Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Water transport in the ionomeric membrane, typically Nafion{reg_sign}, has profound influence on the performance of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, in terms of internal resistance and overall water balance. In this work, high resolution neutron imaging of the Nafion{reg_sign} membrane is presented in order to measure water content and through-plane gradients in situ under disparate temperature and humidification conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Measurements of PEM fuel cell device performance were made with different gas inlet temperatures and relative humidity using a newly-designed test fixture. Significant improvement in device performance was observed when the fuel inlet temperature was increased above the operating temperature of the cell. These measurements were then correlated to a model to describe energy and mass transport processes. Proton exchange membrane (PEM), fuel cells--the focus of this study--use an ion conducting polymer, especially polyperfluorosulfonic acid materials. These polymer materials, when imbibed with water, exhibit solution-like properties, but because the anions are chemically bound to the polymeric structure, the electrolyte is contained. Importantly, product water removal is simplified, as electrolyte dilution is not a concern. However, the proton transport rate is a function of the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ependymal cells line the cerebral ventricles forming the interface that separates the cerebrospinal (CSF) and interstitial fluids (ISF). Extracellular molecules move between ependymal cells, whereas lipid soluble molecules pass both between and through cells. We measured the transfer of tritiated water (TOH) from CSF to blood across the ependymal and capillary interfaces by ventriculocisternal (VC) steady-state tissue clearance. Adult cats anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium underwent VC perfusion with the extracellular marker (/sup 14/C)sucrose and TOH added to the artificial CSF. Brain tissue was analyzed for depth of penetration of the isotopes into periventricular gray matter. We found that TOH distribution space was lower than expected from water content measurements, whereas sucrose space was normal. Using VC steady-state equations we calculated an ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Discusses Czechoslovak regulations for determining moisture content in brown coal. Standard formulae for determining total moisture content and residual water content are described. Factors that influence accuracy in determining moisture content under laboratory conditions are analyzed: brown coal type, season of the year, air humidity, method and duration of coal sample drying, number of coal samples simultaneously dried in 1 dryer, ash content of coal. On the basis of analysis recommendations for a modified method of determining moisture content in brown coal are made. 5 refs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The dynamics of planktonic cyanobacteria in eutrophicated freshwaters play an important role in formation of annual summer blooms, yet overwintering mechanisms of these water bloom forming cyanobacteria remain unknown. The responses to darkness and low temperature of three strains (unicellular Microcystis aeruginosa FACHB-905, colonial M.?aeruginosa FACHB-938, and a green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda FACHB-45) were investigated in the present study. After a 30-day incubation under darkness and low temperature, cell morphology, cell numbers, chlorophyll a, photosynthetic activity (ETRmax and I k), and malodialdehyde (MDA) content exhibited significant changes in Scenedesmus. In contrast, Microcystis aeruginosa cells did not change markedly in morphology, chlorophyll a, photosynthetic activi...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Apoptosis is a pattern of cell death involving nuclear pycnosis, cytoplasmic condensation, and karyorrhexis. Apoptosis induced by continuous irradiation with gamma rays (externally given by a 137Cs source) or with beta rays (from tritiated water injected ip) was quantified in the crypts of two portions of mouse bowel, the small intestine and descending colon. The time-course change in the incidence of apoptosis after each type of radiation could be explained on the basis of the innate circadian rhythm of the cells susceptible to apoptotic death and of the excretion of tritiated water (HTO) from the body. For 6-h continuous gamma irradiation at various dose rates (0.6-480 mGy/h) and for 6 h after injection of HTO of various radioactivities (0.15-150 GBq per kg body wt), the relationships between dose and incidence of apoptosis were obtained. Survival curves were then constructed from the curves for dose ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

No abstract prepared.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs) have experienced a healthy growth during the last decade. However, improvement in properties is necessary to increase their utility for structural applications. The toughness of WPCs can be improved by creating a fine cellular structure while reducing the density. Extrusion processing is one of the most economical methods for profile formation. For our study, rectangular profiles were extruded using a twin-screw extrusion system with different grades of HDPE and with varying wood fibre and lubricant contents together with maleated polyethylene (MAPE) coupling agent to investigate their effects on WPC processing and mechanical properties. Work has been done to redesign the extrusion system setup to achieve smoother and stronger profiles. A guiding shaper, submerged in the water, has been designed to guide the material directly through water immediately after exiting the die; instead of passing ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Water-resources data for the 1991 water year for Minnesota consist of records of stage, discharge and water quality of streams; stage, contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality in wells and springs. The volume contains discharge records for 60 gaging stations; stage and contents for 9 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 18 stream stations, 1 lake station, 22 partial-record sites, 1 precipitation station, 108 wells; and water levels for 119 observation wells. Also included are 59 high-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not part of the systematic data collection program and are published as miscellaneous measurements or low-flow investigations.

Science.gov (United States)

Studies begun during the first year of this project on biopsies from spontaneous tumors in dogs and from human patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment were continued. The results indicate that significant fractions of the spontaneous tumors in dogs and cervical carcinomas in patients undergoing radiotherapy have a DNA content higher than normal diploid cells. The higher DNA content in tumor cells permits distinguishing them from normal cells in the biopsy material with the aid of flow microfluorometric (FMF) instrumentation or multiangle light-scatter spectrometry.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hydrolysis of olive oil by Chromobacterium viscosum lipase was studied in a reverse micellar system of a anionic surfactant Aerosol OT (AOT) and isooctane. Different methods of solubilization of the micellar system afford specific dependence of enzymatic activity of the lipase on the water content in the micelles. In an injection method, water content is controlled by the amount of injected water, which determines the micelle size and hydrophobicity of the micelle without salt addition and changes reversibly the conformation of lipase corresponding to the change of lipase activity. The activity reaches the maximum at a water content (water/AOT)of 7. In a phase transfer method, water content is determined by salt concentration in the aqueous phase in contact with micelles and the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The performance of two-cell planar solid oxide fuel cell stacks using coal syngas, with and without hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S), was studied. All cells were tested at 850 C with a constant current load of 15.2 A (current density of 0.22 A cm{sup -2} per cell) and 30% fuel utilization. The H{sub 2}S injection immediately and significantly affected the power degradation of the stack system regardless of the carrier fuel. Results for the test with only H{sub 2} and N{sub 2} in the presence of H{sub 2}S (119-120 ppm) indicated that the power decay and area-specific resistance (ASR) degradation values were lower than those for the tests where simulated syngas containing CO and increased water content was used. The results indicate that contact points in the stack contributed to the power degradation of the system. Other factors, including contamination from the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We assessed the age-related changes in magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) value and the ratio of water content in rat brain (frontal lobe and pons) during normal development. All studies were done on 42 normal Wistar rats. MTR was calculated by using the equation (M_o_f_f-M_o_n)/M_o_f_f, where M_o_f_f and M_o_n were the measured signal intensities on the conventional and MT-prepared SPGR images, respectively. The ratios of water content were measured by comparing the wet weight with the dry weight of the frontal lobe and the pons, which were extracted from a rat brain soon after MTR measurements. The ratio of water content was calculated by using the equation 100 x (wet weight-dry weight)/wet weight (%). The ratio of water content decreased markedly during the first 30 days, but the decrease was very slight there after ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Water-resources data for the 1993 water year for Texas are presented in four volumes, and consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and canals; and stage, contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality of ground-water wells. Volume 3 contains records for water discharge at 134 gaging stations; stage only at 1 gaging stations; stage and contents at 13 lakes and reservoirs; water quality at 81 gaging stations; and data for 30 partial-record and 4 flood-hydrograph partial-record stations. Also included are lists of discontinued surface-water discharge or stage-only stations and discontinued surface-water-quality stations; crest-stage and flood-hydrograph ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A field experiment was conducted during the summer of 1988 to test the hypothesis that water deficit affects the abscisic acid (ABA) and indole acetic acid (IAA) concentrations in cotton (Gossypium...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A study of stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of Zircaloy-4 in chloride-containing aqueous methanolic media is presented. The influence of water content is investigated in the 5-100 vol. % water range. The dependence of stress corrosion cracking on potential is evidenced. A close correlation is established with pitting susceptibility determined by a statistical analysis of induction times. A correlation with the repassivation potential is observed in the water-rich solutions. In the low water content solutions, two repassivation curves are determined according to the experimental technique. Pit morphology and fractography show a transition from aqueous to organic media. (author).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A new method is described for continuously measuring cell turgor pressure (P), hydraulic conductivity (L_p), and volumetric elastic modulus (ε) in higher plant cells, using a pressure...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This book provides discusses recent developments in oil pollution control instrumentation. Some of the topics covered are as follows: 1. Technical requirements of the IMCO International Performance and Test Specification A393x concerning oil content meters; and 2. Oil in water detection; and 3. Methods for the disposal of recovered oil and oily sludge; and 4. Oil content monitoring at ballast water treatment facilities and offshore production platforms.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of death and a major public health problem in western countries. We examined the isoflavone content of 70% ethanol extract of soy germ (SG) and its apoptotic effect in HT-29 colon cancer cells. Our results showed that the major isoflavones of the SG extract were daidzein and genistein, and it effectively induced apoptosis in HT-29 cancer cells. In addition, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) expression was reduced in cells treated with the SG extract, which reduced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. These combined effects ultimately resulted in apoptosis via caspase-3 activation. In addition, daidzein and genistein, the major isoflavones of SG extract, also exerted the apoptotic effect against HT-29 cancer cells. Thes...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Using the Laser-Fluorescence technique, an investigation was made, adopting the standard mix method, on trace uranium concentrations in hot spring water and geothermal water from Lishan region, and in tap water from some major cities in Shanxi province. Totally 40 samples from 27 sites were investigated. Measurement showed that the tap water contains around 10"-"6 g/L of uranium, whose concentrations in both hot spring water and geothermal water are 10"-"5 g/L. Most of samples are at normal radioactive background level, some higher contents were determined in a few samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A detector head for in situ inspection of irradiated nuclear fuel assemblies submerged in a water-filled nuclear fuel storage pond. The detector head includes two parallel arms which extend from a housing and which are spaced apart so as to be positionable on opposite sides of a submerged fuel assembly. Each arm includes an ionization chamber and two fission chambers. One fission chamber in each arm is enclosed in a cadmium shield and the other fission chamber is unshielded. The ratio of the outputs of the shielded and unshielded fission chambers is used to determine the boron content of the pond water. Correcting for the boron content, the neutron flux and gamma ray intensity are then used to verify the declared exposure, cooling time and fissile material content of the irradiated fuel assembly.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

For optimal performances, proton exchange membrane fuel cells require fine water and thermal management. Accurate modelling of the physical phenomena occurring in the fuel cell is a key issue to improve fuel cell technology. Here, an analytic steady state diphasic 2D model of heat and mass transfer is presented. Through this model, the aim of this work is to study the influence of local events on the global performances of a fuel cell. A part of the complete model is a microscopic representation of the coupling between water transport and charge transfers in the electrodes. The thickness of the liquid layer around the reactive agglomerates is deduced from the saturation. The evolution of the quantity of water within the catalyst layer is monitored and its influence on the global performanc...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Most plans for the disposition of surplus nuclear materials involve storage in sealed containers where the evolution of gases from reactions of adsorbed water could present both pressure and flammability hazards[l] . Despite efforts such as calcining the material to minimize the water content prior to packaging, both residual moisture and readsorbed water may be present in the final containers . Given the anticipated temperature excursions during transportation and storage, this water may thermally desorb, increasing the pressure, and/or thermally dissociate to produce H2 gas, increasing flammability hazards . In addition, the radiation from the nuclear material may induce radiolysis of the water with the likely products being water vapor, H2, 02 and H2O2. In order to better understand the relative importance of the thermal- and ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) content is increased in many types of tumor cells. We have investigated the mechanism by which resveratrol, a stilbene that is pro-apoptotic in many tumor cell lines, causes apoptosis in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma UMSCC-22B cells by a mechanism involving cellular COX-2. UMSCC-22B cells treated with resveratrol for 24 h, with or without selected inhibitors, were examined: (1) for the presence of nuclear activated ERK1/2, p53 and COX-2, (2) for evidence of apoptosis, and (3) by chromatin immunoprecipitation to demonstrate p53 binding to the p21 promoter. Stilbene-induced apoptosis was concentration-dependent, and associated with ERK1/2 activation, serine-15 p53 phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation of these proteins. These effects were blocked by ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Ex vivo expanded peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) have been shown to provide rapid neutrophil engraftment, and in some patients, to eliminate neutropenia after transplantation to support high-dose chemotherapy. However, the effect of expansion culture on stem cell content and potential loss of stem cells caused by induction of differentiation remains a concern. We have transplanted 21 patients with breast cancer with expanded autologous PBPC, with 11 patients receiving expanded PBPC as their sole hematopoietic cell source. In these studies, the CD34+ cells were selected and cultured for 10 days in defined media containing 100 ng/mL each of recombinant human stem cell factor (rhSCF), recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF), and recombinant human megakaryocy...

Wastenet

...Disinfection Byproducts, Mercury, Lead, Copper, Arsenic ,Pathogens,Radionuclides,Drinking Water Contaminants,Microbial Pathogens,Fertilizer, Water Topics | Laws and Regulations | US EPA Jump to main content A-Z Index Advanced Search What are you looking for? Learn the Issues Science & Technology Laws &...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peculiarities of design of the PGV-1000 horizontal steam generator affecting soluble impurity distribution in its water volume are considered in brief. The results of estimating sodium distribution in different zones of the steam generator are presented. The conclusion is made on the necessity of arrangement of representative measurements of sodium and chloride content in water volume of the steam generator, particularly, in the hot bottom zone for optimization of blow-through flowsheet and its regulations.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corrosion resistance of Cu-W system condensates in tap water was studies. It is shown that with an increase in W concentration in the condensates of the Cu-W system their corrosion in tap water enhances. In the material designated for power supply facilities the optimal tungsten content is up to 6%. Owing to formation of oxide film on the surface of the samples corrosion is stabilitized 40 h after the test start.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Eukaryotic cells can massively transport their own cytoplasmic contents into a lytic compartment, the vacuole/lysosome, for recycling through a conserved system called autophagy. The key process in...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Several isolates of bacteria and fungi from soil, together with cells released directly from soil, were studied with respect to buoyant density and dry weight. The specific volume (cubic centimeters...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Natural convection of vaporizing Deuterium at 25 K transports the heat generated in the moderator cell of the cold neutron source to a He cooled condenser. The thermohydraulics of this thermosiphon were precalculated and the results verified by experiments in a 1:1 model using D_2 as fluid. The experimental results show that the thermosiphon operates stable. The demanded liquid content of the cell as well as wall temperatures below 50 K can be ensured by a proper design of the cell outlet flow geometry. A 7 min. loss of cryogenic power results in transient temperatures of the cell wall of not more than 300 K.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Effects of physical environment on plasma membrane semipermeability and osmotic induction of changes in aqueous cytoplasmic volume were studied in vegetative and spore cells of a plant pathogenic fungus,...Full Text Available

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The notes describe in detail primary and secondary galvanic cells, fuel cells, electrochemical synthesis and electroplating processes, corrosion: measurments, inhibitors, cathodic and anodic protection, details of metal dissolution reactions, Pourbaix diagrams and purification of waste water from galvanic industries.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

;Contents: Energy Use; Building Fabric Performance; Ventilation and Infiltration; Passive Solar Design; Heating Systems and Controls; Hot and Cold Water Provision; and Lighting and Electrical Appliances.

Science.gov (United States)

Contents: Energy Use; Building Fabric Performance; Ventilation and Infiltration; Passive Solar Design; Heating Systems and Controls; Hot and Cold Water Provision; and Lighting and Electrical Appliances.

Science.gov (United States)

Results of feasibility experiments for determining the mineral content of individual stains on special Sensitized Paper are presented. The stains were formed on the paper by the impaction of laboratory generated salt water droplets. Of the techniques exam...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Brain edema is frequently shown after cerebral ischemia. It is an expansion of brain volume because of increasing water content in brain. It causes to increase mortality after stroke. Agmatine, formed...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper describes statistical methods used to evaluate data for toluene (at several typical operating temperatures and humidity levels) and to determine which measure of humidity (relative or absolute) is more important in determining carbon adsorption efficiency. The water content of a solvent-laden stream is critical for its control via carbon adsorption, especially at relative humidities about 50-70%. (Relative humidity is the percent of saturation: absolute humidity is the total water content.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Discusses scaling of closed systems for cooling coal gas from black coal coking. Scaling rate and factors that influence scaling are analyzed. Physical and chemical properties of scale buildup on the inner walls of pipe cooling systems are evaluated. Water pH value and its effects on scaling and solubility of chemical compounds that form scale are discussed. Use of ammonium sulfate for scale control is analyzed. Consumption rate of ammonium sulfate depends on ambient temperature, water pH value and chloride content in return water. Formulae for calculating optimum content of ammonium sulfates for scale control are derived. 3 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this paper uptake of tritium by market foods from tritiated water vapor in the air is investigated using cereals and beans purchased in Deep River, Canada. The concentrations of tissue free water tritium (TFWT) and organically bound tritium (OBT) range from 12 to 79% and from 10 to 38% respectively, of that estimated for atmospheric water vapor of the sampling month. The specific activity ratios of OBT to TFWT were constant for cereals, but variable for beans. The elevated OBT was shown to be the result of isotopic exchange of labile hydrogen by the fact that washing the foods with tritium free-water reduced their tritium contents to levels characteristic of their production sites.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The possible long-term effects of chronic radiation exposure have been studied. Rats were given tritiated drinking water (3 #mu#Ci/ml) before and during pregnancy and thereafter continuously through five generations. The brains were studied at 30 and 120 days postnatally. Significant decreases in weight and DNA and protein contents of specific parts of the brain were found, the most pronounced decreases being in the diencephalon. The decrease in protein content were more pronounced than the decreases in DNA content; the decreases were also more pronounced at 30 days than at 120 days, and more pronounced in the fith generation than in previous generations.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In an attempt to obtain basic data for evaluation of exposure doses in Niigata Prefecture, the concentrations of tritium in atmospheric water, precipitation, river water, and tap water were measured. Samples of atmospheric water, river water, and tap water were collected once for 2 weeks; and precipitation collected for one week was used as sample. The concentration of atmospheric tritium depended on the concentration of tritium in moisture and the content of water in atmosphere. Tritium levels were high in May, November and March, and low in September. Regarding tritium concentrations, there was a good correlation between atmospheric water and precipitation. Tritium concentrations in both of them varied from sample to sample. The concentrations of tritium in river and tap water ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

PurposeTo identify those metallothionein and α-crystallin/small heat-shock genes induced by toxic metals in human lens cells and to evaluate...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this paper, the spatial-temporal dynamics of soil moisture content was investigated in an evergreen broad-leaved forest and a tea tree plantation in Ailao Mountains, which was dominated by Fagaceae (Castanopsis wattii and Lithocarpus xylocarpus). Soil moisture content was studied between January 2005 and December 2006 at different depths (from 0-150 cm) with a neutron probe. The results showed that mean soil moisture content in the evergreen broad-leaved forest was usually higher than in the tea tree plantation in the dry season, whereas it was lower than the tea tree plantation in the rainy season. In addition, mean soil moisture content was depth dependent, and in the 10-50 cm layer the spatial variability was due to the active root zone within this depth area in two types of land use...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Water vapor is well known to be a critical component in many aspects of atmospheric research, such as radiative transfer and cloud and aerosol processes. This requires both improved measurements of the columnar water vapor and its profiles in the atmosphere in a wide range of conditions, and adjustment of water vapor parameterizations in radiation codes including the perfection of spectroscopic parameters. In this paper we will present the results of comparison of our calculations and downward solar fluxes measured with Rotating Shadowband Spectroradiometer under conditions of horizontally homogeneous clouds. We also will discuss the sensitivity of atmospheric radiation characteristics to variations of water vapor in the band 940 nm: these results may be useful for development of new methods of retrieval of the total column water vapor content (WVC) in the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Contents of this report are under the following topical sections: Legal Authority; Summary and Scope; Data Collection Activities; Industry Description; Industry Subcategorization; Water Use and Wastewater Characterization; Pollutants Selected for Regulation; Pollution Prevention and Wastewater Treatment Technologies; Development of Control and Treatment Options; Costs of Technology Bases for Regulations; Pollutant Reduction Estimates; Non-Water Quality Impacts; Implementation of Proposed Effluent Limitation Guidelines and Standards; Analytical Methods; and Glossary.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coal bed natural gas (CBNG) development in the Powder River (PR) Basin produces modestly saline, highly sodic wastewater. This study assessed impacts of wetting four textural groups (0-11%, 12-22%, 23 -33%, and > 33% clay (g clay/100 g soil) x 100%))with simulated PR or CBNG water on water retention. Soils received the following treatments with each water quality: a single wetting event, five wetting and drying events, or five wetting and drying events followed by leaching with salt-free water. Treated samples were then resaturated with the final treatment water and equilibrated to -10, -33, -100, -500, or -1,500 kPa. At all potentials, soil water retention increased significantly with increasing clay content. Drought-prone soils lost water-holding capacity between saturation and field capacity with repeated ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Although magnesium is not attacked by hydrocarbons, it reacts vigorously with anhydrous methanol, raising concerns about the compatibility of the metal with methanol blend fuels. This paper describes the behavior of magnesium alloys in laboratory tests in static contact with methanol-containing fuels at 110/sup 0/F. Water in small concentrations (above 0.25% by weight of the methanol content) is shown to prevent the destructive attack of magnesium by these fuels. The required water content is well within the water tolerance of methanol-GTBA (gasoline grade tertiary-butyl alcohol) cosolvent fuel blends. Die cast AZ91HP shows greater resistance to methanol reaction than does AZ31B sheet.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tannin gel particles that have extremely high adsorption capacity for hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) have been developed by controlling gelation of Mimosa tannin extracted from the bark of plants. The gelation process is composed of two stages; partial gelation of Mimosa tannin by reaction with formaldehyde (cross-linking agent) and granulation by dispersing the partially gelated solution into a liquid mixture of decalin ad a polyether nonionic surfactant with vigorous stirring. The structure of the tannin gel particles is controlled by a combination of operating conditions such as reaction time and temperature at both stages. The water content of the tannin gel particles that reflects their structure can be widely changed from 40 to 79 %(wet basis), even for a constant composition of 23 g Mimosa tannin and 6 ml formaldehyde (37 wt %). It is found that it is very important to increase the water content ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of double-phase Tc-99m MIBI parathyroid scintigraphy with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with hyperparathyroidism. We also evaluated the relationship between Tc-99m MIBI uptake and oxyphil cell contents in parathyroid glands. The subjects were 28 parathyroid glands of 10 patients who underwent Tc-99m MIBI parathyroid scintigraphy and parathyroidectomy for clinically suspected hyperparathyroidism. Early and delayed pinhole images were obtained at 15 minutes and 2 hours after injection of Tc-99m MIBI, and SPECT images were followed. The weight and oxyphil cell contents of parathyroid tissue were obtained from pathologic specimen, and the scintigraphic findings were compared with histopathology. In surgical histopathology, 6 parathyroid adenomas and 9 parathyroid hyperplasias were confirmed. The sensitivity, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuclear physics parameters of the Wolsung CANDU-PHW reactor are computed by use of the PHWCELL computer code that is an improved version of LATREP. The PHWCELL code mainly computes cell parameters of heavy water moderated reactors, and modeling scheme of heavy water reactor cell calculations has been developed with the PHWCELL computer code. The reactor operating conditions considered in the study are cold zero power (CZP) and hot full power (HFP) with equilibrium poison. The cell parameters are also computed as a function of fuel burnup and the numerical results are compared with the results in PSR of the Wolsung unit and in the previous study. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effect of longer ice-free periods on the seasonal variation and total annual values of phytoplankton primary production was considered along with the efficiency and productivity of the phytoplankton communities at different water temperatures by constant light. The studied pond, Vasikkalampi, is located in the town Jvyaskyla in central Finland. The pond is slightly eutrophic and its water is used for cooling purposes by a 35 MW thermal powerplant. The cooling water is taken in the middle of the pond and it returns as heated effluent to the northern part, near the surface, about 100 m from the intake pipe. This circulation and warming of the water keeps the pond open throughout the year except during the coldest weeks in the winter when some parts freeze over. The increase of the water temperature was not sufficient to be optimal for photosynthesis in the spring. The ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper explores the potential implications of climate change for the use and management of water resources in Britain. It is based on a review of simulations of changes in river flows, groundwater recharge and river water quality. These simulations imply, under feasible climate change scenarios, that annual, winter and summer runoff will decrease in southern Britain, groundwater recharge will be reduced and that water quality - as characterised by nitrate concentrations and dissolved oxygen contents - will deteriorate. In northern Britain, river flows are likely to increase throughout the year, particularly in winter. Climate change may lead to increased demands for water, over and above that increase which is forecast for non-climatic reasons, primarily due to increased use for garden watering. These increased pressures on the water ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Real-time neutron radiography was demonstrated to be a viable and useful tool in studying water flow in unsaturated media. The experiment was designed to test the method for following water flow. The wetting front advance, water-flow patterns, and neutron attenuation density were observed in a 7.7-cm diameter sand column. The advance was fit with a simple i = A t/sup B/ equation yielding an excellent correlation. Theoretical calculations presented estimate the minimum and maximum detectable water content in various sizes of columns. The ability of real-time neutron radiography to allow both qualitative and quantitative spatial and time measurements to be made in an nonintrusive manner was demonstrated.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raman scattering was observed from thin film optical waveguides of cellulose acetate exposed to water vapor from 0% to 100% relative humidity (RH), and from dilute solutions of water in methyl acetate. Spectra of cellulose acetate (CA398, 39.8% acetyl) at low RH and cellulose triacetate (CTA) at low and high RH are consistent with the presence of water monomers that are weakly hydrogen bonded to acetyl C=O groups. Differences between the spectra of water in CA398 and CTA at low RH are attributed to sequential hydrogen bonding involving OH groups in CA398. At high RH, CA398 and CTA (to a lesser extent) show bands attributed to water/water interactions that are similar to those found in sequentially hydrogen-bonded hydrates. CA398 films that are annealed at high temperatures exhibit decreased water/water interactions at high RH. Exposure of CA398 films to D/sub ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This thesis deals with the analysis of dominant loss mechanisms in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) and hydrogen fed polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEFC) by means of experimental characterization and modeling work. Due to different fuels used in these two fuel cell types, the dominant loss mechanisms are different in their nature. All in-situ characterization techniques that are used in this work are based on a novel test fuel cell with embedded reference electrodes. The first part of this work presents a new concept for realizing a reference electrode configuration in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell by means of laser ablation. The laser beam is used to evaporate a small gap into the electrode surface of a catalyst coated membrane (CCM) to isolate the reference electrode from the working/counter electrode (WE/CE). This method enables the simultaneous ablation of ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The present paper concerns the development of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells model in order to analyse the behaviour of the cell varying its operating parameters such as temperature (70-120 ^oC), pressure (1-3 atm), relative humidity (35-100%) and CO content (0-200 ppm) in the feeding gas. The voltage output and the relative current of a generic PEM fuel cell has been predicted through a mathematical method based on semi-empirical correlations derived from the experimental data available in literature. The model has been implemented in a commercial process simulator (AspenPlus) and it has been validated by comparing the obtained results with further experimental data (not utilized for the model development). The comparison has underlined a good agreement with the experimen...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

For the inventory of water tritium concentration in the Manche department, it is the complementarity that animated the work opened during year 2001. To answer to a commune sensitivity such water quality, particularly drinking water at tap, the A.C.R.O. laboratory brought its know how to make and its technical means in the area of tritium analysis and the general council brought its know how to make and its logistics means in matter of sanitary control. This collaboration has allowed to supply an indication on the tritium content of the distribution waters of thirty of the most important cities of the department. Then, it allowed to inform on the radiological situation (in relation with the tritium presence) of coast waters and principal rivers waters. More than 160 controls have been realised between the months of march 2001 and february ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A competitive repopulation assay utilizing chromosome markers was used to assay the reconstituting potential of hematopoietic populations. The test populations consisted of tibial murine marrow locally irradiated with doses ranging from 1.5 Gy to 8.5 Gy and of marrow generated from either murine splenic or marrow stem cells. The purpose of this assay was to assess the innate proliferative potential and microenvironmental influences on the ability to repopulate. Regardless of origin, spleen repopulating ability consistently agreed with spleen colony-forming unit (CFU-s) content. Doses of radiation from 5 Gy to 8.5 Gy diminished, by a factor of 2, the ability to repopulate marrow despite maintenance of CFU-s levels. Marrow generated from splenic stem cells had one-fifth the repopulating ability of marrow derived from marrow stem cells, even though CFU-s levels were equivalent. The results imply that the ...

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A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) must maintain a balance between the hydration level required for efficient proton transfer and excess liquid water that can impede the flow of gases to the electrodes where the reactions take place. Therefore, it is critically important to understand the two-phase flow of liquid water combined with either the hydrogen (anode) or air (cathode) streams. In this paper, we describe the design of an in situ test apparatus that enables investigation of two-phase channel flow within PEMFCs, including the flow of water from the porous gas diffusion layer (GDL) into the channel gas flows; the flow of water within the bipolar plate channels themselves; and the dynamics of flow through multiple channels connected to common manifolds which maintain a uniform pressure differential across all possible flow paths. These two-phase flow effects have been ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Terrain attributes derived from digital elevation models have been used widely for mapping soil organic matter (SOM). Among these attributes, the topographic wetness index (TWI), an index for quantitatively indicating the balance between water accumulation and drainage conditions at the local scale, has been shown to correlate with SOM. However, TWIs used in most studies are calculated using a single-flow-direction (SFD) algorithm, which assumes that all water from a grid cell flows into only one neighboring cell. This assumption is not always valid, especially in areas with low relief where movement of water may be divergent. To overcome this SFD limitation, a multiple-flow-direction (MFD) algorithm has been developed, which distributes flow from a grid cell to several downslope neighbors...

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The objective of this study is to evaluate the lifetime of Zr-2.5Nb pressure tube at Wolsung Unit-1. The testing materials (Effective full power year: 9.3 year, Accumulated nuetron fluence: 7.66{approx}8.91 x 1025 n/m{sup 2}) were sampled from M-11 tube at various position(inlet, middle and outlet). The cutting was carried out at hot cell to fabricate CT(Compact tension) specimen with 48 ppm hydrogen content. In the result of DHC test, irradiation-damaged specimen showed 4{approx}6 times faster DHC velocity(5.298E-0.8{approx}7.039E-8 m/s: 182 .deg. C) than non-irradiated specimen. These DHCV results also show slight faster than one of specimen from Pickering plant (average DHCV: 4.5E-8 m/s: 182 .Deg C). This faster DHCV can be explained with the fact that Wolsung Unit-1 have been operated in a severe conditions(higher cooling water temperature, high power and efficiency) than Pickering one. The striation spacing which was ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract A series of polypropylene carbonate (PPC)/ZnO nanocomposite films with different ZnO contents were prepared via a solution blending method. The morphological structures, thermal properties, oxygen permeability, water sorption, and antibacterial properties of the films were investigated as a function of ZnO concentration. While all of the composite films with less than 5 wt % ZnO exhibited good dispersion of ZnO in the PPC matrix, FTIR and SEM results revealed that solution blending did not lead to a strong interaction between PPC and unmodified ZnO. As such, poor dispersion was induced in the composite films with a high ZnO content. By incorporating inorganic ZnO filler nanoparticles, the diffusion coefficient, water uptake in equilibrium, and oxygen permeability decreased as the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of pork/beef levels and the casings on the quality properties of semi-dried jerky. The pork/beef levels in the four test formulations were as follows: T-1 (pork: beef=100:0), T-2 (95:5), T-3 (90:10), and T-4 (80:20). After tumbling for 30min with curing solution, the cured meats were stuffed into natural sheep casings, collagen casings, or cellulose casings, and then dried. The restructured jerky with cellulose casing had the lowest water content and the highest protein content, with no significant differences between various formulations. There were no significant differences among all formulations with regard to pH and total microbial counts, and jerky with cellulose casing had the lowest value of water activity. The processing yields ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The objective of this study is to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict the thermal conductivity of ethylene glycol-water solutions based on experimentally measured variables. The thermal conductivity of solutions at different concentrations and various temperatures was measured using the cylindrical cell method that physical properties of the solution are being determined fills the annular space between two concentric cylinders. During the experiment, heat flows in the radial direction outwards through the test liquid filled in the annual gap to cooling water. In the steady state, conduction inside the cell was described by the Fourier equation in cylindrical coordinates, with boundary conditions corresponding to heat transfer between the solution and cooling water. ...

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This paper presents a mathematical model for simultaneous heat and moisture transfer under freezing-thawing in porous hygroscopic material. Even below O{sup o}C, unfrozen liquid water exists in the material which plays an important role in the processes. The model takes into account the existence of unfrozen liquid water. The system is treated as a three-(gas, liquid and solid) phase system of water. Moisture chemical potential is used as a moisture potential. Under freezing, moisture chemical potential is a unique function of local temperature. So, during freezing, two unknown variables to be solved are solid water content and moisture potential or temperature. A simple example of simulation for freezing processes is shown. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An electrochemistry model was developed to analyse the J-V characteristics of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The Butler-Volmer equation and water transport characteristics through electrolyte membrane were employed to simulate the electrode activation over-potential and membrane ohmic over-potential, respectively. The modeling results are found to agree reasonably well with experimental data published in the literature. The parametric simulations show that the ohmic over-potential is relatively small with typical water content in the membrane. Compared with the cathode over-potential, the anode over-potential is more significant and constitutes the major source of voltage loss. The high anode over-potential is due to the relatively slow oxidation kinetics, which is related to anode material property and microstructure. This model can be integrated with a ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Service water, 100 l each, was collected at an intake of a water treatment plant and at a tap after water was left running for five minutes. The carriers of strontium and cesium were added to water immediately after sampling, and the sample was vigorously stirred and filtered. Then it was passed through a cation exchange column at a rate of 80 ml/min. Strontium and cesium were eluted with hydrochloric acid from the cation exchange column, and separated. After the radiochemical separation, the mounted precipitates were counted for activity using low background beta counters normally for 60 min. Net sample counting rates were corrected for counter efficiency, recovery, self absorption and decay to obtain the content of strontium-90 and cesium-137 radioactivity per sample aliquot. From the results, concentrations of these nuclides in the original sample were calculated. The maximum ...

Science.gov (United States)

The authors studied the resolution of racemic glycidol through esterification with butyric acid catalyzed by porcine pancreatic lipase in organic media. A screening of seven solvents (log P values between 0.49 and 3.0, P being the n-octanol-water partition coefficient of the solvent) showed that neither log P nor the logarithm of the molar solubility of water in the solvent provides good correlations between enantioselectivity and the properties of the organic media. Chloroform was one of the best solvents as regards the enantiometic purity (e.p.) of the ester produced. In this solvent, the optimum temperature for the reaction was determined to be 35C. The enzyme exhibited maximum activity at a water content of 13 [plus minus] 2% (w/w). The enantiomeric purity obtained was 83 [plus minus] 2% of (S)-glycidol butyrate and did not depend on the alcohol concentration or the enzyme water ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper reports regulation of hypoxia inducible factor-1 ? (HIF-1 ?)in hepatoma cells by irradiation. Cobalt chloride (CoCl2), a chemical mimic agent for hypoxia research, was utilized to induce the stable expression of HIF-1 ? in HepG2 cells. The HepG2 cells were irradiated to different doses to observe the changes of HIF-1 ?. The level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was assayed by fluorescent microscope and flow cytometry (FCM). The results showed that there were obvious changes in expression of HIF-1 ? after HepG2 cells exposed to radiation, and the changes were positively related with the irradiation dose from 1 Gy to 5 Gy. Moreover, contents of incellular ROS were negatively correlated with above levels of HIF-1 ? from 1 Gy to 3 Gy. The results indicate that irradiation may enhance hypoxic cells HIF-1 ?, and the reduction of intracellular ...

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This research aims to investigate the effects of chemical blowing agent (CBA) contents and particle sizes on the properties of foamed poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/rice hull (RH) composites. Fine particles of azodicarbonamide (AC) at 5, 8, 11 and 22mm were modified with 20% by weight of ZnO and used at 0-3.0% by weight. The average cell size and density of the PVC/RH foamed profiles were reduced as the content of modified azodicarbonamide (mAC) increased. Larger mAC particles lowered the density more effectively. Maximum reduction of density by 46% was achieved when mAC 22mm was applied at 2.0% by weight. Larger blowing particles led to PVC/RH foam with greater flexural modulus and strength. Greater impact strength, observed when 5mm mAC was applied, resulted from the rather thick cell wall c...

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The water culture experiment of Houttuynia cordata of the medicinal plant was carried out, and basic study on {sup 137}Cs accumulation characteristic and internal circulation in H. cordata in the fruiting stage was investigated since the flowering season. H. cordata accumulated 80% of {sup 137}Cs absorbed unlike K to the root, rhizome, terminal bud of the underground part for the rhizome reproduction. {sup 137}Cs content to the young leaf, spike, involucre increased in the flowering season. Thereafter, {sup 137}Cs was recirculated to the developing organs in second generations such as the rhizome and bud. (author)

Science.gov (United States)

This paper summarizes results of preliminary experiments to develop cytological and biochemical indicators for estimating damage to respiratory cells in test animals exposed by inhalation to toxic agents associated with nonnuclear energy production, the specific goal being the application of advanced multiparameter flow-systems technologies to the detection of early atypical cellular changes in lung epithelium. Normal Syrian hamster lung cell samples composed of histiocytes, leukocytes, macrophages, ciliated columnar cells, and epithelial cells were stained with fluorescent dyes specific for different biochemical parameters and were analyzed in liquid suspension as they flowed through a chamber intersecting a laser beam of exciting light. Multiple sensors measured the total or two-color fluorescence and light scatter on a cell-by-cell basis. Cellular parameters proportional to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In the nuclear power stations of GDR the rough radioactive waste includes borat-containing evaporator bottoms and spent ion exchanger resins. For its final disposal in deep geological formations (rock salt mines) this waste has to be solidified. The experience of one year lasting operation of a steam heated thin-film evaporator (heating surface 2 m"3) for evaporator bottoms to be solidified with a solid content of 200-250 g/l are reported on. In short time such amount of water is abstracted from the rough waste that due to the borate content a hot high-viscous product passes from evaporator to waste drum and there solidifies like glass to monolith. The product quality depends on the adjustment of the flow-equilibrium in the evaporator. Boric acid is used as matrix for the radioactive residues. The residual water content of the solidified waste product was about 15-20%, the volume ...

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The conductivity of the membrane is a limiting factor for the efficiency and power density of PEFCs. Because this conductivity is strongly dependent on the membrane hydration, water management is an important aspect of PEFC optimisation. Single cell model experiments were made in order to determine the in-plane hydration of a Nafion{sup R} membrane under fuel cell conditions as function of the gas humidities. (author) 4 fig., 3 refs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Design layout of horizontal steam generator (SJ) with a special feedwater heating surface (by a surface water economizer), designated for NPPs with WWER-1000 reactors, is suggested. The design enables to decrease sharply the difference between the temperatures of saturation and feedwater. Blowdown outlet is organized against PG face, which increases the efficiency of flowing. The suggested layout enables to decrease thermal stresses in structural units and PG metal content, as compared to the PGV-1000 steam generator.

Science.gov (United States)

High nitrate contents (up to 200 mgl) has been observed in wells drilled into fractured aquifers lying beneath layers of weathered and decayed rock in the humid tropics where annual rainfall is over 1,000 mm and where there is no notable pollution. The source of the nitrates is linked mainly with localized deforestation by man.

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These studies have addressed firstly the effect of single small doses of x-ray upon murine hematopoietic stem cells to obtain a better estimate of the D/sub q/. It is small, of the order of 20 rads. Secondly, a dose fractionation schedule tht does not kill or perturb the kinetics of hemopoietic cell proliferation was sought in order to investigate the leukemogenic potential of low level radiation upon an unperturbed hemopoietic system. The studies reported herein show tht 1.25 rads every other day decrease the CFU-S content of bone marrow by the time 40 rads are accumulated. Studies on the effect of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 rads 3 times per week are under way. Two rads 3 times per week produced a modest decrease in CFU-S content of bone marrow after an accumulation of 68 rads. With 3.0 rads 3 times per week an accumulation of 102 rads produces a significant decrease in CFU-S content ...

Science.gov (United States)

The solar array wings were deployed by swinging two half-blanket boxes open from a folded hinge launch position .... pure-water by-product of the shuttle's fuel cell power generators because ..... outgassing limits, flammability limits, ... Foale fills a water microbiology bag for in-flight analysis. ...

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The treatment and disposal of oily waters from oil production and refining processes represent an important technological pass for attendance of the ambient legislation and to the politics of the Cia of search of the environmental excellence. The reuse or reinjection of the co-produced water has been considered an interesting strategical alternative, however, the water quality requirement for these processes demands a pretreatment step, considering the exit effluent from primary and secondary treatment processes currently used. This work presents resulted of the polymeric resin development for tertiary treatment of oily waters with low oil and grasses content and fine solids, including the dissolved fraction. These resins can adsorb, in reversible form, organic components. Its high adsorption capacity is determined by the polarity, superficial area, range of porosity and a wide ...

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Midway Labs currently produces a 335x concentrator module that has reached as high as 19{percent} active area efficiency in production. The current production module uses the single crystal silicon back contact SunPower cell. The National Renewable Energy Lab has developed a multi junction cell using GalnP/GaAs technologies. The high efficiency ({gt}30{percent}) and high cell voltage offer an opportunity for Midway Labs to develop a tracking concentrator module that will provide 24 volts in the 140 to 160 watt range. This voltage and wattage range is applicable to a range of small scale water pumping applications that make up the bulk of water pumping solar panel sales. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}

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Chicken embryos were x-irradiated in ovo with 5-30 cGy (=priming dose) at the 13th-15th day of development. After 3-48 h, brain- and liver-cell suspensions were x-irradiated in vitro with (challenge) doses of 4-32 Gy. Significantly less radiation damage was observed when the radiation response was measured by scheduled DNA synthesis, nucleoid sedimentation and viscosity of alkaline cell lysates 12-36 h after the priming exposure. In vivo, pre-irradiation with 10 cGy enhanced regeneration as evidenced by the DNA content of chicken embryo brain and liver 24 h following a challenge dose of 4 Gy. From nucleoid sedimentation analyses in brain and liver cells immediately after irradiation with 16 Gy and after a 30-min repair period in the presence of aphidicolin, dideoxythymidine and 3-aminobenzamide or in the absence of these DNA repair inhibitors, it is concluded that a reduction of the initial radiation ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine (PBD) chemicals are antitumor antibiotics inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis. An indole carboxylate-PBD hybrid with six-carbon spacer structure (IN6CPBD) has been previously demonstrated to induce melanoma cell apoptosis and reduce metastasis in mouse lungs. This study aimed at investigating the efficacy of the other hybrid compound with four-carbon spacer (IN4CPBD) and elucidating its anti-metastatic mechanism. Human melanoma A375 cells with IN4CPBD treatment underwent cytotoxicity and apoptosis-associated assays. Transwell migration assay, Western blotting, and ELISA were used for mechanistic study. IN4CPBD exhibited potent melanoma cytotoxicity through interrupting G1/S cell cycle progression, increasing DNA fragmentation and hypodipoidic DNA contents, a...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this work an experimental study is carried out to determine the thermo-hydraulic performance of an intercooler (IC) with flat tubes provided with triangular plain internal fins and louvered external fins when it is used on a car equipped with a low pressure EGR. The main unknowns to be answered are the thermo-hydraulic characteristics of the IC working under humid conditions induced by EGR, the conditions under which the water content in the mixture of air and exhaust gases begins to condense and the conditions under which the condensed water will be retained inside the IC. The exhaust gases are here replaced by a mixture of dry air and water vapour which are mixed upstream of the IC. The IC is submitted at the following testing conditions: on the ambient air side, the air temperature i...

Science.gov (United States)

;Table of Contents: Legal authority; Summary of proposed regulations; Industry definition and waste streams; Industry description; Data and information gathering; Selection of pollutant parameters; Drilling wastes-characterization, control, and treatment technologies; Produced water-characterization, control, and treatment technologies; Miscellaneous waste-characterization, control, and treatment technologies; Cost and pollutant loading determination of drilling fluids and drill cuttings; Compliance cost and pollutant load determination of produced water; Compliance cost and pollutant load determination of well treatment, workover, and completion fluids; Cost and pollutant loading determination of deck drainage; Options selection-rationale and total costs; Pretreatment standards; Non-water quality environmental impacts and other factors; Best Management Practices; and Appendices.

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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH`s) are ubiquitous hydrophobic organic pollutants in the marine environment. Many of the PAM`s are classified as possible carcinogens or mutagens, therefore they are of considerable concern to human and environmental health. The highest concentrations are found in coastal regions due to anthropogenic activities including oil spills, tanker operations, incomplete fossil fuel combustion and runoff. The sources and distribution of PAM`s in sediments are fairly well known, while the fate and transport of PAH`s in the marine environment are less known. Desorption is an important factor influencing the fate and transport of hydrophobic molecules at the seawater/sediment interface. The desorption of PAH`s from contaminated marine sediments to the water column/pore water affects the availability of the pollutant to biota. The sorption of PAH`s is determined in part by the organic carbon content ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soybean is one of the most economical and nutritious food packed with basic nutrients that combat diseases stemming from mal- and under-nutrition. Despite its rich nutritional profile, use of soybean in food has been limited because soybean proteins are often associated with compounds, which could exert a negative impact on the nutritional quality of the protein. Trypsin inhibitor (TI) is one of the important anti-nutritional factors that exert negative effect by causing growth inhibition. Soybean cultivar VLS-2 was irradiated with 250 Gy gamma rays in a gamma cell (200) with 60Co source installed at BARC to induce mutations for low trypsin inhibitor content. Three mutants with lower levels of TI content were identified and can be utilized for developing elite varieties of soybean. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palladium/magnetite nanoparticulate catalysts were developed for efficient elimination of halogenated organic pollutants from contaminated wastewater. Particle recovery from treated water can be ensured via magnetic separation. However, in worst-case scenarios, this catalyst removal step might fail, leading to particle release into the environment. Therefore, a toxicological study was conducted to investigate the impact of both pure magnetite and palladium/magnetite nanoparticle exposure upon human skin (HaCaT) and human colon (CaCo-2) cell lines and a cell line from rainbow trout gills (RTgill-W1). To quantify cell viability after particle exposure, three endpoints were examined for all tested cell lines. Additionally, the formation of reactive oxygen species was studied for the human cells. The results showed only minor effects of the particles on the tested ...

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A suspension of bone marrow cells from femurs of female (CBA . C57B1)F1 mice was exposed to 2450 MHz CW microwaves in a specially designed waveguide exposure system. The temperature of the suspension rose, during exposure to microwaves, from 20/sup 0/C to 45/sup 0/C, and at an interval within 20/sup 0/C to 45/sup 0/C the number of haemopoietic stem cells (CFUs) was determined by the spleen exocolony method. The time of exposure of bone marrow cells to each temperature studied was 20 s. Control suspensions of bone marrow cells were exposed to a water bath temperature. There were no significant effects of the CFUs with the water bath temperature, while after exposure to microwaves the number of spleen colonies was elevated with a nadir at the temperature of 37/sup 0/C. With a microwave-induced increase of the temperature above 41/sup 0/C the number of CFUs in the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A novel thin-film composite polyamide nanofiltration membrane was prepared through interfacial polymerization of polymeric polyamine polyvinylamine (PVAm) with isophthaloyl chloride (IPC) on a polysulfone supporting film. The composite membranes were prepared under different conditions and characterized in terms of chemical and morphological structures, surface zeta potential, pure water permeability, and rejection to different solutes including electrolytes and sucrose. The results showed that the membrane performance was significantly affected by the content of amine units of PVAm and the concentrations of PVAm and IPC. The increase of the content of amine units of PVAm and the concentration of IPC resulted in an augment in salt rejection and a decrease in permeability, while the increas...

Science.gov (United States)

The calculations of Gay et al. of the terminal velocities of charged hydrormeteors in the presence of electric fields have formed the basis of computations of the charging current density J flowing through a thunder-cloud as a result of the operation of a precipitative mechanism of cloud electrification. Values of J were calculated for a range of values of field strength E, precipitation rate pO, precipitation content L, cloud water content C, charge distribution, total separated charge, and the fraction of the small particles that have undergone a charging event.It is found that the estimated field required for the initiation of a lightning stroke (3.5 kV cm1 can be achieved only over a narrow range of conditions. The ease with which precipitative mechanisms can produce breakdown fields is considerably increased, however, if account is taken of spatial inhomogenities in the field.

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The objective of this study is to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict the thermal conductivity of ethylene glycol-water solutions based on experimentally measured variables. The thermal conductivity of solutions at different concentrations and various temperatures was measured using the cylindrical cell method that physical properties of the solution are being determined fills the annular space between two concentric cylinders. During the experiment, heat flows in the radial direction outwards through the test liquid filled in the annual gap to cooling water. In the steady state, conduction inside the cell was described by the Fourier equation in cylindrical coordinates, with boundary conditions corresponding to heat transfer between the solution and cooling water. The performance of ANN was evaluated by a regression analysis between the predicted and the ...

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This paper deals with the energy required to separate ethanol from an aqueous solution in a distillation column containing a solid phase. The solid phases evaluated consisted of either an amylatious (ground corn) or a cellulose (sugar cane bagasse) absorber whit particle sizes smaller than 4 mm. The water-retention capacity of each solid phase was measured by passing vapors or ethanol-water mixtures through the solid phase. When starting with initial concentrations bellow the azeotropic point, ethanol concentrations up to 99,5% (on corn) and 97,2% (on sugar cane) were achieved. The water content was evaluated potentiometrically (Karl`Fischer). Regarding the 2-4 mm ground corn solid phase column, the energy consumed was estimated to be reduced by 15,6% and 60% (by weight) ethanol-water mixture respectively. (author) 11 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

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With an objective to learn mechanisms in low-rank coal reformation processes, change of properties on coal surface was discussed. Difficulty in handling low-rank coal is attributed to large intrinsic water content. Since it contains highly volatile components, it has a danger of spontaneous ignition. The hot water drying (HWD) method was used for reformation. Coal which has been dry-pulverized to a grain size of 1 mm or smaller was mixed with water to make slurry, heated in an autoclave, cooled, filtered, and dried in vacuum. The HWD applied to Loy Yang and Yallourn coals resulted in rapid rise in pressure starting from about 250{degree}C. Water content (ANA value) absorbed into the coal has decreased largely, with the surface made hydrophobic effectively due to high temperature and pressure. Hydroxyl group and carbonyl group contents in the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuronal cell death induced by oxidative stress is correlated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and stroke. The causes of sporadic forms of age-related neurodegenerative diseases are still unknown. Recently, a correlation between paraquat exposure and neurodegenerative diseases has been observed. Paraquat, a nonselective herbicide, was once widely used in North America and is still routinely used in Taiwan. We have used differentiated Human Neuroblastoma (SHSY-5Y) cells as an in vitro model to study the mechanism of cell death induced by paraquat. We observed that paraquat-induced oxidative stress in differentiated SHSY-5Y cells as indicated by an increase in the production of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, apoptosis was evident as indicated by cellular and nuclear morphology and DNA fragmentation. Interestingly, ...

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The role of intermediate products of dioxygen reduction in cytotoxic effects ascribed to oxygen molecules was studied in vivo using various yeast mutants with changed response to oxygen stress. It has been documented that superoxide radical exerts its deleterious effects on yeast cells directly and the role of other oxygen species derived from it is hardly detectable. Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, however, cannot be considered as a typical eukaryotic organism due to its inability of synthesizing polyunsaturated fatty acids (pufa). These fatty acids are known as main target molecules during oxidative stress and their peroxidation leads to cytotoxic effects. As fatty acid content could be easily manipulated in yeast, this organism was used to evaluate the contribution of pufa peroxidation process to the cytotoxic effects of oxygen. Results obtained show, that yeast cells containing linolenic acid as the main constituent of ...

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A cellular membrane exchanges substances into and from the cell and protects the cell interior by maintaining semi-fluidity rather than be being solid. It is known that microorganisms maintain the fluidity in correspondence with varying environmental temperatures by changing and adjusting the composition of fatty acids which constitute the cellular membrane lipids. As part of the studies to elucidate the pressure withstanding mechanism in deep-sea bacteria, this paper investigates what variations the fatty acid composition, which constitutes cellular membranes of the DSS12 strain, a pressure withstanding bacterium growing well under either normal pressure or high pressures, will show under different culturing temperatures and pressures. Culture under low temperatures and culture under high pressures increase content of unsaturated fatty acids including icosapentanoic acid. Culture under high temperatures or normal pressure ...

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Cdc7 kinase plays an essential role in firing of replication origins by phosphorylating components of the replication complexes. Cdc7 kinase has also been implicated in S phase checkpoint signaling downstream of the ATR and Chk1 kinases. Inactivation of Cdc7 in yeast results in arrest of cell growth with 1C DNA content after completion of the ongoing DNA replication. In contrast, conditional inactivation of Cdc7 in undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells leads to growth arrest with rapid cessation of DNA synthesis, suggesting requirement of Cdc7 functions for continuation of ongoing DNA synthesis. Furthermore, loss of Cdc7 function induces recombinational repair (nuclear Rad51 foci) and G2/M checkpoint responses (inhibition of Cdc2 kinase). Eventually, p53 becomes highly activated and the cells undergo massive p53-dependent apoptosis. Thus, defective origin activation in mammalian ...

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Contents: recent trend of battery technologies; alkaline manganese battery with no mercury addition; high capacity zinc-air battery series for hearing aids; characteristics of vanadium-niobium-lithium rechargeable battery; high-energy density lithium-ion rechargeable battery; lithium polymer rechargeable battery: polymer gel electrolyte and electrode; high-capacity ni-cd battery sm120; high-capacity nickel-metal hydride battery; sealed-type batteries for electric vehicles; high-temperature-durable calcium-type battery for automobiles; sealed lead acid batteries for upss; solar cell power unit; solid oxide fuel cell (1); battery management system.

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Individual canine synovial villi were used to establish short-term synovial organ cultures. These villi incorporated /sup 3/H-glucosamine into highly-polymerized /sup 3/H-hyaluronic acid (/sup 3/H-HA), which was the only /sup 3/H-glycosaminoglycan identified in the culture medium. Some /sup 3/H-HA, and larger amounts of other /sup 3/H-glycosaminoglycans, were recovered from cultured tissues. Culture medium /sup 3/H-HA content was proportional to the surface area of cultured villi. Organ cultures of nonvillous synovium were compared with villi; nonvillous cultures synthesized less /sup 3/H-HA per mm2 of their synovial intimal surface than villi. These cultures complement cell culture techniques for in vitro studies of synovial lining cell function.

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Since microwaves are used in human cancer therapy, information on specific biological effects of microwaves at elevated temperatures is important. To help supply this information, we exposed mammalian cells (CHO) and bacteria (Serratia marcescens) to hyperthermal temperatures (43, 44, and 45/sup o/C for CHO and 48, 49, and 50/sup o/C for the bacteria) with and without microwave irradiation. Temperature control was maintained by a refrigeration-reheat system and high-velocity water recirculation. The 2450-MHz microwave source was operated in a pulsed mode with power density up to 500 mW/cm/sup 2/. As expected, the survival curve slopes for both cell types increased rapidly with temperature, doubling for each degree Celsius. Microwave irradiation produced no significant change in extrapolation number for either cell type. However, survival curves of CHO cells which received microwaves ...

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Ex situ and in situ fuel cell degradation of a sPAEK membrane were investigated. Post-mortem analyses of the aged membrane and of the degradation products eluted in water were carried out by NMR, IR, SEC and EDX. Ex situ agings were performed in a low concentration H{sub 2}O{sub 2} solution (0.07%) without any metallic catalyst. We exemplify that ex situ accelerated aging tests in such hydrogen peroxide solution are relevant to the chemical degradation in fuel cell. We have shown that a 500 h fuel cell test at moderate temperature (60 C) induces significant modifications on the macromolecules such as a 40% molecular weight reduction. Degradation appears heterogeneous and limited to the cathode side. The model compound approach developed in the previous article (Perrot et al.) has allowed the identification of the aging path in fuel cell. Phenolic and carboxylic acid chain ends have ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Certain 6000-series extrusions may develop susceptibility to intergranular corrosion (IGC) by improper heat treatment, especially if copper is present as an alloying element. Although occurrence of IGC in such cases is documented, the underlying mechanisms are not adequately explained. We present corrosion data for two model alloys, having different Cu content and Mg:Si ratio, showing that the susceptibility to IGC depended primarily on the Cu content and secondly on thermal processing. Low Cu samples (0.0005 wt.% Cu) were essentially resistant to IGC. High Cu samples (0.12 wt.% Cu), which were air cooled after extrusion, exhibited significant IGC. However, IGC susceptibility was reduced significantly as a result of artificial aging to peak strength. Water quenched high Cu samples were essentially resistant to IGC. However, slight IGC susceptibility was introduced after aging. Electron optical characterisation revealed ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The problems in computer vision range from edge detection and segmentation at the lowest level to the problem of cognition at the highest level. This correspondence describes the organization and operation of a semantic network array processor (SNAP) as applicable to high level computer vision problems. The architecture consists of an array of identical cells each containing a content addressable memory, microprogram control, and a communication unit. The applications discussed in this paper are the two general techniques, discrete relaxation and dynamic programming. While the discrete relaxation is discussed with reference to scene labeling and edge interpretation, the dynamic programming is tuned for stereo.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

#gamma# spectroscopy methods have been applied to determine the effects of two freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates, on reworking of sediments and the transfer of solutes across the sediment-water interface. Natural lake sediments and overlying water were contained in temperature-regulated rectangular plastic cells. After addition of Stylodrilus (oligochaete worms) and Pontoporeia (crustacean amphipods) to these microcosms, the vertical distribution of Cs-137 (a tracer of particle transport) and Na-22 (a tracer of solute transport) were determined. In cells with Stylodrilus, the Cs-137 layer moved downward at a rate that decreased exponentially with time. In cells with Pontoporeia, Cs-137 activity was smeared downward in time owing to eddy diffusive mixing of sediments over a small range (1-2 cm). In cells without worms, the veneer of Cs active material ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experiments with fresh PWR fuel assemblies were performed to assess the {sup 252}Cf-source-driven frequency analysis method for measuring the subcriticality of spent fuel. The measurements at the Babcox and Wilcox Critical Experiments Facility mocked up between 17x17 fuel pins (single assembly) and a full array of 4961 fuel pins (about 17 fuel assemblies) in borated water with a fixed B concentration. For the full array, the B content of the water was varied from 1511 at delayed criticality to 4303 ppM. Measurements were done for various source-detector-fuel pin configurations; they showed high sensitivity of frequency analysis parameters to B content and fissile mass. Parameters such as auto and cross power spectral densities can be calculated directly by a more general model of the Monte Carlo code (MCNP-DSP). Calculation-measurement comparisons are presented. This model permits the validation of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A mixture of crushed rock and bentonite is being considered as backfill and sealant for high-level nuclear waste repositories. Many variables affect the hydraulic conductivity of such a mixture, including the size and shape of the rock particles, method of mixing, water content and density of the clay, and the weight ratio of rock to clay. Mixtures of crushed basalt and bentonite have been tested to determine the relative effects of these variables. Two types of permeameters are used, 20 cm diameter stainless steel permeameters and 10 cm diameter clear PVC permeameters. Plugs are installed as a single lift or in many lifts; the water content of the clay ranged from air-dry (in most cases) to as high as 200%. Preliminary results show that a mixture of 75% crushed basalt and 25% bentonite has a hydraulic conductivity between 1 x 10/sup -9/ cm/s and 2.5 x 10/sup -8/ cm/s. In some cases, preferential flow ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

68 replaced carbon steel piping in secondary system of pressurized water reactor (PWR) has been investigated by visual examination for checking thinning conditions. It is well known that the flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) was inhibited by traces of Cr in steel. Therefore, the chemical compositions of those steels have been measured. In addition, the micro structure and hardness of those steels have been investigated. And the relationship between those material variables and FAC rate was considered. As the results, (1) The Cr contents in those steels were below 0.1 wt% except one sample. Minute quantities of chromium increase the resistance against FAC. But the water velocity was thought to be the dominant factor rather than chemical composition in steel, at least such as below 0.1%Cr. (2) Hardness of all piping has been satisfied the specifications of each materials. The hardness of steels was not correlated with wall ...

Science.gov (United States)

The results of experimental studies on the contribution of zoogenic debris to transformation of soil properties in the southern taiga subzone of Central Siberia are analyzed. They show that water-soluble carbon outflow from the forest litter increases by 21-26% upon a Siberian moth invasion, with this value decreasing to 14% one year later. The burning of forest in an area completely defoliated by the pest leads to changes in the stock, fractional composition, actual acidity, and ash element contents of the litter. The litter-dwelling invertebrate assemblage is almost completely destroyed by fire and begins to recover only after two years. PMID:18491565

Environmental Research Database

ObjectivesNot EnteredDescriptionMethane hydrate in an ice-like substance consisting of molecules of methane gas combined chemically with water. It is stable at high pressures and low temperatures. Since the ocean floor is normally cold, but temperatures increase with depth inside the Earth, such conditions normally prevail for a few hundred meters below the seafloor where the ocean depth is more than a few hundred metres. Methane beneath the ocean floor is formed by the decomposition of organic material. At the edges of the co [continued...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The present Annual Report of Activities of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN), prepared regularly from the creation as independent institution, describes across tree parts and seven annexes the activities developed by the organism during 2007. The main topic are: the organization and the activity of the ARN; the regulatory standards; the licensing and inspection of nuclear power plants and critical facilities; the emergency systems; the occupational surveillance; the environmental monitoring; improved organizational. Also, this publication have annexes with the following content: regulatory documents; inspections to medical, industrial and training installations; regulatory guides; measurement and evaluation of the drinking water of Ezeiza.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nanoparticles of AgBr were prepared by precipitating AgBr in the water pools of microemulsions consisting of CTAB, n-butanol, isooctane and water. An aqueous solution of AgNO{sub 3} added to the microemulsion was the source of Ag{sup +} ions. The formation of AgBr nanoparticles in microemulsions through direct reaction with the surfactant counterion is a novel approach aimed at decreasing the role of intermicellar nucleation on nanoparticle formation for rapid reactions. The availability of the surfactant counterion in every reverse micelle and the rapidity of the reaction with the counterion trigger nucleation within individual reverse micelles. The effect of the following variables on the particle size and size distribution was investigated: the surfactant and cosurfactant concentrations, moles of AgNO{sub 3} added, and water to surfactant mole ratio, R. High concentration of the surfactant or cosurfactant, or high ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozone formation by a pulse positive corona discharge generated in the gas phase between a planar high voltage electrode made from reticulated vitreous carbon and a water surface with an immersed ground stainless steel plate electrode was investigated under various operating conditions. The effects of gas flow rate (0.5-3 litre min"-"1), discharge gap spacing (2.5-10 mm), applied input power (2-45 W) and gas composition (oxygen containing argon or nitrogen) on ozone production were determined. Ozone concentration increased with increasing power input and with increasing discharge gap. The production of ozone was significantly affected by the presence of water vapour formed through vaporization of water at the gas-liquid interface by the action of the gas phase discharge. The highest energy efficiency for ozone production was obtained using high voltage pulses of approximately 150 ns duration in Ar/O_2 mixtures with the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The pilot area of the Vyngapour oil field allotted for MIOR tests contains three injection and three producing wells. These wells were treated in summer 1993 and 1994. Before, during, and after MIOR treatments on the pilot area the chemical compounds of injected and formation waters were studied, as well as the amount and species of microorganisms entering the stratum with the injected water and indigenous bacteria presented in bottomhole zones of the wells. The results of monitoring showed that the bottomhole zone of the injection well already had biocenosis of heterotrophic, hydrocarbon-oxidizing, methanogenic, and sulfate-reducing bacteria, which were besides permanently introduced into the reservoir during the usual waterflooding. The nutritious composition activated vital functions of all bacterial species presented in the bottomhole zone of the injection well. The formation waters from producing wells showed the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The prevailing severe shortage of animal feed in most of the developing countries could, to a considerable extent, be overcome through improved range management, which includes introduction of high yielding drought-resistant forage crops, development of adequate water conservation measures, and as far as possible growing annual forage crops on part of the vast areas of arable land currently left fallow each year. Year round measurements are essential for a good understanding of soil water and nutrients dynamics, which allow for adequate evaluation of pasture management alternatives. The methods most commonly used for moisture measurements in soil profiles are discussed because such measurements are likely to form an essential part of any investigation aimed at increasing animal feed production through the development of adequate pasture management practices. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radon migration in porous, earthen materials is characterized by diffusion in both the air and water components of the system as well as by the interaction of the radon between the air and water. The size distribution and configuration of the pore spaces and their moisture distributions are key parameters in determining the radon diffusion coefficient for the bulk material. A mathematical model is developed and presented for calculating radon diffusion coefficients solely from the moisture content and pore size distribution of a soil, reducing the need for resorting to radon diffusion measurements. The resulting diffusion coefficients increase with the median pore diameter of the soil and decrease with increasing widths of the pore size distribution. The calculated diffusion coefficients are suitable for use in simple homogeneous-medium diffusion expressions for predicting radon transport and compare well with measured ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new technique has been developed for the measurement of steam mass flowrate, water mass flowrate and total enthalpy of two-phase fluids produced from geothermal wells. The method involves precisely metered injection of liquid and vapor phase tracers into the two-phase production pipeline and concurrent sampling of each phase downstream of the injection point. Subsequent chemical analysis of the steam and water samples for tracer content enables the calculation of mass flowrate for each phase given the known mass injection rates of tracer. This technique has now been used extensively at the Coso geothermal project, owned and operated by California Energy Company. Initial validation of the method was performed at the Roosevelt Hot Springs geothermal project on wells producing to individual production separators equipped with orificeplate flowmeters for each phase.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Titanium stabilized austenitic steel is sensitive to SCC in the secondary water under the horizontal steam generator operating conditions. SCC was observed under crevice conditions both at the primary collector flanges and the heat exchange tubes. In the crevice environment sulfates and chlorides as aggressive species and silicates and alumino-silicates as ''non-aggressive'' species are present in significant amounts. Local water chemistry parameters were evaluated using the MULTEQ Code. SCC experiments were carried out by rising displacement tests ar 275 deg C in an environment simulating the crevice conditions. Crack growth rate and K{sub IS}8C{sub C} were determined for the environment where contents of some species were from 10{sup 2} to 10{sup 4} times higher than in blowdowns. (authors)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This study provides an analysis of potential changes that may take place in a Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project disposal cell cover system as a result of plant biointrusion. Potential changes are evaluated by performing a sensitivity analysis of the relative impact of root penetrations on radon flux out of the cell cover and/or water infiltration into the cell cover. Data used in this analysis consist of existing information on vegetation growth on selected cell cover systems and information available from published studies and/or other available project research. Consistent with the scope of this paper, no new site-specific data were collected from UMTRA Project sites. Further, this paper does not focus on the issue of plant transport of radon gas or other contaminants out of the disposal cell cover though it is acknowledged that such ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The concentration of trace elements in brain sections was measured by synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence. The relative concentration was calculated by means of the normalization of Compton scattering intensity approximately 22 keV, after the normalization for collecting time of X-ray spectrum and the counting of the ion chamber, and subtracting the contribution of the polycarbonate film for supporting sample. Furthermore, the statistical evaluation of the element distribution in various regions of the brain sections of the 20-day-old rats was tested. For investigating the distribution of elements in the brain of iodine deficient rats, Wistar rats were fed with iodine deficient diet and deionized water (ID group). The rats were fed the same iodine deficient diet, but drank KIO_3 solution as control (CT group). The results showed that the contents of calcium (Ca) in thalamus (TH) and copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) in cerebral cortex (CX) of ID ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Surface films on iron formed in methanol solutions containing various amounts of water with or without 0.1 kmol/m{sup 3} LiClO4 have been analyzed by in-situ ellipsometry and ex-situ XPS. It was found that surface films having refractive indices n2 and absorption coefficients k2 in the range of 1.8-2.2 and 0.25-0.3, respectively, are formed on iron at potentials of the passive state. The values of n2 and k2 for passive films on iron obtained in the methanol are smaller than those of passive films formed in aqueous solutions. The refractive index n2 of the surface film on iron in the methanol became larger with increasing water or dissolved oxygen content. In the deaerated methanol with the water content less than 0.07%, a surface film having a refractive index of 1.7 was formed on iron, and XPS spectrum of this film showed a spectrum which was similar to that obtained from iron ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Microorganisms associated with fractured basalt core were compared to those suspended in groundwater pumped from the same well in the eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer (Idaho, USA). Two wells influenced to different degrees by a mixed-waste plume in the fractured basalt aquifer were examined. In one well, an array of dialysis cells filled with either deionized water or crushed basalt was equilibrated to compare the microorganisms collected in this fashion with those from core and groundwater samples collected in a traditional manner from the same well. Analyses were performed to characterize these samples and to provide a basis for comparison. These included total cell counts by microscopy; total biomass by phospholipid fatty acid analysis; enumerations of viable aerobic heterotrophs, groups of putative aerobic co-metabolic TCE-degraders and aerobic H2-oxidizing bacteria; mineralization of 14C- labeled acetate; and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In large samples, the {gamma}-ray count rate of a prompt gamma neutron activation analysis system is a multi-variable function of the elemental dry composition, density, water content and thickness of the material. The experimental calibration curves require tremendous laboratory work, using a great number of standards with well-known compositions. Although a Monte Carlo simulation study does not avoid the experimental calibration work, it reduces the number of experimental calibration standards. This paper is part of a feasibility study for a PGNAA system for on-line continuous characterisation of cement raw material conveyed on a belt (Oliveira, C., Salgado, J. and Carvalho, F. G. (1997) Optimisation of PGNAA instrument design for cement raw materials using the MCNP code. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 216(2), 191-198; Oliveira, C., Salgado, J., Goncalves, I. F., Carvalho, F. G. and Leitao, F. (1997a) A Monte Carlo study of the influence of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Relative doses of 75 MeV/u "1"2C ion beam after passing through different thickness of degraders were measured with the double ionization chamber method. The degrader's thickness equalized to penetration depth of the beam in water and its Bragg curve were obtained. The measured Bragg curve is compared with that calculated based on a model set up by the authors. Meanwhile, the inactivation effect of the ion beam passing through different thickness of degraders on melanoma (B_1_6) cells was measured, and the corresponding survival fraction data for B_1_6 cells were acquired

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

According to the present concept, the low and intermediate level wastes generated during the Cernavoda NPP operation will be disposed in a near surface repository. The Saligny site, placed in the NPP protected area, has been proposed for their disposal. Geologically, the main components of this site are the quaternary loess, the Precambrian and Pre-quaternary clays, the Eocene and Barremian limestone. Hydrologically, the site can be divided into a vadose zone down to 45-50 m and three distinct aquifers, two of them in the limestone beds and the third in the lenses of sand and limestone existing in the pre-quaternary clay layer. A large research program for site characterization was initiated in 1996. At present, the site characteristics requested for safety analysis have been experimentally measured on soil samples or calculated by different computer programs. Hundreds of experimental values of the density, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, soil-water retention, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In the High Flux Reactor (HFR) at Grenoble a new horizontally arranged cold neutron source will be installed that uses liquid deuterium (D_2) as the moderator for cold neutrons. This cold source should provide a high neutron flux, it should be simple in design, and be characterized by high reliability and by safe operation. A high neutron flux calls for installation of the cold source near the HFR core and good moderation requires a D_2 volume of #DELTA#5 litres. Hence, the moderator, contained in a horizontally arranged cylindrical cell of 21 cm diameter and 20 cm length, is installed at the end nearest to the core of a horizontal beam tube of roughly 4.5 m length with an inner diameter of only 23 cm (Fig. 1). The HFR will be equipped with a second cold neutron source. The installation in the existing horizontal beam tube together with the amount of heat released determined the problems to be solved: the liquid content of the moderator ...

Science.gov (United States)

An on-line cell disruption system for at-line monitoring of the intracellular concentration of recombinant human superoxide dismutase (rhSOD) in a genetically modified Escherichia coli strain, HMS174(DE3) (pET11a/rhSOD), in bioreactor cultivations is described. The sampled bacteria were disrupted on-line by rapid mixing with a nonionic detergent. The recombinant protein content of the lysed bacterial sample was quantitated by a subsequent surface plasmon resonance biosensor with a specific monoclonal antibody. Extraction efficiency of the monitoring system was optimized with respect to the flow rate ratio of the cell suspension and the detergent at relevant cell densities with the aim to attain rapid monitoring. Monitoring was demonstrated for a shake flask culture and a glucose-limited fed-batch cultivation. The results are compared with a traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method showing a ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Between December 2001 and May 2004, a ventilation experiment (VE) was performed in the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory (URL) and co-financed by the Commission of the European Communities. The objective was to investigate the desaturation of consolidated clay formations in consequence of the ventilation of underground openings of a repository in such a formation. The results of the geoelectric measurements performed in the second phase of the Mont Terri ventilation test can be summarized as follows: Geoelectric tomography has been found suitable for monitoring ventilation-induced saturation changes in the Opalinus clay. During ventilation with dry air a desaturation down to below 50% could be detected in both desaturation cycles. The desaturated zone extends less than 0.5 m into the rock around the microtunnel. During the second resaturation phase, ventilation with humid air led to quick resaturation at the tunnel surface, while resaturation of the rock mass took months. The ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The performance of the Magma Power Company's reinjection well No. 46-7 at East Mesa has been examined. Water was cooled to 100/sup 0/F(+-) to simulate total heat extraction and then tested using membrane filter flow procedures. The cooled water contains particles which are in the high colloid size range, and formation impairment by these particles is unlikely. There is evidence that acid soluble corrosion products and calcium compounds constitute about two thirds of the particulates, and that the acid insoluble residue contains precipitated silica, insoluble corrosion products, and possibly formation fines carried in the produced water. Under stabilized conditions, the suspended solids content of the water is less than 2 parts per million. However, during the frequent production well start ups, a higher concentration of suspended solids is carried in the produced ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The polysaccharide components from cultured cells of Rhizobium fredii USDA205 and Rhizobium meliloti AK631 were extracted with hot phenol-water and separated by repetitive gel filtration chromatography....Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The titanium stabilized austenitic steel similar to the type of 321 is sensitive to the stress corrosion crackingunder horizontal steam generator operating condition. SCC was observed under crevice corrosion parameters and has resulted in the transgranular or intergranular cracking at the both, components primary collectors and heat exchange tubes. The crevice environment is characterized by aggressive impurities and 'non aggressive' compounds. Sulfates and chlorides as aggressive species and silicates and alumino-silicates as 'non aggressive' species on the other hand are present in significant amount in the crevice environment under operating condition. Local water chemistry parameters were evaluated with MULTEQ Code. As input data the measured operational values of local and bulk environments have been used. The determined parameters were compared with the results of thread hole environment analyses and tube surface ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The electrochemical dissolution behaviour of armco-iron and of the steels C15, C45, C60 and 100Cr6 in concentrated sodium chloride media has been investigated. Anodic metal dissolution experiments have been carried out using the flow channel cell (parallel plate reactor), the rotating cylinder electrode (RCE) and the capillary cell. The microstructure of the steel has been varied through variation of carbon content and heat treatment (e.g. soft annealed with globular carbides or pearlitic). Current-efficiency values have been obtained by gravimetric measurements in the current-density range from i=5 to 60 A/cm{sup 2}. For the soft annealed steels, the divalent ferrite dissolution in combination with electroless cementite removal dominates. For the pearlitic steels, the occurrence of oxygen evolution electronically conductive metal carbides or trivalent ferrite dissolution, depending on the current density applied, was ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

No-carrier-added astatine radionuclides produced in the "7Li-irradiated lead matrix were separated from bulk lead nitrate target by complexing At with insulin, followed by dialysis. The method offers simultaneous separation of At from lead as well as its complexation with insulin. The At-insulin complex might be a potential radiopharmaceutical in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. The stability of At-insulin complex was checked by dialysis against deionized water and Ringer lactate (RL) solution. It has been found that the half-life of At-insulin complex is about #approx#12 h, when dialyzed against deionized water and is only 6 h, when dialyzed against RL solution having the same composition as blood serum. The 6 h half-life of this Insulin-At complex is perfect for killing cancer cells from external cell surfaces as the half-life of internalization of insulin molecule inside the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The aims of investigation were to follow the Sr transport in the food chain from the flora to the fauna and humans, and its dependence on the geological origin og the plant site, industrial emissions, the age and site of plants, the part of plant used for nutrition and the strontium content in the drinking water, to determine the Sr intake of humans with the help of the duplicate method, and to estimate the apparent absorption rate and balance of strontium depending on of the form of diet (mixed or ovolactovegetarian), sex, season, age, region (geological origin of the living space) and method of intake measurement (duplicate or basket method). Strontium, an ultra trace element widespread in the earth's crust, is not essential and only mildly toxic for plants, animals and man according to current knowledge. The biological essentiality of Sr has not been investigated yet. Amoeba species living in sea water use Sr for the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The VE (ventilation) test carried out at the Mont Terri underground laboratory in Switzerland intended to evaluate in situ the behaviour of a consolidated clay formation when subjected to alternate periods of flow of wet and dry air during several months. For that, a 10-m gallery was excavated in the Opalinus Clay formation and carefully instrumented. Before and after a second ventilation phase boreholes were drilled. Samples were taken from the drill cores and were analysed from mineralogical and geochemical points of view. Also, the retention curves of these samples were determined in the laboratory following drying paths performed under free volume conditions at 20 degree centigrade, what is the content of this report. Although there are not large differences in the WRC of samples taken from different boreholes, at different distances from the gallery wall or before or after ventilation, those samples taken near the gallery wall and after ventilation tend to ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The importance of soil heterogeneity for methane emission from a wetland soil is assessed by in situ point measurements of depth-specific O2 and CH4 concentrations and simultaneous soil CH4 fluxes at contrasting water levels. Profile measurements, and associated assumptions in their interpretation, were validated in a controlled mesocosm drainage and saturation experiment applying planar O2 optodes and membrane inlet mass spectrometry. Results show that peat soil is heterogeneous containing dynamic macropore systems created by both macrofauna and flora, which facilitate preferential flow of water, O2 and CH4 and vary temporally with changes in the moisture regime. The O2 content above the water table after drainage varied horizontally from 0 to 100% air saturation within few mm. Oxic zones...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The buckwheat soup is a mixture of seasonings such as soy sauce, sweet sake, sugar and the like and stock of dried bonito. This paper describes an analysis of the stock manufacturing step, an important step in the manufacture of buckwheat soup, and the setting of stock extraction conditions on the basis of this analysis. If the rate of infiltration of water into the dried bonito is found, it is a very effective finding for setting the thickness of flakes of dried bonito and the extraction time to prepare buckwheat soup industrially. To obtain such knowledge, the time taken for the water to pass through flakes of dried bonito of various thicknesses, to vaporize and to remove latent heat till the temperature of the surfaces of flakes lowers was measured. The thickness of flakes of dried bonito and extraction time were set on the basis of the data thus obtained. Dired bonito was then supplied to a bench scale flow extraction apparatus filled with ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As a three-year joint university-industry effort, development of a generalized boiling transition analysis method has been started in 2002 aiming at enhanced capabilities of subchannel analysis for a wide variety of BWR-type fuel bundle geometry from ordinary BWR to tight lattice fuel bundles. For this purpose, five dominant factors affecting boiling transition phenomena have been identified on which our efforts of experimentation and numerical analyses are focused. In this report, as the first-year achievement, we will describe a master plan of the development and contents for experimental approaches to construct thermal-hydraulic databases. The databases will be utilized for the developments of constitutive equations to describe the basic characteristics of the elementary processes. The planned experiments are divided into two groups. One is air-water experiments at atmospheric pressure, and the other is steam-water ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experiments on aqueous TiO{sup 2} photocatalytic reaction characteristics of 4 nitrogen-containing and 12 aromatic organic compounds were carried out. Based on the values calculated for the distribution of ionic species and atomic charge, the characteristics of their photocatalytic decomposition were estimated. It was shown that the dependence of decomposition of the N-containing compounds were linearly proportional to their nitrogen atomic charge values, while that of the aromatic compounds were inversely proportional. The effects of aqueous pH, oxygen content and concentration on the TiO{sup 2} photocatalytic characteristics of EDTA-Cu(II) and EDTA-Fe(III) were experimentally investigated. All EDTA systems were decomposed better in the pH range of 2.5{approx}3.0 and with more dissolved oxygen. These results could be applied to a unit process for removal of organic impurities dissolved in a source water of the system ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The possibility of electrochemical corrosion of carbon steel at the rate of 3.25 x 10"-"5 A/cm"2 in water was examined under the conditions present during an accidental pipe rupture at the Mihama nuclear power plant: liquid conductivity, 7.5 #mu#S/cm; dissolved oxygen concentration, 5 ppb or less; pH 8.6#propor to#9.3; ferrous ion concentration, 20 ppb or less; temperature, 142 C. The corrosion rate of iron in a micro-cell with a dissolved oxygen reduction cathode was estimated to be only 1/400 of the preceding rate. On the other hand, that in a micro-cell with a hydrogen ion reduction cathode was estimated to be as high as 1/10 of the preceding rate, that is, 3.25 x 10"-"6 A/cm"2. Two important factors may have influenced the corrosion rate: the remarkable wall thinning, which must have been the direct cause of the rupture of the pipe, was located close to, and downstream from, an orifice; and, the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soil erosion and small annual additions of organic matter from plant-sources are the major causes of low organic-matter content in our soils. The tops of the plants, fallen to the soil- surface, remain there are incorporated, the plant-roots, shrubs, grasses. And other native plants contribution much towards the soil organic matter. Populus spp. Are grown commonly around farmers' fields in the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. A pot-experiment was conducted to study the effect of addition of populus euramericana leaves on various physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. Soil was kept at field-capacity level and incubated at room temperature for 10 months after adding 25, 50, and 75 g of Populus curamericana leaves per pot. Changes in organic-matter content. PH, cation-exchange capacity extractable potassium, water-holding capacity, and bulk density were investigated, after incubation for 6,8,and 10 months. There ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper discusses spectral change in brown coal and bituminous coal as a result of low-temperature drying. The experiment used a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy disposed with an in-situ diffuse reflector as a water content measuring method. The FT-IR spectra of coal showed the existence of two types of adsorbed water. One of the two spectral peaks was thought to have been caused by isolated water molecules which may have been hydrogen bonded to hydrocarbon in the coal molecules and weakly bound. The other peak was thought to have been caused by water which may have been hydrogen bonded to functional groups such as hydroxyl groups in the coal molecules and strongly bound. Drying behavior in brown coal and bituminous coal showed the absorption peak at 3640 cm[sup -1] reducing faster than the absorption peak at 3360cm[sup -1]. Depressurized drying was found to be ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The chemical thermodynamic concepts used in the calculation of solubility data of silica (quartz) are presented taking into account the PVT characteristics of water. The temperature-dependence trends between the thermodynamically calculated and the experimental quartz solubility data are very similar, but the values are widely different at high temperatures. The experimental solubility, especially along the saturation curve at high temperature and thermodynamic data for silica need to be reevaluated in order to use silica chemistry to understand geological processes. There could exist a wide range of values for silica solubility at a specified temperature, depending upon the amount of water in the reaction vessel. Thus the silica contents in geothermal fluid, in general, cannot be used as a geothermometer to estimate the reservoir temperature. The derivation of a silica geothermometer needs an extra assumption about the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report summarizes the results of research conducted during the sixteen month continuation of a program to develop rechargeable zinc-air batteries for electric vehicles. The zinc-air technology under development incorporates a metal foam substrate for the zinc electrode, with flow of electrolyte through the foam during battery operation. In this soluble'' zinc electrode the zincate discharge product dissolves completely in the electrolyte stream. Cycle testing at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, where the electrode was invented, and at MATSI showed that this approach avoids the zinc electrode shape change phenomenon. Further, electrolyte flow has been shown to be necessary to achieve significant cycle life (> 25 cycles) in this open system. Without it, water loss through the oxygen electrode results in high-resistance failure of the cell. The Phase I program, which focused entirely on the zinc electrode, elucidated the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This study is devoted to the formation of high-low-level-doped selective emitter for crystalline silicon solar cells for photovoltaic application. We report here the formation of porous silicon under chemical reaction condition. The chemical mixture containing hydrofluoric and nitric acid, with de-ionized water, was used to make porous on the half of the silicon surface of size 125 x 125 cm. Porous and non-porous areas each share half of the whole silicon surface. H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}:methanol gives the best deposited layer with acceptable adherence and uniformity on the non-porous and porous areas of the silicon surface to get high- and low-level-doped regions. The volume concentration of H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} does not exceed 10% of the total volume emulsion. Phosphoric acid was used as an n-type doping source to make emitter for silicon solar cells. The measured emitter sheet resistances at the high- and low-level-doped regions ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The important amount of hydration water in the ulexite (NaCaN{sub 5}O{sub 9}.8H{sub 2}O), allows using calcination methods to increase its B{sub 2}O{sub 3} content. This paper analyses the thermal decomposition reaction of a preconcentrated ulexite through weight loss measurements, which occur during the heating of samples until 1000 degree centigree, Determinations of heat content at each temperature were made using an isoperibol calorimeter. The mean specific heat was calculated from these values, and its dependence on temperature was determined. The maximum weight loss was about 32.5% and the specific heat obtained was 1,13 kJ/kg 0 C for solid samples and 1,38 kJ/kg''0 C for fluid samples. The results are useful for the design of the industrial process, in order to determine the thermal requirements for heating calcined ulexite, and to obtain smelted ulexite. (Author) 19 refs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reduction of occupational radiation exposure dose in a BWR plant is achieved by an elimination of crud in a BWR primary loop condensate stream by condensate demineralizer. Crud removal by condensate polisher improves year by year, a phenomenon called the Aging Effect of Ion Exchange Resins. The cause of this phenomenon is assumed to be mainly due to changes in the cation resin property becoming more crud adsorptive, where a typical change in physical property of aged cation resin is an increase in water retention capacity. Assuming that the crud removal efficiency was influenced by a crosslinkage of cation resin, an attempt was made to enhance this removal efficiency by decreasing the crosslinkage and satisfactory results were obtained. As a result, new gel type cation resins were developed with lower crosslinkage and larger surface areas, as compared with conventional gel type resins. The crosslinkage degree of these new cation resins are equivalent to a 6 % DVB ...

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This paper indicates first that the base content in desert soil is by far much higher than that in soils in moist areas, that salts with the higher solubility to water have their deposition depth greater, and that the organic content is extremely low. The paper also describes the experiments to verify that the desert soil contains soil lumps with a diameter of about several millimeters, which function effectively to form the long term survival locations for microorganisms. Desert soil containing soil lumps and the one removed of lumps by pulverizing them into powder were prepared as test specimens, which were left submerged. It was confirmed that the velocity of decomposing the organics and the mechanical strength in the latter soil are obviously inferior to those in the former soil. Additional remarks are given that when the desert soil environment is changed the microorganisms get more active appreciably and that certain ...

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Heterochromatin constitutes a significant portion of the genome in higher eukaryotes; approximately 30% in Drosophila and human. Heterochromatin contains a high repeat DNA content and a low density of protein-encoding genes. In contrast, euchromatin is composed mostly of unique sequences and contains the majority of single-copy genes. Genetic and cytological studies demonstrated that heterochromatin exhibits regulatory roles in chromosome organization, centromere function and telomere protection. As an epigenetically regulated structure, heterochromatin formation is not defined by any DNA sequence consensus. Heterochromatin is characterized by its association with nucleosomes containing methylated-lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9me), heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) that binds H3K9me, and Su(var)3-9, which methylates H3K9 and binds HP1. Heterochromatin formation and functions are influenced by HP1, Su(var)3-9, and the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. My thesis project ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Immobilization of a model liquid organic pollutant, i.e. the 2-chloroaniline (2-CA), into a cement matrix using organoclays as pre-sorbent agents was investigated. Five cement-clay pastes were prepared with different nominal water-to-cement ratios (w/c=0.40, 0.25 and 0.15 wt/wt) and various amounts of waste (waste-to-cement o/c=0.20, 0.60 and 1.00 wt/wt); for comparison, a neat cement paste was also prepared. Dynamic leach tests were performed on solidified monoliths in order to assess the successful immobilization of the 2-CA. In monoliths at constant w/c ratio (0.40) the total amount of pollutant released increases with its initial content, and ranges from 15 to 35% with respect to it. By lowering w/c from 0.40 to 0.15 at constant o/c, the performances improved (<25% released). The microstructure of the hardened cement-clay pastes was characterized by quantitative X-ray diffraction (QXRD) and electronic microscopy (SEM-EDS) techniques; ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Current studies in plants suggest that the content of the coenzyme NAD is variable and potentially important in determining cell fate. In cases that implicate NAD consumption, re-synthesis must occur to maintain dinucleotide pools. Despite information on the pathways involved in NAD synthesis in plants, the existence of a mitochondrial nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NMNAT) activity which catalyses NAD synthesis from nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and ATP has not been reported. To verify the latter assumed pathway, experiments with purified and bioenergetically active mitochondria prepared from tubers of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) were performed. To determine whether NAD biosynthesis might occur, NMN was added to Jerusalem artichoke mitochondria (JAM)...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Catalyst deactivation during steam reforming of transportation fuels, primarily due to sulfur poisoning and carbon deposition, is a major hurdle in the commercialization of fuel cell technologies. In an attempt to better understand the phenomena, a previously formulated multi-component (Ni, Pd, Rh) catalyst supported on g-Al2O3 was studied under steam reforming of Jet A spiked with thiophene to achieve a total sulfur content of 1000ppm by weight. Analysis of fresh catalysts showed the presence of two groups of active metal particles, primarily distinguished by their size and composition; small particles (1-5nm) largely comprised of Rh and large particles (10-20nm) that were predominantly Ni, with or without the presence of Pd. Analysis of used catalysts showed sintering of crystallites con...

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The corrosion resistance of steel-reinforced mortar specimens made from alinite cement was investigated using ordinary Portland cement (OPC) specimens as reference. The specimens were prepared and exposed in three different environments: continuous exposure in tap water, interrupted exposure in tap water, and interrupted exposure in 3.5% NaCl solution. The steel weight loss and the half cell potential were measured vs. exposure time, up to the age of 12 months. Pore solution extraction and analysis and porosity determination were also performed. In continuous exposure in tap water, alinite cement provided adequate protection against corrosion. In interrupted exposure in tap water, a higher corrosion was observed for alinite cement compared to OPC. In the case of interrupted exposure in 3.5% NaCl solution, the simultaneous action of free chlorides and oxygen resulted in the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Full text.Changes in land use and urbanization yield more pressure put on limited soil and water resources, including the risk of pollution with toxic heavy metals. The study area lies in the Bekaa valley totaling about 12753 ha. The valley receives from the west torrential fan deposits and a mixture of colluvial and alluvial material. The principal soil classes are Fluvisols, Cambisols, Regosols, Vertisols and Luvisols. The area is populated and also the most important agricultural part of the plain. Agriculture in the plain is being practiced mainly with cash, field crops and vegetables. The western surrounding area is being used mainly for terraced fruit trees. This Arab-German Technical Cooperation Project (ACSAD-BGR) aimed, following the ISO standards and Eikman-Klocke recommendations, at investigating the nature of the extends of soil pollution by heavy metals in two pilot areas: The central Bekaa-Lebanon and Ghouta-Damascus. Different institutions cooperate ...

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The most typical kinds of corrosion of brasses are selective corrosion (dezincification) and stress corrosion. Prevention against these kinds of corrosion lies in application of arsenic alloy addition and appropriate heat treatment removing internal stresses as well as in maintaining the arsenic and phosphorus contents on a proper level. The most typical corrosion of cupronickels is the local corrosion. Selective corrosion occurs less often and corrosion cracking caused by stress corrosion in sea water does not usually occur. Crevice corrosion is found especially in places of an heterogeneous oxidation of the surface under inorganic deposits or under bio-film. Common corrosive phenomena for brasses and cupronickels are the effects caused by sea water flow and most often the impingement attack. Alloy additions improve resistance to the action of intensive sea water flow but situation in this field ...

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In isolated rat adipocytes, insulin inhibits lipolysis to a greater extent than would be predicted by the decrease in (-/+)cAMP activity ratio of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (A-kinase), from which it was speculated that insulin promotes the dephosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase. They have examined the phosphorylation state of cellular proteins under conditions of varying A-kinase activities in the presence and absence of insulin. Protein phosphorylation was determined by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis of extracts from /sup 32/P-loaded cells; glycerol and A-kinase activity ratios were measured in the cytosolic extracts from control, non-radioactive cells. Increased protein phosphorylation in general occurred over the same range of A-kinase activity ratios, 0.1-0.3, associated with increased glycerol release. The insulin-induced decrease in lipolysis was associated with a decrease in the /sup 32/P content of several ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

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

Science.gov (United States)

The growth of an oxide interfacial layer was recently found to increase the open-circuit voltage (OCV) and efficiency by up to 60 per cent in GaAs metal-semiconductor solar cells. Details of oxidation techniques to provide the necessary oxide thickness and chemical structure and using ozone, water-vapor-saturated oxygen, or oxygen gas discharges are described, as well as apparent crystallographic orientation effects. Preliminary results of the oxide chemistry obtained from X-ray, photoelectron spectroscopy are given. Ratios of arsenic oxide to gallium oxide of unity or less seem to be preferable. Samples with the highest OVC predominantly have As(+3) in the arsenic oxide rather than As(+5). A major difficulty at this time is a reduction in OCV by 100-200 mV when the antireflection coating is vacuum deposited.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Dissolved microcystins (MCs) are regularly present in water dominated by microcystin-producing, bloom-forming cyanobacteria. In vitro experiments with environmentally feasible concentrations (5 ? 10?7 M) of the three most common microcystins, MC-LR, MC-RR, and MC-YR, revealed that they influence the metabolism of different representative phytoplanktons. At light intensities that are close to the cyanobacterial bloom environment (50??mol m?2 s?1), they produce morphological and physiological changes in both microcystin-producing and -nonproducing Microcystis aeruginosa strains and also have similar effects on the green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda that is frequently present in cyanobacterial blooms. All three microcystin variants tested induce cell aggregation, increase in cell volume, and ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new process for the removal of tar from biosyngas, OLGA (Oil and Gas Washer), is presented. This gas cleaning technology is based on physical principles and is designed to eliminate tar problems that relate to fouling and er pollution. The applied principles are confirmed by experimental validation. OLGA can be operated without suffering from harmful effects on important gasification characteristics as cold gas efficiency, gasifier simplicity, and feedstock flexibility. Some fundamental considerations in the development of OLGA are discussed. Amongst these is a different approach to the tar problem. This approach does not consider the total tar content as decisive in the evaluation of gas cleaning equipment. Instead, evaluation is focussed on whether tar properties as condensation behaviour and water solubility can still occur. A biosyngas free of tar should therefore be synonymous to a biosyngas that is free of tar related problems.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary Despite the great interest of red porgy as a new species for Mediterranean aquaculture, its commercial production is constrained by the high incidence of skeletal deformities occurring in this species under culture conditions. Several studies have been conducted to better understand the origin of these anomalies in this species, using different system intensiveness, rotifers enrichment products or rotifers docosahexaenoic acid content. The first study showed that culture intensification increased the number of fish with an extra vertebrae, what was probably related to the different nutritional quality of live preys employed in each treatment, since water temperature, salinity and genetic background were identical for the different batches of fish studied. Total incidence of skeleta...

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Mining of copper and zinc took place at the Clinton Mine located in the Estrie region of Quebec between 1973 and 1975, during which time 115,000 tons of mineral were treated at the Solbec plant. In this poster presentation, the authors provided the background information pertaining to this mine and described the state in which it was in 1994. The pit was covered with good quality water, with a pH of 7,1 and copper and zinc content ranging between 0,1 and 0,6 mg/l, and iron ranging between 0,2 and 1,8 mg/l. The tailings basin drainage was found to have a pH of between 3,6 and 6,1. A program for the characterization of the site was implemented and the concept for the restauration of the Clinton site was developed and implemented. The work carried out at the site is discussed during this presentation as well as the monitoring taking place. 27 figs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The radiation control carried out in Atomic Energy Research Institute, Kinki University, for the reactor installation and the tracer/accelerator facilities from April, 1981, to March, 1982, is described. The reactor was operated for total 1057.1 hours at the maximum heat output of 1 W. The persons subject to radiation protection as of April, 1981, were 126 persons in all, including 23 in radiation work and 11 in X-ray work, etc. The contents of this report are as follows: personnel monitoring (health examination, the control of individual exposure dose); laboratory monitoring (the measurement of area dose rate, radioactive concentration in air and water, and surface contamination density); field monitoring (environmental ..gamma..-ray dose rate, radioactive concentration in environmental samples); the use of unsealed radioisotopes, etc.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This study serves to investigate the uptake of POPs in the different trophic levels (scrapers, collectors, predators, shredders) of macroinvertebrate communities sampled from a glacial and a non-glacial stream in the Italian Alps. The presented results show that the contaminant concentrations in glacial communities are generally higher compared to those from non-glacial catchments, highlighting the importance of glaciers as temporary sinks of atmospherically transported pollutants. Moreover, the data also suggests that in mountain systems snow plays an important role in influencing macroinvertebrate contamination. The main chemical uptake process to the macroinvertebrates is considered to be bioconcentration from water, as similar contaminant profiles were observed between the different trophic levels. The role of biomagnification/bioaccumulation is thought to be absent or negligible. The enrichment of chemicals observed in the predators is likely to be related to ...

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Methane and carbon dioxide are the two main constituents of biogas. Biogas also contains traces of nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and hydrogen sulphide. When diesel engine runs on biogas, the combustion is poor as compared to diesel fuel. One of the reasons of poor combustion is the presence of carbon dioxide in the biogas. Percentage of methane and carbon dioxide in biogas varies with maturities of feed stock, temperature, water content, loading rate of raw material and bacterial actions. This paper examines the effect of variations of carbon dioxide in biogas on the performance of the engine to simulate the performance of the engine running with biogas from different sources (varying proportion of methane and carbon dioxide). (Author)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Changes in soil properties and vegetable growth were quantified on a low-fertility tropical soil. Four treatments (two composts, urea, and control) were applied to an Oxisol (Rhodic Haplustox, Wahiawa series) in a field on Oahu, Hawaii. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa, Chinensis group) and eggplant (Solanum melongena) were grown sequentially as test crops. Soil quality as measured by hot-water-soluble carbon, dehydrogenase activity, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) increased by compost amendments. Total organic carbon or carbon dioxide (CO2) respiration rate did not correlate with the soil amendments. Nitrogen (N) nutrition was the main factor that improved growth and carotenoid content in cabbage. The urea treatment promoted better growth in cabbage, whereas good-quality compost, made of...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A superhydrophobic SiO2/nylon 6,6 nanocomposite coating was fabricated by a facile casting process. Compared with the intrinsically hydrophilic pure nylon 6,6, the as-prepared coating displayed a superhydrophobic property in the pH range from 1 to 14. It was also found that the resulting water contact angles of the as-prepared surface were always larger than 159?, but the sliding angles had an obvious decrease from about 33.4??1? as the content of SiO2 nanoparticles increased. In addition, a transition from the transitional superhydrophobic state between Wenzel?s and Cassie?s state to the Cassie?s state was observed.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The interaction between molecules and solid surfaces plays important roles in various applications, including catalysis, sensors, nanoelectronics, and solar cells. Surprisingly, a full understanding of molecule-surface interaction at the quantum mechanical level has not been achieved even for very simple molecules, such as water. In this mini-review, we report recent progresses and current status of studies on interaction between representative molecules and surfaces. Taking water/metal, DNA bases/carbon nanotube, and organic dye molecule/oxide as examples, we focus on the understanding on the microstructure, electronic property, and electron-ion dynamics involved in these systems obtained from first-principles quantum mechanical calculations. We find that a quantum mechanical description ...

Science.gov (United States)

Endothelial dysfunction and increased platelet aggregation may be involved in the pathogenesis of normal tissue radiation toxicity. This study assessed clopidogrel, an inhibitor of ADP-induced platelet aggregation, as a modulator of intestinal radiation injury (radiation enteropathy). Rat small intestine was exposed to 21 Gy X-radiation. Clopidogrel (20 mg/kg/day) or vehicle was administered from 2 days before to 10 days after irradiation. Structural radiation injury, neutrophil infiltration, smooth muscle cell proliferation, collagen content, and TGF-beta1 expression were assessed 2 weeks (early phase) and 26 weeks (delayed phase) after irradiation, using quantitative histology and immunohistochemistry, morphometry, and real-time fluorogenic probe RT-PCR. Irradiated intestine exhibited significant histopathologic injury, reduced mucosal surface area, vascular sclerosis, intestinal wall fibrosis, increased collagen content, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An explanation is given of life estimation of CV cable and OF cable which are generally used as high-voltage power cable. CV cable uses XLPE (crosslined polyethylene) and OF cable uses oil-immersed paper as electrical insulators. Relating to CV cable, voltage deterioration due to partial discharge and electric treeing occurs in a high electric field, and by extrapolating the data of up to the actually used electric field in this high electric field, the life is estimate (there is an n-power deterioration law which is V{sup n} = t between breakdown voltage V and electric applied time t). Validity of this extrapolation, however, is a future issue. Further, in the use under the immersion condition, water tree deterioration phenomena influenced by water content and the electric field which are characteristic of CV cable are seen even in the actually used low electric field, and the life index becomes considerably small. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denting studies have been undertaken in order to assess the influence of the most important parameters which could initiate corrosion of the carbon steel occurring in the tube-tube support plate crevices of some PWR steam generators. Tests have been carried out in model boilers where feedwater was polluted with sea or river water. Specific effects of chloride or sulfate and influence of oxygen content, magnetite addition and pH value were investigated. In magnetite prepacked crevices, denting is obtained within 1000 hrs for seawater pollution of 0.3 ppm chloride at the blowdown. In neutral chloride or in river water, denting is observed only with oxygen addition. Denting prevention is effective in the case of an on-line addition of phosphate, boric acid, or calcium hydroxide. For denting stopping, boric acid or calcium hydroxide is efficient even with a high seawater pollution. Soaks cannot stop denting if they are not ...