-cm ID pipes to benchmark the model. This new approach predicts the continuous changes of the interfacial area and will eliminate artificial bifurcations stemming from the use of the static flow regime transition criteria. This paper presents the preliminary results of incorporating the one-group transport equation into the USNRC consolidated code, currently under development. The framework for the two-group transport equation and the necessary constitutive relations ...

Science.gov (United States)

Objective: To reduce mental health symptoms and high-risk behaviors and increase social support and service utilization among street-living youth, the authors conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility of the social enterprise intervention (SEI) at a homeless youth agency. Method: Convenience sampling was used to recruit 16 street-living youth from the agency. SEI participants received 7 months of vocational and small business training and service referrals. A comparison sample of 12 agency youth was used. Results: Findings from independent sample t tests demonstrate that SEI participants displayed significant improvements at 9 months in life satisfaction, family contact, peer support, and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Preliminary findings suggest that the SEI was feasible within the agency setting and associated with higher mental health and social outcomes. (Contains 3 figures and 3 tables.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Environmental Management System (EMS) is an instrument to manage the interaction between the organization and the environment. The scope od EMS is to reduce the environmental impact and to achieve improvements in overall performances. In particular, the focus point of EMS implementation is the method for identifying and assessing significant environmental aspects. The results of the literature and regulation reviews (Perotto 2006) have shown that rigourous repeatable and transparent methodologies do not exist. This paper presents a proposal method for identifying and assessing significant environmental aspects, that has all three of these important characteristics. In particular, the proposal methodology for assessing aspects is based on some criteria that are combined in a specific algorithm. It is important to specify that to make a correct application of the method a preliminary rigorous approach to investigating the environment and the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Photoelectron resonance capture ionization aerosol mass spectrometry (PERCI-AMS) has been applied to the analysis of proxies for marine aerosols with and without ozone; proxies used were mixed oleic acid-amino acid particles. The mechanism of ion formation for serine (104 m/z), glutamic acid (146 m/z), and phenylalanine (164 m/z) was dissociative electron attachment. This corresponds to loss of the hydrogen atom only, allowing for straightforward identification of the free amino acids. No ozonolysis products for the free amino acids were observed, even at high concentrations of ozone (500 ppm for 19 s). The direct detection of a novel gas-phase hydrated anion, [serine + H2O-H]-, is described. These preliminary results suggest that PERCI-AMS may provide an effective, simple and direct onlin...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The preliminary design of a far-infrared free-electron laser with a Coaxial Hybrid Iron (CHI) wiggler is presented. The CHI wiggler consists of a central rod and outer ring of alternating ferrite and dielectric spacers. A periodic wiggler field is produced when the CHI structure is immersed in an axial magnetic field. The design under investigation makes use of 1A, 1MV annular electron beam interacting with the TE{sub 01} coaxial waveguide mode at approximately 1 THz ({lambda} = 300 {mu}m). The nominal wiggler period is 0.5 cm and the inner and outer waveguide radii are 0.4 and 0.8 cm, respectively. An axial guide field of 5-10 kG is used. The device performance is modeled with slow-time-scale nonlinear code. Self fields and axial velocity spread are included in the model. Theoretical results will be presented.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We report progress in an effort to develop and demonstrate a refuelable zinc/air battery for fleet electric vehicle applications. A refuelable module consisting of twelve bipolar cells with internal flow system has been refueled at rates of nearly 4 cells per minute refueling time of 10 minutes for a 15 kW, 55 kWh battery. The module is refueled by entrainment of 0.5-mm particles in rapidly flowing electrolyte, which delivers the particles into hoppers above each cell in a parallel-flow hydraulic circuit. The concept of user-recovery is presented as an alternative to centralized service infrastructure during market entry.

Science.gov (United States)

Plastic composites have become a large class of construction material for exterior applications. One of the main disadvantages of wood plastic composites resides in the weak adhesion between the polar and hydrophilic surface of wood and the non-polar and hydrophobic polyolefin matrix, hindering the dispersion of the flour in the polymer matrix. To improve interfacial compatibility wood flour can be pretreated with environmentally friendly methods such as cold-atmospheric pressure plasma. The objective of this work is therefore to evaluate the potential of plasma polymerization of acetylene on wood flour to improve the compatibility with polyolefins. This presentation will describe the reactor design used to modify wood flour using acetylene plasma polymerization. The optimum conditions for plasma polymerization on wood particles will also be presented. Finally preliminary results on the wood flour surface properties and use in wood plastic ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Background: A possible association between the polymorphic CAG repeat in the DNA polymerase gamma (POLG) gene and the risk of testicular germ-cell tumours (TGCT) was investigated in this study. The hypothesis was prompted by an earlier preliminary study proposing an association of the absence of the common 10-CAG-long POLG allele with testicular cancer as well as previously reported in some European populations' association with male subfertility, which is a condition carrying an increased risk of TGCT. Patients and methods: The number of CAG repeats in both POLG alleles was established in 243 patients with TGCT and in 869 controls by the analysis of the genomic DNA fragment. Results: A significantly higher proportion of men homozygous allele of other than the common 10 CAG repeats was fou...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experimental wetlands are being constructed on mined lands in the United States as an inexpensive alternative to conventional acid mine water treatment facilities. The US Bureau of Mines is conducting an inventory of these constructed wetlands as part of a long-term evaluative study. Preliminary results, based on the 20 sites surveyed to date, indicate that the wetlands dominated by emergent species are out-performing the Sphagnum-dominated wetlands, and that much of the water treatment is accomplished by other aspects of the wetland, including bacteria, algae, amendments and other plants. Iron concentrations as high as 85 mg/l are reduced to less than 3 mg/l after flow through the constructed wetlands. Manganese is also removed, though somewhat less efficiently. 12 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.

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Radon proof barriers are used for lowering of radon transport from the soil into the house and the determination of the radon diffusion coefficient is an important parameter to be determined in order to design the minimal thickness of the radon proof insulation. A method has been developed in our laboratory by using modified Lucas cells connected to a radon source and tightly closed onto the top by the tested membranes whose radon diffusion coefficients are being measured. Solving the time-dependent differential equation for radon diffusion in the membrane for well-defined experimental conditions the effective radon diffusion coefficient of the insulating material can be evaluated by comparing the radon concentration decrease in the cell for the first hours with the well-known radioactive decay. First results obtained in several preliminary tests carried out with a parafilm M barrier and two polyethylene membranes are shown in this paper.

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The Korean Next Generation Reactor (KNGR) adopts 4-train Direct Vessel Injection (DVI) configuration and injects the safety injection water directly into the downcomer through the 8.5'' DVI nozzle. Thus, the thermal hydraulic phenomena such as ECCS mixing and bypass are expected to be different from those observed in the cold leg injection. In order to investigate the realistic injection phenomena and modify the analysis code developed in the basis of cold leg injection, thermal hydraulic test with the performance evaluation is required. Preliminarily, the sequence of events and major thermal hydraulic phenomena during the small break LOCA for KNGR are identified from the analysis results calculated by the CEFLASH-4AS/REM. It is shown from the analysis results that the major transient behaviors including the core mixture level are largely affected by the downcomer modeling. Therefore, to investigate the proper thermal ...

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Producing nuclear energy in order to reduce anthropic CO{sub 2} emission and to meet high energy demand, implies three conditions to the nuclear plants of the IV. generation: safety improvements, radioactive waste minimization, and fuel breeding for a sustainable use of the resources. The Thorium fuel cycle used in Molten Salt Reactors seems promising. Many numerical studies based on probabilistic codes are carried out in order to analyse the behaviour of such reactors. Nevertheless, one of the most important parameters is badly known: the alpha ratio of {sup 233}U, ratio of the neutron capture cross section to fission one for {sup 233}U. This key-parameter is necessary to calculate the breeding ratio and thus, the deployment capacities of those reactors. This Ph-D thesis was intended to prepare a precise measurement of the alpha ratio of {sup 233}U between 1 eV and 10 keV. Preliminary measurements have been performed on the experimental platform PEREN. This ...

Science.gov (United States)

... within an accuracy of +5 psig. 2. Starting Pressure and Diffuser Geometra Preliminary, tests indicated that the geometry suggested by Ref. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We report preliminary cross section covariances developed for the WPEC Subgroup 26 for 45 out of 52 requested materials. The covariances were produced in 15- and 187-group representations as follows: (1) 36 isotopes ({sup 16}O, {sup 19}F, {sup 23}Na, {sup 27}Al, {sup 28}Si, {sup 52}Cr, {sup 56,56}Fe, {sup 58}Ni, {sup 90,91,92,94}Zr, {sup 166,167,168,170}Er, {sup 206,207,208}Pb, {sup 209}Bi, {sup 233,234,236}U, {sup 237}Np, {sup 238,240,241,242}Pu, {sup 241,242m,243}Am, {sup 242,243,244,245}Cm) were evaluated using the BNL-LANL methodology. For the thermal region and the resolved and unresolved resonance regions, the methodology has been based on the Atlas-Kalman approach, in the fast neutron region the Empire-Kalman method has been used; (2) 6 isotopes ({sup 155,156,157,158,160}Gd and {sup 232}Th) were taken from ENDF/B-VII.0; and (3) 3 isotopes ({sup 1}H, {sup 238}U and {sup 239}Pu) were taken from JENDL-3.3. For 6 light nuclei ({sup 4}He, {sup 6,7}Li, {sup 9}Be, ...

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Preliminary results are presented from a field study to evaluate the relative hydrologic performance of various landfill capping technologies installed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Four cover designs (two Los Alamos capillary barrier designs, one modified EPA RCRA design, and one conventional design) were installed in large lysimeters instrumented to monitor the fate of natural precipitation between 01 January 1990 and 20 September 1993. After 45 months of study, results showed that the cover designs containing barrier layers were effective in reducing deep percolation as compared to a simple soil cap design. The RCRA cover, incorporating a clay hydraulic barrier, was the most effective of all cover designs in controlling percolation but was not 100% effective. Over 90% of all percolation and barrier lateral flow occurred during the months of February through May of each year, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Full text: Tumour ablation with radiofrequency (RF) energy is a relatively new procedure for the treatment of focal malignant disease. At our institution this is currently being used in the treatment of certain liver and lung lesions with the patients involved being enrolled in clinical trials. The poster describes the technique used at our institution for the placement of the radiofrequency ablation electrode using CT fluoroscopy. Criteria for patient selection are included. Complications from the procedure are described, as well as follow up appearances and results. Our results from the treatment of primary and secondary lesions in the liver correlate well with published literature. Treatment is still not as successful as surgical resection but there is significantly less morbidity. Where this method may be appropriate is when the patient is not a candidate for surgical resection. The treatment of colorectal metastases in the lung shows early ...

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The masses of the proton-rich nuclides {sup 85,86,87}Mo and {sup 87}Tc have been measured with the Penning trap mass spectrometer SHIPTRAP at GSI. The measured mass excesses of these nuclei deviate from the values of the Atomic Mass Evaluation 2003 by up to 1.6 MeV, indicating a systematic shift of the mass surface in this region compared to previous measurements. A local mass extrapolation based on the new results has been made for the mass range A=80-95. Measured and extrapolated mass values and the derived separation energies have been compared to theoretical mass models. Taking into account the new mass excess values, rp-process network calculations have been performed. Preliminary results show changes in the final abundances for A=86-92 by up to a factor of 30. Results of measurements and calculations are presented, and the issue of a potential Zr-Nb cycle is addressed.

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This study examines the sensitivity of the travel time distribution predicted by a reference case model to (1) scale of representation of the model parameters, (2) size of the model domain, (3) correlation range of log-transmissivity, and (4) cross correlations between transmissivity and effective thickness. The basis for the reference model is the preliminary stochastic travel time model previously documented by the Basalt Waste Isolation Project. Results of this study show the following. The variability of the predicted travel times can be adequately represented when the ratio between the size of the zones used to represent the model parameters and the log-transmissivity correlation range is less than about one-fifth. The size of the model domain and the types of boundary conditions can have a strong impact on the distribution of travel times. Longer log-transmissivity correlation ranges cause larger variability in the predicted travel times. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Department of Nuclear Engineering and Fluid Mechanics in the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), has done calculations for the proposed benchmark problem, in the frame of the 11th international meeting of the IAHR working group on advanced nuclear reactors thermal-hydraulics (Obninsk-Russian Federation, 5-9 July 2004). The purpose of the benchmark is to compare experimental and analytical results of some experiments carried out in the State Scientific Center of Russian Federation 'Institute of Physics and Power Engineering' (SSC RF IPPE). These experiments were held to research the cooling of pin bundles by liquid metals in reference to the core of Nuclear Reactors such as BREST. The analytical results have been done with the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT. Temperature and velocity fields are the main variables considered for the comparison, and some assumptions has been made in order to simplify a complicate ...

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This interim technical report presented a summary of results obtained from Pit Lake models developed from different simulation models. The models were used to predict stratification in a hypothetical Pit Lake. Predictions were used to assess the hydrodynamic similarities and differences between the 2 models and to determine if the models would produce similar stratification profiles for the Pit Lakes to previous models. Results showed that the models produced similar results for both temperatures and salinities. The main difference between the RMA10 and CE-QUAL-W2 model used in a previous study was found to be run time. A sensitivity analysis of the RMA10 and CE-QUAL-W2 model predictions was completed to assess the effects of segmentation; time step; lake surface area; lake orientation; and model coefficients or parameters. Results showed that the selected time step and model segmentation were ...

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Intramuscular hermorrhage was induced by injecting autologous blood into the paraspinal muscle of 8 rabbits. In order to evaluate the time-dependent changes of hemorrhage observed on MRI, the animals were imaged at different stages of blood resolution at 0.02 tesla (T), and control examined with ultrasound using a 7.5 MHz linear transducer. Six inversion recovery sequences (TR=1 000 ms. TE=30 ms, and TI=18, 48, 148, 201, 302, and 398 ms) were used for the invivo calculation of T1 relaxation times. IR 1 000 (398)/30 imaging was performed before and after the Gd-DOTA administration. The hemorrhage was evident on MR images throughout the study, especially on the T2 weighted (SE 1 000/100) images. MRI showed the healing lesion longer than ultrasound. The T1 relaxation time increased during the time of resolution. Lesions on days 4 to 7 enhanced in intensity after the injection of Gd-DOTA. (orig.).

Science.gov (United States)

A 1.5-year-old male Belgian Malinosis Military Working Dog presented with a 1-month history of intermittent hematuria. Diagnostic ultrasound and contrast radiography demonstrated large blood clots in the urinary bladder and a filling defect in the right renal pelvis. At surgery, clotted blood was present in the right ureter and bladder. Following right nephrectomy, the dog returned to training. One month later, elevations in urea nitrogen and creatinine were noted. Hematuria recurred at 3 months and the dog was found dead in its kennel. Necropsy showed a blood-filled left renal pelvis and ureter. PMID:1454185

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petrographic research for the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations focused on xenolithic variability in the Topopah Spring Member and on variations of clinoptilolite composition at Yucca Mountain. Zeolite and smectite occurrences were considered in terms of their relation to a disturbed zone beneath the potential repository, and mineral stability experiments have produced a new clinoptilolite structure as a result of prolonged heating at low temperature. Limitations were defined on the abundance of erionite and of sulfur. X-ray diffraction studies lead to improved analytical methods. Progress was made in the comparative study of mineralogy in sand ramps and in faults. Geological modeling considered the differences of the diffusion of nonsorbing tracers in vertically and in horizontally fractured rock. Modeling also treated the diffusion of a nonsorbing tracer in devitrified and in zeolitized rock. The results of these experiments in all ...

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US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities are required to be in full compliance with all federal and state regulations. In response to this requirement, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has established a Remedial Action Program (RAP) to provide comprehensive management of areas where past and current research, development, and waste management activities have resulted in residual contamination of facilities or the environment. This report presents the RCRA Facility Assessment (RFA) required to meet the requirements of RCRA Section 3004(u). Included in the RFA are (1) a listing of all sites identified at ORNL that could be considered sources of releases or potential releases; (2) background information on each of these sites, including location, type, size, period of operation, current operational status, and information on observed or potential releases (as required in Section II.A.1 of the RCRA permit); (3) analytical results obtained ...

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This paper introduces a new method to produce nano-composite powder for the preparation of high performance ZnO varistors. ZnO particles were coated with Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Co{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} and other additives via liquid nano-coating technique. Then the prepared powder was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravity and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) and particle size distribution. The results showed that the ZnO composite powder is homogeneously coated and ultrafine. The densification, phase composition and microstructure of ZnO varistors was studied by linear shrinkage, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and SEM, respectively. The preliminary electrical parameters of ZnO varistors showed that the breakdown voltage V {sub b} (1 mA/cm{sup 2}) and nonlinear coefficient {alpha} is 5400 V/cm and 50, respectively, much higher than that of ...

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Previous analyses of binary cycles for conversion of geothermal energy from moderate temperature resources to electrical energy have shown potential gains in net geofluid effectiveness on the order of 8%, resulting from selection of turbine-expansion processes whose equilibrium states pass through the two-phase region. If condensation occurs, this gain could be reduced or eliminated by the resulting loss in turbine efficiency. Experience with many fluids, however, indicates that vapor supersaturation permits metastable pure-vapor states to exist at temperatures considerably below the saturation temperature at a given pressure; thus, by better understanding the condensation process, and properly structuring the cycle, substantial performance gains may be possible. The purpose of the present study was to assess the probability for attaining this performance gain by estimating the extent of condensation which might be expected during such an ...

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In this paper we present results of our investigation into the relationship between urban microclimate and the local density of tree cover as measured in Sacramento, California. These results were obtained through analysis of data collected in a two-month long monitoring program with automatic weather stations installed at 15 residential locations throughout the city. Measured wind speeds showed a highly negative correlation with respect to tree cover. Daily peak air temperatures showed significant variation often differing from site to site by 2 to 4{degrees}C ({approx}3.5 to 7{degrees}F). A complex interaction between several competing factors is discussed leading to the conclusion that additional tree cover may actually increase urban air temperatures on synoptically cool days. It is suggested that this does not have a significant adverse affect in terms of overall summer urban cooling load. This is supported by an integrated analysis of the ...

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Freezing and thaw have an effect on soils, and the effect of the freeze-thaw cycle on soil covers used in the control of acid mine drainage was discussed in this poster presentation. The purpose of soil covers in cases involving acid mine drainage (AMD) is to reduce the exposure of tailings to oxygen which cause AMD. The effect of this freezing-thaw cycle on soft materials used in soil covers with capillary effect was studied. Some laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the properties of the moisture retention layer. The preliminary results were presented. The results indicated that the freeze-thaw cycle might affect the performance of soil covers in the long term, depending on the type of materials selected. Further research is undergoing. 26 figs.

Science.gov (United States)

We present results of electronic structure calculations for the intermetallic perovskite Sc3InB with the full-potential KKR-LDA method. Sc3InB is a very promising candidate for a new superconductor (related to 8 K MgCNi3) and can be regarded as a boron-inserted cubic Sc3In, which is a high-pressure allotropic form of the hexagonal weak ferromagnet Sc3In. We predict that cubic Sc3In can also be magnetic, whereas Sc3InB having large DOS in the vicinity of E F exhibits non-magnetic ground state. Estimation of the electron-phonon coupling for Sc3InB gives 1. Furthermore, the effect of vacancies in Sc3InB1-x and antisite disorder in Sc3(In-B) on critical parameters is also discussed using the KKR-CPA method. All theoretical results support the possibility of the superconductivity onset in Sc3InB. Preliminary experimental measurements established the transition temperature close to 4.5 K, with a very abrupt change in ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The issue of global warming was discussed with particular reference to the changes that may occur in the hydrological regime within the coming decades in response to predicted changes in climate. Flood events for the 2050 time horizon were investigated along with the consequences on water management and dam safety. Dams operated by Hydro-Quebec are used for flood control, water supply, recreational activities and hydroelectricity. As such, the electric utility relies on methods to evaluate the adaptability of current management plans to climate change. This paper presented the results of a study conducted at the Moisie River watershed, located in northern Quebec. The HSAMI hydrologic model was used to evaluate and compare the occurrences where stream flows and water levels exceed critical values in order to assess the effectiveness of management plans in both current and climate change scenarios. The study considered two different approaches on existing and future ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

"2"1"1At is one of the most promising radionuclides in #alpha#-radioimmunotherapy (#alpha#-RIT). Unfortunately, biomolecules labeled by direct electrophilic astatination are unstable due to the rapid loss of "2"1"1At under both in vitro and in vivo conditions. The present paper describes the results of our studies on attaching At"- to the rhodium(III) complex with thioether ligand: 1,5,9,13-etrathiacyclohexadecane-3,11-diol (16-S4-diol). Rh"3"+ was chosen as a moderately soft metal cation which should form very strong bonds with soft At"- anions, but first of all because of the kinetic inertness of low spin rhodium(III) d"6 complexes. The 16-S4-diol ligand was selected due to formation of stable complexes with Rh"3"+. The experiments related to optimization of the reaction conditions were performed with the "1"3"1I, basing on a chemical similarity of I"- to At"-. The experiments with "2"1"1At were then carried out under the conditions found optimal for I"-. The ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

{sup 188}Re is a {beta}{sup -} (Emax=2.12 MeV) and {gamma} (155 keV) emitter. Since its chemistry is similar to that of the largely employed tracer, {sup 99m}Tc, molecules of hyaluronic acid (HA) have been labelled with {sup 188}Re to produce a target specific radiopharmaceutical. The radiolabeled compound, i.v. injected in healthy mice, is able to accumulate into the liver after a few minutes. To study the effect of metabolic radiotherapy in mice, we have built a small gamma camera based on a matrix of YAP:Ce crystals, with 0.6x0.6x10 mm{sup 3} pixels, read out by a R2486 Hamamatsu PSPMT. A high-sensitivity 20 mm thick lead parallel-hole collimator, with hole diameter 1.5 mm and septa of 0.18 mm, is placed in front of the YAP matrix. Preliminary results obtained with various phantoms containing a solution of {sup 188}Re and with C57 black mice injected with the {sup 188}Re-HA solution are presented. To increase the space resolution and to ...

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This report deals with the preliminary results of trials in the DATECA project with stage I, II and III patients with non-seminomatous germ cell tumours. Stage 1 patients were randomized between infradiaphragmatic irradiation and observation. No significant difference in recurrence rates has been observed as yet. Eighteen of 95 patients had recurrence with a median time to relapse of 3 months. Fifteen patients achieved complete remission after treatment by combination chemotherapy while 3 patients are still undergoing treatment. Stage II patients received 6 series of cis-platinum, bleomycin, and vinblastine. The patients were initially randomized to receive chemotherapy alone versus chemotherapy plus irradiation. Irradiation led to increased toxicity and decreased doses of the antineoplastic drugs. Fifty-one patients were studied. The overall complete remission rate was 89 per cent including 7 patients who achieved complete remission after ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report presents the preliminary findings of the first phase of the Environmental Survey of the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and Component Development and Integration Facility (CDIF), conducted September 14 through October 2, 1987. The Survey is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team of environmental specialists, led and managed by the Office of Environment, Safety and Health's Office of Environmental Audit. The team includes outside experts supplied by a private contractor. The objective of the Survey is to identify environmental problems and areas of environmental risk associated with the INEL and CDIF. The Survey covers all environmental media and all areas of environmental regulation. It is being performed in accordance with the DOE Environmental Survey Manual. The on-site phase of the Survey involves the review of existing site environmental data, observations of the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

As an important radioisotope in nuclear industry and other fields, americium-241 is one of the most serious contamination concerns duo to its high radiation toxicity and long half-life. In this experiment, the biosorption of "2"4"1Am from solution by a fungus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae), and the effects of various experimental conditions on the biosorption and the mechanism were explored. The preliminary results showed that S. cerevisiae is a very efficient biosorbent. An average of more than 99% of the total "2"4"1Am could be removed by S. cerevisiae of 2.1g/L (dry weight) from "2"4"1Am solutions of 2.22MBq/L -555 MBq/L (Co). The adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 1 hour and the optimum pH ranged 1-3. The culture times of more than 16 hours were suitable and the efficient adsorption of 241Am by the S. cerevisiae could be noted. The biosorption of 241Am by the decomposed cell wall, protoplasm or cell membrane of S. ...

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This report is intended to satisfy two concurrent needs: (1) provide a contract deliverable from Oncorh Consulting to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), with emphasis on identification of salient results of value to ongoing Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP) planning and (2) summarize results of research that have broader scientific relevance. This is the fourth in a series of reports that address reproductive ecological research and monitoring of spring chinook populations in the Yakima River basin. This annual report summarizes data collected between April 1, 2004 and March 31, 2005 and includes analyses of historical baseline data, as well. Supplementation success in the Yakima Klickitat Fishery Project's (YKFP) spring chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) program is defined as increasing natural production and harvest opportunities, while keeping adverse ecological interactions and genetic impacts within ...

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Nuclear fuel cycle activities of the former Soviet Union (FSU) have resulted in massive contamination of the environment in western Siberia. We are developing three-dimensional numerical models of the hydrogeology and potential contaminant migration in the West Siberian Basin. Our long-term goal at Pacific Northwest Laboratory is to help determine future environmental and human impacts given the releases that have occurred to date and the current waste management practices. In FY 1993, our objectives were to (1) refine and implement the hydrogeologic conceptual models of the regional hydrogeology of western Siberia developed in FY 1992 and develop the detailed, spatially registered digital geologic and hydrologic databases to test them, (2) calibrate the computer implementation of the conceptual models developed in FY 1992, and (3) develop general geologic and hydrologic information and preliminary hydrogeologic conceptual models relevant to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purpose: To evaluate micro computed tomography (micro-CT) for the assessment of osteochondritis dissecans in comparison with histology. Material and Methods: Osteochondritis dissecans lesions of 3 patients were evaluated using micro-CT (0.125 mA, 40 keV, 60 m slice thickness, 60 m isotropic resolution, entire sample) and light microscopy (toluidine blue, 3-5 m slice thickness). The methods were compared regarding preparation time, detectability of tissue types and morphologic features of bone and cartilage. Results: Non-destructive micro-CT imaging of the entire sample was faster than histologic preparation of a single slice for light microscopy. Morphologic features of bone and cartilage could be imaged in a comparable way to histology. It was not possible to image cells or different tissue types of bone and cartilage with micro-CT. Conclusion: Micro-CT is a fast, non-destructive tool that may be a supplement or, if detailed histologic information is not ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The lymphographic agent Lipiodol (iodized oil) has been found to localize and remain in tumor vessels. Based on this finding, we attempted transcatheter internal radiotherapy by radioactive iodized oil (I-131 tagged Lipiodol) prepared by isotopic exchange reaction. Transcatheter internal radiotherapy (TCIR) was attempted in twelve patients with inoperable hepatoma by infusing a therapeutic dose of I-131 Lipiodol (7.6 approx. 28.3 mCi/2.0 approx. 5.0 ml) via the hepatic artery. Serial changes of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels and in the size of tumor on computed tomography (CT) were estimated to evaluate the therapeutic effect. Serum AFP levels decreased in 9 patients with initial elevated levels of serum AFP, although they were again elevated in three of them within four weeks. More than 50 % decrease in tumor size was observed in 6 patients (50 %). There were no serious complications. This preliminary results suggest that TCIR with I-131 ...

Science.gov (United States)

The aims of the study were to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Thai Family Health Routines (TFHR) scale, a 70-item self-report questionnaire used to measure the health of Thai families through their routine behaviors in daily life. Development of the TFHR was based on the structural domains of Denham's Family Health Model. The TFHR scale was initially composed of 85 items and tested on 1,040 families living in the central region of Thailand. The confirmatory factor analysis, with an acceptable factor structure model, yielded 70 items aligned with six factors: self-care, safety and prevention, mental health behavior, family care, family caregiving, and illness care routines. The preliminary psychometric properties demonstrated that the TFHR scale had satisfactory internal consistency, criterion validity, and construct validity. The test results suggested that the TFHR scale has potential benefits for family and community ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the research of a more efficient, less costly, more environmentally responsible and less technically difficult method for generating electrical power from coal, `the Partially Gasified Coal Fired Combined Cycle with a CFBC with Different Speeds (DFBC)` is introduced by Tsinghua University. The high efficiency cycle includes gasification, compressed air heating in a fluidized bed immersed air heater followed by a combustor and the heat recovery of gas turbine exhausted gas used as the combustion of coal in the differential-velocity atmospheric circulating fluidized bed. Superheated steam is raised in the DFBC boiler. A preliminary analysis is made for the choice of combined cycle components. The computer program can be used to evaluate the design and off-design performance of the power plant. The simulation results show that the new system is a valuable coal fired combined cycle system for China, mainly to the improvement of the existing ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper describes the graphical simulation of a traffic environment. The environment includes streets leading to an intersection, the intersection, vehicle traffic, and signal lights in the intersection controlled by different methods. The simulation allows for the study of parameters affecting traffic environments and the study of different control strategies for traffic signal lights, including conventional, fuzzy, and adaptive control methods. Realistic traffic environments are simulated including a cross intersection, with one or more lanes of traffic in each direction, with and without turn lanes. Vehicle traffic patterns are a mixture of cars going straight and making right or left turns. The free velocities of vehicles follow a normal distribution with a mean of the ``posted`` speed limit. Actual velocities depend on such factors as the proximity and velocity of surrounding traffic, approaches to intersections, and human response time. The simulation proves the be a useful ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In future collider experiments, where a background radiation level is estimated to be very high, e.g. around 10"2 #approx# 10"5 Gy/yr and 10"1"1 #approx# 10"1"4 n/cm"2/yr at SSC, the detectors operating around the collision point in the experiments will encounter a considerable amount of radiation. Therefore, the detectors, especially the calorimeter, are required to be resistive against high radiation levels. From this point of view, it is of great importance to study the effects of radiation damage on the performance of the detectors. The authors report preliminary results of measurements of radiation hardness of the plastic scintillating fiber Kuraray SCSF-81 against irradiation with fast neutrons and "6"0Co #gamma#-rays in the region of the neutron fluence from 1 x 10"1"1 to 5 x 10"1"3 n/cm"2 and the integrated #gamma#-ray dose from 890 to 10"5 Gy, respectively. Deterioration of both intrinsic light yield and light transmittance of the ...

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Full load (186 kW/cyl) operation using CWS fuel at 1050 rpm has been achieved on single cylinder GE-7FDL test engine. No major changes in engine parameters were made. With normal inlet air conditions, 3-5% pilot deisel fuel, separately injected or stratified into the main coal charge, was used. Inlet air temperature had to be raised about 40/sup 0/C if no pilot diesel fuel was used. The coal burnout was about 95% and the cycle efficiency was comparable to using diesel fuel. The NO/sub x/ and CO emissions were about 1/2 of those obtained normally with deisel fuel. The maximum heat release rate was higher than diesel fuel operation which resulted in higher maximum cylinder firing pressure. The combustion characteristic and its dependence on some fuel characteristics and inlet air parameters are discussed. Increasing coal burnout while limiting maximum cylinder firing pressure is the main objective of near future studies.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper demonstrates that a commercial-scale facility for encapsulating krypton-85 in zeolite-5A or glass at a 2000 MTHM per year nuclear fuel reprocessing plant can be designed to contain fragments and the 340 to 850 kCi krypton-85 inventory from an assumed catastrophic failure of the high pressure vessel. The vessel failure was assumed as a worst case and was not based on a detailed design evaluation or operating experience. The process design is based on existing commercial hot isostatic pressing technology operated at up to 40 times the scale required for krypton encapsulation. From the calculated process gas inventory in the pressure vessel and vessel design, the maximum explosive energy of 8.4 kg TNT and resulting vessel plug and fragment velocities were calculated. The facility Containment Cell housing the high pressure vessel was designed to contain the gases, fragments, and the shock wave energy calculated for a hypothetical vessel failure. The Access ...

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A generalized approach to the analysis of the effects of transmission line faults on natural gas transmission pipelines has been developed and is presented in this report. A state of the art user-friendly computational tool has been developed and verified for the analysis of interference between electrical power lines and nearby buried or above-ground pipelines. This computer program, ECCAPP, is distinguished by its ability to model and analyze accurately complex, realistic interactions between pipelines and power lines, using easily obtained input data. The final report consists of three volumes. An independent fourth volume was also developed to simplify the installation of the ECCAPP software. This report, volume 1, contains the theory upon which the ECCAPP computer program is based. A parametric analysis and graphical charts have been formulated using ECCAPP to permit estimates to be made in the field or during preliminary analyses for situations that are not ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soil vapor extraction (SVE) is a widely accepted in-place treatment technology that uses forced air to remove contaminant vapors from zones of permeable vapor flow, thereby enhancing the volatilization of contaminants from the subsurface. The resulting off-gases are contaminated with volatiles and semi-volatiles and have to treated by catalytic or thermal destruction systems, activated carbon adsorbers, or bioreactors. Of these, activated carbon adsorption is the most commonly used technology. From the theoretical foundation of SVE and carbon adsorption, two nomographs were developed for remedial investigation, feasibility studies, planning, operation, and preliminary design purposes. An advantage of such nomographs is that they graphically indicate the sensitivity of the remediation process to different design parameters and critical ranges within a given parameter. In effect, nomographs can help to foster an intuitive understanding of the SVE ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A real-time neutron radiography system was installed at the neutron radiography facility of Sumitomo Heavy Industries where a sub-compact cyclotron is used as a neutron generator and nominal neutron flux was observed as 1.1 x 10"6 n/cm"2/sec. Preliminary tests were made for various kinds of such components as collimators, scintillators, cameras and lenses and the system was chosen to give the highest quality images. Especially for the scintillator screen, screening tests were carried out for compounds of LiF/ZnS(Ag) and Gd_2O_3/ZnS(Ag) by radiographic film method. The neutron radiography image was converted to fluorescent images by means of the converter and observed by a SIT type TV camera. The video signal was directly displayed on a CRT or after processed with digital image processing devices. The characteristics of this system as for the resultant resolution are presented together with some actual application to dynamical fluid motion of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We are attempting to characterize and model the micromechanical response of highly-filled polymers. In this class of materials, the continuous plastic binder used to bond the highly-filled material dominates the observed viscoelastic response. As a result, realistic lifetime analysis of these materials will require a thorough understanding of the contribution of the plastic binder. Laboratory applications of these materials include plastic bonded explosives, propellants, a variety of specialized filled organic materials for stockpile systems, and highly filled epoxy dielectric materials for the National Ignition Facility. We have explored numerous techniques to characterize the local microstructure of plastic bonded explosives. However, insufficient funding was obtained to bring these technologies to maturity, nevertheless our present tool set is significantly better than 2 years ago. We have also made some progress in developing an appropriate micromechanical ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Artifical valve prostheses are often regarded as a contraindication for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), although preliminary in vitro studies suggested, that patients with these metallic implants might safely undergo MR examination. This study reports on the experience with a group of 89 patients with 100 heart valve prostheses who were examined by spin-echo MR and gradient-echo MR. MR examination was performed in all patients without complications. The spin-echo sequence showed advantages in the depiction of anatomical structures like paravalvular abcesses. Anatomical structures adjacent to the artificial valve were clearly visivle and the metal components of the valves showes no or only small artifacts. Artifacts were accentuated when using gradient-echo sequences. Gradient-echo sequences provided valuable information regarding the presence of valvular insufficiency. Physiological valvular regurgitation was easy to differentiate from pathological paravalvular ...

Science.gov (United States)

A tick/rickettsial survey in various parts of Switzerland revealed the presence of a new, hitherto undescribed spotted fever group rickettsia ("Swiss agent") in up to 11.7% of I. ricinus collected off vegetation. Infection in ticks was found to be generalized with rickettsiae developing intracellularly and occasionally also intranuclearly. As a result of massive growth in ovarial tissues, including the germinative cells, the rate of transovarial and filial infection was 100%. The "Swiss agent" appears to be nonpathogenic for guinea pigs, domestic rabbits, and Swiss mice, but in male meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) it produces a microscopically detectable infection in the tunica vaginalis. The rickettsia grows well in tissue culture systems including chick embryo fibroblast, Vero, and vole tissue cells, when inoculated via yolk sac into 5-day-old hens' eggs, it kills 100% of the embryos after 5 to 7 days. Antigenic relatedness of the "Swiss agent" to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This is the final report of a two-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This project has examined the fundamental chemistry of plutonium that affects the integration of hydrothermal technology into nuclear materials processing operations. Chemical reactions in high temperature water allow new avenues for waste treatment and radionuclide separation.Successful implementation of hydrothermal technology offers the potential to effective treat many types of radioactive waste, reduce the storage hazards and disposal costs, and minimize the generation of secondary waste streams. The focus has been on the chemistry of plutonium(VI) in solution with carbonate since these are expected to be important species in the effluent from hydrothermal oxidation of Pu-containing organic wastes. The authors investigated the structure, solubility, and stability of the key plutonium complexes. Installation and testing of flow and batch ...

Science.gov (United States)

Photorefractives, in general, are among the most promising materials solutions to real time optical correlation. Applications include military target recognition and civilian robotic vision. Crystals of sillenite structure photorefractives, Bi12XO20, where X equals Si, Ge, or Ti, have been grown by melt techniques and in the case of bismuth silicon oxide (BSO) and bismuth titanium oxide (BTO) by the hydrothermal method of high-temperature/high-pressure solution growth. The two growth methods are discussed and crystals grown by the two methods are compared in this paper. Optical absorption and TSC studies show that hydrothermal BSO is essentially free of the native antisite Bi defect which usually acts as a donor. These studies also show that the trap density is greatly reduced in hydrothermal material. Preliminary experiments show that hydrothermal BTO crystals have improved properties over melt grown samples. Al and P act as donors and acceptors respectively and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this 150-day study, chicken manure, kenaf, and white rot fungus were added to soil microcosms in an attempt to enhance the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls. The soil was contaminated with commercial PCB mixtures. Dishes were ammended with 5% dry weight chicken manure, 1% dry weight kenaf, and 1% dry weight kenaf plus Phanerochaete chrysosporium inoculant. PCB concentrations were determined at 30 day intervals by soxhlet extraction and gas chromatography analyses. Preliminary results of microbial populations and PCB degradation are presented. At 90 days, the microcosms amended with chicken manure had significantly higher populations of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. However, at 120 days, these soils underwent great reductions in actinomycete and bacterial populations. Through 60 days, the concentration of the PCBs Aroclor 1242 and 1248 had its greatest reduction in the kenaf amended soils. The concentration of Aroclor 1260 either ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Progress in the development of high-efficiency GaAs solar cells on low-cost, large-area, large-grain, optical-grade polycrystalline Ge substrates is described in this paper. First, we present results on the growth of specular GaAs-AlGaAs layers, across the various crystalline orientations of a polycrystalline Ge substrate, by metallorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Second, we present the preliminary optimization of minority-carrier properties of GaAs-AlGaAs structures on poly-Ge substrates towards the improvement of GaAs solar cells. We have demonstrated comparable minority-carrier lifetimes in GaAs double-hetero structures grown on optical-grade poly-Ge substrates and electronic-grade single-crystal Ge substrates. In addition, we describe device-structure optimization that have led us to achieve a open-circuit voltage of {approximately}1 Volt in a GaAs solar cell on poly-Ge and to improve our previous best efficiency from ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This project is part of PETC`s Advanced Power Systems Program, whose mission is to accelerate the commercialization of affordable, high- efficiency, low emission, coal-fueled electric generating technologies. A process concept - Clear Liquor Scrubbing with Anhydrite Production - was proposed and accepted by PETC as a Phase I project in its Mega-PRDA program. the project integrated three process operations - chloride control upstream of the flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system, a clear liquor process for enhanced SO{sub 2} removal performance, and production of anhydrite (anhydrous calcium sulfate) rather than calcium sulfite or gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate). The first step in the project was to perform batch and flow-through experiments in the laboratory to confirm theoretical calculations and preliminary laboratory results concerning anhydrite formation, these laboratory experiments were designed to prove that anhydrite can be produced ...

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Biocatalytic Desulfurization (BDS) represents an alternative approach to the reduction of sulfur in fossil fuels. The objective is to use bacteria to selectively remove sulfur from petroleum and middle distillate fractions, without the concomitant release of carbon. Recently, bacteria have been developed which have the ability to desulfurize dibenzothiophene (DBT) and other organosulfur molecules. These bacteria are being developed for use in a biocatalyst-based desulfurization process. Analysis of preliminary conceptual engineering designs has shown that this process has the potential to complement conventional technology as a method to temper the sulfur levels in crude oil, or remove the recalcitrant sulfur in middle distillates to achieve the deep desulfurization mandated by State and Federal regulations. This paper describes the results of initial feasibility studies, sensitivity analyses and conceptual design work. Feasibility studies with ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A beta microprobe was successfully applied to monitor arterial input function for quantification of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the monkey brain with {sup 15}O-water and positron emission tomography (PET). The sensitivity of the probe was approximately 0.83 to 1.67 cps/kBq/ml depending on the studies. A preliminary study was performed to find a suitable use and to evaluate the performance of the system and data analysis procedure. The results showed that dispersion correction of measured input function was unnecessary if microprobes were connected directly to the arterial catheter. Then multiple CBF measurements were done in three monkeys under anesthesia. Identical regions of interest were placed with the aid of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of each monkey and rCBF values were estimated. Estimated rCBFs were reproducible for several measurements. The mean CBF value for a pentobarbital anesthetized monkey was 46.0 ml/min/100 g ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A number of binary geothermal cycles utilizing mixed hydrocarbon working fluids were analyzed with the overall objective of finding a working fluid which can produce low-cost electrical energy using a moderately-low temperature geothermal resource. Both boiling and supercritical shell-and-tube cycles were considered. The performance of a dual-boiling isobutane cycle supplied by a 280/sup 0/F hydrothermal resource (corresponding to the 5 MW pilot plant at the Raft River site in Idaho) was selected as a reference. To investigate the effect of resource temperature on the choice of working fluid, several analyses were conducted for a 360/sup 0/F hydrothermal resource, which is representative of the Heber resource in California. The hydrocarbon working fluids analyzed included methane, ethane, propane, isobutane, isopentane, hexane, heptane, and mixtures of those pure hydrocarbons. For comparison, two fluorocarbon refrigerants were also analyzed. These fluorocarbons, R-115 and R-22, were ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Similar to stand-alone ER-MCFC power systems industrial ammonia production facilities include hydrogen-rich synthesis-gas production. Therefore, integration of ER-MCFC stacks in a conventional industrial ammonia plant was investigated. By preliminary process design calculations three promising process structures were evaluated: (1) ER-MCFC is fed by the ammonia plant`s steam-reformer; anode off-gas to firing (2) similar to structure 1; in this case the anode off-gas is redirected to the ammonia process (3) ER-MCFC is fed by ammonia-synthesis purge gas The results indicate that for options 1 and 3 a return-on-investment for the ER-MCFC of around 8% is achievable at a stack cost of $250/kW and a revenue of 7c/kWh. Option 2 is not profitable, because of the associated reduction in ammonia production. The degree of hydrogen-utilization in the ER-MCFC to be selected for maximum profit varies with the process structure and indicates that there is ...

Science.gov (United States)

To illustrate the implementation of a bottom-up approach to the study of culture in health disparities, this article describes the development of a cultural cancer screening scale (CCSS) using mixed methodologies. The aim was to identify cultural factors relevant to breast and cervical cancer screening, develop an instrument to assess them and examine its preliminary psychometric properties among Latin American (Latino) and non-Latino White (Anglo) women in Southern California. Seventy-eight Latino and Anglo women participated in semi-structured interviews, which were content coded based on Triandis' methods for the analysis of subjective culture. Based on the emerging cultural elements, items relevant to cancer screening were developed and pilot tested with 161 participants. After the instrument was refined, 314 Latino and Anglo women from various socioeconomic backgrounds completed the CCSS and data were factor analyzed resulting in five ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report describes the preliminary thermalhydraulic analysis of HTR-10 steady state full power initial core to provide a benchmark calculation of VHTGR(Very High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors) safety analysis code of GAMMA(GAs Multicomponent Mixture Analysis). The input data of GAMMA code are produced for the models of fluid block, wall block, radiation heat transfer and each component material properties in HTR-10 reactor. The temperature and flow distributions of HTR-10 steady state 10 MW{sub th} full power initial core are calculated by GAMMA code with boundary conditions of total reactor inlet flow rate of 4.32 kg/s, inlet temperature of 250 .deg. C, inlet pressure of 3 MPa, outlet pressure of 2.992 MPa and the fixed temperature at RCCS water cooling tube of 50 .deg C. The calculation results are compared with the measured solid material temperatures at 22 fixed instrumentation positions in HTR-10. The wall temperature distribution in ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russian 2008 p. 27-29 Russian Federation Belanova, EA Kozlov, PV FGUP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

... 2.1 Yellow Cake Specification3 Storage and Handling 2.2 Dissolution 2.3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

No abstract prepared.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Brief admission of the new diabetic child and of a parent to an enlightened hospital for stabilisation, preliminary education, and familiarisation with hospital and community staff is well worth while....Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... each species studied are listed in Table 1. Penaeus monodon Fabricius, 1798 (family Penaeidae) and Solenocera koelbeli De Man, ... ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuclear testing at and around the Nevada Test Site (NTS) resulted in widespread contamination from transuranic and other radionuclides, as well as from other toxic inorganic and organic contaminants. The type of contamination, including spatial distribution and type of radionuclides present, depends on the type of testing performed. Remediation of the contaminated areas is currently under way. The optimum in situ or ex situ remediation technology depends on the degree of interaction between the particular radionuclide, or contaminant in general, and the soil matrix, among other factors. The objective of this project was to evaluate the sorption affinity of NTS soils for common non-transuranic radionuclides. The sorption of cobalt (Co) on soils from two different areas of the NTS, namely the Little Feller and Cabriolet event sites, was studied. Experiments were conducted as a function of pH, solid concentration, total Co concentration, ionic strength, and particle ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aim of the work was to describe the noninvasive assessment of bone mineral density, geometrical and biochemical properties in premenopausal women with dietary intake of phytoestrogens and comparison of these parameters with those of age-matched female subjects with Mediterranean dietary intake lacking in these substances. Volumetric cortical, trabecular and total mineral density and bone geometrical properties were evaluated with peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) at the distal radius of the non dominant forearm. pQCT showed higher bone mineral density (total and trabecular) and SSI values in premenopausal with dietary intake of phytoestrogens. Despite the lack of statistical significance, these preliminary results, should further support the few literature findings about the potential role of phytoestrogens consumption in preventing trabecular bone loss. However, further studies are warranted to evaluate definitively ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Opinion statement Because a minority of patients with D-transposition of the great arteries are diagnosed in utero by ultrasound, most present after delivery with cyanosis. In the absence of apparent lung disease, cyanotic neonates suspected of having a cardiac lesion should be immediately transferred to an intensive care unit at a pediatric tertiary care center for monitoring, resuscitation, and to define the cardiac anatomy and physiology. A prostaglandin E-1 infusion is usually initiated to maintain ductal patency and promote intra-cardiac mixing. In the past, balloon atrial septostomy (BAS) was routinely performed to enlarge the atrial septal defect and improve intra-cardiac mixing while the infants awaited surgery. Recent literature has reported an increase risk of stroke in neonates ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

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.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Two cases of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH), in which ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MR) studies detected an atypical hemorrhagic pattern associated with an intrahepatic arterio venous malformation (AVM) around the growths, are presented. In both cases, histology demonstrated a very early regenerative stage and necrotic-hemorrhagic areas within the lesions. In these cases, the analysis of radiological findings, surgical specimens and histology seemed to confirm the pathogenetic hypothesis suggested by Wanless: in normal liver parenchyma, a ``blood steal`` phenomenon due to congenital or acquired intrahepatic AVM could cause ischemic damage, appearing as a hemorrhagic necrotic area, the extent of which depends on the degree of residual portal supply. (orig.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Objective To demonstrate clinical features of a patient subgroup presenting with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) without polycystic ovary morphology. Design Retrospective study. Setting Hospital-based IVF center. Patient(s) In the present study, 876 PCOS patients were selected from women who visited the Reproductive Medicine Center at Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, between September 2004 and October 2006. Women with PCOS were divided into two groups based on ultrasound image: group A, PCOS patients with classic polycystic ovary (n = 800); group B, PCOS patients without polycystic ovary morphology (n = 76). The following available data were analyzed in the large cohort of women: body height, weight, waistline, hip circumference, hirsutism scores, family history, serum s...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We proposed a solid and a mercury target concepts through the preliminary conceptual design. To feasible these concepts, analysis and experimental works are being carried out. This paper introduces an outline of present status of target R and D such as heat transfer augmentation experiments for the solid target, mercury flow tests with a loop of maximum flow rate of 15L/min, flow pattern measurements for a cold source moderator etc. as well as preliminary conceptual design works. (author)

Science.gov (United States)

By opinion and order dated May 20, 2003, Judge Richard K. Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade remanded the Commission's (U.S. International Trade Commission) preliminary negative determinations in Blast Furnace Coke from China and Japan for fur...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The gas phase high resolution spectroscopic study of weakly bound clusters can provide the information necessary to develop an intermolecular potential energy surface. This surface can then be used to better understand condensed phases. In this work, a tunable far infrared laser spectrometer is used to study weakly bound dimers produced in the newly developed continuous planar supersonic jet expansion apparatus. The water dimer is an extensively studied hydrogen bonded dimer. It undergoes several tunneling motions which result in splittings and perturbations of the rovibrational energy levels. A review is presented of much of the experimental and theoretical work done on water dimer, including a description of the combined fit of all the high resolution spectroscopic results by Coudert and Hougen. Also included is a discussion of the measurement of the K = 1 lower {yields} K = 2 lower band performed using the tunable far infrared laser/planar ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report is a summary of the Steam Generator Group Project progress for 1985. Statistical analyses are presented of data from nondestructive examination (NDE) round robin tests that were performed on the Surry generator in 1984. In the first round robin, teams acquired and analyzed their own data on a selected 10% subset of tubes. In the second round robin, analysts from each participating team analyzed identical sets of data which were provided to them by the Project. Results from several examinations utilizing advanced/alternate NDE technologies including alternate eddy current probes and techniques, ultrasonics, and profilometry are also reported. Criteria are listed for selecting tube specimens that will be removed from the generator. A sampling plan based on these criteria is detailed graphically in the report. The initial steps that have been taken to carry out the plan are described; tooling fabricated for the sample removals is discussed. Successful ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The aim of the project is to study the conditions and processes occurring in permanently frozen crystalline bedrock, with special reference to deep (i.e., several hundreds of meters) bedrock conditions. The target of the study is the Lupin mine in Nunavut Territory, Northern Canada. The results may be utilized in assessing the long-term performance of deep underground constructions (e.g., nuclear waste repositories) in cooling climatic conditions. In Phase I of the project versatile background information was collected from the site e.g., on climate, geology and on hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical conditions. During Phase II a broad range of research was conducted including (i) electromagnetic soundings to investigate the distribution of permafrost in the surroundings of the mine; (ii) drilling of three research boreholes at the base of the permafrost for groundwater research; (iii) application of borehole video surveys to study the distribution of open ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuclear analytical techniques were applied to determine the elemental compositions of suspended and bottom sediments, collected at different sites in Haiphong harbor area (North Viet nam). The study was aimed at: 1/Understanding the origin of the sediment filling up the access channel and causing large expenditures for dredging operations. 2/Determining the background concentrations of trace elements in sediment. This would allow to detect in the future any pollution caused by the discharge of industrial wastes in the water due to the growing industrialization of the area. 3/Identifying the elements, which can be served as activatable tracers in sediment transport studies. The results obtained for the concentrations of nearly 30 elements show rather similar elemental compositions, reflecting a common origin of the sediments taken from different locations in the harbour area. The results could not allow to identify the pathway of the sediment ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The aim of this work is to investigate the acoustic wave generation by pulsed and periodically modulated ion beams in different solid materials depending on the beam parameters and to demonstrate the possibility to apply an intensity modulated focused ion beam (FIB) for acoustic emission and for nondestructive investigation of the internal structure of materials on a microscopic scale. The combination of a FIB and an ultrasound microscope in one device can provide the opportunity of nondestructive investigation, production and modification of micro- and nanostructures simultaneously. This work consists of the two main experimental parts. In the first part the process of elastic wave generation during the irradiation of metallic samples by a pulsed beam of energetic ions was investigated in an energy range from 1.5 to 10 MeV and pulse durations of 0.5-5 #mu#s, applying ions with different masses, e.g. oxygen, silicon and gold, in charge states from 1"+ to 4"+. The ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of {beta}-amyloid (A{beta}) plaques in the brain is a potentially valuable tool for studying the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It may also be applicable for measuring the effectiveness of therapeutic drugs aimed at lowering A{beta} plaques in the brain. We have successfully reported a series of {sup 18}F-labeled fluoropegylated stilbenes for PET imaging studies. Encouraging results clearly demonstrated the usefulness of {sup 18}F-labeled stilbenes as potential A{beta} plaque-imaging agents. In the present study, we applied a similar approach to a styrylpyridine backbone structure. Among all derivatives examined (E)-2-(2-(2-(2-fluoroethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxy)-5-(4-dimethylaminostyryl) -pyridine (2) displayed high binding affinity in postmortem AD brain homogenates (K {sub i}=2.5{+-}0.4 nM, with [{sup 125}I]IMPY as radioligand). No-carrier-added [{sup 18}F]2 was successfully prepared by [{sup 18}F]fluoride ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Based on the practical condition of the plant and in reference to advanced management experiences worldwide, Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant has established its own peculiar management system for radiation protection management and ALARA implementation. The characteristics of the system are: radiation protection training to all workers, active involvement of all managers and staffs, and whole process safety control to maintenance activities. The management philosophy of 'workers are responsible for their own radiation safety' is adopted in the plant. A strict, formalized and systematic whole staff radiation protection training, evaluation, authorization and periodically refreshing mechanism had been established and executed in the plant. In the organizational point of view, the responsibilities of line managers were specified in plant procedures, ALARA coordination organization on plant level and for specific activities were established. Meanwhile, the plant highlighted the defining, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)