British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper deals with a mixed convection water flow in a horizontal rectangular duct, uniformly heated from one lateral vertical wall and thermally insulated elsewhere. The supplied heat flux induces a secondary flow, which structure is constituted of one longitudinal roll in the considered aspect ratio (??=?1.9), embedded into a return flow of possibly large stream wise extension (up to twenty channel heights). Such situation induces helicoidal trajectories for the fluid flow particles, which contributes to a heat transfer enhancement compared to purely forced convection flow.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Some of the known toxic effects of lead in mammals including man are, impaired heme synthesis, anemia, nepatopathy, nephropathy, behavioral disorders and neuropathy. However, very little is known about the effect of lead on endocrine physiology. Some data are available on lead induced impairment of thyroid function in occupationally exposed men and experimental rats. As lead nitrate is largely consumed through water and food, in this study the wild rodents Funambulus pennanti were administered lead through their drinking water and their thyroid structure, radioiodine 131-I percentage uptake and protein bound iodine (PBI) level were assessed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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 ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In conventional power plants trash-racks are provided at the intakes to protect the turbines. In pumped storage plants, the draft tube or tailrace must also have trash-racks to protect the units while pumping. Because the loads believed to cause many failures of trash-racks are dynamic in nature, it is important to understand the dynamic characteristics of trash-racks structures in general and a single rack in particular. The classical added-mass solution structure-fluid dynamic interaction is known as an approximate solution procedure. An accurate added-mass approach mixed with implementation in finite element framework is proposed. In this proposal, experimental conclusions, supported by theory, led to presentation of more accurate results in vibration of trash-racks. This numerical solution as a powerful method to solve such a complex problem can be employed to carry out dynamic characteristics of these structures while ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AbstractX-ray diffraction analysis of pressure-induced structural changes in the Aequorea yellow fluorescent protein Citrine reveals the structural basis for the continuous...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Many coastal areas have served as repositories of different anthropogenic and naturally induced organic material and nutrients. The major sources thereof are riverine inputs which strongly influence the spatial and temporal distribution of benthic communities. In this study, the benthic foraminiferal, meiofaunal, and macrofaunal colonies in front of three rivers in a poorly known, but environmentally valuable, area of the Central Adriatic Sea have been examined concurrently. The physico-chemical parameters of bottom water and sediment characteristics were determined in order to characterize both the sediment?water interface and the benthic environments. Although changes in the biota are neither univocal nor unidirectional, a moderate influence of riverine input on the different communities...

Science.gov (United States)

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) plants discharge large volumes of cold water into the upper ocean. A three-dimensional, limited-area model was developed to investigate the regional influence of the far-field effluent plume created by the negatively buoyant discharge. The model was applied to discharges from a 40-MW/sub e/ OTEC plant into coastal waters characterized by various ambient ocean conditions. A typical ambient temperature structure and nutrient distribution, as well as the behavior of the effluent plume itself, were strongly modified by the discharge-induced circulation. Although temperature perturbations in the plume were small, upward entrainment of nutrients from below the thermocline was significant. The regional influence of discharges from an 80-MW/sub e/ OTEC plant, the interactions between the discharges from two adjacent 40-MW/sub e/ OTEC plants, and the effects of coastal ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Landslides on ancient embankments, burial mounds of Imashiro-zuka and Nishimotome-zuka, induced by historical earthquakes related to the tectonic movement of active fault systems located between northern Osaka and Kobe, are discussed. The geological conditions of the foundation of the mounds, the lithology, stiffness, and the position of the mound relative to the fault systems, contributed to the collapse of the mounds. Obvious interior structures of landslides revealed the inherent deformation process, and provided significant insight into landslide mechanisms. Rapid increasing pore water pressure was necessary to facilitate sliding along the almost horizontal slip surfaces developed in the main part of the landslide bodies on the Imashiro-zuka mound. Liquefaction analysis using both the ...

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 ...

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The requirements to design nuclear power plants for the effects of an instantaneous double-ended guillotine break (DEGB) of the reactor coolant piping have led to excessive design costs, interference with normal plant operation and maintenance, and unnecessary radiation exposure of plant maintenance personnel. This report describes an aspect of the NRC/Lawrence Livermore National laboratory-sponsored research program aimed at investigating whether the probability of DEGB in Reactor Coolant Loop Piping of nuclear power plants is acceptably small such that the requirements to design for the DEGB effects (e.g., provision of pipe whip restraints) may be removed. This study estimates the probability of indirect DEGB in Reactor Coolant piping as a consequence of seismic-induced structural failures within the containment of the GE supplied boiling water reactor at the Brunswick nuclear power plant. The median probability of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The results of the thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) study of the FEBEX bentonite performed during FEBEX II are presented. The laboratory test program continued in part with the works carried out during FEBEX I, particularly in activities related to tests aimed to the calibration of the models, the acquisition of parameters by back-analysis and the improvement of the knowledge on the behaviour of expansive clays. But the program has also included tests on new areas: investigations about the influence of the microstructure changes in bentonite, of temperature and of the solute concentration on the behaviour of clay. Besides, several tests were proposed in order to understand the unexpected behaviour observed in the mock-up test, towards the end of year 2. Temperature effects on water retention curves in confined and unconfined conditions were determined, and swelling pressure, hydraulic conductivity and swelling and consolidation strains as a function of temperature ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

... 1343-3563 v. 57(1) SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This study reports on the physical-chemical behaviour of swelling di-octahedral clays (smectites) and their interaction with aqueous solutions and bacteria (Shewanella putrefaciens). Experimental results are presented for compacted clays, hydrated under confined volume conditions, using a new type of reaction-cell (the 'wet-cell' of Warr and Hoffman, 2004) that was designed for in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement. For comparison, dispersed clay systems were studied using standard batch solutions subjected to varying degrees of agitation. The combination of time-dependent in situ XRD measurements with gravimetric measurements and calculated diffraction patterns using the CALCMIX software (Plancon and Drits, 1999) allowed to successful quantification of the dynamics of water uptake and storage. This analytical procedure combined with published water vapour adsorption data enabled determination of the abundance of ...

Science.gov (United States)

This report documents the collaborative effort between the United States and Canada to investigate the impact of process-induced defects on strength and stiffness under static and fatigue loading and for low-cost composite aircraft structures, in particul...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metastable nuclear isomers are central to the study of nuclear structure and their energy storage capability has suggested a variety of applications. The feasibility of applications depends sensitively on the efficiency of any process that can deplete an isomer upon demand. This work surveys how State-of-the-art in nuclear level and transition data impacts the search for induced energy release from isomers using recent advances in experimental techniques.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

During the operation of a tokamak, the first wall elements suffer very high heat fluxes. Heat is removed by internal cooling by means of water, helium or fluid metal. The resulting inhomogeneous temperature field cause internal stresses which, due to the pulsed operation are of cyclic nature. Additional mechanical stresses in the first wall may be caused by disruptions or vertical plasma movements. During theses events high currents are induced in the metallic part of the first wall which by their interaction with the magnetic field of the tokamak lead to mechanical forces. These electromechanical stresses may lie beyond the yield stress of the structural material. From the interaction of thermal and mechanical forces, a complex stress state is achieved which under certain circumstances may lead to premature failure and/or to progressive plastic deformations (ratcheting). In order to study the boundary conditions for the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This study aims to investigate the difference in the interaction of antimicrobial peptides with two classes of zwitterionic peptides, phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) and phosphatidylcholines (PC). Further experiments were performed on model membranes prepared from specific bacterial lipids, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) isolated from Salmonella minnesota. The structure of the lipid-peptide aqueous dispersions was studied by small-and wide-angle X-ray diffraction during heating and cooling from 5 to 85 C. The lipids and peptides were mixed at lipid-to-peptide ratios 10-10000 (POPE and POPC) or 2-50 (LPS). All experiments were performed at synchrotron soft condensed matter beamline A2 in Hasylab at Desy in Hamburg, Germany. The phases were identified and the lattice parameters were calculated. Alamethicin and melittin interact in similar ways with the lipids. Pure POPC forms only lamellar phases. POPE forms lamellar phases at low temperatures that upon heating transform ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

General corrosion behavior of ALLOY 800 in high temperature water was studied in relation to its surface film structure. The surface film formed in water was found to decrease the corrosion rate of ALLOY 800. This film is composed of Ni ferrite, and can be obtained by oxidation in air or steam. Based on these results, air or steam oxidation treatment to inhibit Ni and Co release of ALLOY 800 into high temperature water is proposed. (author).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In order to obtain the electronic structure of leucine (Leu) in aqueous solution, we studied three systems: Leu+7H2O, Leu+8H2O and Leu+9H2O. The results indicated that the system Leu+8H2O was the only choice which was both acceptable and doable: its computational effort was affordable, and it could simulate a main part of the solvent effect on the electronic structure of Leu in solution. Based on the system Leu+8H2O, all-electron, ab initio calculations were performed to construct an equivalent potential of water for the electronic structure of Leu with dipoles. The results showed that the main effect of water on the electronic structure of Leu was raising the occupied states about 0.0824 Ry on average, and broadening the energy gap by 11%. The water effect on the electronic structure of L...

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

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is used to demonstrate the presence of density fluctuations in ambient water on a physical length-scale of ≈1 nm; this is retained with decreasing temperature...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Despite prolonged scientific efforts to unravel the hydration structures of ions in water, many open questions remain, in particular concerning the existences and structures of ion clusters in 1∶1...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The structural integrity of the Fuel Test Loop(FTL) in a Korean experimental reactor is evaluated when the FTL, submerged in a water environment, is subjected to a postulated pipe rupture. The analyses are performed under static and dynamic conditions, imposing the thrust force history at each postulated pipe rupture section. Through analysis the following results are found: 1) A double ended guillotine can not be expected based on the toughness of the material, 2) the structural integrity of the chimney surrounding the FTL would not impede the structural integrity by the pipe whip. All analyses are performed by finite element methods.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Object: To smoothly control automatic water supply for realizing stable operation of a nuclear reactor by providing a flow rate limiting signal selection circuit and a preferential circuit in a water supply control device for a nuclear reactor wherein the speed of a recirculation pump may be changed in two-steps. Structure: Opening angle signals for a water supply regulating valve are controlled by a nuclear reactor water level signal, a vapor flow rate signal and a supplied water flow rate signal through an adder and an adjuster in response to a predetermined water level setting signal. When the water in the reactor is maintained at a predetermined level, a selection circuit receives a water pump condition signal for selecting one of the signals from a supplied water rate ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This report focuses on a better understanding of the physical phenomenon related to the enhancement of boiling and non-boiling heat transfer by applying ultrasonic waves. Experimental results obtained both in a pool of water and in a vertically upward water flow proved clearly that macroscopic acoustic steam induced by ultrasonics is a major contribution to heat transfer augmentation. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Here we present evidence that in water/acetonitrile solvent detailed structural and dynamic information can be obtained for important proteins that are naturally present as oligomers under native conditions. An NMR-derived human insulin monomer structure in H{sub 2}O/CD{sub 3}CN, 65/35 vol%, pH 3.6 is presented and compared with the available X-ray structure of a monomer that forms part of a hexamer (Acta Crystallogr. 2003 Sec. D59, 474) and with NMR structures in water and organic cosolvent. Detailed analysis using PFGSE NMR, temperature-dependent NMR, dilution experiments and CSI proves that the structure is monomeric in the concentration and temperature ranges 0.1-3 mM and 10-30 deg. C, respectively. The presence of long-range interstrand NOEs, as found in the crystal structure of the monomer, provides the evidence ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this study, free electron laser (FEL) with selective wavelength was used to induce structure changes of biomolecules, which were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. For understanding of the interactions between FEL and biomolecules as well as biological tissues, the biomolecules investigated are ATP, ADP, AMP, t-RNA, D-ribose and the complex of SmCl_3-D-ribose. Their FTIR spectra before and after irradiation of FEL show molecular structure variations of the samples after irradiation of FEL, especially the rearrangement of their hydrogen bond networks. Along with the various irradiation wavelengths, irradiation time and molecular structures, the changes after irradiation are different for these molecules. In the FTIR spectra after irradiation, the phenomenon that the bands split into several peaks indicates the existence of several structures, conformations and configurations, ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary 1. The EU -Nitrates Directive- (Directive 91/676/EEC) and the WFD (Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EEC) introduced a series of measures designed to reduce and prevent water pollution caused or induced by nitrates from agricultural sources. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to control the nitrate concentration in freshwater. The objective of this paper was to verify the potential capacity of a specifically designed afforested riparian zone in removing the excess of nitrogen from river water. 2. A buffer zone was set with irrigation ditches, to produce a subsurface water flow carrying water from the study river through the buffer strip to drainage ditches. This experimental system enables the co-occurrence of two main processes: vegetation/microbial nitrogen uptake and deni...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Superconductivity in A-15 compounds is examined in terms of electron pairing induced by exchange of acoustic plasmons. The electronic band structure of Nb_3Sn, V_3Si, and similar materials favor transition temperatures of Tsub(c)approximately20 K. (Auth.).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Importance of the fieldThe cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms that are selectively induced following exposure to structurally-diverse chemicals often are the ones capable...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... State Uni- versity of New York Press, Albany, NY. A. Meyers, R. Yangarber, R. Grishman, C. Macleod, and A. Moreno-Sandoval. 1998. ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In the cellular immune response, recognition by CTL-TCRs of viral antigens presented as peptides by HLA class I molecules, triggers destruction of the virally infected cell (Townsend, A.R.M., J. Rothbard,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We have studied the self-association reactions of purified GDP-liganded tubulin into double rings and taxoid-induced microtubules, employing synchrotron time-resolved x-ray solution scattering. The...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The paper reports extensive analyses of the fractal geometry of cellular dislocation structures observed in Cu deformed in multiple-slip orientation. Several methods presented for the determination of fractal dimensions are shown to give consistent results. Criteria are formulated which allow the distinguishing of fractal from non-fractal patterns, and implications of fractal dislocation patterning for quantitative metallography are discussed in detail. For an interpretation of the findings a theoretical model is outlined according to which dislocation cell formation is associated to a noise-induced structural transition far from equilibrium. This allows relating the observed fractal dimensions to the stochastic properties of deformation by collective dislocation glide.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The electronic structure of the clusters [V_3Si_4]"1"2"-, [Nb_3Sn_4]"1"2"-[Mo_3Ge_4]"1"5"- in crystalline V_3Si, Nb_3Sn, Mo_3Ge compounds is calculated by the Extended Hueckel method. The influence of different types of radiation induced defects on the density of states at the Fermi level (the anti-site defects, the displacement of atoms in linear chains, the vacancy-interstitial type defects) is considered. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Growth mechanisms and thermal stability of ion-beam-induced epitaxial Pd/sub 2/Si films are investigated using Rutherford backscattering and channelling techniques. Epitaxial growth of Pd/sub 2/Si films was observed at room temperature by argon ion implantation into as-deposited Pd/Si(111) structures and furnace-annealed Pd/sub 2/Si(polycrystalline)/Pd/sub 2/Si(epitaxial)/Si(111) structures. Some additional experiments to check the growth mechanisms are also presented, in which the implantation energies, substrate orientations and dose rates were changed. Finally, the stability of the ion-beam-induced epitaxial Pd/sub 2/Si films on subsequent furnace annealing is studied.

Science.gov (United States)

S>Hydrogen-induced delayed failure in an alpha-beta titanium alloy (4Al-- 4Mn) was sensitive to microstructure. A quenched structure was less susceptible to delayed failure than aged or annealed structures. The tendency for delayed failure was magnified in all structures by an increase in hydrogen content or an increase in strength level. Hydrogen-induced delayed failure occurred by a process of crack initiation and controlled crack growth. Delayed failures resulting from creep were also encountered. Plastic strain resulting from creep tended to retard crack initiation. Changes occurring in material under static load prior to formation of cracks were reversible, as long as no appreciable plastic strain occurred, indicating stress-induced diffusion of hydrogen. Hydrogen-induced delayed failure disappeared at both ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this work, a three-dimensional multiphase non-isothermal model incorporated with a capillary-extended sub-model in gas channels is used to investigate the coupled phenomena of water and thermal transport in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Distributions of water and temperature along the flow path in the channel are highlighted and the pros and cons of various operating temperatures are elaborated. In addition, this work also sheds light on the impacts of temperature variations of bipolar plates induced by non-uniform cooling conditions, which have been overlooked by most previous works. An important phenomenon of water distribution, dry-out at inlets and flooding at outlets (DIFO), is observed and this non-uniform distribution is revealed to be greatly influenced by the operating t...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A diode-laser fluorescence experiment was performed in order to study fine-structure transitions between 5"2P states of rubidium atoms colliding with ground-state potassium or caesium atoms. The Rb(5"2P_3_/_2) state was optically excited and the intensity ratio of sensitized to direct fluorescence was measured. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A series of copolymers based on the cellulose acetate/propionate-g.co-acrylic acid system has been prepared under radiation-induced control. These copolymers have been assessed for their water-retention capacity both in an unmodified state and after ''decrystallization'' or ''neutralization'' treatments. The grafting of acrylic acid onto the cellulose acetate/propionate had little effect on the water retention power of the cellulose acetate/propionate. However, improvements to the water retentivity was obtained after ''decrystallization'' procedures had been carried out on the copolymers using selected alkali metal salts with methanol as the continuous medium. The water-retentivity of the copolymers increased with increase in the extent of grafting, though the effect is less ...

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Pd-induced surface structures on Si(1 1 3) have been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In the initial process of the Pd adsorption below 0.10 ML, Pd silicide (Pd{sub 2}Si) clusters are observed to form randomly on the surface. By increasing the Pd coverage to 0.10 ML, the clusters cover the entire surface, and an amorphous layer is formed. After annealing the Si(1 1 3)-Pd surface at 600 deg. C, various types of islands and chain protrusions appears. The agglomeration, coalescence and crystallization of these islands are observed by using high temperature (HT-) STM. It is also found by XPS that the islands correspond to Pd{sub 2}Si structure. On the basis of these results, evolution of Pd-induced structures at high temperatures is in detail discussed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Structural Aging (SAG) Program is carried out by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under sponsorship of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). The Program has evolved from preliminary studies conducted to evaluate the long-term environmental challenges to light-water reactor safety-related concrete civil structures. An important conclusion of these studies was that a damage methodology, which can provide a quantitative measure of a concrete structure's durability with respect to potential future requirements, needs to be developed. Under the SAG Program, this issue is being addressed through: establishment of a structural materials information center, evaluation of structural component assessment and repair technologies, and development of a quantitative methodology for structural aging determinations. Progress ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We have investigated the structures formed by oligonucleotides composed of two or four repeats of the telomeric sequences from Oxytricha and Tetrahymena. The Oxytricha four-repeat molecule (d(T4G4)4 = Oxy-4) forms structures with increased electrophoretic mobility in nondenaturing gels containing Na+, K+, or Cs+, but not in gels containing Li+ or no added salt. Formation of the folded structure results in protection of a set of dG's from methylation by dimethyl sulfate. Efficient UV-induced cross-links are observed in Oxy-4 and the related sequence from Tetrahymena (d(T2G4)4 = Tet-4), and join thymidine residues in different repeats. Models proposed to account for these data involve G-quartets, hydrogen-bonded structures formed from four guanosine residues in a square-planar array. We propose that the G-quartet structure must be dealt with in vivo by ...

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The paper describes an experimental investigation involving pore structure of blended gypsum binder. The pore structure was investigated by using mercury porosimeter. A relationship between structure and mechanical properties has been established. It has been found that the principal factor of porosity governs the development of structure and strength of the blended gypsum binder. The pore size distribution was characterized by a reduction in the volume of the pores whose diameters are larger than 500 {angstrom} and an increase in the volume of those smaller diameters. An interpretation of the development in strength vis-a-vis porosity of the blended gypsum binder is presented.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper presents the objective, scope, and status of the U.S. Department of Energy's Materials and Structures Program to develop a data base on mechanical properties of structural materials for out-of-core structures and components for LMFBRs. Information on the development of a reference data base on materials for the reactor system, reactor enclosure system, primary heat transport system, intermediate heat transport system, and steam generator system is included. In addition, the development of the data and analyses to account for the effects of temperature and stress, as well as water/steam, sodium, and radiation environments, is described. Plans for the development of alternative materials for future out-of-core applications are presented. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Production of ozone and OH radical is required to advance the plasma chemical reactions in the NOx removal processes for combustion gas treatment. The corona discharge to the water surface is expected to induce the good conditions for the proceeding of the NO oxidation and the NO_2 dissolution removal into water. In order to get the fundamental data of the corona discharge over the water surface, the positive and negative V-I characteristics and the ozone production were measured with the multi needle and the saw-edge type of the discharge electrodes. The pulse corona characteristics were also measured with some different waveforms of the applied pulse voltage. The experiments were carried out under the atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Both the DC and the pulse corona to the water surface showed a stable and almost the same V-I characteristics as to plate electrodes though ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The effects of pore curvature and surface heterogeneity on the adsorption of water on a graphitic surface at 298 K were investigated using a Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation. Slit and cylindrical pores are used to study the curvature effects. To investigate the surface heterogeneity the functional group and the structural defect on the surface were specifically considered. The hydroxyl group (OH) is used as a model for the functional group and the water potential model proposed by Muller et al. is used to calculate the water interaction. For the homogeneous cylinder, the pore filling occurs at a pressure lower than the saturation pressure of the water model, while it is greater in the case of homogeneous slit pore. The size of hysteresis loop is more sensitive to the length of...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. Although traditionally considered a disease of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques, structural and functional changes...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polytetrafluoroethylene was obtained by radiation induced polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene in acetone at 195 K. An average diameter of the products was very small compared with commercial one; it was about 0.3 micro-meters. The yield was reached to 100% with a dose of 4 kGy. The crystallinity of the products is decreasing with increasing dose. The products become amorphous, for higher irradiation doses. It was found that PTFE obtained by irradiation of TFE in acetone at 195 K has branching structure. This was demonstrated by means of "1"9F MAS NMR. (Author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The analgesic, dipyrone (1,phenyl-2,3-dimethyl-5-pyrazolone-4-methylamino methane sulphonate sodium), at 20 mM concentration, inhibited the rejoining of single-strand scissions in DNA of Escherichia coli B/r cells induced by 20 krad gamma-radiation. The chemical altered the cell membrane structure as evidenced from the uptake of acriflavin, the efflux of potassium ions from the bacterial cells and the inhibition of alkaline phosphatase-a cell membrane associated enzyme. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We report the use of ion beam induced charge imaging to characterise the charge signal uniformity of epitaxial gallium nitride radiation detectors. The detectors were fabricated from 2 {mu}m thick semi-insulating gallium nitride, grown by MOCVD on a sapphire substrate. A carrier concentration of 1.4x10{sup 15} cm{sup -3} was measured using capacitance-voltage measurements. Ion beam induced charge imaging was carried out with a 2 MeV alpha particle beam focussed to a 3 {mu}m diameter and raster scanned across the device. The resulting ion beam images show excellent charge signal uniformity in this material with no evidence of material defects or polycrystalline structure on the micrometer length scale. No evidence of charge signal trapping was observed in these devices.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tow experiments were carried out in 1981 and 1982 growth seasons at the greenhouse of the department of agriculture for soils and water researches, atomic energy authority, at inshas, to investigate the responses of two mutation derived lines of sesame and the local cultivar giza 25 to the application of micro nutrients. The possible effect of radiation on germination and growth of sesame seed was also studied in a separate experiment conducted in 1985 season, at inshas.

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Intracervical application of prostaglandin E2 in the late first trimester induces (1) softening of the cervix tissue; (2) increase in sulfated glycosaminoglycans (18 +/- 12%, mean +/- SEM); (3) no change in hyaluronic acid and water; (4) decrease in pepsin-extractable collagen, and (5) apparent decrease in collagenase. A high activity of collagenase in combination with a replacement of collagen with sulfated glycosaminoglycans may be of importance for the ripening process.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This standard addresses the design bases for light water reactor, nuclear power plant structures and components essential for the protection of public health and safety from the potential adverse effects of pipe whip, jet impingement, pressurization of compartments outside containment, environmental conditions and flooding associated with a postulated pipe rupture. The design bases for missile protection and the design bases for containment pressurization are not within this standard.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper reports on hydrolysis of 10 metal salt aqueous solutions of 6 metal oxides that was conducted in supercritical water. Continuous and rapid production of metal oxide fine particles was achieved by mixing a metal salt aqueous solution with preheated water fed from another line. The reaction time required was less than 2 min. Particle size, morphology, and crystal structure of the obtained metal (hydrous) oxides were examined. Particle size (20 to 600 nm) was different among the system but the size range was relatively narrow in all the cases.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Fluoroalkyl end-capped vinyltrimethoxysilane oligomer suffered the sol-gel reaction under alkaline conditions in the presence of titanium oxide nanoparticles in tetrahydrofuran to afford the corresponding fluorinated oligomer/titanium oxide nanocomposites[RF-(VM-SiO2)n-RF/TiO2] in excellent to moderate isolated yields. These fluorinated composites thus obtained were nanometer size-controlled fine particles, and exhibited good dispersibility and stability in traditional organic solvents except for water. These fluorinated nanocomposites were applied to the surface modification of glass to exhibit not only a completely superhydrophobic characteristic (a water contact angle: 180degree) with a non-wetting property against water droplets but also a good oleophobicity imparted by fluoroalkyl seg...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The performance of five well-known photosynthesis-light equations is compared by presenting a wide range of solutions in the form of dimensionless nomographs for the case where photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) reduces exponentially down the water column and is distributed sinusoidally through the photoperiod. These provide a simple means of calculating daily photosynthesis at any depth (e.g. at a benthic layer), or through a water column, avoiding the need to perform complex integrations. An examination is made of the accuracy of common approximate methods for calculating daily photosynthesis, assuming constant PAR. For optically deep water a modification is proposed to Talling's planimetric solution, to enable daily photosynthesis to be calculated more accurately, yet simply, over the whole range of possible PAR values. The errors induced by approximating the daily PAR distribution ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

R-matrix analyses of neutron-induced reactions for many of the lightest p-shell nuclei are difficult due to a lack of distinct resonance structure in the reaction cross sections. Initial values for the required R-matrix parameters, E,sub(lambda) and ..gamma..sub(lambdac) for states in the compound system, can be obtained from shell model calculations. In the present work, the results of recent shell model calculations for the lithium isotopes have been used in R-matrix analyses of /sup 6/Li+n and /sup 7/Li+n reactions for E sub(n) < 8 MeV. Consequences of the shell model predictions for the level structure of /sup 7/Li and /sup 8/Li on the /sup 6/Li+n and /sup 7/Li+n reaction mechanisms and cross sections are discussed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The radiation induced reactions in LDPE in the presence of phenolic type antioxidants have been studied. It was shown that various antioxidants can influence the polyethylene network formation and the radical yield in different ways. The dependence of network structure on absorbed doses was determined by gel analysis, hot-set test and extraction of antioxidants for samples irradiated with accelerated electrons. It was found that the antioxidants eluted from polyethylene in higher percentage influence polymer crosslinking to a smaller degree. The ESR studies of #gamma#-irradiated blends of polyethylene with antioxidant indicate the presence of alkyl and phenoxyl radicals. The role of antioxidant molecules on radiation induced reactions in polyethylene-antioxidant systems is considered. The correlation between the network structure and the type of additive in polyethylene is also discussed. (author).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Temperature variations due to climate changes are a major cause of movements in a concrete structure, both in the longitudinal and transversal directions and between different parts of the structure. If these movements are restrained, stresses will be induced which may contribute to cracking. The movements are caused by complex interactions of several factors such as solar radiation, air temperature, long-wave heat radiation and wind speed. To predict the varying thermal conditions in a concrete structure a finite element model has been used. A validation of the model has been performed using field measurements in a concrete slab together with climate data from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute to be able to use the model for simulations over long time periods and for s...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A new strontium metal-organic framework, [Sr2(BTEC)(H2O)4] 2H2O (1) (H4BTEC=benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid), has been successfully synthesized by mixing the starting reagents. The single-crystal structure analysis showed that compound 1 displayed three-dimensional structures containing inorganic motifs with two-dimensional layers pillar-connected through organic linkers and forming water-coordinated neutral framework. Further studies revealed that compound 1 was insoluble in water and that it emitted strong luminescence at approximately 437nm after dehydration.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hydrothermal method for preparing crystal borophosphate with zeolite structure is suggested. To increase absorption capacity and thermal stability of final product, aluminium hydroxide sol, ethylenediamine and ethyl acetate are added to the mixture of crystal boric and concentrated phosphoric acids. Thermal stability of the specimens prepared constitutes 880-950 deg, water absorption capacity is within the limits of 0.30-0.32 cmT/g. 1 table.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We report biological changes at several UK Acid Waters Monitoring Network lakes and streams that are spatially consistent with the recovery of water chemistry induced by reductions in acid deposition. These include trends toward more acid-sensitive epilithic diatom and macroinvertebrate assemblages, an increasing proportional abundance of macroinvertebrate predators, an increasing occurrence of acid-sensitive aquatic macrophyte species, and the recent appearance of juvenile (<1 year old) brown trout in some of the more acidic flowing waters. Changes are often shown to be directly linked to annual variations in acidity. Although indicative of biological improvement in response to improving water chemistry, 'recovery' in most cases is modest and very gradual. While specific ecological recovery endpoints are uncertain, it is likely that physical and biotic interactions are ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Flow visualization experiments are conducted in water tunnel for low aspect ratio cropped wings at low Reynolds number. The experimental results show that the model sweep angle ? influences the formation and development of the leading-edge vortex. For wings with ? =0?, the dominant flow structure is transverse vortex. When ??26?, the dual vortex structure can be observed at some angles of attack, and it is confirmed that the dual vortex is a special structure for flow over low aspect ratio wing at low Reynolds number. For ??56? wings, the dual vortex structure can be observed in a large range of attack angles. Moreover, in comparison with the outer vortex, the breakdown position of the primary vortex is delayed, and the larger the ?, the later the breakdown location at the same angle of at...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Free Electron Laser (FEL) with wide wavelength tunability has been developed and used for various applications. We report the structural-changes in P-ion-implanted diamond when we can achieve resonant excitation of the vibrations of specific bonds in the lattice of target (P-C) by using FEL. The change of property was analyzed by SIMS and Raman spectroscopy. After 5.8 #mu#m-FEL irradiation, we observed the crystallization of amorphous structure which was induced by P-ion-implantation. These results indicated the FEL annealing of diamond at room temperature. (Copyright (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been used to explore the nanometer-scale structure of Nafion, the widely used fuel cell membrane, and its composites. We have shown that solid-state NMR can characterize chemical structure and composition, domain size and morphology, internuclear distances, molecular dynamics, etc. The newly-developed water channel model of Nafion has been confirmed, and important characteristic length-scales established. Nafion-based organic and inorganic composites with special properties have also been characterized and their structures elucidated. The morphology of Nafion varies with hydration level, and is reflected in the changes in surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio of the polymer obtained by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The S/V ratios of different Nafion models have been evaluated numerically. It has been found that only the water channel ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A series of cleavable water-soluble silicone surfactants were prepared by the reaction of a hydroxyl-terminated polyester and an organopolysiloxane. Cleavable surfactants can decompose into water-insoluble moiety of silanol and two water-soluble products under acidic conditions, whereas these compounds are stable under neutral or alkaline conditions. The structure change of theses cleavage products are confirmed by IR and UV spectra analysis. The fundamental surface activity including surface tension, foaming, contact angle and viscosity are studied. The photocatalytic degradation of modified silicone surfactants with UV light over titanium oxide was investigated. Experimental results have confirmed that products are slowly degraded by direct photolysis. However, the cleavable silicone sur...

Science.gov (United States)

The twin-cities of El Paso and Juarez share the water resources of the Hueco Bolson aquifer and overlying Rio Grande aquifer. Both aquifers span the international border between Mexico and the United States. Salinity in the Rio Grande aquifer varies widely, some parts of the shallow aquifer containing less than 1,000 mg/L total dissolved solids (TDS), other parts of the aquifer exceeding 5,000 mg/L TDS. One sizable part of the "Lower Valley" area, approximately 45 km below El Paso contains very dilute water near the outer edge of the floodplain. Historically it had been thought that the dilute waters in this location were derived from recharge from arroyos that drained proximal parts of the Hueco Bolson. Instead, our hydrogen and oxygen isotope data and carbon-14 data indicate that these dilute waters were derived from pre-dam infiltration of the Rio Grande. Relatively light and slightly evaporated ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report discusses the following topics: Prompt fission neutron energy spectra for {sup 235}U and {sup 239}Pu; Two-parameter measurement of nuclear lifetimes; ``Black`` neutron detector; Data reduction techniques for neutron scattering experiments; Inelastic neutron scattering studies in {sup 197}Au; Elastic and inelastic scattering studies in {sup 239}Pu; and neutron induced defects in silicon dioxide MOS structures.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Power devices such as MOSFETSs and IGBTs, include parasitic structures that can give rise to destructive failures such as breakdown and latch-up. To determine a suitable strategy for device radiation hardening, simulation software like MEDICI-2D can be used to model the effects of technological modifications and device parameters that are difficult to measure experimentally. (authors).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary The objective of this study was to examine the role of root carbohydrate levels and metabolism in the waterlogging tolerance of contrasting mung bean genotypes. An experiment was conducted with two cultivated mung bean (Vigna radiata) genotypes viz., T44 (tolerant) and Pusa Baisakhi (PB) (susceptible), and a wild Vigna species Vigna luteola under pot-culture to study the physiological and molecular mechanism of waterlogging tolerance. Waterlogging resulted in decrease in relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI) in root and leaf tissues, and chlorophyll (Chl) content in leaves, while the Chl a/b ratio increased. Waterlogging-induced decline in RWC, MSI, Chl and increase in Chl a/b ratio was greater in PB than V. luteola and T44. Waterlogging caused decline in tot...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Alkali tolerance and the mechanism of microcystin (MC) degradation were investigated in the MC-degrading bacterial species, Sphingopyxis sp. C-1, to better understand the increased MC degradation under the alkaline conditions that arise during the disappearance of water blooms. MC-degrading bacteria harbour mlrA, mlrB and mlrC that encode MC-degrading enzymes. Sphingopyxis sp. C-1 also possesses these genes, as well as the mlrD gene that has been assumed to encode MC and its degradation transporter. This study demonstrated that MC degradation activity was promoted by the intermittent addition of microcystin-LR (MCLR) to cultures of strain C-1. That the expression of mlrA, mlrB and mlrC is induced by MCLR also was indicated, whereas that of mlrA and mlrB is induced by the MCLR degr...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A core-wide in-phase neutron flux oscillation, which took place, for example, at LaSalle-2 in the USA in 1988, is one of the nuclear-coupled thermal hydraulic instabilities in boiling water reactors (BWRs). In this study, an analysis has been performed focusing on the excitation of this type of instability in BWRs due to seismically induced resonance, within the scope of a point kinetics model. For this purpose, the TRAC-BF1 code has been modified to take into account the external acceleration in addition to gravity. As a result of this analysis, it is shown that reactivity insertion can occur accompanied by in-surge of the coolant into the core resulting from excitation. It is also shown that the amount of reactivity inserted largely depends on the degree of stability of the initial state and the amplitude of the seismic wave, whose frequency is the same as the characteristic frequency of the instability. (orig.).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A tertiary structure of recombinant A22^G-B31^K-B32^R-human insulin monomer (insulin GKR) has been characterized by ^1H, ^1^3C NMR at natural isotopic abundance using NOESY, TOCSY, ^1H/^1^3C-GHSQC, and ^1H/^1^3C-GHSQC-TOCSY spectra. Translational diffusion studies indicate the monomer structure in water/acetonitrile (65/35vol.%). CSI analysis confirms existence of secondary structure motifs present in human insulin standard (HIS). Both techniques allow to establish that in this solvent recombinant insulin GKR exists as a monomer. Starting from structures calculated by the program CYANA, two different refinement protocols used molecular dynamics simulated annealing with the program AMBER; in vacuum (AMBER_VC), and including a generalized Born solvent model (AMBER_GB). From these calculation...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A study was undertaken of the effect of monovalent cations (Li/sup +/, Na/sup +/, K/sup +/) on the dielectric constant (epsilon) of the water-lipid interface of unilamellar phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles, i.e., the ester carbonyl oxygen region of the PC molecules or the neighborhood of the oxygen atoms of the phosphorylcholine moiety. epsilon was determined by reacting the free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl with ..cap alpha..-tocopherol incorporated in the lipid vesicles. The results are consistent with a decrease of epsilon (LiCl: 35.5 to 29.5; NaCl: 34 to 29; KCl: 33 to 29) as the concentration of the salts in the solvent media increases from 0.025 to 0.5 M. These effects can be rationalized in terms of dielectric saturation at the water-lipid interface brought about by ion-induced local electric fields. In the unilamellar PC vesicles the effect of the ions on epsilon follows the sequence K/sup +/ > Na/sup ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper overviews the general features of computer program 'HEC-5, Simulation of Flood Control and Conservation Systems', with emphasis on the capabilities of the most recent release of HEC-5, Version 7.2, dated March 1991. HEC-5 can simulate the essential features and operation goals and constraints of simple or complex systems with simulation intervals ranging from minutes to one month. Single event flood analysis and period of record conservation analysis may be accomplished with the model. Flood control analysis includes balanced system operation for downstream damage centers with consideration of forecasted local flows and hydrologic routing. In addition, induced surcharge operation based on spillway gate regulation schedules can be simulated. Hydropower analysis may include run-of-river, peaking, and pumped storage plants as well as system power operation. Water supply simulation can include reservoir and downstream ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The cover picture shows the fertile combination of synthetic chemistry and experimental physics, both permanently making central contributions to hot scientific topics in spite of being classical scientific disciplines with long-standing traditions. The displayed scientist struggles with the synthesis of cruciform structures (displayed on the black board) for single-molecule-transport investigations in a mechanically controlled break junction setup (sketched in the inset at the upper right corner). More information on the design and synthesis of the cruciform structures, such as their immobilization experiments, is found in the article by M. Calame, M. Mayor et al. on p. 833 ff. Serafin Pazdera is greatly acknowledged for the cover artwork.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hyperspherical-harmonics method to investigate the lightest nuclei having three-cluster structure is discussed together with recent experiments. Properties of bound states and methods to explore three-body continuum are presented. The challenges created by large neutron excess and halo phenomena are highlighted. Astrophysical aspects of the "7Li + n "#-># "8Li + #gamma# reaction and the solar-boron-neutrinos problem are analyzed. Three-cluster structure of highly excited states in "8Be is shown to be responsible for extreme isospin mixing. Progress in studies of "6He- and "1"1Li-induced inclusive and exclusive nuclear reactions is demonstrated, providing information on the nature of continuum structures of Borromean nuclei.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The electronic band structure, transport properties, and lattice dynamics in AuX_2 (X = Al, Ga and In) under high pressure have been extensively studied with full potential linearized augmented plane wave and pseudopotential plane wave methods. The theoretical results for the electronic band structure and Fermi surface reveal pressure-induced electronic topological transitions (ETTs) in AuGa_2 and AuIn_2, while they are absent in AuAl_2, in excellent agreement with the experimental observations. Moreover, calculations of the transport properties at different pressures reveal subtle changes in the band structure close to the Fermi surface of the three intermetallic compounds. It is clear that the anomalies in transport properties are due to ETTs. Interestingly, a pressure-induced soft transverse acoustic (TA) phonon mode is identified only in AuGa_2. The TA phonon instability at the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Polycrystalline ZnO doped with Mn (5 and 10at%) was prepared by the co-precipitation method. The effect of Mn doping on the photocatalytic, antibacterial activities and the influence of doping concentration on structural, optical properties of nanoparticles were studied. Structural and optical properties of the particles elucidated that the Mn2+ ions have substituted the Zn2+ ions without changing the Wurtzite structure of ZnO. The optical spectra showed a blue shift in the absorbance spectrum with increasing dopant concentration. The photocatalytic activities of ZnO powders were evaluated by measuring the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in water under the UV region. It was found that undoped ZnO bleaches MB much faster than manganese doped ZnO upon its exposure to the U...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This study highlights a methodology to detect the transplanting operation of wetland rice at a regional scale using SSM/I brightness temperature in frequencies like 19, 37 and 85 GHz with vertical polarization. A cloud removal algorithm was used to make weekly composites of the brightness temperature, which were used to estimate the soil wetness index (SWI). Flooding of rice fields with water for transplanting induces very high change in SWI due to contrasting dielectric constant of water (80) and soil (4). Different weather conditions and fractional wet area under the footprint of sensor affect SWI, hence absolute value of SWI was not adequate. Therefore, multi-year SWI anomaly was used to generate a threshold value of SWI change to detect when SWI change between two consecutive weeks was...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The investigation of steam, water, and air flow characteristics in horizontal channel is a part of major investigations program at the Lithuanian Energy Institute. The objective of this program is to identify condensation effects on two-phase flow stability and to predict conditions when rapid condensation could be induced in two-phase condensable flow. This article presents investigation of steam-water and air multiphase flow in nearly horizontal rectangular channel. The experimental data for pressure drop and interfacial and wall shear stresses in the channel with uniform distribution of void fraction are presented in this paper. Overall channel dimensions are length = 1.2 m, width = 0.02 m, height = 0.1 m; however, the test section was about 0.84 m in length. Three different flow types ...

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Low-temperature catalytic pretreatment is a promising approach to the development of an improved liquefaction process- This work is a fundamental study on effects of pretreatments on coal structure and reactivity in liquefaction. The main objectives of this project are to study the coal structural changes induced by low-temperature catalytic and thermal pretreatments by using spectroscopic techniques; and to clarify the pretreatment-induced changes in reactivity or convertibility of coals in the subsequent liquefaction. This report describes the recent progress of our work. Substantial progress has been made in the spectroscopic characterization of structure and pretreatment-liquefaction reactions of a Montana subbituminous Coal (DECS-9), and thermochemical analysis of three mw and reacted bituminous coals. Temperature programmed liquefaction has been performed on three low-rank ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In General Electric's design of the Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (SBWR), The depressurization valves (DPV) are installed in the reactor pressure boundary: four are connected to the reactor vessel by means of nozzles, and two more are located on the main steam pipes (one DPV for each line), which act during particular transients and/or loss of coolant accidents (LOCA), consequently providing the reactor vessel with a safe quick depressurization system. Once the vessel is de pressurised, the passive gravity-driven cooling system (GDCS) starts to operate, permitting the injection of water required for continuous core cooling. DPVs are leak tight, with welded flaps, actuated by a [striker[hammer***] which is activated by an explosive mixture. The dynamic loads that open these valves include, in addition to those produced by steam (typical in any thermodynamic transient with open/close valves), other important loads that are characteristic of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In marine seismic exploration, an approximately two-mile long hydrophone cable is towed behind the ship. The commonly employed cable consists of a kerosene-filled hose enclosing hydrophones, electrical wires, and steel ropes. The kerosene provides buoyancy while the steel ropes are for structural support. For deep-water operations, the cable is pulled through the water at a depth of 20-40 feet. For shallow water, a bottom reference configuration is used and the cable is dragged. This paper presents a comparison of electroacoustic properties between a newly designed, buoyant solid cable and those of the conventional kerosene-filled hose. The emphasis is on drag cable operations. Cable maintenance is a major problem. Jacket cuts occur because of improper handling or collisions with other ships, subsea structures, and debris. Kerosene leakage causes buoyancy loss and the need for ...

Science.gov (United States)

Water transport in conifers occurs through single-celled tracheids that are connected to one another via intertracheid pit membranes. These membranes have two components: the porous margo, which allows water to pass through the membrane, and the impermeable torus, which functions to isolate gas-filled tracheids. During drought, tracheids can become air filled and thus hydraulically dysfunctional, a result of air entering through the pit membrane and nucleating cavitation in the water column. What are the hydraulic tradeoffs associated with cavitation resistance at the pit level, and how do they vary within the structural components of the intertracheid pit? To address these questions, we examined pit structure in 15 species of Cupressaceae exhibiting a broad range of cavitation resistances. Across species, cavitation resistance was most closely correlated to the ratio of the torus ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of estrogen-induced breast carcinogenesis remain unclear. The present study investigated the roles of estrogen metabolism and oxidative stress in estrogen-mediated mammary carcinogenesis in vivo. Female August Copenhagen Irish (ACI) rats were treated with 17b-estradiol (E2), the antioxidant vitamin C, the estrogen metabolic inhibitor a-naphthoflavone (ANF), or cotreated with E2 + vitamin C or E2 + ANF for up to 8 months. E2 (3 mg) was administered as an subcutaneous implant, ANF was given via diet (0.2%) and vitamin C (1%) was added to drinking water. At necropsy, breast tumor incidence in the E2, E2 + vitamin C and E2 + ANF groups was 82, 29 and 0%, respectively. Vitamin C and ANF attenuated E2-induced alterations in oxidative stress markers in b...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Aim/hypothesis We examined whether the renin inhibitor, aliskiren, provides similar or greater protection than ACE inhibition from non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and from the proliferative neoangiogenesis of oxygen-induced retinopathy. Methods Transgenic (mRen-2)27 rats, which overexpress mouse renin and angiotensin in extra-renal tissues, were studied. For diabetic studies, non-diabetic, diabetic (streptozotocin, 55?mg/kg), diabetic + aliskiren (10?mg?kg?1?day?1, pump), or diabetic + lisinopril (10?mg?kg?1?day?1, drinking water) rats were evaluated over 16?weeks. For oxygen-induced retinopathy studies, rats were exposed to 80% oxygen (22?h/day) from postnatal days?0 to 11, and then room air from postnatal days?12 to 18. Aliskiren (10 or 30?mg?kg?1?day?1, pump) or lisinopril (10?mg...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

With the exception of Sand Springs in Williamstown, Massachusetts, there are no identifiable hydrothermal geothermal resources in the New England region. The radioactive plutons of the White Mountains of New Hampshire do not, apparently, contain sufficient stored heat to make them a feasible target for an induced hydrothermal system such as exists at Fenton Hill near Los Alamos, New Mexico. The only potential source of low grade heat is the large volume of ground water contained within the unconsolidated sediments related to the Pleistocene glaciation of the region. During the course of the survey an unusual and unexplained thermal anomaly was discovered in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, which is described.

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Sulfuric acid hydrogen peroxide mixtures (SPM) are commonly used in the semiconductor industry to remove organic contaminants from wafer surfaces. This viscous solution is very difficult to rinse off water surfaces. Various rinsing conditions were tested and the resulting residual acid left on the water surface was measured. Particle growth resulting from incomplete rinse is correlated with the amount of sulfur on the wafer surface measured by Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS). The amount of sulfur on the wafer structure after the rinse step is strongly affected by the wafer film type and contact angle prior to the SPM clean.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A solid electrolytic capacitor having a solid electrolyte comprising manganese dioxide dispersed in an aromatic polyamide capable of further cure to form polyimide linkages, the solid electrolyte being disposed between a first electrode made of valve metal covered by an anodic oxide film and a second electrode opposite the first electrode. The electrolyte autogenously produces water, oxygen, and hydroxyl groups which act as healing substances and is not itself produced pyrolytically. Reduction of the manganese dioxide and the water molecules released by formation of imide linkages result in substantially improved self-healing of anodic dielectric layer defects.

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Specimen damage and element loss induced by 3 MeV proton and 2 MeV alpha particle bombardment of thin sections of freeze-dried kidney tissue and embedding medium have been studied. Yields of ions scattered from H and C, and characteristic X-rays were measured versus accumulated charge, for curent densities in the range from 8x10{sup -15} to 1.1x10{sup -11} A/{mu}m{sup 2}. Structural damage, dissolouration and loss of S, Cl, C and H have been observed. Implications of this study for ion beam microanalysis of biological tissues are discussed with particular reference to the results for H loss. (orig.).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The wavelength of the free electron laser (FEL) in Osaka University can be continuously varied in the range of 5.0-20.0 #mu#m. The FEL has a double-pulse structure, consisting of a train of macropulses of pulse duration 12 #mu#s. Each macropulse contains a train of 330 micropulses of pulse duration 5 ps. The tunability and picosecond pulses afford new medical and biological applications. However, a macropulse of long pulse duration leads to undesirable secondary effects. Precise control of the macropulse duration is essential for the high-precision applications of the FEL. An FEL pulse control system using acousto-optic modulators has been developed to investigate mechanical (shock-wave) effects of the FEL on living tissues. With this system, we have controlled photoinduced shock waves and determine the mechanism of interaction during FEL-induced tissue ablation.

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Thin Pt, Pd, Pt/sub 2/Si, PtSi, Pd/sub 2/Si, Ni, Mo, W, Nb, Ti, V films deposited on Si single crystal were treated by using electron beam pulses of 60 ns duration in the 0.4-4 J/cm/sup 2/ energy density range. Irradiation of these structures produces at the same time many phases. Post-thermal annealing of the reacted layer induces the formation of a stable phase, the same obtained by only thermal treatment in a conventional furnace. A linear relationship between the energy density range and the lowest eutectic temperature of the compounds formed has been found. Further SEM observations seem to identify a liquid layer from which the phases are forming by subsequent fast cooling.

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Data are presented to support the hypothesis that the initial step in the morphologic transformation of irradiated rodent (BALB/3T3) cells is a frequent cellular event involving a large fraction of the irradiated population. This process appears to involve DNA damage, but not to represent a targeted mutation in specific structural gene(s). Morphologic transformation and immortalization appear to be distinct steps in the overall process of transformation. In contradistinction to rodent cells, immortalization is a very rare event in human diploid cells which is induced at extremely low frequencies. The hypothesis is presented that immortality develops among clones of cells bearing stable chromosomal rearrangements which emerge during the proliferation of a population of radiation damaged cells.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calculating work-function modifications for flat-lying conjugated molecules on extended metal surfaces using density functional theory (DFT) is an extremely resource intensive task. This prevents fast screening of new molecules for their potential to optimize metal work functions for good electron or hole injection in organic electronic devices. We present a semi-classical model, which avoids that problem. This is achieved by identifying the dominant processes occurring at the interface between metal and adsorbate in the pinning-regime, which are then parameterizing their description using band-structure DFT calculations for a small training set With the resulting interdependent equations at hand, only simple gas-phase calculations are needed to predict the work-function changes induced by new molecules. The model is tested for ten molecules on three different metal surfaces, where it shows excellent agreement with photoelectron spectroscopy ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The phase transition behaviour of polyethylene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PE-b-PEO) diblock copolymer with relatively short chain lengths has been studied on the basis of temperature dependent infrared and Raman spectral measurements and synchrotron WAXD/SAXS simultaneous measurements, from which the concrete structural changes were deduced successfully from the various levels of molecular chain conformation, chain packing mode and higher-order structure. The higher-order structure has been found to transform between lamella, perforated lamella, gyroid, cylinder and sphere structures. The inner structural changes occurring in the polyethylene and poly(ethylene oxide) parts have been related with these morphological changes. The morphological transition from lamella to gyroid occurs with keeping the crystalline state of polyethylene parts. This apparently curious transition can be ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This report summarizes work performed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) on fatigue and environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) in light water reactors (LWRs) during the six months from October 1993 to March 1994. EAC and fatigue of piping, pressure vessels, and core components in LWRs are important concerns in operating plants and as extended reactor lifetimes are envisaged. Topics that have been investigated include (a) fatigue of low-alloy steel used in piping, steam generators, and reactor pressure vessels, (b) EAC of wrought and cast austenitic stainless steels (SSs), and (c) radiation-induced segregation and irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) of Type 304 SS after accumulation of relatively high fluence. Fatigue tests have been conducted on A302-Gr B low-alloy steel to verify whether the current predictions of modest decreases of fatigue life in simulated pressurized water reactor ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Passage through dams is a major source of mortality of anadromous juvenile salmonids because some populations must negotiate up to eight dams in Columbia and Snake rivers. Dams cause direct mortality when fish pass through turbines, but dams may also cause indirect mortality by altering migration conditions in rivers. Forebays immediately upstream of dams have decreased the water velocity of rivers and may contribute substantially to the total migration delay of juvenile salmonids. Recently, Coutant (2001a) suggested that in addition to low water velocities, lack of natural turbulence may contribute to migration delay by causing fish to lose directional cues. Coutant (2001a) further hypothesized that restoring turbulence in dam forebays may reduce migration delay by providing directional cues that allow fish to find passage routes more quickly (Coutant 2001a). Although field experiments have yielded proof of the concept of using ...

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Part of the crushed activated charcoal (about 20-50%) designed for manufacture of electrodes is made water repellant with the help of an aqueous suspension of water repelling agent containing 3-15% (preferably 10%) dry substance. After this the remaining part of the activated charcoal and the other additives are mixed with the water repelling part. The plates or tape which is rolled to an assigned thickness are pressed from the obtained mixture. The electrodes obtained by this method have a thin active layer and a porous structure and have good diffusion properties. They can be loaded by currents up to 80 mA/cm/sup 2/ without causing excessive polarization losses, and their service life is greater than or equal to 100 h.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The report identifies and analyzes the economic impacts of water pollution control regulations on the battery manufacturing industry. These regulations include effluent limitations and standards based on BPT (best practical control technology currently available), BAT (best available technology economically achievable), PSES (pretreatment standards existing sources), NSPS (new source performance standards), and PSNS (pretreatment standards new sources), that have been promulgated under authority of Sections 301, 304, 306, 307, 308, and 501 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as Amended (the Clean Water Act). The primary economic impact variables of interest include price changes, plant closures, substitution effects, changes in employment, shifts in the balance of foreign trade, changes in industry profitability, structure, and competition, and impacts on small business.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The ISI (In-Service Inspection) system has been developed so as to maintain the structural integrity of heat transfer tubes in the primary pressurized water cooler in the HTTR (High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor). This system consists of eddy current probes, ultra-sonic probes, insertion and extraction units, positioning unit and so on. Verification and performance tests of the developed ISI system were carried out using mock-up heat transfer tubes in the primary pressurized water cooler. The constitution of the system, R and D results of the inspection probes, and verification and performance test results of the ISI system for heat transfer tubes are described in this paper. (author)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A mechanism is proposed for the previously observed [1] jump in erythrocyte fluidity through a microcapillary 1.3 ?m in diameter at a temperature of 36.6?0.3?C. Our interpretation is based on the experimental evidence both for existence of ortho and para H2O isomers in water and on spin-selective interaction of proteins with para H2O isomers as hydration shells of biomolecules are being formed [2]. It is important that the formation of hydration shells of proteins and DNA in aqueous solutions is accompanied by an increase in the Brillouin shift to 0.4 cm?1 (?0.25 cm?1 in water), which points to the formation of icelike structures. We believe that the coincidence of the translational energy kT of the Brownian motion and the energy of the rotational quanta for the 313?202 transition of para ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Savannah River Swamp is a 3,020 Ha forested wetland on the floodplain of the Savannah River and is located on the Department of Energy`s Savannah River Site (SRS). Major impacts to the swamp hydrology occurred with the completion of the production reactors and one coal-fired powerhouse at the SRS in the early 1950`s. Water was pumped from the Savannah River, through secondary heat exchangers of the reactors, and discharged into three of the tributary streams that flow into the swamp. This continued from 1954 to 1988 at various levels. The sustained increases in water volume resulted in overflow of the original stream banks and the creation of additional floodplains. Accompanying this was considerable erosion of the original stream corridor and deposition of a deep silt layer on the newly formed delta. Heated water was discharged directly into Pen Branch and water temperature in the stream often ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Several shield options were analyzed for the ITER conceptual design to minimize the nuclear responses in the toroidal field (TF) coils. The total nuclear heating in the physics phase and the insulator dose in the technology phase are the most critical parameters in the design process. The first shield option has type 316 stainless steel and water shielding material. Steel and water also serve as structural material and coolant, respectively. The second option is similar to the first except that borated water is used instead of ordinary water. The other two options include a small layer of lead or boron carbide (B{sub 4}C) at the back of the shield. The last three shield options were considered to reduce the nuclear heating in the toroidal field coils relative to the steel/water shield. An optimization process was performed taking into consideration the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In the summer of 1990, an accidental spill from the TA-3 Power Plant Environment Tank released more than 3,785 liters of sulfuric acid into upper Sandia Canyon. The Biological Resource Evaluation Team (BRET) of EM-8 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has collected aquatic samples from the stream within Sandia Canyon since then. These field studies gather water quality measurements and collect macroinvertebrates from permanent sampling sites. An earlier report by Bennett (1994) discusses previous BRET aquatic studies in Sandia Canyon. This report updates and expands Bennett's initial findings. During 1993, BRET collected water quality data and aquatic macroinvertebrates at five permanent stations within the canyon. The substrates of the upper three stations are largely sands and silts while the substrates of the two lower stations are largely rock and cobbles. The two upstream stations are located near outfalls that discharge industrial ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper describes a semi-empirical calculation of the air-broadened half-widths and the air pressure-induced frequency shifts for the H_2"1"6O isotopologue. This semi-empirical calculation is based on fits of several recent high-quality measurements and theoretical calculations to the first-order terms in the expansion of the complex Robert-Bonamy (CRB) equations, which yields a second- and first-order polynomial function of the differences in the upper- and lower-state vibrational quantum numbers for the half-width and line shift, respectively. The aim of this work was to obtain a complete set of air-broadened half-widths and air pressure-induced frequency shifts for transitions of H_2"1"6O present in the HITRAN database from microwave to the visible in order to supplement the observed and calculated values. For around 700 sets of rotational quantum numbers (J"'K_a"'K_c"'<-J"''K_a"''K_c"''), semi-empirical coefficients describing the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A novel continuous powder introduction microwave-induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry method (CPI-MIP-AES) has been developed for trace determination of metals in ground and tap water samples after preconcentration on activated carbon. The experimental setup consisted of integrated rectangular cavity TE_1_0_1 and vertically positioned plasma torch. The technical arrangement of the sample introduction system has been designed based on the fluidized bed concept. The satisfactory signal stability required for sequential analysis was attained owing to the vertical plasma configuration, as well as the plasma gas flow rate compatibility with sample introduction flow rate. The elements of interest (Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn) were preconcentrated in a batch procedure at pH 8-8.5 after addition of activated carbon and then, after filtering and drying of the activated carbon suspension, introduced to the MIP by the CPI system. An enrichment ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Focused Ion Beams are an important approach for nanostructure fabrication in the semiconductor industry and material sciences. Applications in sputtering and ion induced deposition of materials are investigated. The IMSA FIB system equipped with the high resolution Orsay Physics CANION M31plus ion column with current densities up to 10 A/cm"2 including a gas injection system is applied. In this work the ion beam induced chemical vapour deposition of tungsten, wherefore tungsten hexacarbonyl as precursor gas is used for a first investigation. Conductive tungsten-nanowires with smallest cross-section upon a substrate of Si and SiO_2 are produced. The ion beam parameters of this focused ion beam system are optimized for the metal deposition. A short insight in the theory of layer nucleation and growth induced by the ion beam during the metal deposition is given. The layer quality is determined by Auger electron analysis which ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Water repellency en the microstructure super-hydrophobic cured surface is important for research and industrial purposes. This microstructure film can be cured on polyethylene terephthalate PET surface by electron beam (EB) at different irradiation doses 10-100 kGy. The microstructure formulation composed from hydrophobic acrylate oligomer (EB 244) and monomer (SR 440). The irradiation induced cross linking of the prepared microstructure was proved by FTIR spectroscopy and the adhesion force by abrasion test. Some factors affecting the adhesion force of the prepared microstructure film such as oligomer/monomer composition ratio and the thickness of the microstructure cured film were studied. The contact angles (8) were measured on cured surfaces before and after adding the super hydrophobic nanoparticles (Zonyl 9361). The super-hydrophobic cured surface showed the self-cleaning property. The volume of water droplet affected ...

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Pitting behavior of alloy 800 was investigated as a function of temperature and prefilming in high-temperature water. The behavior was characterized in terms of pitting potential (U{sub p}) and pit density (n{sub p}). U{sub p} decreased with increasing temperature and chloride activity. Prefilming of test coupons over a period between 100 h and 5,000 h in ammoniated water at 300 C had no apparent influence on U{sub p} at room temperature, 180 C, and 300 C. However, the number of pits in prefilmed coupons was much higher than in coupons covered with an air passive layer. The effect of prefilming on pit nucleation was investigated in detail with regard to a model and test methods developed by Bianchi, et al. Density of pits in prefilmed coupons was at least 1 order of magnitude higher than in air passive coupons. Maximum pit density was measured after a prefilming period of 100 h. The effect was discussed in terms of Bianchi`s model and in terms ...

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Operation safety and reliability are major guidelines in the design of city-gate units. Conventional natural gas heaters operate by a indirect mechanism, where liquid water is used to transfer heat by natural convection between the combustion chamber and the natural gas coil. In this work, the concept of vapor chamber is evaluated as an indirect gas heater. In a vapor chamber, liquid water is in contact with the heat source, and vaporizes. The vapor condenses in contact with the heat sink. A reduced scale model was built and tested in order to compare these two heating concepts where the combustion chamber was replaced by electrical cartridge heaters. This engineering model can operate either as a conventional heater or as a vapor chamber. The comparison between the concepts was done by inducing a controlled power to the cartridges and by measuring the resulting temperature distributions. In the novel design, the heat ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this work we report a study of the induced changes in structure and corrosion behavior of martensitic stainless steels nitrided by plasma immersion ion implantation (PI"3) at different previous heat treatments. The samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction and glancing angle x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and potentiodynamic measurements. Depending on the proportion of retained austenite in the unimplanted material, different phase transformations are obtained at lower and intermediate temperatures of nitrogen implantation. At higher temperatures, the great mobility of the chromium yields CrN segregations like spots in random distribution, and the #alpha#"'-martensite is degraded to#alpha#-Fe (ferrite). The nitrided layer thickness follows a fairly linear relationship with the temperature and a parabolic law with the process time. The corrosion resistance depends strongly on ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has two major functions: interacting with the receptor to mediate virus entry and inducing protective immunity. Coincidently, the receptor-binding domain (RBD, residues 318-510) of SAR-CoV S protein is a major antigenic site to induce neutralizing antibodies. Here, we used RBD-Fc, a fusion protein containing the RBD and human IgG1 Fc, as a model in the studies and found that a single amino acid substitution in the RBD (R441A) could abolish the immunogenicity of RBD to induce neutralizing antibodies in immunized mice and rabbits. With a panel of anti-RBD mAbs as probes, we observed that R441A substitution was able to disrupt the majority of neutralizing epitopes in the RBD, suggesting that this residue is critical for the antigenic structure responsible for inducing protective immune responses. We also ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Studies addressed to a deep understanding of the structure/property relationship on the near infrared (NIR)-emissive erbium-quinolinolate complexes, which are of interest for low-cost photonic systems, are reviewed. The role of the 8-quinolinolate ligand (Q), which studies also as sensitizer to overcome the weak absorptivity of lanthanide ion, is discussed. Synthetic and structural aspects are reported to revise the old assumption that these complexes are analogous in structure to AlQ3 and to point out the specificity of the lanthanide coordination chemistry. In fact depending on reaction conditions, species with high coordination numbers and differing for nuclearity and stoichiometry have been isolated and fully characterized. In some instances it has been shown that coordinated water mol...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The heterogeneous solid catalyst, mercaptopropylsilica (MPS), has been prepared by a modified procedure in water and its structure confirmed by solid state carbon-13 CP-MAS NMR spectrum. This catalyst has been efficiently utilized for the synthesis of a wide variety of tri-, tetrasubstituted imidazoles and their bis-analogues at room temperature. The protocol was further explored for the synthesis of the drug trifenagrel.

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The Rayleigh scattering of Moessbauer radiation has been measured on highly oriented fibres of Na-hyaluronate at different hydration levels. The elastic- and-inelastic-scattering intensities, measured as a function of the scattering vector Q, have provided information on the dynamic structuring of the water molecules to the polysaccharidic chains.

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.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The structure of a fragment of the germanium complex compound (GCC) with oxyethylidenediphosphonic acid and the adsorption properties of GCC films with respect to the vapors of water and some other organic liquids have been studied. The electric conductivity of GCC films has been investigated, and its mechanism has been explained.

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Geological, geophysical, and engineering-geological research conducted at the 'Yeniseisky' site obtained data on climatic, geomorphologic, geological conditions, structure and properties of composing rock, and conditions of underground water recharge and discharge. These results provide sufficient information to make an estimate of the suitability of locating a radioactive waste (R W) underground isolation facility at the Nizhnekansky granitoid massif

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Advances made in understanding the chemistry and dynamics of the atmosphere in the approximate altitude range of 50 to 90 km are addressed. Attention is given to mesospheric structure and seasonal variations, gravity waves and gravity wave saturation, the effects of gravity waves on thermal, momentum and constituent fluxes, and the effect of gravity waves on airglow emissions. A review of research on tides and planetary waves and their effects on the mesosphere are presented as well as discussions on ozone hydroxyl, water vapor, and noctilucent cloud research. 217 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Change in structures of 3 kinds of coals with different coal ranks and their deashed coals was studied by heat treatment below 200{degree}C. In experiment, crushed Adaro, Taiheiyo and Huaibei coals below 200mesh and their deashed coals were used as specimens. The coal and deashed coal specimens dried in vacuum at 110{degree}C for 3 hours were filled into an autoclave, and the heat-treated coal specimens were prepared by holding them under initial nitrogen pressure of 2kg/cm{sup 2} at a fixed temperature for 30min. Extraction using pyridine as solvent, volumetric swelling using methanol or benzene as solvent, and measurement of the amount of carboxyl and phenolic hydroxyl functional groups were conducted for these coal specimens. The experimental results are as follows. Huaibei coal has developed aromatic ring structure, and its structure is hardly affected by heat treatment. The oxygen containing functional groups decrease ...

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The IR double-resonance techniques IR/R2PI (infrared/resonant 2-photon ionization), IR/PIRI (infrared-photo-induced Rydberg ionization) and IR-photodissociation spectroscopy are valuable tools to investigate structure, vibrations, and dynamical processes of neutral and ionic hydrogen-bonded clusters containing aromatic molecules. In this paper we report on the application of the IR double-resonance techniques to determine the NH and OH stretching vibrations of 4-aminophenol and 4-aminophenol(H{sub 2}O){sub 1}, both in the neutral (S{sub 0}) and ionic (D{sub 0}) ground state. All vibrational frequencies obtained for 4-aminophenol and the cluster are compared with the values obtained from ab initio and DFT calculations. In the S{sub 0} state, a trans-linear arrangement of 4-aminophenol(H{sub 2}O){sub 1} is obtained containing an O-H. O hydrogen bond. In the D{sub 0} state an overlay of two spectra can be observed resulting from the trans-linear ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The possibility of surface modification of high-speed steel cutting tool by means of vacuum-plasma treatment including ion nitriding in gas plasma followed by the deposition of wear resistant (Ti, Al)N coatings in metal-gas plasma of a vacuum arc discharge is studied. The regularities of nitrided layer formation and the structure of these layers under various operation conditions of cutting tool are investigated. Optimum conditions of vacuum-plasma treatment providing the best wear resistance of cutting are determined

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The nuclear data activity at AERE, Savar is briefly presented in this paper. Major thrust is on the customization of cross section libraries for general purpose reactor and shielding calculations. The processing codes that are available are NJOY91.91, some AMPX-Modules and the modules in SCALE-PC. Recent measurements on cross section data over the energy range 13-15 MeV at the Institute of Nuclear science and Technology have been reviewed. Measurements and calculations are based on the determination of excitation functions of neutron induced reactions on the elements and isotopes of FRT-relevant structural materials. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In CsCdBr_3, Tm"3"+ substitutes for Cd"2"+. It predominately forms symmetric dimer centers and single-ion centers, both of trigonal symmetry. The energy level schemes of both centers were determined by EPR and site-selective laser spectroscopy. To describe the spectra term dependent crystal-field parameters were deduced on the basis of a microscopic model taking into account the local lattice deformation induced by the impurity centers and the quasi-resonant virtual scattering of intrinsic lattice excitations by the Tm"3"+ ions. (orig.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glow discharge plasma nitriding of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel has been carried out for different processing time under optimum discharge conditions established by spectroscopic analysis. The treated samples were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to explore the changes induced in the crystallographic structure. The XRD pattern confirmed the formation of an expanded austenite phase (#gamma#_N) owing to incorporation of nitrogen as an interstitial solid solution in the iron lattice. A Vickers microhardness tester was used to evaluate the surface hardness as a function of indentation depth (#mu#m). The results showed clear evidence of surface changes with substantial increase in surface hardness.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A complete electron paramagnetic resonance power pattern characterization of Fe"3"+ in cubic sites in presented. A one-to-one correspondence among the peaks appearing in the powder pattern and the outer fine-structure transitions (Mnot = 1/2 ) observed in the single crystal along the , , and directions is shown. It is shown that the process of mechanically grinding the single crystal to a powder (particle size approx.1--10 #mu#) does not remove the cubic symmetry sites. No axial or lower symmetry sites which may be induced by lattice distortion of the crystallites due to strain have been observed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

"9Be-induced inelastic scattering of "6"2","6"4","6"6Fe and "6"0","6"2","6"4Cr was performed at intermediate beam energies. Excited states in "6"4Cr were measured for the first time. Energies and population patterns of excited states in these neutron-rich Fe and Cr nuclei are compared and interpreted in the framework of large-scale shell-model calculations in different model spaces. Evidence for increased collectivity and for distinct structural changes between the neighboring Fe and Cr isotopic chains near N=40 is presented.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Argon ions irradiation of 12% Cr steels and Fe/Cr alloys results in the hardening up to 10000 MPa. This value exceeds the hardening level even for martensitic transformation. Along with the increase of microhardness following irradiation the shape of X-ray graph of the affected materials changes considerable. Hardening value and behavior are determined by temperature radiation doze, preliminary ageing, extent of cold strain and alloying. The odserved phenomenon is supposed to be caused by irradiation-induced structural transformations. Reversibility of radiation hardening of the materials in question was observed.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

? Introduction Old-growth forests on Changbai Mountain are economically and ecologically important but have been fragmented outside Changbai Mountain Biosphere Reserve. The trend of forest landscape degradation on Changbai Mountain threatens forest sustainability and biodiversity conservation in the region. Previous studies have focused mainly on the structure and function of protected forests but have ignored managed forests outside the reserve border. ? Objectives In this paper, deforestation processes are studied for two forestry enterprises, namely Baihe and Lushuihe Forestry Bureaus, with different socioeconomic structure due to their differences in proximity to Changbai Mountain Biosphere Reserve, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Baihe?s income comes from b...

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The morphological evolution of ripples formed on the surface of Cd2Nb2O7 pyrochlore single crystals by focused ion beam (FIB) bombardment was investigated using in situ electron microscopy. At high ion fluences and off-normal bombardment angles, faceted surface ripples with a terrace-like structure were observed. The ripple propagation direction was oriented along the projected ion beam direction at incident angles ranging from 35 to 65 following high-dose ion bombardment. One side of the terrace was found to be perpendicular to the incident ion beam direction, while the other side was parallel to the ion beam. The terrace propagation velocity and direction were determined and interpreted on the basis of this asymmetric structure. A model based on the propagation of a shock wave that effectively self-selects a stable slope, was developed in order to explain the observed faceted ripple formation.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The structural stability, electronic and elastic properties of ScN under high pressure were investigated by using full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave (FP-LAPW) method. Our calculations indicate that there exists a pressure-induced structural phase transformation from the ambient rock-salt (B1) phase to CsCl-type (B2) phase above 335 GPa. The origin of moderate high bulk modulus, mechanical and high melting point was analyzed by electronic properties. The variations of elastic constants (C_i_j) with volume and pressure have been investigated. Moreover, the volume dependencies of Debye temperature, the longitudinal and transverse elastic wave velocities have been presented.

CERN Document Server

Effect of a planar texture quality and its thickness on lasing spectrums and thresholds in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) of steroid type is explored. Transition from the qualitative planar texture to the poor texture quality is accompanied by change of characteristic mode structures and by shift of barycentre in the long-wave side and the considerable growth of the lasing threshold. It is found that in the CLC texture created by substrates with perpendicular directions of orientation the stable single-mode lasing takes place. The nature of oscillated modes in such texture is caused by phase jump. The gained results show that in steroid CLC, unlike induced one, lasing spectrums is possible to feature with the coupled wave model. Key words: steroidal cholesteric liquid crystal, distributed feedback lasing, oscillation thresholds, phase defect of periodical structure, transmission and lasing spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Applying diode-laser resonant fluorescence method, the cross sections for the excitation energy transfer of the collisional process K"*(4"2P_1_/_2)+Cs(6"2S_1_/_2)#reversible#K"*(4"2P_3_/_2)+Cs(6"2S_1_/_2) have been measured. The values we have obtained are #sigma#(1/2#->#3/2)=77 A"2 and #sigma#(3/2#->#1/2)=48 A"2. These results complete the sequence of data for the fine-structure mixing of the first-resonance states of alkali atoms colliding with the ground-state caesium atoms. (orig.).

CERN Document Server

We propose a combined experimental (Atomic Force Microscopy) and theoretical study of the structural and dynamical properties of nucleosomes. In contrast to biochemical approaches, this method allows to determine simultaneously the DNA complexed length distribution and nucleosome position in various contexts. First, we show that differences in the nucleo-proteic structure observed between conventional H2A and H2A.Bbd variant nucleosomes induce quantitative changes in the in the length distribution of DNA complexed with histones. Then, the sliding action of remodeling complex SWI/SNF is characterized through the evolution of the nucleosome position and wrapped DNA length mapping. Using a linear energetic model for the distribution of DNA complexed length, we extract the net wrapping energy of DNA onto the histone octamer, and compare it to previous studies.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Planktivores, zooplankton grazers, and macrobenthos were studied to determine how changes in animal community structure may alter the flow of material in Dunham Pond, CT. Chaoborus and chironomid larvae were studied to determine how they affect the flux of matter across the sediment/water interface. This was done by incubating undisturbed cores in situ and relating changes in water chemistry to larval density. The log-transformed flux rates of iron, manganese, and phosphorus were linearly related to larval biomass. Functional groups may be successfully used to predict rates of material flow. Changes in the mass of macroinvertebrates affect the flux rates of redox-active substances across the sediment/water interface. The use of population densities and feeding characteristics to estimate trophic transfer in Dunham Pond indicate that (1) visual planktivory by larval perch may result in overutilization of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A systematic study of structure-mechanical properties relation is reported for MoSi{sub 2}-SiC nanolayer composites. Alternating layers of MoSi{sub 2} and SiC were synthesized by DC magnetron and rf-diode sputtering, respectively. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy was used to examine three distinct reactions in the specimens when exposed to different annealing conditions: Crystallization and phase transformation of MoSi{sub 2}, crystallization of SiC, and spheroidization of the layer structures. Nanoindentation was employed to characterize the mechanical response as a function of structural changes. As-sputtered material exhibits amorphous structures in both types of layers and has a hardness of 11 GPa and a modulus of 217GPa. Subsequent heat treatment induces crystallization of MoSi{sub 2} to form the C40 structure at 500C and SiC to form the a ...

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 ...

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This report presents the record of the workshop Water Treeing and Aging.'' The workshop was held in Phoenix, Arizona on December 9--11, 1990 and was sponsored by the Distribution Program of the Electrical Systems Division of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Attendance at the workshop was by invitation only. Twenty two attendees from seven countries, from universities, research organizations, electric utilities and polymeric materials suppliers took part in this workshop. The workshop was designed to assess progress in the understanding of water treeing phenomena and polymeric cable insulation aging since the last meeting of a similar forum of experts, which was organized by the Office of Exploratory Research of EPRI in December 1985. The objective of the present workshop was to assess progress and to provide direction for further studies in this field. The discussions covered a wide range of subjects including ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The device of the present invention improves reactor safety by suppressing lowering of water level in a shroud which surrounds a reactor core, even upon occurrence of rupture of pipelines in an emergency reactor core cooling system in a recycling pump-incorporated type reactor. Namely, an opening of each of cooling systems which forms the emergency reactor core cooling device in a reactor pressure vessel is disposed above the upper end of the reactor core. Further, it also comprises an independent high pressure water injection system, gravitational dropping type water injection system and an automatic depressurization system. With such a constitution, even if rupture of pipelines in the system should be assumed, coolants never flow directly from the shroud which surrounds the reactor core. In addition, there are no pipelines to be ruptured below the upper end of the reactor core with respect to the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

Science.gov (United States)

Clean Water Act You are here: Water Laws & Regulations Policy & Guidance Clean Water Act Water Quality and 401 Certification Water Quality and 401 Certification Water Quality...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Transients induced in nuclear power plants from many sources result in one or more fluid conditions changing with time. Fluid conditions of pressure, inlet temperature, inlet flow, or even system power many change separately or in conjunction with each other. The result of the condition change may be one which induces departure from nucleate boiling. An experimental investigation of transient which were intended to achieve Critical Heat Flux was performed at the Heat Transfer Research Facility of Columbia University for Siemens Nuclear Power Corporation. The transients were set up to include broad ranges of flow and pressure conditions near the operating range of pressurized water reactors. Transient events were dominated by varying single conditions and measuring the response of the system and of the rod thermocouples. Because of coupling effects within the test loop, secondary conditions would also vary. In order to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Full text: A novel protocol based on electrospray ionization (ESI) multiple stage high capacity ion trap (HCT) mass spectrometry (MS) was developed for glycosphingolipidomic surveys. The method was optimized for detailed structural elucidation of human brain gangliosides and particularly applied to human hippocampus-associated structures. The multiple stage MS experiments allowed for a complete structural characterization of GM1 ganglioside species, which was achieved by elucidation of the oligosaccharide sequence, identification of the GM1 a structural isomer from the data upon sialic acid localization along the sugar backbone and determination of the d18:1/18:0 of fatty acid/sphingoid base composition of the ceramide moiety. The methodology developed here is of general practical applicability for glycolipids and represents a step forward in the implementation of the advanced and most modern MS methods ...

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An experimental campaign, aiming to investigate the perturbation effects induced by fixed obstacles on turbulence measurements in airflows at the air-sea interface, was carried out at the marine platform of the Italian Navy, located in the harbour of La Spezia (North Ligurian Sea, Italy) on 28., 29., and 30. June 1994. This study was prompted by the ever-growing interest in more reliable estimates of energy, mass, and momentum exchanges between water surfaces and atmosphere, whose measurements are severely limited by the geometrical constraints of floating or fixed platforms where they are installed. Two types of meteorological instruments have been used: fast response (20 and 21 Hz) ultrasonic anemometers and fluxmeters to measure turbulent momentum, sensible, and latent heat fluxes and slow-response sensors (less than 4 Hz and sampled at a rate of 10{sup 2} Hz) to measure average wind and temperature vertical profiles in the perturbed ...

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The Convective and Orographically-induced Precipitation Study (COPS) has the aim to advance the quality of forecasts of orographically-induced precipitation in complex terrain. COPS is a Research and Development Project of the World Weather Research Program and considered to be one of the largest field campaigns on quantitative precipitation forecasting that has been performed so far. A network of state-of-the-art active and passive remote sensing systems was combined with in total 10 airborne platforms, Meteosat rapid scans and dense networks of standard meteorological instruments during the three months long field phase (June-August, 2007) in south-western Germany/eastern France to observe atmospheric variables in the three spatial dimensions and in time. By the University of Hohenheim, two novel ground-based mobile scanning lidar systems were deployed: a scanning rotational Raman lidar which provides combined measurements of the field of ...

Science.gov (United States)

Anthraquinones are widely present in plant kingdom, and clinically used as laxatives. Environmental contaminants, dioxins, develop various adverse effects through transformation of a cytosolic aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). We investigated the effects of 18 anthraquinones and 7 of their structurally related compounds on transformation of the AhR estimated by its DNA-binding activity in the cell-free system. 1,4-Dihydroxyanthraquinone (quinizarin), 1,5-dihydroxyanthraquinone (anthrarufin), 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone (danthron), and 5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (juglone) strongly suppressed DNA-binding activity of the AhR induced by 0.1 nM 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), with their IC(50) values around 1 muM. On the other hand, anthraquinone, 2,6-dihydroxyanthraquinone (anthraflavic acid), and 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthalendione (lawsone) showed moderate effects. Quantitative structure-activity relationships analysis ...

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Hydrogen injection into the reactor water has been applied to many BWR power stations. Since hydrogen injected accelerates recombination of oxidant generated by water radiolysis, oxidant concentration, such as dissolved oxygen concentration in reactor water can be reduced. As the result of the reduction of oxidant concentration, Electrochemical Corrosion Potential (ECP) at the surface of structural material can be lowered. Lowered ECP moderates Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) sensitivity of structural materials, such as stainless steels. As usual, hydrogen injection system begins to work after the plant start-up is finished, when the condition of normal operation is established. Accordingly, Hydrogen Water Chemistry (HWC) does not cover all the period of plant operation. As far as SCC crack growth is considered, loss of HWC during plant start-up does not result ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A real-time two-dimensional void fraction distribution measurement of gas-liquid two-phase flow was carried out by real-time neutron radiography and real-time image processing. The JRR-3M real-time thermal neutron radiography system and a Musashi dynamic image processing system were used. Image processing methods to calculate two-dimensional and cross-sectional void fraction distributions were proposed. The void fraction distribution was calculated by non-linear processing of the neutron radiography image and displayed by pseudo-color in real-time. A simple gas-liquid two-phase flow induced by injecting gas through needles at the bottom of water pool in a rectangular vessel was tested. (orig.).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This study correlates the post start cell performance and impedance with the cold start process in the subzero environment. The sequential failed cold starts are deliberately conducted as well as the start at small current density. Here the failed cold start means the cell voltage drops to or below zero within very short time during the start process. It is found that there are reversible performance losses for the sequential failed cold starts, while not obvious degradation and no recovery happen for the start at small current density. Using the thin film and agglomerate model, it is confirmed that this is due to the water blocking effect. Comparing the results from different start processes, a model with respect to the shifting of reactive region within the catalyst layer is applied to e...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Within the framework of the MINEO research project assisted by the European Union the Deutsche Steinkohle AG (DSK) has developed methods for the operational use of remote sensing data and geo-information systems for the regular observation, measurement and evaluation of environmental effects in mining areas. Only indirect environmental effects of the mining industry, which may result in particular from subsidence-induced changes in the hydrological situation (ground water level, drainage) and the resulting effects on the vegetation and land utilisation, can be observed for the DSK test area 'Kirchheller Heide' because of the underground mine workings. Hence the evaluations of the remote sensing data were concentrated on the development of methods to measure and analyse the vegetation condition and any changes. MINEO thus constitutes a module for the DSK environmental information system. (orig.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS v 3.0), a three-dimensional numerical ocean model, was previously enhanced for shallow water applications by including wave-induced radiation stress forcing provided through coupling to wave propagation models (SWAN, REF/DIF). This enhancement made it suitable for surf zone applications as demonstrated using examples of obliquely incident waves on a planar beach and rip current formation in longshore bar trough morphology (Haas and Warner, 2009). In this contribution, we present an update to the coupled model which implements a wave roller model and also a modified method of the radiation stress term based on Mellor (2008, 2011a,b,in press) that includes a vertical distribution which better simulates non-conservative (i.e., wave breaking) processes and ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

To analyze the effect of containment spray on gas mixing and depressurization, two experiments (ST3_1 and ST3_2) were performed with two interconnected vessels. These experiments were conducted in the frame of the OECD/SETH-2 project using the PANDA facility. The vessels were preconditioned such that a helium-rich layer is formed in the upper section of the first vessel, henceforth referred to as Vessel-1. In the case of the first experiment (ST3_1), the remaining volume of Vessel-1 and the entirety of the second vessel, Vessel-2, were filled with pure steam. For ST3_2, the second experiment presented here, pure steam was replaced with a steam-air mixture instead. Water was injected from the top of Vessel-1 with a spray nozzle projecting downwards. Transient behavior of system pressure, as...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Functional properties of commercial and membrane processed pea protein isolates (PPI) prepared from yellow peas were investigated. Four protein isolates were prepared from yellow pea flour using water and KCl extractions at 25^oC followed by ultrafiltration and diafiltration (UF and DF) at pHs of 7.5 and 7.5 or 6 respectively. Following assessment of compositional attributes; solubility, foaming, flow and dynamic rheology, emulsification ability and heat-induced textural and rheological properties of prepared PPIs and a commercially available PPI were tested and compared. Membrane purification of proteins resulted in 28% to 68% reduction in phytic acid and enhanced, comparatively, the tested functional properties. Solubility of membrane processed PPIs, at all tested pHs, was superior and t...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In recent years, offshore reservoirs have been developed in deeper and deeper water environments. Steel catenary risers (SCRs) are being considered in deepwater development such as Northern North Sea. SCRs used in conjunction with a semi-submersible or floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) in deepwater harsh environments present significant design challenges. The large vertical motions at the semi or FPSO induce severe riser response, which results in difficulty meeting strength and fatigue criteria at the hang off and touch down point locations. To improve the understanding of SCR behaviour and increase the confidence in the design of such systems in deepwater harsh environments, a parametric study on a SCR connected to a semi-submersible was carried out in this paper to deal...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The present invention concerns a negative ion source electrode which can be preferably used in a neutral particle injection device using negative ions for a thermonuclear reactor. Negative ion beams are deflected to the direction opposite to the deflecting direction by magnetic fields by using an electron suppression electrode having electrode holes with the position previously displaced before negative ion beams are accelerated to have a high energy by an accelerator thereby correcting the orbit of the negative ion beams easily. In addition, since the deflection correction electrode having the electrode holes is disposed, a proper voltage is applied to the deflection correction electrode to correct the orbit of the negative ion beams conveniently. Since the deflection correction electrode has a simple structure of a thin flat plate having electrode holes, the orbit of negative ion beams can be corrected efficiently by an extremely simple ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neutron irradiation embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels is one of the critical issues on aging management for long term operation of nuclear power plants. Mechanistic understanding of embrittlement is a key to accurate prediction of embrittlement, especially after long term operation where the mechanical test data are sparse. Since matrix hardening is the source of the embrittlement, we focus on matrix hardening of A533B bainitic pressure vessel steel. Bainitic matrix is composed of lath structure made by ferrite and carbides, therefore it is important to understand how this structure affects hardening behavior, and to understand irradiation response of each phase. As the typical dimension of lath structure of A533B is about one micron, nanoindentation technique is suitable for the estimation of hardening of each phase. MV ion accelerators were used for controlled irradiation because MeV ion irradiation ...

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Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is known for its capacity to reproduce a target composition on a substrate. The authors have used this deposition technique to produce thin films of transition metal chalcogenides. However, the deposits were always deficient in Te relative to the starting material (composed by a refractory metal (niobium) and a chalcogene (tellurium)). Variations of the interreticular distances have been observed with respect to fluence and substrate temperature. The authors show that spatial composition of the films is determined by a degree of crystallinity of deposit and by the reaction of formation of Te{sub 2} molecule within laser induced plume. Two kinds of deposits have been obtained: Nb{sub 5}Te{sub 4}-type thin films which have a one-dimensional structure and NbTe{sub 2}-type thin films which have a two-dimensional structure. While NbTe{sub 2} films have been realized by sputtering, it is the first ...

Science.gov (United States)

The interaction of the globular protein lysozyme with silica nanoparticles of diameter 20 nm was studied in a pH range between the isoelectric points (IEPs) of silica and the protein (pH 3-11). The adsorption affinity and capacity of lysozyme on the silica particles is increasing progressively with pH, and the adsorbed protein induces bridging aggregation of the silica particles. Structural properties of the aggregates were studied as a function of pH at a fixed protein-to-silica concentration ratio which corresponds to a surface concentration of protein well below a complete monolayer in the complete-binding regime at pH > 6. Sedimentation studies indicate the presence of compact aggregates at pH 4-6 and a loose flocculated network at pH 7-9, followed by a sharp decrease of aggregate size near the IEP of lysozyme. The structure of the bridged silica aggregates was studied by cryo-transmission electron microscopy ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Treatment of coal or coconut shell activated carbons with either phosgene or chlorine at 180{degree}C followed by washing with methanol or water results in chlorinated carbons with very similar pore structures to their precursors. Water adsorption experiments show that the modified materials are relatively hydrophobic, presumably as a result of replacement of oxygen-containing surface groups by chlorine. Adsorption of the model hydrophobic vapour chloropicrin from humid air is usually better for the modified carbons which, unlike the controls, do not appear to be subject to degradation in performance on ageing in a humid atmosphere. The stability of the modified carbons is probably a consequence of the chlorination of those sites on the control carbons that are prone to ready oxidation or hydroxylation. 1 tab., 2 figs., 17 refs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The age hardening behavior of Al-4.5%Cu alloy composite reinforced with zircon sand particulates and produced by stir casting route has been investigated in different quenching media viz, water, oil, and salt brine solution (7wt%). Optical microscopy of the as cast alloy composite indicates that the matrix of the composite has the cellular structure. Copper rich CuAl2 precipitates have been found near particle matrix interface. The results of ageing demonstrate that the microhardness of age hardenable Al-Cu based alloy composites depend on the quenching medium in which they are heat treated. Salt brine quenching is faster as compared to water and oil, even if higher strength is obtained but cannot be used for complex shapes and thin sections where oil quenching is the alternative due to mi...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This study is one element of a larger engineering study effort by WHC to examine the feasibility of irradiated fuel and sludge consolidation in the KW Basin in response to TPA Milestone (target date) M-34-00-T03. The study concludes that up to 11,500 fuel storage canisters could be accommodated in the KW Basin with modifications. These modifications would include provisions for multi-tiered canister storage involving the fabrication and installation of new storage racks and installation of additional decay heat removal systems for control of basin water temperature. The ability of existing systems to control radionuclide concentrations in the basin water is examined. The study discusses requirements for spent nuclear fuel inventory given the proposed multi-tiered storage arrangement, the impact of the consolidated mass on the KW Basin structure, and criticality issues associated with multi-tiered storage.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The influence of radiation on the corrosion of the fuel claddings in a Light Water Reactor (LWR) has been the subject of many investigations, and different aspects of the overall phenomena have been studied by different techniques. Analysis of the evolution of Secondary-Phase Particles (SPPs) for different periods of immersion of the cladding in the reactor enables the rate of corrosion to the structure of the material to be correlated. In the case of Zircaloy-2 in a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), SPPs are dissolved under irradiation, and their dissolution affects the rate of oxidation and other correlated phenomena. In recent studies, the Zircaloy-2 in claddings loaded in the Leibstadt BWR are analysed after one, three and five cycles. Results are presented, and give an account of the changes which occurred in the materials under irradiation. (authors)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Object: To suppress a quantity of impurities in a coolant fed into a reactor vessel. Structure: The concentration of oxygen in a coolant flowing from a condensation desalting instrument into a feed and condensation piping is measured by an oxygen-concentration detector to feed its signal to an adjusting instrument. A degree of opening of an oxygen flow control valve to maintain the concentration of oxygen in the cooling water flowing within the pipe in the range from about 10 to about 200 ppb. Also, the concentration of oxygen in the cooling water fed to the desalting instrument is maintained at a level less than 2 ppb. Thereby, the total amount of iron flown into the vessel can be suppressed to a fine amount such as less than about 1 ppb. (Kawakami, Y.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corrosion failures in circuits of foreign NPPs are considered. According to American statistics there are more corrosion failures in two-circuit NPPs than in NPPs with one circuit. Steam generators mostly suffer from ''corrosion denting''. Lately pitting corrosion becomes a potentially serious problem. Steam generator vertical tubes are mainly subjected to this corrosion type. Attention is drawn to intercrystalline corrosion. The causes of corrosion are described. The problem of optimization of structural materials is discussed to reduce corrosion failures as well as other methods of decreasing corrosion failures. Organization of nondestructive testing, increased requirements to water and steam purity are of great importance.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The application of chemical cleaning for dissolving and removing scale and sludge is being planned in the Japanese pressurized water reactor (PWR) plant in order to maintain high heat transfer performance and to prevent steam generator (SG) tube degradation. In this paper, the effectiveness of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and German Kraftwerk Union (KWU) processes on the integrity of structural materials other than SG tubes and the comprehensive applicability of chemical cleaning are discussed. The integrity of structural materials such as carbon steel, low-alloy steel and stainless steel was maintained after the EPRI and KWU processes. KWU chemical cleaning tailored for crevice cleaning has been studied to improve its cleaning effectiveness in crevices and to control the corrosion depth of structural materials less than the criterion for corrosion depth. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We present a collisional-radiative approach of the theoretical analysis of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) plasmas. This model, which relies on an optimized effective potential atomic structure code, was used to simulate a pure aluminum plasma. The description of aluminum involved a set of 220 atomic levels representative of three different stages of ionization (Al0, Al+ and Al++). The calculations were carried for stationary plasmas, with input parameters (ne and Te) ranging respectively between 1013-18 cm-3 and 0.3-2 eV. A comparison of our atomic data with some existing databases is made. The code was mainly developed to address the validity of the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) assumption. For usual LIBS plasma parameters, we did not reveal a sizeable discrepancy of the radiative equilibrium of the plasma towards LTE. For cases where LTE was firmly believed to stand, the Boltzmann plot outputs of this code were used to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood plastic composites (WPC) have been prepared with five low-grade woods, native to Syria, and with Okoume (aucoumea klaineana pierre) imported to Syria in large quantities. Three monomer systems; acrylamide, butylmethacrylate, and styrene were used. polymerization was induced at various radiation doses (10, 20, and 30 kGy) to study the role of radiation doses using a "6"0Co gamma radiation source. Some physical properties of WPC, namely polymer loading and compression strength or tensile strength of the obtained wood polymer composites (WPC) were studied. The effect of the additives, sulfuric acid (H"+), N-vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP), trimethyolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA), urea (U), lithium nitrate (LiNo_3), copper sulfate (CuSO_4) and co-additives on monomer system polymerization were also investigated. Methanol, water and water/methanol mixtures were used as the swelling agents. In general, the use of additives and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Changes in contents of the two kinds of neuropeptides have been measured in the brains of postnatal G57BL/6J strain mice that received accumulative doses of 0, 0.05, 0.10 or 0.30 Gy respectively in utero from tritium #beta#-irradiation during the mother mice's pregnancy from the 12.5th day of gestation to the day of delivery. Dose response relationship for alteration in somatostatin content due to exposure to 0.10 Gy or above was observed, and it was also noted that 0.30 Gy could cause decrease in arginine vasopressin in hypothalamus. These results were consistent with findings in research on brain development and reflex behavior in the literature. 0.10 Gy exposure may represent a threshold for exposure to tritiated water within the range from day 12.5 of gestation to the day of delivery using change in content of somatostatin in hypophysis as a parameter.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The construction materials used in coolant systems in nuclear power plants become covered with oxide films as a result of exposure to the aqueous environment. The susceptibility of the materials to different forms of corrosion, as well as the extent of the incorporation of radioactive species on the surfaces of the primary circuit, are greatly influenced by the physical and chemical properties of these oxide films. The composition and characteristics of the oxide films in turn depend on the applied water chemistry. This work was undertaken in order to collect and evaluate the present views on the structure and behaviour of oxide films formed on iron- and nickel-based materials in aqueous environments. This survey should serve to recognise the areas in which more understanding and research effort is needed. The review begins with a discussion on the bulk oxides of iron, nickel and chromium, as well as their mixed oxides. In addition to bulk ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scanning ion microscopy with polarization analysis (SIMPA) is used to study the spin-resolved surface magnetic structure of nano-sized magnetic systems. SIMPA is utilized for in situ topographic and spin-resolved magnetic domain imaging as well as for focused ion beam (FIB) etching of desired structures in magnetic or non-magnetic systems. Ultra-thin Co films are deposited on surfaces of Si(1 0 0) substrates, and ultra-thin, tri-layered, bct Fe(1 0 0)/Mn/bct Fe(1 0 0) wedged magnetic structures are deposited on fcc Pd(1 0 0) substrates. SIMPA experiments clearly show that ion-induced electrons emitted from magnetic surfaces exhibit non-zero electron spin polarization (ESP), whereas electrons emitted from non-magnetic surfaces such as Si and Pd exhibit zero ESP, which can be used to calibrate sputtering rates in situ. We report on new, spin-resolved magnetic microstructures, such as magnetic 'C' states ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The role of macroinvertebrates and diatoms as indicator for metal pollution was investigated by assessing both biota along a metal gradient in the Belgian river the Dommel. Macroinvertebrates and diatoms were sampled in summer and winter and physical-chemical characteristics of the water were measured at four different sample periods and related to sediment characteristics. Although metal concentrations, except cadmium, in the water nowhere exceeded water quality standards, high metal concentrations were measured in the sediment, indicating historical contamination of the Dommel. At the sites that were situated downstream of the pollution source, high levels of conductivity and chloride were measured in the water. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) indicated pH, phosphate and zinc as the significant environmental variables explaining each respectively 7.7%, 11.6% and 22.6% of the macroinvertebrate community ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TiO2 addition into boiling water reactor (BWR) primary system is being developed as a method to mitigate stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of the BWR structural materials. This technique aims for electrochemical corrosion potential (ECP) decrease of reactor materials by photo-excitation reaction under Cherenkov irradiation. ECP measurement tests have been conducted in the test loop in BWR to investigate the feasibility of the SCC mitigation method with TiO2. The test results showed that the ECP of TiO2 deposited materials was decreased to 2 technique was confirmed to be feasible as a SCC mitigation method for BWR structural materials without hydrogen injection. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

When operating a nuclear power plant the necessity arise to eliminate various defects of building constructions, to seal joints and transitional elements. The authors present data concerning the production of a sealing composition made of epoxy resin and used for NPP premises of emergency location. Analytical relations are presented between the properties of the composition (adhesion strength, water absorption and others) and its structure. Physical, mechanical and thermal properties and structural peculiarities are determined in the process of interaction between the filling and binding agents. The composition sustains sealing properties under environmental conditions at he presence of an air - vapour mixture with 160 degrees C"o temperature and 0.3 MPa surplus pressure. (author).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Water stress and fire disturbance can directly impact stand structure, biomass and composition by causing mortality and influencing competitive interactions among trees. However, open eucalypt forests of southwest Australia are highly resilient to fire and drought and may respond differently to increased fire frequency and aridity than forests dominated by non-eucalypt species. We measured the variation in stem density, basal area, stand biomass, sapwood area, leaf area and litterfall across 16 mixed jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and marri (Corymbia calophylla) forest stands along an aridity gradient in southwest Australia that had variable fire histories. Fire frequency was defined as the total number of fires over a ~30-year period and aridity as the ratio of potential evapotranspiration...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An all-atom polarizable chloroform (CHCl{sub 3}) potential model has been developed using the classical molecular dynamics techniques. This potential is shown to reproduce reasonably well the structural, dynamical, and thermodynamic properties of bulk liquid CHCl{sub 3} at various temperatures and pressures. With this potential, we carried out computer simulations to investigate the CHCl{sub 3}-H{sub 2}O liquid/liquid interface. Detailed structural and electrical properties at the interface will be analyzed via the density profile, radial distribution functions, molecular orientation, hydrogen bonding, and the z-dependent dipole distributions. Comparison will also be made to the results of the CCl{sub 4}-H{sub 2}O liquid/liquid interface.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Human impacts such as eutrophication, overexploitation and climate change currently threaten future global food and drinking water supplies. Consequently, it is important that we understand how anthropogenic resource (bottom-up) and consumer (top-down) manipulations affect aquatic food web structure and production. Future climate changes are predicted to increase the inputs of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon to lakes. These carbon subsidies can either increase or decrease total basal production in aquatic food webs, depending on bacterial competition with phytoplankton for nutrients. This study examines the effects of carbon subsidies (bottom-up) on a pelagic community exposed to different levels of top-down predation. We conducted a large scale mesocosm experiment in an oligotrophic ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Using a series of polycations synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), we investigate the effects of the polymer charge density and hydrophobicity on salt-induced interdiffusion of polymer layers within polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films. Polycations with two distinct hydrophobicities and various quaternization degrees (QPDMA and QPDEA) were derived from parent polymers of matched molecular weights poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMA) and poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDEA) by quaternization with either methyl or ethyl sulfate. Multilayers of these polycations with polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) were assembled in low-salt conditions, and annealed in NaCl solutions to induce layer intermixing. As revealed by neutron reflectometry (NR), polycations with lower charge density resulted in a faster decay of film structure with distance from the substrate. Interestingly, when comparing ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We demonstrate that the excess vacancies induced by a 1 MeV Si implant reduce the excess interstitials generated by a 40 keV Si implant during thermal annealing when these two implants are superimposed in silicon. It is shown that this previously observed reduction is dominated by vacancy annihilation and not by gettering to deeper interstitial-type extended defects. Interstitial supersaturations were measured using B doping superlattices (DSL) grown on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. Implanting MeV and keV Si ions into the B DSL/SOI structure eliminated the B transient enhanced diffusion normally associated with the keV implant. The buried SiO{sub 2} layer in the SOI substrate isolates the deep interstitials-type extended defects of the MeV implant, thereby eliminating the possibility that these defects getter the interstitial excess induced by the keV Si implant. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of ...