WorldWideScience

Sample records for sample collection form

  1. Isolation of endothelial colony-forming cells from blood samples collected from the jugular and cephalic veins of healthy adult horses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharpe, Ashley N; Seeto, Wen J; Winter, Randolph L; Zhong, Qiao; Lipke, Elizabeth A; Wooldridge, Anne A

    2016-10-01

    OBJECTIVE To evaluate optimal isolation of endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) from peripheral blood of horses. SAMPLE Jugular and cephalic venous blood samples from 17 adult horses. PROCEDURES Each blood sample was divided; isolation was performed with whole blood adherence (WBA) and density gradient centrifugation (DGC). Isolated cells were characterized by uptake of 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate-labeled acetylated low-density lipoprotein (DiI-Ac-LDL), vascular tubule formation, and expression of endothelial (CD34, CD105, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, and von Willebrand factor) and hematopoietic (CD14) cell markers by use of indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and flow cytometry. RESULTS Colonies with cobblestone morphology were isolated from 15 of 17 horses. Blood collected from the cephalic vein yielded colonies significantly more often (14/17 horses) than did blood collected from the jugular vein (8/17 horses). Of 14 cephalic blood samples with colonies, 13 were obtained with DGC and 8 with WBA. Of 8 jugular blood samples with colonies, 8 were obtained with DGC and 4 with WBA. Colony frequency (colonies per milliliter of blood) was significantly higher for cephalic blood samples and samples isolated with DGC. Cells formed vascular tubules, had uptake of DiI-Ac-LDL, and expressed endothelial markers by use of IFA and flow cytometry, which confirmed their identity as ECFCs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Maximum yield of ECFCs was obtained for blood samples collected from both the jugular and cephalic veins and use of DGC to isolate cells. Consistent yield of ECFCs from peripheral blood of horses will enable studies to evaluate diagnostic and therapeutic uses.

  2. Sample collection and documentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cullings, Harry M.; Fujita, Shoichiro; Watanabe, Tadaaki; Yamashita, Tomoaki; Tanaka, Kenichi; Endo, Satoru; Shizuma, Kiyoshi; Hoshi, Masaharu; Hasai, Hiromi

    2005-01-01

    Beginning within a few weeks after the bombings and periodically during the intervening decades, investigators in Hiroshima and Nagasaki have collected samples of materials that were in the cities at the time of the bombings. Although some early efforts were not driven by specific measurement objectives, many others were. Even some of the very earliest samples collected in 1945 were based on carefully conceived research plans and detailed specifications for samples appropriate to particular retrospective measurements, i.e., of particular residual quantities remaining from exposure to the neutrons and gamma rays from the bombs. This chapter focuses mainly on the work of groups at two institutions that have actively collaborated since the 1980s in major collection efforts and have shared samples among themselves and with other investigators: the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) and its predecessor the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC), and Hiroshima University. In addition, a number of others are listed, who also contributed to the literature by their collection of samples. (J.P.N.)

  3. Characterization Of Core Sample Collected From The Saltstone Disposal Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cozzi, A.; Duncan, A.

    2010-01-01

    During the month of September 2008, grout core samples were collected from the Saltstone Disposal Facility, Vault 4, cell E. This grout was placed during processing campaigns in December 2007 from Deliquification, Dissolution and Adjustment Batch 2 salt solution. The 4QCY07 Waste Acceptance Criteria sample collected on 11/16/07 represents the salt solution in the core samples. Core samples were retrieved to initiate the historical database of properties of emplaced Saltstone and to demonstrate the correlation between field collected and laboratory prepared samples. Three samples were collected from three different locations. Samples were collected using a two-inch diameter concrete coring bit. In April 2009, the core samples were removed from the evacuated sample container, inspected, transferred to PVC containers, and backfilled with nitrogen. Samples furthest from the wall were the most intact cylindrically shaped cored samples. The shade of the core samples darkened as the depth of coring increased. Based on the visual inspection, sample 3-3 was selected for all subsequent analysis. The density and porosity of the Vault 4 core sample, 1.90 g/cm 3 and 59.90% respectively, were comparable to values achieved for laboratory prepared samples. X-ray diffraction analysis identified phases consistent with the expectations for hydrated Saltstone. Microscopic analysis revealed morphology features characteristic of cementitious materials with fly ash and calcium silicate hydrate gel. When taken together, the results of the density, porosity, x-ray diffraction analysis and microscopic analysis support the conclusion that the Vault 4, Cell E core sample is representative of the expected waste form.

  4. Methods for the collection of subsurface samples during environmental site assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weinstock, E.A.

    1996-01-01

    This paper discusses numerous sample collection techniques that have been successfully employed during Phase 2 Assessments and presents case histories of their application. Pollutants of concern include PCE and petroleum. The collection of shallow soil samples is described using commercially available hand augers and hand-driven core samplers. These devices are modified with extensions to collect deeper samples from storm drains and leaching pools. The performance of soil gas surveys are described using both hand-driven sample probes and vehicle-mounted, hydraulically driven vapor probes. Once the soil vapor is collected at the ground surface, a sample of the media is either analyzed on-site using a field-operated detection device or delivered to a laboratory for analysis. Application and case histories of the Geoprobe(trademark)sampling system, a form of direct push technology, are described. This device uses vehicle-mounted, hydraulically-driven sample probes. The probe can be advanced to depths as great as 100 feet below grade and can retrieve soil, soil gas and groundwater samples

  5. Directory of energy data collection forms. Forms in use as of October 1995

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-01-01

    This is an authoritative listing of selected public use forms currently used as basic energy information gathering tools by the Department of Energy (DOE). This directory provides an overview of DOE`s energy information collection programs for decisionmakers in Government and industry. Forms designed to collect energy information and used by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) as of October 1995 are included in this directory. For each form listed in this directory, an abstract is included that describes the form`s uses, its respondents, and the data collected. For the reader`s convenience in finding specific types of collections, several indices have been provided in this directory. A listing of the forms grouped by energy source and function begins on page 26. Beginning on page 38 are the publications derived from the collections, and on page 50, are the forms linked to general respondent categories.

  6. Sampling and transport of paraffin waste form from CWDS of nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, J. M.; Hwang, J. H.; Kim, C. R.; Park, J. W.

    2000-01-01

    Sampling and transport of paraffin waste form from concentrated waste drying system (CWDS) of domestic nuclear power plant were performed to collect the leaching characteristic data for the disposal of radioactive waste. Transport was performed according to the national regulations and the internal rules of the nuclear power plant. The sample of paraffin waste form was classified as L type package according to the regulation and radiation exposure of operator was measured in the range of 6 to 12 mrem that was less than the estimated amount

  7. Experimental and Sampling Design for the INL-2 Sample Collection Operational Test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Piepel, Gregory F.; Amidan, Brett G.; Matzke, Brett D.

    2009-02-16

    This report describes the experimental and sampling design developed to assess sampling approaches and methods for detecting contamination in a building and clearing the building for use after decontamination. An Idaho National Laboratory (INL) building will be contaminated with BG (Bacillus globigii, renamed Bacillus atrophaeus), a simulant for Bacillus anthracis (BA). The contamination, sampling, decontamination, and re-sampling will occur per the experimental and sampling design. This INL-2 Sample Collection Operational Test is being planned by the Validated Sampling Plan Working Group (VSPWG). The primary objectives are: 1) Evaluate judgmental and probabilistic sampling for characterization as well as probabilistic and combined (judgment and probabilistic) sampling approaches for clearance, 2) Conduct these evaluations for gradient contamination (from low or moderate down to absent or undetectable) for different initial concentrations of the contaminant, 3) Explore judgment composite sampling approaches to reduce sample numbers, 4) Collect baseline data to serve as an indication of the actual levels of contamination in the tests. A combined judgmental and random (CJR) approach uses Bayesian methodology to combine judgmental and probabilistic samples to make clearance statements of the form "X% confidence that at least Y% of an area does not contain detectable contamination” (X%/Y% clearance statements). The INL-2 experimental design has five test events, which 1) vary the floor of the INL building on which the contaminant will be released, 2) provide for varying the amount of contaminant released to obtain desired concentration gradients, and 3) investigate overt as well as covert release of contaminants. Desirable contaminant gradients would have moderate to low concentrations of contaminant in rooms near the release point, with concentrations down to zero in other rooms. Such gradients would provide a range of contamination levels to challenge the sampling

  8. Self-collected versus clinician-collected sampling for sexually transmitted infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Darlene; Lunny, Carole; Wong, Tom; Gilbert, Mark; Li, Neville; Lester, Richard; Krajden, Mel; Hoang, Linda; Ogilvie, Gina

    2013-10-10

    Three meta-analyses and one systematic review have been conducted on the question of whether self-collected specimens are as accurate as clinician-collected specimens for STI screening. However, these reviews predate 2007 and did not analyze rectal or pharyngeal collection sites. Currently, there is no consensus on which sampling method is the most effective for the diagnosis of genital chlamydia (CT), gonorrhea (GC) or human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Our meta-analysis aims to be comprehensive in that it will examine the evidence of whether self-collected vaginal, urine, pharyngeal and rectal specimens provide as accurate a clinical diagnosis as clinician-collected samples (reference standard). Eligible studies include both randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, pre- and post-test designs, and controlled observational studies. The databases that will be searched include the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), EMBASE and PubMed/Medline. Data will be abstracted independently by two reviewers using a standardized pre-tested data abstraction form. Heterogeneity will be assessed using the Q2 test. Sensitivity and specificity estimates with 95% confidence intervals as well as negative and positive likelihood ratios will be pooled and weighted using random effects meta-analysis, if appropriate. A hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristics curve for self-collected specimens will be generated. This synthesis involves a meta-analysis of self-collected samples (urine, vaginal, pharyngeal and rectal swabs) versus clinician-collected samples for the diagnosis of CT, GC and HPV, the most prevalent STIs. Our systematic review will allow patients, clinicians and researchers to determine the diagnostic accuracy of specimens collected by patients compared to those collected by clinicians in the detection of chlamydia, gonorrhea and HPV.

  9. Equipment for collecting samples of radioactive solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raggenbass, A.; Fradin, J.; Joubert, G.

    1958-01-01

    The authors present an equipment aimed at collecting samples of fission products to perform radio-chemical analysis. As the sample must have a total activity between 1 and 50 micro-Curie, this installation comprises a sampling system and a dilution device which aims at bringing the sample to the suitable activity. Samples are collected by means of needles. The sample reproducibility is discussed. The dilution device is described

  10. Analysis of the research sample collections of Uppsala biobank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engelmark, Malin T; Beskow, Anna H

    2014-10-01

    Uppsala Biobank is the joint and only biobank organization of the two principals, Uppsala University and Uppsala University Hospital. Biobanks are required to have updated registries on sample collection composition and management in order to fulfill legal regulations. We report here the results from the first comprehensive and overall analysis of the 131 research sample collections organized in the biobank. The results show that the median of the number of samples in the collections was 700 and that the number of samples varied from less than 500 to over one million. Blood samples, such as whole blood, serum, and plasma, were included in the vast majority, 84.0%, of the research sample collections. Also, as much as 95.5% of the newly collected samples within healthcare included blood samples, which further supports the concept that blood samples have fundamental importance for medical research. Tissue samples were also commonly used and occurred in 39.7% of the research sample collections, often combined with other types of samples. In total, 96.9% of the 131 sample collections included samples collected for healthcare, showing the importance of healthcare as a research infrastructure. Of the collections that had accessed existing samples from healthcare, as much as 96.3% included tissue samples from the Department of Pathology, which shows the importance of pathology samples as a resource for medical research. Analysis of different research areas shows that the most common of known public health diseases are covered. Collections that had generated the most publications, up to over 300, contained a large number of samples collected systematically and repeatedly over many years. More knowledge about existing biobank materials, together with public registries on sample collections, will support research collaborations, improve transparency, and bring us closer to the goals of biobanks, which is to save and prolong human lives and improve health and quality of life.

  11. Urine sample collection protocols for bioassay samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    MacLellan, J.A.; McFadden, K.M.

    1992-11-01

    In vitro radiobioassay analyses are used to measure the amount of radioactive material excreted by personnel exposed to the potential intake of radioactive material. The analytical results are then used with various metabolic models to estimate the amount of radioactive material in the subject`s body and the original intake of radioactive material. Proper application of these metabolic models requires knowledge of the excretion period. It is normal practice to design the bioassay program based on a 24-hour excretion sample. The Hanford bioassay program simulates a total 24-hour urine excretion sample with urine collection periods lasting from one-half hour before retiring to one-half hour after rising on two consecutive days. Urine passed during the specified periods is collected in three 1-L bottles. Because the daily excretion volume given in Publication 23 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP 1975, p. 354) for Reference Man is 1.4 L, it was proposed to use only two 1-L bottles as a cost-saving measure. This raised the broader question of what should be the design capacity of a 24-hour urine sample kit.

  12. Urine sample collection protocols for bioassay samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    MacLellan, J.A.; McFadden, K.M.

    1992-11-01

    In vitro radiobioassay analyses are used to measure the amount of radioactive material excreted by personnel exposed to the potential intake of radioactive material. The analytical results are then used with various metabolic models to estimate the amount of radioactive material in the subject's body and the original intake of radioactive material. Proper application of these metabolic models requires knowledge of the excretion period. It is normal practice to design the bioassay program based on a 24-hour excretion sample. The Hanford bioassay program simulates a total 24-hour urine excretion sample with urine collection periods lasting from one-half hour before retiring to one-half hour after rising on two consecutive days. Urine passed during the specified periods is collected in three 1-L bottles. Because the daily excretion volume given in Publication 23 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP 1975, p. 354) for Reference Man is 1.4 L, it was proposed to use only two 1-L bottles as a cost-saving measure. This raised the broader question of what should be the design capacity of a 24-hour urine sample kit.

  13. 28 CFR 28.12 - Collection of DNA samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Homeland Security, collecting DNA samples from: (1) Aliens lawfully in, or being processed for lawful... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Collection of DNA samples. 28.12 Section 28.12 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE DNA IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM DNA Sample Collection...

  14. 76 FR 82003 - Submission for Review: DD 1918 Establishment Information Form, DD 1919 Wage Data Collection Form...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-29

    ... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Submission for Review: DD 1918 Establishment Information Form, DD 1919 Wage Data Collection Form, DD 1919C Wage Data Collection Continuation Form AGENCY: U.S. Office of... existing information collection request (ICR) 3206-0036, Establishment Information Form (DD 1918), Wage...

  15. 76 FR 50771 - Submission for Review: DD 1918 Establishment Information Form, DD 1919 Wage Data Collection Form...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-16

    ... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Submission for Review: DD 1918 Establishment Information Form, DD 1919 Wage Data Collection Form, DD 1919C Wage Data Collection Continuation Form AGENCY: U.S. Office of... existing information collection request (ICR) 3206-0036, Establishment Information Form (DD 1918), Wage...

  16. Collecting Ground Samples for Balloon-Borne Instruments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Jack; Zimmerman, Wayne; Wu, Jiunn Jenq

    2009-01-01

    A proposed system in a gondola containing scientific instruments suspended by a balloon over the surface of the Saturn moon Titan would quickly acquire samples of rock or ice from the ground below. Prototypes of a sample-collecting device that would be a major part of the system have been tested under cryogenic and non-cryogenic conditions on Earth. Systems like this one could also be used in non-cryogenic environments on Earth to collect samples of rock, soil, ice, mud, or other ground material from such inaccessible or hazardous locations as sites of suspected chemical spills or biological contamination. The sample-collecting device would be a harpoonlike device that would be connected to the balloon-borne gondola by a tether long enough to reach the ground. The device would be dropped from the gondola to acquire a sample, then would be reeled back up to the gondola, where the sample would be analyzed by the onboard instruments. Each prototype of the sample-collecting device has a sharp front (lower) end, a hollow core for retaining a sample, a spring for holding the sample in the hollow core, and a rear (upper) annular cavity for retaining liquid sample material. Aerodynamic fins at the rear help to keep the front end pointed downward. In tests, these prototype devices were dropped from various heights and used to gather samples of dry sand, moist sand, cryogenic water ice, and warmer water ice.

  17. The Apollo lunar samples collection analysis and results

    CERN Document Server

    Young, Anthony

    2017-01-01

    This book focuses on the specific mission planning for lunar sample collection, the equipment used, and the analysis and findings concerning the samples at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Texas. Anthony Young documents the collection of Apollo samples for the first time for readers of all backgrounds, and includes interviews with many of those involved in planning and analyzing the samples. NASA contracted with the U.S. Geologic Survey to perform classroom and field training of the Apollo astronauts. NASA’s Geology Group within the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, helped to establish the goals of sample collection, as well as the design of sample collection tools, bags, and storage containers. In this book, detailed descriptions are given on the design of the lunar sampling tools, the Modular Experiment Transporter used on Apollo 14, and the specific areas of the Lunar Rover vehicle used for the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions, which carried the sampling tools, bags, and other related equipment ...

  18. The development of a Martian atmospheric Sample collection canister

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulczycki, E.; Galey, C.; Kennedy, B.; Budney, C.; Bame, D.; Van Schilfgaarde, R.; Aisen, N.; Townsend, J.; Younse, P.; Piacentine, J.

    The collection of an atmospheric sample from Mars would provide significant insight to the understanding of the elemental composition and sub-surface out-gassing rates of noble gases. A team of engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology have developed an atmospheric sample collection canister for Martian application. The engineering strategy has two basic elements: first, to collect two separately sealed 50 cubic centimeter unpressurized atmospheric samples with minimal sensing and actuation in a self contained pressure vessel; and second, to package this atmospheric sample canister in such a way that it can be easily integrated into the orbiting sample capsule for collection and return to Earth. Sample collection and integrity are demonstrated by emulating the atmospheric collection portion of the Mars Sample Return mission on a compressed timeline. The test results achieved by varying the pressure inside of a thermal vacuum chamber while opening and closing the valve on the sample canister at Mars ambient pressure. A commercial off-the-shelf medical grade micro-valve is utilized in the first iteration of this design to enable rapid testing of the system. The valve has been independently leak tested at JPL to quantify and separate the leak rates associated with the canister. The results are factored in to an overall system design that quantifies mass, power, and sensing requirements for a Martian atmospheric Sample Collection (MASC) canister as outlined in the Mars Sample Return mission profile. Qualitative results include the selection of materials to minimize sample contamination, preliminary science requirements, priorities in sample composition, flight valve selection criteria, a storyboard from sample collection to loading in the orbiting sample capsule, and contributions to maintaining “ Earth” clean exterior surfaces on the orbiting sample capsule.

  19. Directory of Energy Data Collection Forms: Forms in use as of October 1996

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-12-01

    This is the twentieth edition of the Directory of Energy Collection Data Forms, an authoritative listing of selected public use forms currently used as basic energy information gathering tools by the Department of Energy.

  20. The U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Collections Management System (GCMS)—A master catalog and collections management plan for U.S. Geological Survey geologic samples and sample collections

    Science.gov (United States)

    ,

    2015-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is widely recognized in the earth science community as possessing extensive collections of earth materials collected by research personnel over the course of its history. In 2006, a Geologic Collections Inventory was conducted within the USGS Geology Discipline to determine the extent and nature of its sample collections, and in 2008, a working group was convened by the USGS National Geologic and Geophysical Data Preservation Program to examine ways in which these collections could be coordinated, cataloged, and made available to researchers both inside and outside the USGS. The charge to this working group was to evaluate the proposition of creating a Geologic Collections Management System (GCMS), a centralized database that would (1) identify all existing USGS geologic collections, regardless of size, (2) create a virtual link among the collections, and (3) provide a way for scientists and other researchers to obtain access to the samples and data in which they are interested. Additionally, the group was instructed to develop criteria for evaluating current collections and to establish an operating plan and set of standard practices for handling, identifying, and managing future sample collections. Policies and procedures promoted by the GCMS would be based on extant best practices established by the National Science Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution. The resulting report—USGS Circular 1410, “The U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Collections Management System (GCMS): A Master Catalog and Collections Management Plan for U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Samples and Sample Collections”—has been developed for sample repositories to be a guide to establishing common practices in the collection, retention, and disposal of geologic research materials throughout the USGS.

  1. Collection and preparation of water samples for hydrogeochemical reconnaissance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baucom, E.I.; Ferguson, R.B.; Wallace, R.M.

    1977-01-01

    A method based on ion exchange and neutron activation analysis (NAA) was developed and field-tested to determine uranium over the range 0.02 to 10,000 ppb in natural water using a single procedure. Water samples are filtered in the field using a specially-designed one-liter filter apparatus pressurized to 40 psig with an inert gas. The filtered water is treated with a high purity, mixed cation-anion resin in the hydronium-hydroxide form. All ions are removed from solution under the strong driving force of the neutralization reaction. Anionic, cationic, and natural complexes of uranium can be concentrated with this method. Field tests showed greater than 95 percent recovery of 13 elements analyzed (including greater than 99 percent recovery of uranium) and greater than or equal to 90 percent recovery of 4 other elements. Uranium collected on the resin was quantitatively determined by NAA. Coefficient of variation for sampling plus analysis was less than 20 percent for samples containing more than 0.1 ppb uranium. Advantages of this method include: (1) wide dynamic range, (2) low detection limit for uranium (0.02 ppb), (3) high precision and accuracy, (4) relatively low cost, (5) high-yield recovery from low-level aqueous samples without risk of loss to containers, (6) decreased risk of significant sample contamination compared with other low-level methods, (7) production of stable samples suitable for retrievable storage, and(8) concentration of other ions that can be determined by NAA. This paper presents (1) background regarding development of procedures for sample collection and preparation, (2) results of development programs, (3) description of equipment and field procedures, and (4) preliminary conclusions regarding use of this technology for hydrogeochemical reconnaissance for uranium

  2. Biopolymers for sample collection, protection, and preservation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorokulova, Iryna; Olsen, Eric; Vodyanoy, Vitaly

    2015-07-01

    One of the principal challenges in the collection of biological samples from air, water, and soil matrices is that the target agents are not stable enough to be transferred from the collection point to the laboratory of choice without experiencing significant degradation and loss of viability. At present, there is no method to transport biological samples over considerable distances safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively without the use of ice or refrigeration. Current techniques of protection and preservation of biological materials have serious drawbacks. Many known techniques of preservation cause structural damages, so that biological materials lose their structural integrity and viability. We review applications of a novel bacterial preservation process, which is nontoxic and water soluble and allows for the storage of samples without refrigeration. The method is capable of protecting the biological sample from the effects of environment for extended periods of time and then allows for the easy release of these collected biological materials from the protective medium without structural or DNA damage. Strategies for sample collection, preservation, and shipment of bacterial, viral samples are described. The water-soluble polymer is used to immobilize the biological material by replacing the water molecules within the sample with molecules of the biopolymer. The cured polymer results in a solid protective film that is stable to many organic solvents, but quickly removed by the application of the water-based solution. The process of immobilization does not require the use of any additives, accelerators, or plastifiers and does not involve high temperature or radiation to promote polymerization.

  3. Is social identification associated with employees’ desires for individual or collective forms of employee participation?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jønsson, Thomas; Jeppesen, Hans Jeppe

    desire to have influence together with their peers. This raises the question: What are the reasons behind the desire for individual or collective forms of influence at work? Social identification expresses how much the identity of a group affects a person’s attitudes and behaviour. We suggest social......Introduction Employee participation encompasses distributing influence to employees. However, employee participation can take many forms and employees may have different preferences for how to exert influence. E.g., the employee can desire to exert influence by him or her self, or alternatively...... identification to be associated with the degree to which employees desire collective influence, rather than individual influence. The present study investigates this hypothesis. Methods Questionnaire data were collected from 166 Danish hospital employees. The overall response rate was 75,8%. The sample consisted...

  4. 75 FR 28777 - Information Collection; Financial Information Security Request Form

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-24

    ... Collection; Financial Information Security Request Form AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice; Request... currently approved information collection; Financial Information Security Request Form. DATES: Comments must... Standard Time, Monday through Friday. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Financial Information Security...

  5. Concordance analysis of methylation biomarkers detection in self-collected and physician-collected samples in cervical neoplasm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Cheng-Chang; Huang, Rui-Lan; Liao, Yu-Ping; Su, Po-Hsuan; Hsu, Yaw-Wen; Wang, Hui-Chen; Tien, Chau-Yang; Yu, Mu-Hsien; Lin, Ya-Wen; Lai, Hung-Cheng

    2015-01-01

    Non-attendance at gynecological clinics is a major limitation of cervical cancer screening and self-collection of samples may improve this situation. Although HPV testing of self-collected vaginal samples is acceptable, the specificity is inadequate. The current focus is increasing self-collection of vaginal samples to minimize clinic visits. In this study, we analyzed the concordance and clinical performance of DNA methylation biomarker (PAX1, SOX1, and ZNF582) detection in self-collected vaginal samples and physician-collected cervical samples for the identification of cervical neoplasm. We enrolled 136 cases with paired methylation data identified from abnormal Pap smears (n = 126) and normal controls (n = 10) regardless of HPV status at gynecological clinics. The study group comprised 37 cervical intraepithelial neoplasm I (CIN1), 23 cervical intraepithelial neoplasm II (CIN2), 16 cervical intraepithelial neoplasm III (CIN3), 30 carcinoma in situ (CIS), 13 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and seven adenocarcinomas (ACs)/adenosquamous carcinomas (ASCs). PAX1, SOX1 and ZNF582 methylation in study samples was assessed by real-time quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction analysis. We generated methylation index cutoff values for the detection of CIN3+ in physician-collected cervical samples for analysis of the self-collected group. Concordance between the physician-collected and self-collected groups was evaluated by Cohen’s Kappa. Sensitivity, specificity and area under curve (AUC) were calculated for detection of CIN3+ lesions. Finally, we produced an optimal cutoff value with the best sensitivity from the self-collected groups. We generated a methylation index cutoff value from physician-collected samples for detection of CIN3+. There were no significant differences in sensitivity, specificity of PAX1, SOX1 and ZNF582 between the self-collected and physician-collected groups. The methylation status of all three genes in the normal control

  6. Collection and preparation of bottom sediment samples for analysis of radionuclides and trace elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-07-01

    The publication is the first in a series of TECDOCs on sampling and sample handling as part of the IAEA support to improve reliability of nuclear analytical techniques (NATs) in Member State laboratories. The purpose of the document is to provide information on the methods for collecting sediments, the equipment used, and the sample preparation techniques for radionuclide and elemental analysis. The most appropriate procedures for defining the strategies and criteria for selecting sampling locations, for sample storage and transportation are also given. Elements of QA/QC and documentation needs for sampling and sediment analysis are discussed. Collection and preparation of stream and river bottom sediments, lake bottom sediments, estuary bottom sediments, and marine (shallow) bottom sediments are covered. The document is intended to be a comprehensive manual for the collection and preparation of bottom sediments as a prerequisite to obtain representative and meaningful results using NATs. Quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) is emphasized as an important aspect to ensure proper collection, transportation, preservation, and analysis since it forms the basis for interpretation and legislation. Although there are many approaches and methods available for sediment analyses, the scope of the report is limited to sample preparation for (1) analysis of radionuclides (including sediment dating using radionuclides such as Pb-210 and Cs-137) and (2) analysis of trace, minor and major elements using nuclear and related analytical techniques such as NAA, XRF and PIXE

  7. Collection and preparation of bottom sediment samples for analysis of radionuclides and trace elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2003-07-01

    The publication is the first in a series of TECDOCs on sampling and sample handling as part of the IAEA support to improve reliability of nuclear analytical techniques (NATs) in Member State laboratories. The purpose of the document is to provide information on the methods for collecting sediments, the equipment used, and the sample preparation techniques for radionuclide and elemental analysis. The most appropriate procedures for defining the strategies and criteria for selecting sampling locations, for sample storage and transportation are also given. Elements of QA/QC and documentation needs for sampling and sediment analysis are discussed. Collection and preparation of stream and river bottom sediments, lake bottom sediments, estuary bottom sediments, and marine (shallow) bottom sediments are covered. The document is intended to be a comprehensive manual for the collection and preparation of bottom sediments as a prerequisite to obtain representative and meaningful results using NATs. Quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) is emphasized as an important aspect to ensure proper collection, transportation, preservation, and analysis since it forms the basis for interpretation and legislation. Although there are many approaches and methods available for sediment analyses, the scope of the report is limited to sample preparation for (1) analysis of radionuclides (including sediment dating using radionuclides such as Pb-210 and Cs-137) and (2) analysis of trace, minor and major elements using nuclear and related analytical techniques such as NAA, XRF and PIXE.

  8. Radon exhalation rates from soil and sand samples collected from the vicinity of Yamuna river

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garg, A.K.; Sushil Kumar; Chauhan, Pooja; Chauhan, R.P.

    2011-01-01

    Soil, sand and stones are the most popular building materials for Indian dwellings. Radon is released into ambient air from these materials due to ubiquitous uranium and radium in them, thus increasing the airborne radon concentration. The radioactivity in sand and soils is related to radioactivity in the rocks from which they are formed. These materials contain varying amount of uranium. In the present investigation, the radon emanated from soil and sand samples from different locations in the vicinity of Yamuna river has been estimated. The samples have been collected from different locations near the Yamuna river. The samples collecting sites are from Yamunanagar in Haryana to Delhi. The radon concentration in different samples has been calculated, based upon the data, the mass and the surface exhalation rates of radon emanated from them have also been calculated

  9. Water sample-collection and distribution system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, R. R.

    1978-01-01

    Collection and distribution system samples water from six designated stations, filtered if desired, and delivers it to various analytical sensors. System may be controlled by Water Monitoring Data Acquisition System or operated manually.

  10. Evaluation of a new simple collection device for sampling of microparticles in exhaled breath.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seferaj, Sabina; Ullah, Shahid; Tinglev, Åsa; Carlsson, Sten; Winberg, Jesper; Stambeck, Peter; Beck, Olof

    2018-03-12

    The microparticle fraction of exhaled breath is of interest for developing clinical biomarkers. Exhaled particles may contain non-volatile components from all parts of the airway system, formed during normal breathing. This study aimed to evaluate a new, simple sampling device, based on impaction, for collecting microparticles from exhaled breath. Performance of the new device was compared with that of the existing SensAbues membrane filter device. The analytical work used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods. The new device collected three subsamples and these were separately analysed from eight individuals. No difference was observed between the centre position (0.91 ng/sample) and the side positions (1.01 ng/sample) using major phosphatidylcholine (PC) 16:0/16:0 as the analyte. Exhaled breath was collected from eight patients on methadone maintenance treatment. The intra-individual variability in measured methadone concentration between the three collectors was 8.7%. In another experiment using patients on methadone maintenance treatment, the sampling efficiency was compared with an established filter device. Compared to the existing device, the efficiency of the new device was 121% greater for methadone and 1450% greater for DPPC. The data from lipid analysis also indicated that a larger fraction of the collected material was from the distal parts. Finally, a study using an optical particle counter indicated that the device preferentially collects the larger particle fraction. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the usefulness of the new device for collecting non-volatile components from exhaled breath. The performance of the device was superior to the filter device in several aspects.

  11. Assessing human error during collecting a hydrocarbon sample of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper reports the assessment method of the hydrocarbon sample collection standard operation procedure (SOP) using THERP. The Performance Shaping Factors (PSF) from THERP analyzed and assessed the human errors during collecting a hydrocarbon sample of a petrochemical refinery plant. Twenty-two ...

  12. Scientific guidelines for preservation of samples collected from Mars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gooding, J.L.

    1990-04-01

    The maximum scientific value of Martian geologic and atmospheric samples is retained when the samples are preserved in the conditions that applied prior to their collection. Any sample degradation equates to loss of information. Based on detailed review of pertinent scientific literature, and advice from experts in planetary sample analysis, number values are recommended for key parameters in the environmental control of collected samples with respect to material contamination, temperature, head-space gas pressure, ionizing radiation, magnetic fields, and acceleration/shock. Parametric values recommended for the most sensitive geologic samples should also be adequate to preserve any biogenic compounds or exobiological relics

  13. Collection and preparation of samples for gamma spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan Jingquan

    1994-01-01

    The paper presents the basic principles of sample collection and preparation: setting up unified sampling program, methods and procedures, sample packing, transportation and storage, determination of sample quantity, sample pretreatment and preparation of samples to be analysed, etc. for gamma spectrometry. And the paper also describes briefly the main methods and special issues of sampling and preparation for the same environmental and biological samples, such as, air, water, grass, soil and foods

  14. Fieldwork and catalogue of samples collected in Polan, September 1995

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poulsen, N.; Drewniak, A.; Glowniak, E.; Ineson, J.; Matyja, B.A.; Merta, T.; Wierzbowski, A.

    1995-12-31

    This report lists the collection of samples taken during the field work of the EFP-95 Project, named `The Polish Middle to Late Jurassic Epicratonic basin, stratigraphy, facies and basin history` (short title: Jurrasic basin study, Poland) in Poland, August 7-20, 1995. The samples were collected for palynological studies, and/or sedimentaological studies, and/or source rock studies, and/or reservoir rock characteristics. Prepared samples (slides etc.) are stored in the collections of the GEUS, and remaining rock-material at the store of the GEUS. Field work with collection of samples for palynological studies has been carried earlier in 1988 and at the Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian Joint Working Groups Meeting 1992. (au)

  15. Self-Collected versus Clinician-Collected Sampling for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Screening: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lunny, Carole; Taylor, Darlene; Hoang, Linda; Wong, Tom; Gilbert, Mark; Lester, Richard; Krajden, Mel; Ogilvie, Gina

    2015-01-01

    Background The increases in STI rates since the late 1990s in Canada have occurred despite widespread primary care and targeted public health programs and in the setting of universal health care. More innovative interventions are required that would eliminate barriers to STI testing such as internet-based or mail-in home and community service testing for patients that are hard to reach, who refuse to go for clinician-based testing, or who decline an examination. Jurisdictions such as New Zealand and some American states currently use self-collected sampling, but without the required evidence to determine whether self-collected specimens are as accurate as clinician-collected specimens in terms of chlamydia and gonorrhea diagnostic accuracy. The objective of the review is to compare self-collected vaginal, urine, pharyngeal and rectal samples to our reference standard - clinician-collected cervical, urethral, pharyngeal and rectal sampling techniques to identify a positive specimen using nucleic acid amplification test assays. Methods The hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic and the fixed effect models were used to assess the accuracy of comparable specimens that were collected by patients compared to clinicians. Sensitivity and specificity estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported as our main outcome measures. Findings We included 21 studies based on over 6100 paired samples. Fourteen included studies examined chlamydia only, 6 compared both gonorrhea and chlamydia separately in the same study, and one examined gonorrhea. The six chlamydia studies comparing self-collection by vaginal swab to a clinician-collected cervical swab had the highest sensitivity (92%, 95% CI 87-95) and specificity (98%, 95% CI 97-99), compared to other specimen-types (urine/urethra or urine/cervix). Six studies compared urine self-samples to urethra clinician-collected samples in males and produced a sensitivity of 88% (95% CI 83-93) and a specificity of

  16. Acceptability of self-collected versus provider-collected sampling for HPV DNA testing among women in rural El Salvador.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenbaum, Alan J; Gage, Julia C; Alfaro, Karla M; Ditzian, Lauren R; Maza, Mauricio; Scarinci, Isabel C; Felix, Juan C; Castle, Philip E; Villalta, Sofia; Miranda, Esmeralda; Cremer, Miriam L

    2014-08-01

    To determine the acceptability of self-collected versus provider-collected sampling among women participating in public sector HPV-based cervical cancer screening in El Salvador. Two thousand women aged 30-49 years underwent self-collected and provider-collected sampling with careHPV between October 2012 and March 2013 (Qiagen, Gaithersburg, MD, USA). After sample collection, a random sample of women (n=518) were asked about their experience. Participants were questioned regarding sampling method preference, previous cervical cancer screening, HPV and cervical cancer knowledge, HPV risk factors, and demographic information. All 518 women approached to participate in this questionnaire study agreed and were enrolled, 27.8% (142 of 511 responding) of whom had not received cervical cancer screening within the past 3 years and were considered under-screened. Overall, 38.8% (n=201) preferred self-collection and 31.9% (n=165) preferred provider collection. Self-collection preference was associated with prior tubal ligation, HPV knowledge, future self-sampling preference, and future home-screening preference (P<0.05). Reasons for self-collection preference included privacy/embarrassment, ease, and less pain; reasons cited for provider-collection preference were result accuracy and provider knowledge/experience. Self-sampling was found to be acceptable, therefore screening programs could consider offering this option either in the clinic or at home. Self-sampling at home may increase coverage in low-resource countries and reduce the burden that screening places upon clinical infrastructure. Copyright © 2014 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. All rights reserved.

  17. 78 FR 77095 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Form FNS-648, WIC...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food and Nutrition Service Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request--Form FNS-648, WIC Local Agency Directory Report AGENCY: Food and... continuity of program services to migrant and other transient participants. It is also used as a mailing list...

  18. Evaluation of standard methods for collecting and processing fuel moisture samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sally M. Haase; José Sánchez; David R. Weise

    2016-01-01

    A variety of techniques for collecting and processing samples to determine moisture content of wildland fuels in support of fire management activities were evaluated. The effects of using a chainsaw or handsaw to collect samples of largediameter wood, containers for storing and transporting collected samples, and quick-response ovens for estimating moisture content...

  19. Curating NASA's Past, Present, and Future Astromaterial Sample Collections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeigler, R. A.; Allton, J. H.; Evans, C. A.; Fries, M. D.; McCubbin, F. M.; Nakamura-Messenger, K.; Righter, K.; Zolensky, M.; Stansbery, E. K.

    2016-01-01

    The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office at NASA Johnson Space Center (hereafter JSC curation) is responsible for curating all of NASA's extraterrestrial samples. JSC presently curates 9 different astromaterials collections in seven different clean-room suites: (1) Apollo Samples (ISO (International Standards Organization) class 6 + 7); (2) Antarctic Meteorites (ISO 6 + 7); (3) Cosmic Dust Particles (ISO 5); (4) Microparticle Impact Collection (ISO 7; formerly called Space-Exposed Hardware); (5) Genesis Solar Wind Atoms (ISO 4); (6) Stardust Comet Particles (ISO 5); (7) Stardust Interstellar Particles (ISO 5); (8) Hayabusa Asteroid Particles (ISO 5); (9) OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Coupons and Witness Plates (ISO 7). Additional cleanrooms are currently being planned to house samples from two new collections, Hayabusa 2 (2021) and OSIRIS-REx (2023). In addition to the labs that house the samples, we maintain a wide variety of infra-structure facilities required to support the clean rooms: HEPA-filtered air-handling systems, ultrapure dry gaseous nitrogen systems, an ultrapure water system, and cleaning facilities to provide clean tools and equipment for the labs. We also have sample preparation facilities for making thin sections, microtome sections, and even focused ion-beam sections. We routinely monitor the cleanliness of our clean rooms and infrastructure systems, including measurements of inorganic or organic contamination, weekly airborne particle counts, compositional and isotopic monitoring of liquid N2 deliveries, and daily UPW system monitoring. In addition to the physical maintenance of the samples, we track within our databases the current and ever changing characteristics (weight, location, etc.) of more than 250,000 individually numbered samples across our various collections, as well as more than 100,000 images, and countless "analog" records that record the sample processing records of each individual sample. JSC Curation is co-located with JSC

  20. Organic analysis of ambient samples collected near Tank 241-C-103: Results from samples collected on May 12, 1994

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clauss, T.W.; Ligotke, M.W.; McVeety, B.D.; Lucke, R.B.; Young, J.S.; McCulloch, M.; Fruchter, J.S.; Goheen, S.C.

    1995-06-01

    This report describes organic analyses results from ambient samples collected both upwind and through the vapor sampling system (VSS) near Hanford waste storage Tank 241-C-103 (referred to as Tank C-103). The results described here were obtained to support safety and toxicological evaluations. A summary of the results for inorganic and organic analytes is listed. Quantitative results were obtained for organic compounds. Five organic tentatively identified compounds (TICS) were observed above the detection limit of (ca.) 10 ppbv, but standards for most of these were not available at the time of analysis, and the reported concentrations are semiquantitative estimates. In addition, we looked for the 40 standard TO-14 analytes. We observed 39. Of these, only one was observed above the 2-ppbv calibrated instrument detection limit. Dichloromethane was above the detection limits using both methods, but the result from the TO-14 method is traceable to a standard gas mixture and is considered more accurate. Organic analytes were found only in the sample collected through the VSS, suggesting that these compounds were residual contamination from a previous sampling job. Detailed descriptions of the results appear in the text

  1. Sampling and analysis strategies to support waste form qualification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Westsik, J.H. Jr.; Pulsipher, B.A.; Eggett, D.L.; Kuhn, W.L.

    1989-04-01

    As part of the waste acceptance process, waste form producers will be required to (1) demonstrate that their glass waste form will meet minimum specifications, (2) show that the process can be controlled to consistently produce an acceptable waste form, and (3) provide documentation that the waste form produced meets specifications. Key to the success of these endeavors is adequate sampling and chemical and radiochemical analyses of the waste streams from the waste tanks through the process to the final glass product. This paper suggests sampling and analysis strategies for meeting specific statistical objectives of (1) detection of compositions outside specification limits, (2) prediction of final glass product composition, and (3) estimation of composition in process vessels for both reporting and guiding succeeding process steps. 2 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs

  2. 78 FR 73819 - Information Collection; Financial Information Security Request Form

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Information Collection; Financial Information Security..., Financial Information Security Request Form. DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before... Information Security Request Form. OMB Number: 0596-0204. Expiration Date of Approval: 02/28/2014. Type of...

  3. Profiling quinones in ambient air samples collected from the Athabasca region (Canada).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wnorowski, Andrzej; Charland, Jean-Pierre

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents new findings on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon oxidation products-quinones that were collected in ambient air samples in the proximity of oil sands exploration. Quinones were characterized for their diurnal concentration variability, phase partitioning, and molecular size distribution. Gas-phase (GP) and particle-phase (PM) ambient air samples were collected separately in the summer; a lower quinone content was observed in the PM samples from continuous 24-h sampling than from combined 12-h sampling (day and night). The daytime/nocturnal samples demonstrated that nighttime conditions led to lower concentrations and some quinones not being detected. The highest quinone levels were associated with wind directions originating from oil sands exploration sites. The statistical correlation with primary pollutants directly emitted from oil sands industrial activities indicated that the bulk of the detected quinones did not originate directly from primary emission sources and that quinone formation paralleled a reduction in primary source NO x levels. This suggests a secondary chemical transformation of primary pollutants as the origin of the determined quinones. Measurements of 19 quinones included five that have not previously been reported in ambient air or in Standard Reference Material 1649a/1649b and seven that have not been previously measured in ambient air in the underivatized form. This is the first paper to report on quinone characterization in secondary organic aerosols originating from oil sands activities, to distinguish chrysenequinone and anthraquinone positional isomers in ambient air, and to report the requirement of daylight conditions for benzo[a]pyrenequinone and naphthacenequinone to be present in ambient air. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Collection and preparation of samples for Agency's programme of intercalibration methods and procedures for measurement of environmental radioactivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patel, B.

    1975-12-01

    In the period of 1971-1975 several samples of marine sediment and organisms were collected from the Bombay Harbour Bay as well as from the vicinity of the Tarapur nuclear power station in order to supply the materials for preparing intercalibration samples for radionuclides measurements. All samples collected were freeze-dried and homogenized prior to the dispatch to the Monaco Laboratory, where final homogenization and the homogeneity tests were carried out. Altogether 2 marine organisms and 3 marine sediments were supplied during this period. The materials supplied were proved to be useful to prepare intercalibration samples for radionuclide measurements in the levels for monitoring operations. Based on these materials several intercalibration exercises were successfully conducted. This work thus formed a basis for bringing the better comparability of radionuclide measurements in marine environmental samples in an international scale

  5. Importance of sampling frequency when collecting diatoms

    KAUST Repository

    Wu, Naicheng; Faber, Claas; Sun, Xiuming; Qu, Yueming; Wang, Chao; Ivetic, Snjezana; Riis, Tenna; Ulrich, Uta; Fohrer, Nicola

    2016-01-01

    There has been increasing interest in diatom-based bio-assessment but we still lack a comprehensive understanding of how to capture diatoms’ temporal dynamics with an appropriate sampling frequency (ASF). To cover this research gap, we collected

  6. 76 FR 45906 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form W-10

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-01

    ... W-10 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Form W-10, Dependent Care Provider's Identification and Certification. DATES: Written comments should... Certification. OMB Number: 1545-XXXX. Form Number: Form W-10. Abstract: The proposed collection of information...

  7. Protocol for collecting eDNA samples from streams [Version 2.3

    Science.gov (United States)

    K. J. Carim; T. Wilcox; M. K. Young; K. S. McKelvey; M. K. Schwartz

    2015-01-01

    Throughout the 2014 field season, we had over two dozen biologist throughout the western US collect over 300 samples for eDNA analysis with paired controls. Control samples were collected by filtering 0.5 L of distilled water. No samples had any evidence of field contamination. This method of sampling verifies the cleanliness of the field equipment, as well as the...

  8. Does a Structured Data Collection Form Improve The Accuracy of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    and multiple etiologies for similar presentation. Standardized forms may harmonize the initial assessment, improve accuracy of diagnosis and enhance outcomes. Objectives: To determine the extent to which use of a structured data collection form (SDCF) affected the diagnostic accuracy of AAP. Methodology: A before and ...

  9. 78 FR 4858 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, Form I-140...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-23

    ...-0015] Agency Information Collection Activities: Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, Form I-140... Approved Collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker. (3) Agency form... other for-profit. The information furnished on Form I-140 will be used by USCIS to classify aliens under...

  10. Sample collection and sample analysis plan in support of the 105-C/190-C concrete and soil sampling activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marske, S.G.

    1996-07-01

    This sampling and analysis plan describes the sample collection and sample analysis in support of the 105-C water tunnels and 190-C main pumphouse concrete and soil sampling activities. These analytical data will be used to identify the radiological contamination and presence of hazardous materials to support the decontamination and disposal activities

  11. 77 FR 71481 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8911

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-30

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form... collection of information unless the collection of information displays a valid OMB control number. Books or... material in the administration of any internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return...

  12. Quality standards for sample collection in coagulation testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lippi, Giuseppe; Salvagno, Gian Luca; Montagnana, Martina; Lima-Oliveira, Gabriel; Guidi, Gian Cesare; Favaloro, Emmanuel J

    2012-09-01

    Preanalytical activities, especially those directly connected with blood sample collection and handling, are the most vulnerable steps throughout the testing process. The receipt of unsuitable samples is commonplace in laboratory practice and represents a serious problem, given the reliability of test results can be adversely compromised following analysis of these specimens. The basic criteria for an appropriate and safe venipuncture are nearly identical to those used for collecting blood for clinical chemistry and immunochemistry testing, and entail proper patient identification, use of the correct technique, as well as appropriate devices and needles. There are, however, some peculiar aspects, which are deemed to be particularly critical when collecting quality specimens for clot-based tests, and these require clearer recognition. These include prevention of prolonged venous stasis, collection of nonhemolyzed specimens, order of draw, and appropriate filling and mixing of the primary collection tubes. All of these important preanalytical issues are discussed in this article, and evidence-based suggestions as well as recommendations on how to obtain a high-quality sample for coagulation testing are also illustrated. We have also performed an investigation aimed to identify variation of test results due to underfilling of primary blood tubes, and have identified a clinically significant bias in test results when tubes are drawn at less than 89% of total fill for activated partial thromboplastin time, less than 78% for fibrinogen, and less than 67% for coagulation factor VIII, whereas prothrombin time and activated protein C resistance remain relatively reliable even in tubes drawn at 67% of the nominal volume. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  13. 78 FR 28020 - Proposed Collection: Comment Request for Form 2032

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-13

    ..., Public Law 104-13(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form... collection of information displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a collection of... internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26...

  14. 76 FR 74117 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 4810

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-30

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form... collection of information displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a collection of... internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26...

  15. Mutual Funds as a Form of Collective Investment in Russia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tershukova, Marina B.; Savinov, Oleg G.; Zhegalova, Elena V.; Zhuruhinc, Georgy I.; Zhegalova, Alexandra S.

    2016-01-01

    The relevance of the research problem inspired with the fact nowadays there is a need for theoretical generalization based on international experience the essence of the collective investment system and the rationale for prioritizing the mutual funds development as the most attractive form of collective investment. The goal of the article lies in…

  16. 76 FR 81517 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-131, Revision of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-28

    ... information collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Application for Travel Document. (3) Agency form... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information...-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Form I- 131, Application for Travel Document. The...

  17. Standardized Method for Measuring Collection Efficiency from Wipe-sampling of Trace Explosives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verkouteren, Jennifer R; Lawrence, Jeffrey A; Staymates, Matthew E; Sisco, Edward

    2017-04-10

    One of the limiting steps to detecting traces of explosives at screening venues is effective collection of the sample. Wipe-sampling is the most common procedure for collecting traces of explosives, and standardized measurements of collection efficiency are needed to evaluate and optimize sampling protocols. The approach described here is designed to provide this measurement infrastructure, and controls most of the factors known to be relevant to wipe-sampling. Three critical factors (the applied force, travel distance, and travel speed) are controlled using an automated device. Test surfaces are chosen based on similarity to the screening environment, and the wipes can be made from any material considered for use in wipe-sampling. Particle samples of the explosive 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) are applied in a fixed location on the surface using a dry-transfer technique. The particle samples, recently developed to simulate residues made after handling explosives, are produced by inkjet printing of RDX solutions onto polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) substrates. Collection efficiency is measured by extracting collected explosive from the wipe, and then related to critical sampling factors and the selection of wipe material and test surface. These measurements are meant to guide the development of sampling protocols at screening venues, where speed and throughput are primary considerations.

  18. XPS and EPXMA investigation and chemical speciation of aerosol samples formed in LWR core melting experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moers, H.; Jenett, H.; Kaufmann, R.; Klewe-Nebenius, H.; Pfennig, G.; Ache, H.J.

    1985-09-01

    Aerosol samples consisting of fission products and elements of light water reactor structural materials were collected during simulating in a laboratory scale the heat-up phase of a core melt accident. The aerosol particles were formed in a steam atmosphere at temperatures between 1200 and 1900 0 C of the melting charge. The investigation of the samples by use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) permitted the chemical speciation of the detected aerosol constituents silver, cadmium, indium, tellurium, iodine, and cesium. A comparison of the elemental analysis results obtained from XPS with those achieved from electron probe X-ray micro analysis (EPXMA) revealed that aerosol particle surface and aerosol particle bulk are principally composed of the same elements and that these compositions vary with release temperature. In addition, quantitative differences between the composition of surface and bulk have only been observed for those aerosol samples which were collected at higher melting charge temperatures. In order to obtain direct information on chemical species below the surface selected samples were argon ion bombarded. Changes in composition and chemistry were monitored by XPS, and the results were interpreted in light of the effects, which were observed when appropriate standard samples were sputtered. (orig.) [de

  19. 77 FR 65706 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for the Return of Original Documents, Form...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-30

    ...-0100] Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for the Return of Original Documents, Form... Collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Request for the Return of Original Documents. (3) Agency form... obtain original document(s) contained in an alien file. (5) An estimate of the total number of...

  20. 77 FR 14817 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-829, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-13

    ...-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Form I- 829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove... existing information collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove... households. This form is used by a conditional resident alien entrepreneur who obtained such status through a...

  1. 77 FR 33758 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-829, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-07

    ... ACTION: 60-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Form I- 829, Petition by Entrepreneur to...: Extension of an existing information collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Petition by Entrepreneur...: Individuals and households. This form is used by a conditional resident alien entrepreneur who obtained such...

  2. 75 FR 74070 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-829, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-30

    ... ACTION: 60-Day notice of information collection under review: Form I- 829, Petition by Entrepreneur to... existing information collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove... households. This form is used by a conditional resident alien entrepreneur who obtained such status through a...

  3. Soil sample collection and analysis for the Fugitive Dust Characterization Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashbaugh, Lowell L.; Carvacho, Omar F.; Brown, Michael S.; Chow, Judith C.; Watson, John G.; Magliano, Karen C.

    A unique set of soil samples was collected as part of the Fugitive Dust Characterization Study. The study was carried out to establish whether or not source profiles could be constructed using novel analytical methods that could distinguish soil dust sources from each other. The soil sources sampled included fields planted in cotton, almond, tomato, grape, and safflower, dairy and feedlot facilities, paved and unpaved roads (both urban and rural), an agricultural staging area, disturbed land with salt buildup, and construction areas where the topsoil had been removed. The samples were collected using a systematic procedure designed to reduce sampling bias, and were stored frozen to preserve possible organic signatures. For this paper the samples were characterized by particle size (percent sand, silt, and clay), dry silt content (used in EPA-recommended fugitive dust emission factors), carbon and nitrogen content, and potential to emit both PM 10 and PM 2.5. These are not the "novel analytical methods" referred to above; rather, it was the basic characterization of the samples to use in comparing analytical methods by other scientists contracted to the California Air Resources Board. The purpose of this paper is to document the methods used to collect the samples, the collection locations, the analysis of soil type and potential to emit PM 10, and the sample variability, both within field and between fields of the same crop type.

  4. Collection of biological samples in forensic toxicology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dinis-Oliveira, R J; Carvalho, F; Duarte, J A; Remião, F; Marques, A; Santos, A; Magalhães, T

    2010-09-01

    Forensic toxicology is the study and practice of the application of toxicology to the purposes of the law. The relevance of any finding is determined, in the first instance, by the nature and integrity of the specimen(s) submitted for analysis. This means that there are several specific challenges to select and collect specimens for ante-mortem and post-mortem toxicology investigation. Post-mortem specimens may be numerous and can endow some special difficulties compared to clinical specimens, namely those resulting from autolytic and putrefactive changes. Storage stability is also an important issue to be considered during the pre-analytic phase, since its consideration should facilitate the assessment of sample quality and the analytical result obtained from that sample. The knowledge on degradation mechanisms and methods to increase storage stability may enable the forensic toxicologist to circumvent possible difficulties. Therefore, advantages and limitations of specimen preservation procedures are thoroughfully discussed in this review. Presently, harmonized protocols for sampling in suspected intoxications would have obvious utility. In the present article an overview is given on sampling procedures for routinely collected specimens as well as on alternative specimens that may provide additional information on the route and timing of exposure to a specific xenobiotic. Last, but not least, a discussion on possible bias that can influence the interpretation of toxicological results is provided. This comprehensive review article is intented as a significant help for forensic toxicologists to accomplish their frequently overwhelming mission.

  5. Fluid sample collection and distribution system. [qualitative analysis of aqueous samples from several points

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, R. L. (Inventor)

    1979-01-01

    A multipoint fluid sample collection and distribution system is provided wherein the sample inputs are made through one or more of a number of sampling valves to a progressive cavity pump which is not susceptible to damage by large unfiltered particles. The pump output is through a filter unit that can provide a filtered multipoint sample. An unfiltered multipoint sample is also provided. An effluent sample can be taken and applied to a second progressive cavity pump for pumping to a filter unit that can provide one or more filtered effluent samples. The second pump can also provide an unfiltered effluent sample. Means are provided to periodically back flush each filter unit without shutting off the whole system.

  6. Collective dynamics of glass-forming polymers at intermediate length scales

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colmenero, J.; Alvarez, F.; Arbe, A.

    2015-01-01

    Deep understanding of the complex dynamics taking place in glass-forming systems could potentially be gained by exploiting the information provided by the collective response monitored by coherent neutron scattering. We have revisited the question of the characterization of the collective response of polyisobutylene at intermediate length scales observed by neutron spin echo (NSE) experiments. The model, generalized for sub-linear diffusion - as it is the case of glass-forming polymers - has been successfully applied by using the information on the total self-motions available from MD-simulations properly validated by direct comparison with experimental results. From the fits of the coherent NSE data, the collective time at Q → 0 has been extracted that agrees very well with compiled results from different experimental techniques directly accessing such relaxation time. We show that a unique temperature dependence governs both, the Q → 0 and Q → ∞ asymptotic characteristic times. The generalized model also gives account for the modulation of the apparent activation energy of the collective times with the static structure factor. It mainly results from changes of the short-range order at inter-molecular length scales

  7. CTEPP DATA COLLECTION FORM 04: PARENT PRE-MONITORING QUESTIONNAIRE

    Science.gov (United States)

    This data collection form is used to identify the activity patterns of the preschool children and possible sources and routes of exposure. The parent is asked questions on their child's activities indoors and outdoors at the home. These include questions on their child's frequenc...

  8. Collection and control of tritium bioassay samples at Pantex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fairrow, N.L.; Ivie, W.E.

    1992-01-01

    Pantex is the final assembly/disassembly point for US nuclear weapons. The Pantex internal dosimetry section monitors radiation workers once a month for tritium exposure. In order to manage collection and control of the bioassay specimens efficiently, a bar code system for collection of samples was developed and implemented to speed up the process and decrease the number of errors probable when transferring data. In the past, all the bioassay data from samples were entered manually into a computer database. Transferring the bioassay data from the liquid scintillation counter to each individual's dosimetry record required as much as two weeks of concentrated effort

  9. 75 FR 49025 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form W-11

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-12

    ... form was developed as a template for the convenience of employers who must collect affidavits from... collection. Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit institutions. Estimated Number of Respondents...) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to...

  10. 77 FR 65706 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, Form I-140...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-30

    ...-0015] Agency Information Collection Activities: Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, Form I-140... Form/Collection: Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker. (3) Agency form number, if any, and the... information furnished on Form I-140 will be used by USCIS to classify aliens under sections 203(b)(1), 203(b...

  11. 78 FR 55052 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Form FNS-13...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-09

    ... reporting burden hours as a result of automation and the advancement of State systems technology. The... collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Written comments may be sent to Jon Garcia... the office of the Food and Nutrition Service during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday...

  12. 77 FR 65702 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, Form Number I-730...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-30

    ...-0037] Agency Information Collection Activities: Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, Form Number I-730... request. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition. (3) Agency form number, if... households. Form I- 730 will be used by an asylee or refugee to file on behalf of his or her spouse and/or...

  13. Fast egg collection method greatly improves randomness of egg sampling in Drosophila melanogaster

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schou, Mads Fristrup

    2013-01-01

    When obtaining samples for population genetic studies, it is essential that the sampling is random. For Drosophila, one of the crucial steps in sampling experimental flies is the collection of eggs. Here an egg collection method is presented, which randomizes the eggs in a water column...... and diminishes environmental variance. This method was compared with a traditional egg collection method where eggs are collected directly from the medium. Within each method the observed and expected standard deviations of egg-to-adult viability were compared, whereby the difference in the randomness...... and to obtain a representative collection of genotypes, the method presented here is strongly recommended when collecting eggs from Drosophila....

  14. 77 FR 15787 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-131, Revision of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-16

    ... the Form/Collection: Application for Travel Document. (3) Agency Form Number, if any, and the... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information...-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Form I- 131, Application for Travel Document. The...

  15. OSIRIS-REx Touch-and-Go (TAG) Mission Design for Asteroid Sample Collection

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Alexander; Sutter, Brian; Linn, Timothy; Bierhaus, Beau; Berry, Kevin; Mink, Ron

    2014-01-01

    The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission is a NASA New Frontiers mission launching in September 2016 to rendezvous with the near-Earth asteroid Bennu in October 2018. After several months of proximity operations to characterize the asteroid, OSIRIS-REx flies a Touch-And-Go (TAG) trajectory to the asteroid's surface to collect at least 60 g of pristine regolith sample for Earth return. This paper provides mission and flight system overviews, with more details on the TAG mission design and key events that occur to safely and successfully collect the sample. An overview of the navigation performed relative to a chosen sample site, along with the maneuvers to reach the desired site is described. Safety monitoring during descent is performed with onboard sensors providing an option to abort, troubleshoot, and try again if necessary. Sample collection occurs using a collection device at the end of an articulating robotic arm during a brief five second contact period, while a constant force spring mechanism in the arm assists to rebound the spacecraft away from the surface. Finally, the sample is measured quantitatively utilizing the law of conservation of angular momentum, along with qualitative data from imagery of the sampling device. Upon sample mass verification, the arm places the sample into the Stardust-heritage Sample Return Capsule (SRC) for return to Earth in September 2023.

  16. 77 FR 71432 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, Form I-526...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-30

    ...-0026] Agency Information Collection Activities: Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, Form I-526.../Collection: Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur. (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable... abstract: Primary: Individuals or Households. This form is used by the USCIS to determine if an alien can...

  17. 77 FR 47426 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for the Return of Original Documents, Form...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-08

    ...-0100] Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for the Return of Original Documents, Form.... (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Request for the Return of Original Documents. (3) Agency form... obtain original document(s) contained in an alien file. (5) An estimate of the total number of...

  18. 76 FR 12750 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-829, Extension of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-08

    ... ACTION: 30-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Form I- 829, Petition by Entrepreneur to... the Form/Collection: Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions. (3) Agency form number, if any... conditional resident alien entrepreneur who obtained such status through a qualifying investment, to apply to...

  19. 32 CFR 903.10 - Information collections, records, and forms or information management tools (IMTS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Information collections, records, and forms or information management tools (IMTS). 903.10 Section 903.10 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued... Information collections, records, and forms or information management tools (IMTS). (a) Information...

  20. A 'feather-trap' for collecting DNA samples from birds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maurer, Golo; Beck, Nadeena; Double, Michael C

    2010-01-01

    Genetic analyses of birds are usually based on DNA extracted from a blood sample. For some species, however, obtaining blood samples is difficult because they are sensitive to handling, pose a conservation or animal welfare concern, or evade capture. In such cases, feathers obtained from live birds in the wild can provide an alternative source of DNA. Here, we provide the first description and evaluation of a 'feather-trap', consisting of small strips of double-sided adhesive tape placed close to a nest with chicks, as a simple, inexpensive and minimally invasive method to collect feathers. The feather-trap was tested in tropical conditions on the Australian pheasant coucal (Centropus phasianinus). None of the 12 pairs of coucals on which the feather-trap was used abandoned the nest, and feeding rates did not differ from those of birds not exposed to a feather-trap. On average, 4.2 feathers were collected per trap over 2-5 days and, despite exposure to monsoonal rain, DNA was extracted from 71.4% of samples, albeit at low concentrations. The amount of genomic DNA extracted from each feather was sufficient to reliably genotype individuals at up to five microsatellite loci for parentage analysis. We show that a feather-trap can provide a reliable alternative for obtaining DNA in species where taking blood is difficult. It may also prove useful for collecting feather samples for other purposes, e.g. stable-isotope analysis. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  1. 78 FR 53507 - Agency Information Collection (Beneficiary Travel Mileage Reimbursement Application Form...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900-NEW] Agency Information Collection (Beneficiary Travel Mileage Reimbursement Application Form) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Health... Control No. 2900- NEW (Beneficiary Travel Mileage Reimbursement Application Form)'' in any correspondence...

  2. Ground-water sample collection and analysis plan for the ground-water surveillance project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bryce, R.W.; Evans, J.C.; Olsen, K.B.

    1991-12-01

    The Pacific Northwest Laboratory performs ground-water sampling activities at the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Hanford Site in support of DOE's environmental surveillance responsibilities. The purpose of this document is to translate DOE's General Environmental Protection Program (DOE Order 5400.1) into a comprehensive ground-water sample collection and analysis plan for the Hanford Site. This sample collection and analysis plan sets forth the environmental surveillance objectives applicable to ground water, identifies the strategy for selecting sample collection locations, and lists the analyses to be performed to meet those objectives

  3. 12 CFR Appendix B to Part 707 - Model Clauses and Sample Forms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ...) B-8—Sample Form (Money Market Share Account Disclosures) B-9—Sample Form (Term Share (Certificate... money market accounts. These are some of the more common limitations applicable. The credit union... will assist members in reviewing and understanding the change. B-3Model Clauses for Pre-Maturity...

  4. Biopolymers for Sample Collection, Protection, and Preservation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-05-19

    knowledge of sample collection from various matrices is crucial. Recovery and preservation of microorganisms prior to analysis are important...Another method for encapsulating bacteria for use in biodegradation of gasoline involves a complex process using gellan gum (Moslemy et al. 2002). Many...use of acacia gum in preserving microorganisms for extended periods of time without refrigeration (Krumnow et al. 2009; Sorokulova et al. 2008, 2012

  5. 78 FR 29205 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 4952

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 4952 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY... 4952, Investment Interest Expense Deduction. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before...

  6. 78 FR 45616 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8960

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8960 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY... 8960, Net Investment Income Tax-Individuals, Estates, and Trusts. DATES: Written comments should be...

  7. 75 FR 33380 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 4952

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 4952 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY... 4952, Investment Interest Expense Deduction. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before...

  8. Evaluation of a novel dried blood spot collection device (HemaSpot™) to test blood samples collected from dogs for antibodies to Leishmania infantum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosypal, Alexa C; Pick, Leanne D; Hernandez, Jaime O Esquivel; Lindsay, David S

    2014-09-15

    Collection of blood samples from veterinary and wildlife patients is often challenging because the samples have to be collected on farm or in the wild under various environmental conditions. This poses many technical problems associated with venipuncture materials, their safe use and disposal, transportation and processing of collected samples. Dried blood spot (DBS) sample collection techniques offer a simple and practical alternative to traditional blood collection methods to obtain blood samples from animals for parasite antibody evaluation. The DBS collection devices are compact, simple to use, and are particularly useful for large number of samples. Additionally, DBS samples take up less space and they are easier to transport than traditional venipuncture-collected blood samples. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a potentially fatal parasitic disease of dogs and humans and it is frequently diagnosed by antibody tests. Immunochromatographic tests (ICT) for antibodies to Leishmania infantum are commercially available for dogs and they produce qualitative results in minutes. Measurement of canine antibodies to L. infantum with the ICT using traditional venipuncture has been validated previously, but the use of DBS samples has not been evaluated using this method. The purpose of the present study was to determine the ability of DBS samples to detect antibodies to L. infantum in dogs using a commercial ICT assay. One hundred plasma samples from dogs experimentally infected with the LIVT-1 strain of L. infantum were collected by venipuncture and frozen. Individual samples were thawed, and then 80 μl plasma (2 drops) was aliquotted onto the 8-spoked disk pad on individual DBS sample collection devices (HemaSpot™, Spot-On Sciences, Austin, TX), dried, and stored in the dark at room temperature. After one month and six months, respectively, 2 spokes of the 8 spokes of the disk pad of each DBS sample were removed and eluted in 200 μl PBS. The eluate was used to test

  9. Importance of sampling frequency when collecting diatoms

    KAUST Repository

    Wu, Naicheng

    2016-11-14

    There has been increasing interest in diatom-based bio-assessment but we still lack a comprehensive understanding of how to capture diatoms’ temporal dynamics with an appropriate sampling frequency (ASF). To cover this research gap, we collected and analyzed daily riverine diatom samples over a 1-year period (25 April 2013–30 April 2014) at the outlet of a German lowland river. The samples were classified into five clusters (1–5) by a Kohonen Self-Organizing Map (SOM) method based on similarity between species compositions over time. ASFs were determined to be 25 days at Cluster 2 (June-July 2013) and 13 days at Cluster 5 (February-April 2014), whereas no specific ASFs were found at Cluster 1 (April-May 2013), 3 (August-November 2013) (>30 days) and Cluster 4 (December 2013 - January 2014) (<1 day). ASFs showed dramatic seasonality and were negatively related to hydrological wetness conditions, suggesting that sampling interval should be reduced with increasing catchment wetness. A key implication of our findings for freshwater management is that long-term bio-monitoring protocols should be developed with the knowledge of tracking algal temporal dynamics with an appropriate sampling frequency.

  10. Sampling and characterization of aerosols formed in the atmospheric hydrolysis of UF6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bostick, W.D.; McCulla, W.H.; Pickrell, P.W.; Branam, D.A.

    1983-01-01

    When gaseous UF 6 is released into the atmosphere, it rapidly reacts with ambient moisture to form an aerosol of uranyl fluoride and HF. As part of our Safety Analysis program, we have performed several experimental releases of UF 6 (from natural uranium) in contained volumes in order to investigate techniques for sampling and characterizing the aerosol materials. The aggregrate particle morphology and size distribution have been found to be dependent upon several conditions, including the relative humidity at the time of the release and the elapse time after the release. Aerosol composition and settling rate have been investigated using isokinetic samplers for the separate collection of UO 2 F 2 and HF, and via laser spectroscopic remote sensing (Mie scatter and infrared spectroscopy). 8 references

  11. 78 FR 24429 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record, Form I...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-25

    ...-0046] Agency Information Collection Activities: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record, Form I... the Form/Collection: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record. (3) Agency form number, if any... Government. Form I-854 is used by law enforcement agencies to bring alien witnesses and informants to the...

  12. On the improvement of blood sample collection at clinical laboratories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grasas, Alex; Ramalhinho, Helena; Pessoa, Luciana S; Resende, Mauricio G C; Caballé, Imma; Barba, Nuria

    2014-01-09

    Blood samples are usually collected daily from different collection points, such hospitals and health centers, and transported to a core laboratory for testing. This paper presents a project to improve the collection routes of two of the largest clinical laboratories in Spain. These routes must be designed in a cost-efficient manner while satisfying two important constraints: (i) two-hour time windows between collection and delivery, and (ii) vehicle capacity. A heuristic method based on a genetic algorithm has been designed to solve the problem of blood sample collection. The user enters the following information for each collection point: postal address, average collecting time, and average demand (in thermal containers). After implementing the algorithm using C programming, this is run and, in few seconds, it obtains optimal (or near-optimal) collection routes that specify the collection sequence for each vehicle. Different scenarios using various types of vehicles have been considered. Unless new collection points are added or problem parameters are changed substantially, routes need to be designed only once. The two laboratories in this study previously planned routes manually for 43 and 74 collection points, respectively. These routes were covered by an external carrier company. With the implementation of this algorithm, the number of routes could be reduced from ten to seven in one laboratory and from twelve to nine in the other, which represents significant annual savings in transportation costs. The algorithm presented can be easily implemented in other laboratories that face this type of problem, and it is particularly interesting and useful as the number of collection points increases. The method designs blood collection routes with reduced costs that meet the time and capacity constraints of the problem.

  13. 78 FR 24814 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8612

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8612 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY... 8612, Return of Excise Tax on Undistributed Income of Real Estate Investment Trusts. DATES: Written...

  14. 75 FR 33887 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8612

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8612 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY... 8612, Return of Excise Tax on Undistributed Income of Real Estate Investment Trusts. DATES: Written...

  15. Active Collection of Land Cover Sample Data from Geo-Tagged Web Texts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongyang Hou

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Sample data plays an important role in land cover (LC map validation. Traditionally, they are collected through field survey or image interpretation, either of which is costly, labor-intensive and time-consuming. In recent years, massive geo-tagged texts are emerging on the web and they contain valuable information for LC map validation. However, this kind of special textual data has seldom been analyzed and used for supporting LC map validation. This paper examines the potential of geo-tagged web texts as a new cost-free sample data source to assist LC map validation and proposes an active data collection approach. The proposed approach uses a customized deep web crawler to search for geo-tagged web texts based on land cover-related keywords and string-based rules matching. A data transformation based on buffer analysis is then performed to convert the collected web texts into LC sample data. Using three provinces and three municipalities directly under the Central Government in China as study areas, geo-tagged web texts were collected to validate artificial surface class of China’s 30-meter global land cover datasets (GlobeLand30-2010. A total of 6283 geo-tagged web texts were collected at a speed of 0.58 texts per second. The collected texts about built-up areas were transformed into sample data. User’s accuracy of 82.2% was achieved, which is close to that derived from formal expert validation. The preliminary results show that geo-tagged web texts are valuable ancillary data for LC map validation and the proposed approach can improve the efficiency of sample data collection.

  16. 75 FR 16492 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form G-28, and Form G-28I, Revision of an Existing...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Attorney. OMB Control No. 1615-0105. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration... of Homeland Security sponsoring the collection: Form G-28, and Form G-28I. U.S. Citizenship and...

  17. A novel atmospheric tritium sampling system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Lailai; Xia, Zhenghai; Gu, Shaozhong; Zhang, Dongxun; Bao, Guangliang; Han, Xingbo; Ma, Yuhua; Deng, Ke; Liu, Jiayu; Zhang, Qin; Ma, Zhaowei; Yang, Guo; Liu, Wei; Liu, Guimin

    2018-06-01

    The health hazard of tritium is related to its chemical form. Sampling different chemical forms of tritium simultaneously becomes significant. Here a novel atmospheric tritium sampling system (TS-212) was developed to collect the tritiated water (HTO), tritiated hydrogen (HT) and tritiated methane (CH3T) simultaneously. It consisted of an air inlet system, three parallel connected sampling channels, a hydrogen supply module, a methane supply module and a remote control system. It worked at air flow rate of 1 L/min to 5 L/min, with temperature of catalyst furnace at 200 °C for HT sampling and 400 °C for CH3T sampling. Conversion rates of both HT and CH3T to HTO were larger than 99%. The collecting efficiency of the two-stage trap sets for HTO was larger than 96% in 12 h working-time without being blocked. Therefore, the collected efficiencies of TS-212 are larger than 95% for tritium with different chemical forms in environment. Besides, the remote control system made sampling more intelligent, reducing the operator's work intensity. Based on the performance parameters described above, the TS-212 can be used to sample atmospheric tritium in different chemical forms.

  18. Collection and preparation of wet and dry stream-sediment samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Puchlik, K.

    1977-03-01

    Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is responsible for the Hydrogeochemistry and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program for uranium in the seven far western states. The work thus far has concentrated on the arid to semi-arid regions of the West and this paper discusses the collection and preparation of sediment samples in the Basin and Range province. The sample collection and preparation procedures described here may not be applicable to other parts of the far western states or other areas. These procedures also differ somewhat from those used by the other three laboratories involved in the HSSR program

  19. Evaluation of the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale-Teacher Report Form for Assessing Behavior in a Sample of Urban Adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrell, Albert D; Goncy, Elizabeth A; Sullivan, Terri N; Thompson, Erin L

    2018-02-01

    This study evaluated the structure and validity of the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale-Teacher Report Form (PBFS-TR) for assessing students' frequency of specific forms of aggression and victimization, and positive behavior. Analyses were conducted on two waves of data from 727 students from two urban middle schools (Sample 1) who were rated by their teachers on the PBFS-TR and the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS), and on data collected from 1,740 students from three urban middle schools (Sample 2) for whom data on both the teacher and student report version of the PBFS were obtained. Confirmatory factor analyses supported first-order factors representing 3 forms of aggression (physical, verbal, and relational), 3 forms of victimization (physical, verbal and relational), and 2 forms of positive behavior (prosocial behavior and effective nonviolent behavior), and higher-order factors representing aggression, victimization, and positive behavior. Strong measurement invariance was established over gender, grade, intervention condition, and time. Support for convergent validity was found based on correlations between corresponding scales on the PBFS-TR and teacher ratings on the SSIS in Sample 1. Significant correlations were also found between teacher ratings on the PBFS-TR and student ratings of their behavior on the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale-Adolescent Report (PBFS-AR) and a measure of nonviolent behavioral intentions in Sample 2. Overall the findings provided support for the PBFS-TR and suggested that teachers can provide useful data on students' aggressive and prosocial behavior and victimization experiences within the school setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Pediatric blood sample collection from a pre-existing peripheral intravenous (PIV) catheter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braniff, Heather; DeCarlo, Ann; Haskamp, Amy Corey; Broome, Marion E

    2014-01-01

    Aiming to minimize pain in a hospitalized child, the purpose of this observational study was to describe characteristics of blood samples collected from pre-existing peripheral intravenous (PIV) catheters in pediatric patients. One hundred and fifty blood samples were reviewed for number of unusable samples requiring a specimen to be re-drawn. Success of the blood draw and prevalence of the loss of the PIV following blood collection was also measured. Findings included one clotted specimen, success rate of 91.3%, and 1.3% of PIVs becoming non-functional after collection. Obtaining blood specimens from a pre-existing PIV should be considered in a pediatric patient. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. 78 FR 69529 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8945

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-19

    .... This form is being submitted for renewal purposes only. Type of Review: Extension of a currently... burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995...

  2. 77 FR 74487 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Petition for Alien Fiance(e), Form Number I-129F...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-14

    ...-0001] Agency Information Collection Activities: Petition for Alien Fiance(e), Form Number I-129F... information collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Petition for Alien Fiance(e). (3) Agency form number... petition for an alien fiance(e), spouse, or his/her children. (5) An estimate of the total number of...

  3. 78 FR 5477 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record, Form I...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-25

    ...-0046] Agency Information Collection Activities: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record, Form I... collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record. (3) Agency...- 854 is used by law enforcement agencies to bring alien witnesses and informants to the United States...

  4. 76 FR 30430 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 5713 and Schedules A, B, and C (Form 5713)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-25

    ... of income of a domestic international sales corporation, or deferral of income of a foreign sales... of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of...

  5. 76 FR 77326 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 56

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-12

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 56... information unless the collection of information displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records... the administration of any internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information are...

  6. A continuous flow from sample collection to data acceptability determination using an automated system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fisk, J.F.; Leasure, C.; Sauter, A.D.

    1993-01-01

    In its role as regulator, EPA is the recipient of enormous reams of analytical data, especially within the Superfund Program. In order to better manage the volume of paper that comes in daily, Superfund has required its laboratories to provide data that is contained on reporting forms to be delivered also on a diskette for uploading into data bases for various purposes, such as checking for contractual compliance, tracking quality assurance parameters, and, ultimately, for reviewing the data by computer. This last area, automated review of the data, has generated programs that are not necessarily appropriate for use by clients other than Superfund. Such is the case with Los Alamos National Laboratory's Environmental Chemistry Group and its emerging subcontractor community, designed to meet the needs of the remedial action program at LANL. LANL is in the process of implementing an automated system that will be used from the planning stage of sample collection to the production of a project-specific report on analytical data quality. Included are electronic scheduling and tracking of samples, data entry, checking and transmission, data assessment and qualification for use, and report generation that will tie the analytical data quality back to the performance criteria defined prior to sample collection. Industry standard products will be used (e.g., ORACLE, Microsoft Excel) to ensure support for users, prevent dependence on proprietary software, and to protect LANL's investment for the future

  7. IMPROVEMENT OF METHODS FOR HYDROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND MODIFICATION OF STANDARD TOOLS FOR SAMPLE COLLECTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. M. Aligadjiev

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. The paper discusses the improvement of methods of hydrobiological studies by modifying tools for plankton and benthic samples collecting. Methods. In order to improve the standard methods of hydro-biological research, we have developed tools for sampling zooplankton and benthic environment of the Caspian Sea. Results. Long-term practice of selecting hydrobiological samples in the Caspian Sea shows that it is required to complete the modernization of the sampling tools used to collect hydrobiological material. With the introduction of Azov and Black Sea invasive comb jelly named Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz to the Caspian Sea there is a need to collect plankton samples without disturbing its integrity. Tools for collecting benthic fauna do not always give a complete picture of the state of benthic ecosystems because of the lack of visual site selection for sampling. Moreover, while sampling by dredge there is a probable loss of the samples, especially in areas with difficult terrain. Conclusion. We propose to modify a small model of Upstein net (applied in shallow water to collect zooplankton samples with an upper inverted cone that will significantly improve the catchability of the net in theCaspian Sea. Bottom sampler can be improved by installing a video camera for visual inspection of the bottom topography, and use sensors to determine tilt of the dredge and the position of the valves of the bucket. 

  8. 78 FR 21912 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Processed Products Family of Forms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-12

    ... Collection; Comment Request; Processed Products Family of Forms AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric... NOAA in the economic and social analyses developed when proposing and evaluating fishery management... collection). Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations. Estimated Number of Respondents...

  9. 77 FR 35991 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-829, Extension of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-15

    ... Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions. On June 7, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship... information collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions. (3.... This form is used by a conditional resident alien entrepreneur who obtained such status through a...

  10. 77 FR 31913 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 7004

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-30

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form... OMB control number. Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any internal revenue law. Generally...

  11. Discrete element method (DEM) simulations of stratified sampling during solid dosage form manufacturing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hancock, Bruno C; Ketterhagen, William R

    2011-10-14

    Discrete element model (DEM) simulations of the discharge of powders from hoppers under gravity were analyzed to provide estimates of dosage form content uniformity during the manufacture of solid dosage forms (tablets and capsules). For a system that exhibits moderate segregation the effects of sample size, number, and location within the batch were determined. The various sampling approaches were compared to current best-practices for sampling described in the Product Quality Research Institute (PQRI) Blend Uniformity Working Group (BUWG) guidelines. Sampling uniformly across the discharge process gave the most accurate results with respect to identifying segregation trends. Sigmoidal sampling (as recommended in the PQRI BUWG guidelines) tended to overestimate potential segregation issues, whereas truncated sampling (common in industrial practice) tended to underestimate them. The size of the sample had a major effect on the absolute potency RSD. The number of sampling locations (10 vs. 20) had very little effect on the trends in the data, and the number of samples analyzed at each location (1 vs. 3 vs. 7) had only a small effect for the sampling conditions examined. The results of this work provide greater understanding of the effect of different sampling approaches on the measured content uniformity of real dosage forms, and can help to guide the choice of appropriate sampling protocols. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Human blood RNA stabilization in samples collected and transported for a large biobank

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) is a nation-wide population-based pregnancy cohort initiated in 1999, comprising more than 108.000 pregnancies recruited between 1999 and 2008. In this study we evaluated the feasibility of integrating RNA analyses into existing MoBa protocols. We compared two different blood RNA collection tube systems – the PAXgene™ Blood RNA system and the Tempus™ Blood RNA system - and assessed the effects of suboptimal blood volumes in collection tubes and of transportation of blood samples by standard mail. Endpoints to characterize the samples were RNA quality and yield, and the RNA transcript stability of selected genes. Findings High-quality RNA could be extracted from blood samples stabilized with both PAXgene and Tempus tubes. The RNA yields obtained from the blood samples collected in Tempus tubes were consistently higher than from PAXgene tubes. Higher RNA yields were obtained from cord blood (3 – 4 times) compared to adult blood with both types of tubes. Transportation of samples by standard mail had moderate effects on RNA quality and RNA transcript stability; the overall RNA quality of the transported samples was high. Some unexplained changes in gene expression were noted, which seemed to correlate with suboptimal blood volumes collected in the tubes. Temperature variations during transportation may also be of some importance. Conclusions Our results strongly suggest that special collection tubes are necessary for RNA stabilization and they should be used for establishing new biobanks. We also show that the 50,000 samples collected in the MoBa biobank provide RNA of high quality and in sufficient amounts to allow gene expression analyses for studying the association of disease with altered patterns of gene expression. PMID:22988904

  13. 78 FR 48773 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8866

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-09

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form.... Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return...

  14. 78 FR 42819 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 709

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-17

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form... information displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a collection of information must... revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C...

  15. 76 FR 65320 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 4029

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-20

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form... information displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a collection of information must... revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C...

  16. 78 FR 60378 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 1023

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-01

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form... displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any internal revenue law...

  17. 78 FR 13157 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 13803

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-26

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form... information displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a collection of information must... revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C...

  18. 78 FR 57000 - Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-16

    ... automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of...: National Automotive Sampling System (NASS). Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection...). The National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) Crashworthiness Data System (CDS) of the National...

  19. Blood venous sample collection: Recommendations overview and a checklist to improve quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giavarina, Davide; Lippi, Giuseppe

    2017-07-01

    The extra-analytical phases of the total testing process have substantial impact on managed care, as well as an inherent high risk of vulnerability to errors which is often greater than that of the analytical phase. The collection of biological samples is a crucial preanalytical activity. Problems or errors occurring shortly before, or soon after, this preanalytical step may impair sample quality and characteristics, or else modify the final results of testing. The standardization of fasting requirements, rest, patient position and psychological state of the patient are therefore crucial for mitigating the impact of preanalytical variability. Moreover, the quality of materials used for collecting specimens, along with their compatibility, can guarantee sample quality and persistence of chemical and physical characteristics of the analytes over time, so safeguarding the reliability of testing. Appropriate techniques and sampling procedures are effective to prevent problems such as hemolysis, undue clotting in the blood tube, draw of insufficient sample volume and modification of analyte concentration. An accurate identification of both patient and blood samples is a key priority as for other healthcare activities. Good laboratory practice and appropriate training of operators, by specifically targeting collection of biological samples, blood in particular, may greatly improve this issue, thus lowering the risk of errors and their adverse clinical consequences. The implementation of a simple and rapid check-list, including verification of blood collection devices, patient preparation and sampling techniques, was found to be effective for enhancing sample quality and reducing some preanalytical errors associated with these procedures. The use of this tool, along with implementation of objective and standardized systems for detecting non-conformities related to unsuitable samples, can be helpful for standardizing preanalytical activities and improving the quality of

  20. Removal of arsenic from ground water samples collected from West Bengal, India

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ajith, Nicy; Swain, K.K.; Dalvi, Aditi A.; Verma, R.

    2015-01-01

    Arsenic contamination in ground water is one of the major concerns in many parts of the world including Bangladesh and India. Considering the high toxicity of arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO) has set a provisional guideline value of 10 μg L -1 for arsenic in drinking water. Several methods have been adopted for the removal of arsenic from drinking water. Most of the methods fail to remove As(III), the most toxic form of arsenic. An extra oxidative treatment step is essential for effective removal of total arsenic. Manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) oxidizes As(III) to As(V). Removal of arsenic from water using manganese dioxide has been reported. During this work, removal of arsenic from ground water samples collected from arsenic contaminated area of West Bengal, India were carried out using MnO 2

  1. 77 FR 5581 - Submission for Review: Information Collection; Interview Survey Form (INV 10)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-03

    ... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Submission for Review: Information Collection; Interview Survey Form (INV 10) AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management. ACTION: 60-Day Notice and request for... request (ICR), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 3206-0106, Interview Survey Form (INV 10...

  2. The Autism Simplex Collection : an international, expertly phenotyped autism sample for genetic and phenotypic analyses

    OpenAIRE

    Buxbaum, Joseph D.; Bolshakova, Nadia; Brownfeld, Jessica M.; Anney, Richard J. L.; Bender, Patrick; Bernier, Raphael; Cook, Edwin H.; Coon, Hilary; Cuccaro, Michael L.; Freitag, Christine M.; Hallmayer, Joachim; Geschwind, Daniel H.; Klauck, Sabine M.; Nurnberger, John I.; Oliveira, Guiomar

    2014-01-01

    Background: There is an urgent need for expanding and enhancing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) samples, in order to better understand causes of ASD. Methods: In a unique public-private partnership, 13 sites with extensive experience in both the assessment and diagnosis of ASD embarked on an ambitious, 2-year program to collect samples for genetic and phenotypic research and begin analyses on these samples. The program was called The Autism Simplex Collection (TASC). TASC sample collection ...

  3. Validity of the MMPI-2-RF (Restructured Form) L-r and K-r Scales in Detecting Underreporting in Clinical and Nonclinical Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sellbom, Martin; Bagby, R. Michael

    2008-01-01

    In the current investigation, the authors examined the validity of the L-r and K-r scales on the recently developed Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Y. S. Ben-Porath & A. Tellegen, in press) in measuring underreported response bias. Three archival samples previously collected for examining MMPI-2…

  4. Activity Concentration for Surface Soil Samples Collected from Arrant, Qena, Egypt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harb, S.; Salahel Din, K.; Abbady, A.; Moustafa, M.

    2010-01-01

    Soil samples were collected from four regions from Armant area. Qena, Upper Egypt for measure their natural radioactivity concentrations due to Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 radionuclides. Thirty-Four surface soil samples were analyzed by using low-level gamma-spectrometric analysis. The average activity concentration for Ra-226 in (Bq/kg) in the collected soil samples were found to be 27.3 ±3.2, 11.4±1.09, 10.6±1.2, and 11.4±1.02 while the average value for Th-232 were 15.1±1.4, 11.1±0.77, 10.8 ± 0.72 and 11.1 ± 0.8 (Bq/kg) for soil samples from North, South, West and East. The corresponding average values for K-40 were 521.4±16.8, 463±14.8, 488.9±15.6 and 344.5±10.7 (Bq/kg), respectively. Based on radionuclides concentration in surface soil samples the radiological effects can be assessed

  5. Analysis of Dust Samples Collected from an Unused Spent Nuclear Fuel Interim Storage Container at Hope Creek, Delaware.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bryan, Charles R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Enos, David [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2015-03-01

    In July, 2014, the Electric Power Research Institute and industry partners sampled dust on the surface of an unused canister that had been stored in an overpack at the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station for approximately one year. The foreign material exclusion (FME) cover that had been on the top of the canister during storage, and a second recently - removed FME cover, were also sampled. This report summarizes the results of analyses of dust samples collected from the unused Hope Creek canister and the FME covers. Both wet and dry samples of the dust/salts were collected, using SaltSmart(TM) sensors and Scotch - Brite(TM) abrasive pads, respectively. The SaltSmart(TM) samples were leached and the leachate analyzed chemically to determine the composition and surface load per unit area of soluble salts present on the canister surface. The dry pad samples were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence and by scanning electron microscopy to determine dust texture and mineralogy; and by leaching and chemical analysis to deter mine soluble salt compositions. The analyses showed that the dominant particles on the canister surface were stainless steel particles, generated during manufacturing of the canister. Sparse environmentally - derived silicates and aluminosilicates were also present. Salt phases were sparse, and consisted of mostly of sulfates with rare nitrates and chlorides. On the FME covers, the dusts were mostly silicates/aluminosilicates; the soluble salts were consistent with those on the canister surface, and were dominantly sulfates. It should be noted that the FME covers were w ashed by rain prior to sampling, which had an unknown effect of the measured salt loads and compositions. Sulfate salts dominated the assemblages on the canister and FME surfaces, and in cluded Ca - SO4 , but also Na - SO4 , K - SO4 , and Na - Al - SO4 . It is likely that these salts were formed by particle - gas conversion reactions, either

  6. An international study of the performance of sample collection from patients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dzik, WH; Murphy, MF; Andreu, G; Heddle, N; Hogman, C; Kekomaki, R; Murphy, S; Shimizu, M; Smit Sibinga, C.T.

    2003-01-01

    Background and Objectives Collection of a blood sample from the correct patient is the first step in the process of safe transfusion. The aim of this international collaborative study was to assess the frequency of mislabelled and miscollected samples drawn for blood grouping. Materials and Methods

  7. 77 FR 75440 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Application for Naturalization, Form Number N-400...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-20

    ... technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic... form N-400 and 1 hour and 17 minutes for the biometric processing. (6) An estimate of the total public...

  8. Equipment for collecting samples of radioactive solutions; Installation de prelevements d'echantillons de solutions radioactives

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raggenbass, A.; Fradin, J.; Joubert, G.

    1958-12-03

    The authors present an equipment aimed at collecting samples of fission products to perform radio-chemical analysis. As the sample must have a total activity between 1 and 50 micro-Curie, this installation comprises a sampling system and a dilution device which aims at bringing the sample to the suitable activity. Samples are collected by means of needles. The sample reproducibility is discussed. The dilution device is described.

  9. Guidelines for the processing and quality assurance of benthic invertebrate samples collected as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuffney, T.F.; Gurtz, M.E.; Meador, M.R.

    1993-01-01

    determine the quantity of each taxon present in the semi-quantitative samples or to list the taxa present in qualitative samples. The processing guidelines provide standardized laboratory forms, sample labels, detailed sample processing flow charts, standardized format for electronic data, quality-assurance procedures and checks, sample tracking standards, and target levels for taxonomic determinations. The contract laboratory (1) is responsible for identifications and quantifications, (2) constructs reference collections, (3) provides data in hard copy and electronic forms, (4) follows specified quality-assurance and quality-control procedures, and (5) returns all processed and unprocessed portions of the samples. The U.S. Geological Survey's Quality Management Group maintains a Biological Quality-Assurance Unit, located at the National Water-Quality Laboratory, Arvada, Colorado, to oversee the use of contract laboratories and ensure the quality of data obtained from these laboratories according to the guidelines established in this document. This unit establishes contract specifications, reviews contractor performance (timeliness, accuracy, and consistency), enters data into the National Water Information System-II data base, maintains in-house reference collections, deposits voucher specimens in outside museums, and interacts with taxonomic experts within and outside the U.S. Geological Survey. This unit also modifies the existing sample processing and quality-assurance guidelines, establishes criteria and testing procedures for qualifying potential contract laboratories, identifies qualified taxonomic experts, and establishes voucher collections.

  10. 77 FR 6134 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-290B, Extension of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-07

    ...: 60-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Form I- 290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion...., permitting electronic submission of responses. Overview of this information collection: (1) Type of...: Notice of Appeal or Motion. (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the...

  11. PIXE Analysis of Aerosol and Soil Samples Collected in the Adirondack Mountains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoskowitz, Joshua; Ali, Salina; Nadareski, Benjamin; Labrake, Scott; Vineyard, Michael

    2014-09-01

    We have performed an elemental analysis of aerosol and soil samples collected at Piseco Lake in Upstate New York using proton induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE). This work is part of a systematic study of airborne pollution in the Adirondack Mountains. Of particular interest is the sulfur content that can contribute to acid rain, a well-documented problem in the Adirondacks. We used a nine-stage cascade impactor to collect the aerosol samples near Piseco Lake and distribute the particulate matter onto Kapton foils by particle size. The soil samples were also collected at Piseco Lake and pressed into cylindrical pellets for experimentation. PIXE analysis of the aerosol and soil samples were performed with 2.2-MeV proton beams from the 1.1-MV Pelletron accelerator in the Union College Ion-Beam Analysis Laboratory. There are higher concentrations of sulfur at smaller particle sizes (0.25-1 μm), suggesting that it could be suspended in the air for days and originate from sources very far away. Other elements with significant concentrations peak at larger particle sizes (1-4 μm) and are found in the soil samples, suggesting that these elements could originate in the soil. The PIXE analysis will be described and the resulting data will be presented.

  12. Advanced Curation Activities at NASA: Implications for Astrobiological Studies of Future Sample Collections

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCubbin, F. M.; Evans, C. A.; Fries, M. D.; Harrington, A. D.; Regberg, A. B.; Snead, C. J.; Zeigler, R. A.

    2017-01-01

    The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office (henceforth referred to herein as NASA Curation Office) at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is responsible for curating all of NASA's extraterrestrial samples. Under the governing document, NASA Policy Directive (NPD) 7100.10F JSC is charged with curation of all extraterrestrial material under NASA control, including future NASA missions. The Directive goes on to define Curation as including documentation, preservation, preparation, and distribution of samples for re-search, education, and public outreach. Here we briefly describe NASA's astromaterials collections and our ongoing efforts related to enhancing the utility of our current collections as well as our efforts to prepare for future sample return missions. We collectively refer to these efforts as advanced curation.

  13. 77 FR 38323 - Proposed Extension of Existing Information Collection; Respirable Coal Mine Dust Sampling

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-27

    ... Information Collection; Respirable Coal Mine Dust Sampling AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration... Sampling'' to more accurately reflect the type of information that is collected. Chronic exposure to... dust levels since 1970 and, consequently, the prevalence rate of black lung among coal miners, severe...

  14. Acceptability of self-collected vaginal samples for HPV testing in an ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objective: To evaluate the acceptability of self-collected vaginal samples for HPV testing in women living in rural and urban areas of ... Conclusion: Acceptability of self-sampling for HPV testing was similarly excellent in both groups despite their difference in terms ... cancer is the leading cause of death caused by cancer in.

  15. 77 FR 25506 - Submission for Review: Expiring Information Collection, Interview Survey Form, INV 10

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-30

    ... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Submission for Review: Expiring Information Collection, Interview... collection request (ICR), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 3206- 0106, for the Interview[email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Interview Survey Form, INV 10, is a questionnaire that OPM...

  16. 75 FR 29307 - Web Based Supply Chain Management Commodity Offer Form, Paperwork Collection Notice

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-25

    ... Based Supply Chain Management Commodity Offer Form, Paperwork Collection Notice AGENCY: Agricultural... collection request is required for the implementation of a new system named Web Based Supply Chain Management...-2782. Mail: David Tuckwiller, Project Manager, Web Based Supply Chain Management System, Agricultural...

  17. 77 FR 37699 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request OSHC Financial Reporting Form

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-22

    ... Information Collection: Comment Request OSHC Financial Reporting Form AGENCY: Office of Sustainable Housing... Challenge Planning Grant Program, require the financial reporting by grantees. This tracking of grantee... also lists the following information: Title of Proposal: OSHC Financial Reporting Form. OMB Control...

  18. Portable Automation of Static Chamber Sample Collection for Quantifying Soil Gas Flux

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davis, Morgan P.; Groh, Tyler A.; Parkin, Timothy B.; Williams, Ryan J.; Isenhart, Thomas M.; Hofmockel, Kirsten S.

    2018-01-01

    Quantification of soil gas flux using the static chamber method is labor intensive. The number of chambers that can be sampled is limited by the spacing between chambers and the availability of trained research technicians. An automated system for collecting gas samples from chambers in the field would eliminate the need for personnel to return to the chamber during a flux measurement period and would allow a single technician to sample multiple chambers simultaneously. This study describes Chamber Automated Sampling Equipment (FluxCASE) to collect and store chamber headspace gas samples at assigned time points for the measurement of soil gas flux. The FluxCASE design and operation is described, and the accuracy and precision of the FluxCASE system is evaluated. In laboratory measurements of nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) concentrations of a standardized gas mixture, coefficients of variation associated with automated and manual sample collection were comparable, indicating no loss of precision. In the field, soil gas fluxes measured from FluxCASEs were in agreement with manual sampling for both N2O and CO2. Slopes of regression equations were 1.01 for CO2 and 0.97 for N2O. The 95% confidence limits of the slopes of the regression lines included the value of one, indicating no bias. Additionally, an expense analysis found a cost recovery ranging from 0.6 to 2.2 yr. Implementing the FluxCASE system is an alternative to improve the efficiency of the static chamber method for measuring soil gas flux while maintaining the accuracy and precision of manual sampling.

  19. 77 FR 38582 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Domestic Client Life-Cycle Multi-Purpose Forms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-28

    ... Request; Domestic Client Life-Cycle Multi-Purpose Forms AGENCY: International Trade Administration. ACTION..., 0625-0237, and 0625-0238. These collections include all client intake, events/activities and export... Client Life-cycle Multi-Purpose Forms, previously titled Export Information Services Order Forms, are...

  20. Trace Elements Analysis of Archeological Brick Samples Collected from Different Historical Placs in Rajshahi Division

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Begum, Bilkis A.; Biswas, Shapan K.; Matin, Mohammed A.; Hoque, Mohammed M.; Hopke, Philip K.

    2007-01-01

    Twenty-nine brick samples were collected from different temples and palaces, namely Paharpur, Kumarpur, Gaurbari, Puthia and Natore in Rajshahi Division in Bangladesh. The samples were analyzed by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) method. The elemental data sets have been analyzed in order to find out the general characteristics and any significant differences among the collected samples and identify the origin of these brick samples. Most of the crustal elements have enrichment factor (EF) values close to unity. Only Cu and Pb have high values that may come from painting as these have been collected from temples and palaces.(author)

  1. 78 FR 32261 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, Form Number I...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services [OMB Control Number 1615-0026] Agency Information Collection Activities: Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, Form Number I... collection. [[Page 32262

  2. A comparison of human papillomavirus testing of clinician-collected and self-collected samples during follow-up after screen-and-treat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Sylvia; Wang, Chunhui; Wright, Thomas C; Denny, Lynette; Kuhn, Louise

    2011-08-15

    Screen-and-treat cervical cancer prevention programs based on high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing and cryotherapy have been shown to be effective in resource-limited settings. However, because cryotherapy is not 100% effective, follow-up is needed after treatment to detect post-treatment failures. We compared the test performances of high-risk HPV testing (Hybrid Capture 2) using self-collected and clinician-collected samples as well as cervical cytology for identifying cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2 or 3 or invasive cervical cancer (CIN2+) among women who did (n=812) and did not (n=1858) undergo cryotherapy in a South African screen-and-treat trial. At 6 months after enrolment (and after cryotherapy, if performed), women were tested using all three screening methods and then underwent colposcopy/biopsy. A predefined subset of women (n=1,455) had extended follow-up with colposcopy/biopsy at 12 months. A total of 33 and 91 cases of CIN2+ were detected among treated and untreated women, respectively. The sensitivity of HPV testing using clinician-collected samples and cervical cytology did not differ by treatment status. HPV testing of clinician-collected samples detected the most cases of CIN2+ among both treated (85%) and untreated (91%) women (p=0.31). Cytology (at a cutoff of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or greater) detected 76% of cases among both treated and untreated women. However, the sensitivity of HPV testing using self-collected samples was significantly lower among treated versus untreated women (55% vs. 78%, p=0.01). HPV testing using self-collected vaginal specimens may be useful in primary screening but performs poorly for detecting post-treatment failures. Copyright © 2010 UICC.

  3. Adaptive Sampling based 3D Profile Measuring Method for Free-Form Surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duan, Xianyin; Zou, Yu; Gao, Qiang; Peng, Fangyu; Zhou, Min; Jiang, Guozhang

    2018-03-01

    In order to solve the problem of adaptability and scanning efficiency of the current surface profile detection device, a high precision and high efficiency detection approach is proposed for surface contour of free-form surface parts based on self- adaptability. The contact mechanical probe and the non-contact laser probe are synthetically integrated according to the sampling approach of adaptive front-end path detection. First, the front-end path is measured by the non-contact laser probe, and the detection path is planned by the internal algorithm of the measuring instrument. Then a reasonable measurement sampling is completed according to the planned path by the contact mechanical probe. The detection approach can effectively improve the measurement efficiency of the free-form surface contours and can simultaneously detect the surface contours of unknown free-form surfaces with different curvatures and even different rate of curvature. The detection approach proposed in this paper also has important reference value for free-form surface contour detection.

  4. Methods for collecting algal samples as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, Stephen D.; Cuffney, Thomas F.; Gurtz, Martin E.; Meador, Michael R.

    1993-01-01

    Benthic algae (periphyton) and phytoplankton communities are characterized in the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program as part of an integrated physical, chemical, and biological assessment of the Nation's water quality. This multidisciplinary approach provides multiple lines of evidence for evaluating water-quality status and trends, and for refining an understanding of the factors that affect water-quality conditions locally, regionally, and nationally. Water quality can be characterized by evaluating the results of qualitative and quantitative measurements of the algal community. Qualitative periphyton samples are collected to develop of list of taxa present in the sampling reach. Quantitative periphyton samples are collected to measure algal community structure within selected habitats. These samples of benthic algal communities are collected from natural substrates, using the sampling methods that are most appropriate for the habitat conditions. Phytoplankton samples may be collected in large nonwadeable streams and rivers to meet specific program objectives. Estimates of algal biomass (chlorophyll content and ash-free dry mass) also are optional measures that may be useful for interpreting water-quality conditions. A nationally consistent approach provides guidance on site, reach, and habitat selection, as well as information on methods and equipment for qualitative and quantitative sampling. Appropriate quality-assurance and quality-control guidelines are used to maximize the ability to analyze data locally, regionally, and nationally.

  5. 76 FR 33397 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: DS-4131 Advance Notification Form: Tourist and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-08

    ... Advance Notification Form: Tourist and Other Non-Governmental Activities in the Antarctic Treaty Area... of Information Collection: Advance Notification Form: Tourist and Other Non-Governmental Activities... proposed information collection is necessary for the proper performance of our functions. Evaluate the...

  6. 76 FR 74116 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 1127A

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-30

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form... number. Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and...

  7. 76 FR 33025 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 720X

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-07

    ... of Form 720X is the result of a project to provide a uniform standard for trust fund accounting.... Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may... information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the...

  8. Simultaneous PIXE and PIGE analyses of aerosol samples collected in urban areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boni, C.; Caruso, E.; Cereda, E.; Marcazzan, G.M.; Redaelli, P.; Bacci, P.

    1988-01-01

    The paper concerns the simultaneous PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) and PIGE (Proton Induced Gamma-ray Emission) analyses of aerosol samples collected in urban areas. The results show that PIGE can detect Li, F, Na, Al, and Si in fly ashes and F, Na, Al and Si in atmospheric aerosol. The PIXE-PIGE technique has also been applied to 80 samples of atmospheric particular matter collected above Milan during the winter and summer months of 1986/7, and the average values of concentrations and enrichment factors are given for the detected elements. (U.K.)

  9. M3FT-17OR0301070211 - Preparation of Hot Isostatically Pressed AgZ Waste Form Samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jubin, Robert Thomas [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Bruffey, Stephanie H. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Jordan, Jacob A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2017-10-01

    The production of radioactive iodine-bearing waste forms that exhibit long-term stability and are suitable for permanent geologic disposal has been the subject of substantial research interest. One potential method of iodine waste form production is hot isostatic pressing (HIP). Recent studies at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have investigated the conversion of iodine-loaded silver mordenite (I-AgZ) directly to a waste form by HIP. ORNL has performed HIP with a variety of sample compositions and pressing conditions. The base mineral has varied among AgZ (in pure and engineered forms), silver-exchanged faujasite, and silverexchanged zeolite A. Two iodine loading methods, occlusion and chemisorption, have been explored. Additionally, the effects of variations in temperature and pressure of the process have been examined, with temperature ranges of 525°C–1,100°C and pressure ranges of 100–300 MPa. All of these samples remain available to collaborators upon request. The sample preparation detailed in this document is an extension of that work. In addition to previously prepared samples, this report documents the preparation of additional samples to support stability testing. These samples include chemisorbed I-AgZ and pure AgI. Following sample preparation, each sample was processed by HIP by American Isostatic Presses Inc. and returned to ORNL for storage. ORNL will store the samples until they are requested by collaborators for durability testing. The sample set reported here will support waste form durability testing across the national laboratories and will provide insight into the effects of varied iodine content on iodine retention by the produced waste form and on potential improvements in waste form durability provided by the zeolite matrix.

  10. 75 FR 1683 - Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Assignment Form

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Fiscal Service Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Assignment Form AGENCY: Financial Management Service, Fiscal Service, Treasury. ACTION: Notice... Management Service, Records and Information Management Branch, Room 135, 3700 East West Highway, Hyattsville...

  11. Assembly for collecting samples for purposes of identification or analysis and method of use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Cyril V [Knoxville, TN; Smith, Rob R [Knoxville, TN

    2010-02-02

    An assembly and an associated method for collecting a sample of material desired to be characterized with diagnostic equipment includes or utilizes an elongated member having a proximal end with which the assembly is manipulated by a user and a distal end. In addition, a collection tip which is capable of being placed into contact with the material to be characterized is supported upon the distal end. The collection tip includes a body of chemically-inert porous material for binding a sample of material when the tip is placed into contact with the material and thereby holds the sample of material for subsequent introduction to the diagnostic equipment.

  12. Comparative multielement analyses of airborne particulate samples collected in various areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mamuro, Tetsuo; Matsuda, Yatsuka; Mizohata, Akira

    1973-01-01

    In order to grasp the characteristic features of the air pollution by particulates in various areas in Japan, multielement analyses by instrumental neutron activation analysis and radioisotope energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis were applied to 31 airborne particulate samples collected in 15 different areas, and the analytical results obtained were compared with one another. All the samples were collected by so-called ''10 micron cut'' samplers, the collection efficiency of which is considered to be 50% at 8μ and nearly zero beyond 10μ. Among the areas in question there are clean seaside areas, heavily industrialized areas, small cities along the Inland Sea or the Pacific Ocean around which industrialization is progressing, a small city having only a big iron work, an area famous for its ceramic industry and so on. The atmospheres over them were found to be quite different not only in pollution extent but also in pollution pattern. (auth.)

  13. 75 FR 36615 - Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Gas Distribution Annual Report Form

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 49 CFR Part 192 [Docket No. PHMSA-RSPA-2004-19854] Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Gas Distribution Annual Report Form AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), DOT. ACTION: Request...

  14. Characteristics of the samples in the FNG fission deposit collection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meadows, J.W.

    1990-12-01

    Information concerning the samples in the Fast Neutron Generator (FNG) Group's fission deposit collection has been assembled. This includes the physical dimensions, isotopic analyses, half-lives, alpha emission rates specific activities and deposit weights. 10 refs., 9 figs., 5 tabs.

  15. A comparison of results for samples collected with bailers constructed of different materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomey, N.; Ogle, R.; Jackson, J.

    1992-01-01

    A bailer is one of the most common sampling devices used to collect ground water samples. Bailers constructed from various materials are available; teflon, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene, and stainless steel are all commonly used. It is widely recognized that sample results can be affected by the material from which the bailer is constructed. Teflon and stainless steel are usually recommended based upon their inert properties. The cost of these bailers is significantly higher than other types. For the purposes of petroleum storage tank investigations, sampling devices that would not compromise sample quality but be more economical than teflon or stainless steel would be especially desirable. Water samples were collected using the different types of bailers; teflon, stainless steel, PVC, and polyethylene. Split samples were analyzed for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, total xylenes, and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons. The analytical results were compared to determine if differences were due to normal analytical variances or due to interaction of the sample with the sampling device. No difference was noted in the results which were obtained

  16. Application of bar codes to the automation of analytical sample data collection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jurgensen, H.A.

    1986-01-01

    The Health Protection Department at the Savannah River Plant collects 500 urine samples per day for tritium analyses. Prior to automation, all sample information was compiled manually. Bar code technology was chosen for automating this program because it provides a more accurate, efficient, and inexpensive method for data entry. The system has three major functions: sample labeling is accomplished at remote bar code label stations composed of an Intermec 8220 (Intermec Corp.) interfaced to an IBM-PC, data collection is done on a central VAX 11/730 (Digital Equipment Corp.). Bar code readers are used to log-in samples to be analyzed on liquid scintillation counters. The VAX 11/730 processes the data and generates reports, data storage is on the VAX 11/730 and backed up on the plant's central computer. A brief description of several other bar code applications at the Savannah River Plant is also presented

  17. Sample collection: an overview of the Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolivar, S.L.

    1979-01-01

    A Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) for uranium is currently being conducted throughout the conterminous United States and Alaska. The HSSR is part of the National Uranium Resource Evaluation sponsored by the US Department of Energy. This ambitious geochemical reconnaissance program is conducted by four national laboratories: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and Savannah River Laboratory. The program is based on an extensive review of world literature, reconnaissance work done in other countries, and pilot studies conducted by each laboratory. Sample-collection methods and sample density are determined to optimize the probability of detecting potential uranium mineralization. To achieve this aim, each laboratory has developed independent standardized field collection procedures that are designed for its section of the country. Field parameters such as pH, conductivity, climate, geography, and geology are recorded at each site. Most samples are collected at densities of one sample site per 10 to 23 km 2 . The HSSR program has helped to improve existing hydrogeochemical reconnaissance exploration techniques. In addition to providing industry with data that may help to identify potential uranium districts and to extend known uranium provinces, the HSSR also provides multi-element analytical data, which can be used in water quality, soil, sediment, environmental, and base-metal exploration studies

  18. The Importance of Meteorite Collections to Sample Return Missions: Past, Present, and Future Considerations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welzenbach, L. C.; McCoy, T. J.; Glavin, D. P.; Dworkin, J. P.; Abell, P. A.

    2012-01-01

    While much of the scientific community s current attention is drawn to sample return missions, it is the existing meteorite and cosmic dust collections that both provide the paradigms to be tested by these missions and the context for interpreting the results. Recent sample returns from the Stardust and Hayabusa missions provided us with new materials and insights about our Solar System history and processes. As an example, Stardust sampled CAIs among the population of cometary grains, requiring extensive and unexpected radial mixing in the early solar nebula. This finding would not have been possible, however, without extensive studies of meteoritic CAIs that established their high-temperature, inner Solar System formation. Samples returned by Stardust also revealed the first evidence of a cometary amino acid, a discovery that would not have been possible with current in situ flight instrument technology. The Hayabusa mission provided the final evidence linking ordinary chondrites and S asteroids, a hypothesis that developed from centuries of collection and laboratory and ground-based telescopic studies. In addition to these scientific findings, studies of existing meteorite collections have defined and refined the analytical techniques essential to studying returned samples. As an example, the fortuitous fall of the Allende CV3 and Murchison CM2 chondrites within months before the return of Apollo samples allowed testing of new state-of-the-art analytical facilities. The results of those studies not only prepared us to better study lunar materials, but unanticipated discoveries changed many of our concepts about the earliest history and processes of the solar nebula. This synergy between existing collections and future space exploration is certainly not limited to sample return missions. Laboratory studies confirmed the existence of meteorites from Mars and raised the provocative possibility of preservation of ancient microbial life. The laboratory studies in

  19. 77 FR 65708 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Petition To Remove the Conditions on Residence, Form...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-30

    ... technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic... form I-751 and an estimated time burden per response of 1.17 hours for the biometric processing. (6) An...

  20. Analysis of Dust Samples Collected from an In-Service Interim Storage System at the Maine Yankee Nuclear Site.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bryan, Charles R.; Enos, David

    2016-10-01

    significant amount of material. The paper filters collected both particles, trapped within the cellulose fibers of the filter, and salts, while the sponges collected only the soluble salts, with very few particles. Upon delivery to Sandia, both collection media were analyzed using the same methods. The soluble salts were leached from the substrates and analyzed via ion chromatography, and insoluble minerals were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The insoluble minerals were found to consist largely of terrestrially-derived mineral fragments, dominantly quartz and biotite. Large (mm-sized) aggregates of calcium carbonate, calcium silicate, and calcium aluminum silicate were also present. The aggregates had one flat, smooth surface and one well crystallized surface, and were interpreted to be efflorescence on the inside of the overpack and in the vent, formed by seepage of cement pore fluids through joints in the steel liner of the overpack. Such efflorescence was commonly observed during the boroscope inspection of the storage system at the site. The material may have flaked off and fallen to the point where the dust was collected, or may have brushed off onto the sponges when the robot was retrieved through the inlet vent. Chemical analysis showed that the soluble salts on the shield plug were Ca- and Na-rich, with lesser K and minor Mg; the anionic component was dominated by SO 4 and Cl, with minor amounts of NO 3 . The cation composition of the soluble salts from the overpack shelf and the canister surface was similar to the filter samples, but the anions differed significantly, being dominantly NO 3 with lesser Cl and only trace SO 4 . The salts appear to represent a mixture of sea-salts (probably partially converted to nitrates and sulfates by particle-gas conversion reactions) and continental salt aerosols. Ammonium, a common component in continental aerosols, was not observed and may have been lost by degassing from the

  1. 78 FR 17220 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Application for Naturalization, Form N-400; Revision of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-20

    ... technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic... hours and 55 minutes for the form N-400 and 1 hour and 17 minutes for the biometric processing. (6) An...

  2. 75 FR 20033 - Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements; Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-16

    ... danger during the operations by the Armed forces of the United States in World War II, Korea, Vietnam... minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. A comment to OMB is best assured of having...

  3. Sources of variability in collection and preparation of paint and lead-coating samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harper, S L; Gutknecht, W F

    2001-06-01

    Chronic exposure of children to lead (Pb) can result in permanent physiological impairment. Since surfaces coated with lead-containing paints and varnishes are potential sources of exposure, it is extremely important that reliable methods for sampling and analysis be available. The sources of variability in the collection and preparation of samples were investigated to improve the performance and comparability of methods and to ensure that data generated will be adequate for its intended use. Paint samples of varying sizes (areas and masses) were collected at different locations across a variety of surfaces including metal, plaster, concrete, and wood. A variety of grinding techniques were compared. Manual mortar and pestle grinding for at least 1.5 min and mechanized grinding techniques were found to generate similar homogenous particle size distributions required for aliquots as small as 0.10 g. When 342 samples were evaluated for sample weight loss during mortar and pestle grinding, 4% had 20% or greater loss with a high of 41%. Homogenization and sub-sampling steps were found to be the principal sources of variability related to the size of the sample collected. Analysis of samples from different locations on apparently identical surfaces were found to vary by more than a factor of two both in Pb concentration (mg cm-2 or %) and areal coating density (g cm-2). Analyses of substrates were performed to determine the Pb remaining after coating removal. Levels as high as 1% Pb were found in some substrate samples, corresponding to more than 35 mg cm-2 Pb. In conclusion, these sources of variability must be considered in development and/or application of any sampling and analysis methodologies.

  4. The study of chemical forms of mercury in human hair and other bio-environmental samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kratzer, K.; Benes, P.

    1995-01-01

    The results of the continued studies on methods of analysis for forms of mercury in hair, and of the distribution of mercury among inorganic and organic forms in human hair are described. A new method for determining methylmercury has been developed, based on the selective leaching of methylmercury from hair using 2M hydrochioric acid. This method was used, in combination with the determination of mercury by atomic absorption spectrometry, for the analysis of mercury forms in three samples of human hair and two samples of fish homogenate. Good reproducibility of parallel determinations was obtained. The results were compared with literature data for the samples, or with the results of the analysis of the same samples by extraction method described earlier. Good agreement was also found between these methods. Further experiments were concerned with the study of the effect of radiation sterilization on the forms of mercury in hair, of the speciation of 203 Hg formed by irradiation of hair in nuclear reactor and with the labelling of a large batch of human hair with methylmercury. (author)

  5. Types of non-probabilistic sampling used in marketing research. „Snowball” sampling

    OpenAIRE

    Manuela Rozalia Gabor

    2007-01-01

    A significant way of investigating a firm’s market is the statistical sampling. The sampling typology provides a non / probabilistic models of gathering information and this paper describes thorough information related to network sampling, named “snowball” sampling. This type of sampling enables the survey of occurrence forms concerning the decision power within an organisation and of the interpersonal relation network governing a certain collectivity, a certain consumer panel. The snowball s...

  6. 77 FR 35479 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8881

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-13

    ...The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 8881, Credit for Small Employer Pension Plan Startup Costs.

  7. Curating NASA's future extraterrestrial sample collections: How do we achieve maximum proficiency?

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCubbin, Francis; Evans, Cynthia; Allton, Judith; Fries, Marc; Righter, Kevin; Zolensky, Michael; Zeigler, Ryan

    2016-07-01

    Introduction: The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office (henceforth referred to herein as NASA Curation Office) at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is responsible for curating all of NASA's extraterrestrial samples. Under the governing document, NASA Policy Directive (NPD) 7100.10E "Curation of Extraterrestrial Materials", JSC is charged with "The curation of all extraterrestrial material under NASA control, including future NASA missions." The Directive goes on to define Curation as including "…documentation, preservation, preparation, and distribution of samples for research, education, and public outreach." Here we describe some of the ongoing efforts to ensure that the future activities of the NASA Curation Office are working to-wards a state of maximum proficiency. Founding Principle: Curatorial activities began at JSC (Manned Spacecraft Center before 1973) as soon as design and construction planning for the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) began in 1964 [1], not with the return of the Apollo samples in 1969, nor with the completion of the LRL in 1967. This practice has since proven that curation begins as soon as a sample return mission is conceived, and this founding principle continues to return dividends today [e.g., 2]. The Next Decade: Part of the curation process is planning for the future, and we refer to these planning efforts as "advanced curation" [3]. Advanced Curation is tasked with developing procedures, technology, and data sets necessary for curating new types of collections as envisioned by NASA exploration goals. We are (and have been) planning for future curation, including cold curation, extended curation of ices and volatiles, curation of samples with special chemical considerations such as perchlorate-rich samples, curation of organically- and biologically-sensitive samples, and the use of minimally invasive analytical techniques (e.g., micro-CT, [4]) to characterize samples. These efforts will be useful for Mars Sample Return

  8. Planning for the Collection and Analysis of Samples of Martian Granular Materials Potentially to be Returned by Mars Sample Return

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrier, B. L.; Beaty, D. W.

    2017-12-01

    NASA's Mars 2020 rover is scheduled to land on Mars in 2021 and will be equipped with a sampling system capable of collecting rock cores, as well as a specialized drill bit for collecting unconsolidated granular material. A key mission objective is to collect a set of samples that have enough scientific merit to justify returning to Earth. In the case of granular materials, we would like to catalyze community discussion on what we would do with these samples if they arrived in our laboratories, as input to decision-making related to sampling the regolith. Numerous scientific objectives have been identified which could be achieved or significantly advanced via the analysis of martian rocks, "regolith," and gas samples. The term "regolith" has more than one definition, including one that is general and one that is much more specific. For the purpose of this analysis we use the term "granular materials" to encompass the most general meaning and restrict "regolith" to a subset of that. Our working taxonomy includes the following: 1) globally sourced airfall dust (dust); 2) saltation-sized particles (sand); 3) locally sourced decomposed rock (regolith); 4) crater ejecta (ejecta); and, 5) other. Analysis of martian granular materials could serve to advance our understanding areas including habitability and astrobiology, surface-atmosphere interactions, chemistry, mineralogy, geology and environmental processes. Results of these analyses would also provide input into planning for future human exploration of Mars, elucidating possible health and mechanical hazards caused by the martian surface material, as well as providing valuable information regarding available resources for ISRU and civil engineering purposes. Results would also be relevant to matters of planetary protection and ground-truthing orbital observations. We will present a preliminary analysis of the following, in order to generate community discussion and feedback on all issues relating to: What are the

  9. 78 FR 32460 - Comment Request for Information Collection for ETA Form 232, Domestic Agricultural In-Season Wage...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-30

    ... Federal or State minimum wage, whichever is higher.'' The collection is also required by regulations for... legal federal or State minimum wage rate, whichever is highest unless special procedures apply to the... Collection for ETA Form 232, Domestic Agricultural In-Season Wage Report and ETA Form 232-A, Wage Survey...

  10. Free water {sup 3}H concentration in diet samples collected during 1969-88 in Akita, Japan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hisamatsu, S. [Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rokkasho, Aomori (Japan); Inoue, Y.; Miyamoto, K. [National Inst. of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Takizawa, Y. [National Institute for Minamata Disease, Minamata, Kumamoto (Japan)

    2000-05-01

    Fallout {sup 3}H concentrations in diet samples collected during 1969-88 in Akita Prefecture are reported in this paper. Since {sup 3}H is a potential nuclear fuel for fusion reactors in future, its environmental behavior is important for dose assessment of released {sup 3}H from the plants. Tritium in foods is classified into two types; free water {sup 3}H (FWT) and organically-bound {sup 3}H (OBT). The FWT is practically separated by means of freeze-drying, while the OBT is measured with water sample collected by combustion of dried sample. The OBT concentrations in foods and human tissue samples were reported for {sup 3}H originating from nuclear weapon fallout. We already published {sup 3}H concentrations in diet samples collected in Akita City during 1985-88. Although results for the samples collected in U.S.A. and European countries in the 1970s showed higher specific activity of OBT than FWT, our recent results in Japan indicate almost the same specific activity between them. Since the measurements for the samples in 1960s and 1970s are important to understand the long-term movement of {sup 3}H in the environment, we have searched old diet samples. Recently, diet samples collected in Akita Prefecture during 1969-80 were found and obtained for {sup 3}H analysis. The samples were originally gathered for nutrition survey programs and consisted of duplicate diet samples for 1 day from 10-30 persons. Food samples excluding boiled rice which is the staple food was homogenized by electric mixers after adding tap water. Then, the food and the boiled rice samples were stored in a refrigerator at -20degC. Free water in the samples was collected with lyophilization, then {sup 3}H in the water sample was measured after purification with low-level liquid scintillation counters. The free water {sup 3}H concentrations were measured for 57 diet samples (dish excluding boiled rice) and 17 boiled rice samples. The free water {sup 3}H concentrations in diet and rice samples

  11. 77 FR 36285 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-693, Revision of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information.... Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following information collection request... of the Department of Homeland Security sponsoring the collection: Form I-693. U.S. Citizenship and...

  12. 75 FR 35843 - Proposed Extension of Information Collection Request Submitted for Public Comment; Form 5500...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-23

    ... welfare plans (collectively referred to as employee benefit plans) to file returns or reports annually... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employee Benefits Security Administration Proposed Extension of Information Collection Request Submitted for Public Comment; Form 5500, Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan...

  13. 76 FR 45507 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Public Employment & Payroll Forms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-29

    ... Employment & Payroll Forms AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce... employment and payroll program which consists of an annual collection of information and a quinquennial... Public Employment & Payroll. Under Title 13, Section 161 & 182, of the United States Code, the Secretary...

  14. Survey of elemental concentrations in lichen samples collected from Sao Paulo State

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saiki, M.; Horimoto, L.K.; Vasconcellos, M.B.A.; Coccaro, D.M.B.; Marcelli, M.P.

    2001-01-01

    Samples of the lichen Canoparmelia texana collected in seven different sites of Sao Paulo State and one site of the Parana State were analysed by neutron activation analysis in order to obtain information on the air quality in these regions and also to select a region of interest for the evaluation of baseline level of elements in lichen species. Concentrations of the elements Al, As, Br, Ca, Cd, Cl, Co, Cs, Fe, Hf, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Ti, Th, U, V, Zn and lanthanides were determined and a preliminary comparisons was made between the results obtained for samples collected in different sites. (author)

  15. Acceptability of self-collection sampling for HPV-DNA testing in low-resource settings: a mixed methods approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bansil, Pooja; Wittet, Scott; Lim, Jeanette L; Winkler, Jennifer L; Paul, Proma; Jeronimo, Jose

    2014-06-12

    Vaginal self-sampling with HPV-DNA tests is a promising primary screening method for cervical cancer. However, women's experiences, concerns and the acceptability of such tests in low-resource settings remain unknown. In India, Nicaragua, and Uganda, a mixed-method design was used to collect data from surveys (N = 3,863), qualitative interviews (N = 72; 20 providers and 52 women) and focus groups (N = 30 women) on women's and providers' experiences with self-sampling, women's opinions of sampling at home, and their future needs. Among surveyed women, 90% provided a self- collected sample. Of these, 75% reported it was easy, although 52% were initially concerned about hurting themselves and 24% were worried about not getting a good sample. Most surveyed women preferred self-sampling (78%). However it was not clear if they responded to the privacy of self-sampling or the convenience of avoiding a pelvic examination, or both. In follow-up interviews, most women reported that they didn't mind self-sampling, but many preferred to have a provider collect the vaginal sample. Most women also preferred clinic-based screening (as opposed to home-based self-sampling), because the sample could be collected by a provider, women could receive treatment if needed, and the clinic was sanitary and provided privacy. Self-sampling acceptability was higher when providers prepared women through education, allowed women to examine the collection brush, and were present during the self-collection process. Among survey respondents, aids that would facilitate self-sampling in the future were: staff help (53%), additional images in the illustrated instructions (31%), and a chance to practice beforehand with a doll/model (26%). Self-and vaginal-sampling are widely acceptable among women in low-resource settings. Providers have a unique opportunity to educate and prepare women for self-sampling and be flexible in accommodating women's preference for self-sampling.

  16. 77 FR 55229 - National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) Information Collection Forms; Comment Request for Regular...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-07

    ... the grantees regarding the content of the annual plan narrative and submission requirements. II... through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection.... Affected Public: State or local government agencies; not-for-profit organizations. Form(s): Grant Plan...

  17. CTEPP DATA COLLECTION FORM 05: CHILD DAY CARE CENTER PRE-MONITORING QUESTIONNAIRE

    Science.gov (United States)

    This data collection form is used to identify the potential sources of pollutants at the day care center. The day care teacher is asked questions related to the age of their day care building; age and frequency of cleaning carpets or rugs; types of heating and air conditioning de...

  18. [Establishment and Management of Multicentral Collection Bio-sample Banks of Malignant Tumors from Digestive System].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Si; Shen, Junwei; Zhu, Liang; Wu, Chaoqun; Li, Dongliang; Yu, Hongyu; Qiu, Yuanyuan; Zhou, Yi

    2015-11-01

    To establish and manage of multicentral collection bio-sample banks of malignant tumors from digestive system, the paper designed a multicentral management system, established the standard operation procedures (SOPs) and leaded ten hospitals nationwide to collect tumor samples. The biobank has been established for half a year, and has collected 695 samples from patients with digestive system malignant tumor. The clinical data is full and complete, labeled in a unified way and classified to be managed. The clinical and molecular biology researches were based on the biobank, and obtained achievements. The biobank provides a research platform for malignant tumor of digestive system from different regions and of different types.

  19. Sample collection and preparation of biofluids and extracts for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emwas, Abdul-Hamid M; Al-Talla, Zeyad A; Kharbatia, Najeh M

    2015-01-01

    To maximize the utility of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in metabonomics research, all stages of the experimental design should be standardized, including sample collection, storage, preparation, and sample separation. Moreover, the prerequisite for any GC-MS analysis is that a compound must be volatile and thermally stable if it is to be analyzed using this technique. Since many metabolites are nonvolatile and polar in nature, they are not readily amenable to analysis by GC-MS and require initial chemical derivatization of the polar functional groups in order to reduce the polarity and to increase the thermal stability and volatility of the analytes. In this chapter, an overview is presented of the optimum approach to sample collection, storage, and preparation for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabonomics with particular focus on urine samples as example of biofluids.

  20. 76 FR 10609 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-290B, Revision of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-25

    ...: 30-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Form I- 290B, Notice of Appeal to the Office of Administrative Appeals (AAO); OMB Control No. 1615-0095. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship... submission of responses. Overview of this information collection: (1) Type of Information Collection...

  1. Performance of a hydrostatic sampler for collecting samples at the water-sediment interface in lakes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando PEDROZO

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available The water-sediment interface plays a significant role in the determination of the trophic degree of a waterbody. Numerous redox reactions take place there, resulting in the release of contaminants from the sediments to the water column. The aim of the present work was to develop an equipment for collecting samples from the water-sediment interface. Such equipment was to have a simple design, low construction cost, no depth limitations, and high levels of personal safety and to be reliable in the collection of samples. The performance of the hydrostatic sampler thus developed was tested against samples collected either remotely with a corer or directly with syringes by autonomous divers. The hydrostatic sampler permits access to depths where the costs of the traditional diving methodology are expensive, and where working conditions are dangerous for the diver. The hydrostatic sampler provides an additional means of collecting samples from the water-sediment interface, which together with pore-water samples, facilitates the investigation and understanding of chemical mechanisms in lakes, for instance, those that control the P release from sediment to the water column.

  2. Variability and reliability of POP concentrations in multiple breast milk samples collected from the same mothers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kakimoto, Risa; Ichiba, Masayoshi; Matsumoto, Akiko; Nakai, Kunihiko; Tatsuta, Nozomi; Iwai-Shimada, Miyuki; Ishiyama, Momoko; Ryuda, Noriko; Someya, Takashi; Tokumoto, Ieyasu; Ueno, Daisuke

    2018-01-13

    Risk assessment of infant using a realistic persistent organic pollutant (POP) exposure through breast milk is essential to devise future regulation of POPs. However, recent investigations have demonstrated that POP levels in breast milk collected from the same mother showed a wide range of variation daily and monthly. To estimate the appropriate sample size of breast milk from the same mother to obtain reliable POP concentrations, breast milk samples were collected from five mothers living in Japan from 2006 to 2012. Milk samples from each mother were collected 3 to 6 times a day through 3 to 7 days consecutively. Food samples as the duplicated method were collected from two mothers during the period of breast milk sample collection. Those were employed for POP (PCBs, DDTs, chlordanes, and HCB) analysis. PCB concentrations detected in breast milk samples showed a wide range of variation which was maximum 63 and 60% of relative standard deviation (RSD) in lipid and wet weight basis, respectively. The time course trend of those variations among the mothers did not show any typical pattern. A larger amount of PCB intake through food seemed to affect 10 h after those concentrations in breast milk in lipid weight basis. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analyses indicated that the appropriate sample size for good reproducibility of POP concentrations in breast milk required at least two samples for lipid and wet weight basis.

  3. Sterile Reverse Osmosis Water Combined with Friction Are Optimal for Channel and Lever Cavity Sample Collection of Flexible Duodenoscopes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle J. Alfa

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available IntroductionSimulated-use buildup biofilm (BBF model was used to assess various extraction fluids and friction methods to determine the optimal sample collection method for polytetrafluorethylene channels. In addition, simulated-use testing was performed for the channel and lever cavity of duodenoscopes.Materials and methodsBBF was formed in polytetrafluorethylene channels using Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Sterile reverse osmosis (RO water, and phosphate-buffered saline with and without Tween80 as well as two neutralizing broths (Letheen and Dey–Engley were each assessed with and without friction. Neutralizer was added immediately after sample collection and samples concentrated using centrifugation. Simulated-use testing was done using TJF-Q180V and JF-140F Olympus duodenoscopes.ResultsDespite variability in the bacterial CFU in the BBF model, none of the extraction fluids tested were significantly better than RO. Borescope examination showed far less residual material when friction was part of the extraction protocol. The RO for flush-brush-flush (FBF extraction provided significantly better recovery of E. coli (p = 0.02 from duodenoscope lever cavities compared to the CDC flush method.Discussion and conclusionWe recommend RO with friction for FBF extraction of the channel and lever cavity of duodenoscopes. Neutralizer and sample concentration optimize recovery of viable bacteria on culture.

  4. 75 FR 3925 - Proposed Information Collection Request for Administrative Procedures-20 CFR 601 Including Form...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-25

    ... provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection... prescribes the use of Form MA 8-7, Transmittal for Unemployment Insurance Materials. This simple check off... interested in comments that: Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the...

  5. Archival policies and collections database for the Woods Hole Science Center's marine sediment samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buczkowski, Brian J.; Kelsey, Sarah A.

    2007-01-01

    The Woods Hole Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been an active member of the Woods Hole research community, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, for over 40 years. In that time there have been many projects that involved the collection of sediment samples conducted by USGS scientists and technicians for the research and study of seabed environments and processes. These samples were collected at sea or near shore and then brought back to the Woods Hole Science Center (WHSC) for analysis. While at the center, samples are stored in ambient temperature, refrigerated and freezing conditions ranging from +2º Celsius to -18º Celsius, depending on the best mode of preparation for the study being conducted or the duration of storage planned for the samples. Recently, storage methods and available storage space have become a major concern at the WHSC. The core and sediment archive program described herein has been initiated to set standards for the management, methods, and duration of sample storage. A need has arisen to maintain organizational consistency and define storage protocol. This handbook serves as a reference and guide to all parties interested in using and accessing the WHSC's sample archive and also defines all the steps necessary to construct and maintain an organized collection of geological samples. It answers many questions as to the way in which the archive functions.

  6. Special waste-form lysimeters: Arid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, T.L.; Serne, R.J.

    1987-08-01

    The release of contaminant from solidified low-level waste forms is being studied in a field lysimeter facility at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. Duplicate samples of five different waste forms have been buried in 10 lysimeters since March 1984. Waste-form samples represent three different waste streams and four solidification agents (masonry cement, Portland III cement, Dow polymer /sup (a)/, and bitumen). Most precipitation at the Hanford Site arrives as winter snow; this contributes to a strong seasonal pattern in water storage and drainage observed in the lysimeters. The result is an annual range in the volumetric soil water content from 11% in late winter to 7% in the late summer and early fall, as well as annual changes in pore water velocities from approximately 1 cm/wk in early spring to less than 0.05 cm/wk in early fall. Measurable quantities of tritium and cobalt-60 are being collected in lysimeter drainage water. Approximately 30% of the original tritium inventory has been leached from two lysimeters originally containing tritium. Cobalt-60 is present in all waste forms; it is being collected in the leachate from five lysimeters. The total amount released varies, but in each case it is less than 0.1% of the original cobalt inventory of the waste sample. Nonradioactive constituents contained in the waste form, such as sodium, boron, and sulfate, are also being leached

  7. JSC Advanced Curation: Research and Development for Current Collections and Future Sample Return Mission Demands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fries, M. D.; Allen, C. C.; Calaway, M. J.; Evans, C. A.; Stansbery, E. K.

    2015-01-01

    Curation of NASA's astromaterials sample collections is a demanding and evolving activity that supports valuable science from NASA missions for generations, long after the samples are returned to Earth. For example, NASA continues to loan hundreds of Apollo program samples to investigators every year and those samples are often analyzed using instruments that did not exist at the time of the Apollo missions themselves. The samples are curated in a manner that minimizes overall contamination, enabling clean, new high-sensitivity measurements and new science results over 40 years after their return to Earth. As our exploration of the Solar System progresses, upcoming and future NASA sample return missions will return new samples with stringent contamination control, sample environmental control, and Planetary Protection requirements. Therefore, an essential element of a healthy astromaterials curation program is a research and development (R&D) effort that characterizes and employs new technologies to maintain current collections and enable new missions - an Advanced Curation effort. JSC's Astromaterials Acquisition & Curation Office is continually performing Advanced Curation research, identifying and defining knowledge gaps about research, development, and validation/verification topics that are critical to support current and future NASA astromaterials sample collections. The following are highlighted knowledge gaps and research opportunities.

  8. 77 FR 23735 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Forms G-1041 and G-1041A, Extension of a Currently...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-20

    ..., Genealogy Index Search Request and Genealogy Records Request. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S... existing information collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Genealogy Index Search Request and Genealogy Records Request. (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the Department of...

  9. 32 CFR Appendix C to Part 113 - Sample DD Form 2653, “Involuntary Allotment Application”

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Sample DD Form 2653, âInvoluntary Allotment Applicationâ C Appendix C to Part 113 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE... Part 113—Sample DD Form 2653, “Involuntary Allotment Application” ER05JA95.002 ER05JA95.003 ...

  10. Isolation of Lead Resistant Bacteria from Lead Contaminated Soil Samples Collected from Sundar Industrial Estate and their Potential Use in Bioremediation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saleem, F.; Adalat, R.; Munir, N.; Aftab, F.

    2015-01-01

    Industrial waste water pollution is one of the most controversial problem especially in countries like Pakistan. Human activities and the release of industrial waste have resulted the accumulation of metals in the environment. Noxious chemicals like heavy metals include cadmium, lead, chromium, copper, nickel, etc. that pollute the soils, ground water, sediments and surface waters re present in soluble form. Biosorpotion is a form of bioremediation by which metal ions are adsorbed from polluted site by microorganisms. Samples collected from industrial area were analyzed for lead contamination by Flame Atomic Spectrophotometer. Soil samples of Sundar Industrial Estate were highly resistant to different concentrations (300ppm, 800ppm, and 1600ppm) of Pb+2 whereas, the sample PbFa-458 showed maximum (127.9819mg/L) absorption of Pb+2, so can be used for environmental cleanup. From 24 selected lead resistant strains PbFa-136, PbFa-287, PbFa-960 showed resistance to multimetals, multidrug and high lead concentrations i.e 1800ppm, 2000ppm. Lead resistant strains were predicted as Klebsiella or Eenterobacter, Bacillus, Shigella, Salmonella and Enteroccocus. (author)

  11. Validation of Marek's disease diagnosis and monitoring of Marek's disease vaccines from samples collected in FTA cards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cortes, Aneg L; Montiel, Enrique R; Gimeno, Isabel M

    2009-12-01

    The use of Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) filter cards to quantify Marek's disease virus (MDV) DNA for the diagnosis of Marek's disease (MD) and to monitor MD vaccines was evaluated. Samples of blood (43), solid tumors (14), and feather pulp (FP; 36) collected fresh and in FTA cards were analyzed. MDV DNA load was quantified by real-time PCR. Threshold cycle (Ct) ratios were calculated for each sample by dividing the Ct value of the internal control gene (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) by the Ct value of the MDV gene. Statistically significant correlation (P FTA cards by using Pearson's correlation test. Load of serotype 1 MDV DNA was quantified in 24 FP, 14 solid tumor, and 43 blood samples. There was a statistically significant correlation between FP (r = 0.95), solid tumor (r = 0.94), and blood (r = 0.9) samples collected fresh and in FTA cards. Load of serotype 2 MDV DNA was quantified in 17 FP samples, and the correlation between samples collected fresh and in FTA cards was also statistically significant (Pearson's coefficient, r = 0.96); load of serotype 3 MDV DNA was quantified in 36 FP samples, and correlation between samples taken fresh and in FTA cards was also statistically significant (r = 0.84). MDV DNA samples extracted 3 days (t0) and 8 months after collection (t1) were used to evaluate the stability of MDV DNA in archived samples collected in FTA cards. A statistically significant correlation was found for serotype 1 (r = 0.96), serotype 2 (r = 1), and serotype 3 (r = 0.9). The results show that FTA cards are an excellent media to collect, transport, and archive samples for MD diagnosis and to monitor MD vaccines. In addition, FTA cards are widely available, inexpensive, and adequate for the shipment of samples nationally and internationally.

  12. 75 FR 53724 - Proposed Collection; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Form, Demographic Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-01

    ... PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT OFFICE Proposed Collection; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Form, Demographic Information on Applicants, OMB 3046-0046; Correction AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management. ACTION: Notice; correction. SUMMARY: The published document in the Federal Register of August 2...

  13. Impact of collection container material and holding times on sample integrity for mercury and methylmercury in water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riscassi, Ami L [ORNL; Miller, Carrie L [ORNL; Brooks, Scott C [ORNL

    2014-01-01

    Mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in streamwater can vary on short timescales (hourly or less) during storm flow and on a diel cycle; the frequency and timing of sampling required to accurately characterize these dynamics may be difficult to accomplish manually. Automated sampling can assist in sample collection; however use has been limited for Hg and MeHg analysis due to stability concerns of trace concentrations during extended storage times. We examined the viability of using automated samplers with disposable low-density polyethylene (LDPE) sample bags to collect industrially contaminated streamwater for unfiltered and filtered Hg and MeHg analysis. Specifically we investigated the effect of holding times ranging from hours to days on streamwater collected during baseflow and storm flow. Unfiltered and filtered Hg and MeHg concentrations decreased with increases in time prior to sample processing; holding times of 24 hours or less resulted in concentration changes (mean 11 7% different) similar to variability in duplicates collected manually during analogous field conditions (mean 7 10% different). Comparisons of samples collected with manual and automated techniques throughout a year for a wide range of stream conditions were also found to be similar to differences observed between duplicate grab samples. These results demonstrate automated sampling into LDPE bags with holding times of 24 hours or less can be effectively used to collect streamwater for Hg and MeHg analysis, and encourage the testing of these materials and methods for implementation in other aqueous systems where high-frequency sampling is warranted.

  14. 77 FR 43345 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Sponsor's Notice of Change of Address, Form I-865...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-24

    ...-0076] Agency Information Collection Activities: Sponsor's Notice of Change of Address, Form I-865...: Sponsor's Notice of Change of Address. (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the.... During this 60-day period, USCIS will be evaluating whether to revise the Form I-865. Should USCIS decide...

  15. 78 FR 79009 - Proposed Information Collection; Radiation Sampling and Exposure Records (Pertains to Underground...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-27

    ... soliciting comments concerning the proposed information collection for updating Radiation Sampling and... exposed with no adverse effects have been established and are expressed as working levels (WL). The... mandatory samplings. Records must include the sample date, location, and results, and must be retained at...

  16. 32 CFR 806b.54 - Information collections, records, and forms or information management tools (IMT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... information management tools (IMT). 806b.54 Section 806b.54 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued..., records, and forms or information management tools (IMT). (a) Information Collections. No information.../pubfiles/af/37/afman37-139/afman37-139.pdf. (c) Forms or Information Management Tools (Adopted and...

  17. 76 FR 43337 - Proposed Information Collection; Hunting and Fishing Application Forms and Activity Reports for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-20

    ... seasons, as determined by State or Federal regulations. FWS Form 3-2359 (Big Game Harvest Report). FWS...] Proposed Information Collection; Hunting and Fishing Application Forms and Activity Reports for National... uses, including hunting and fishing, on lands of the Refuge System when we find that the activity is...

  18. Comparison of semen parameters in samples collected by masturbation at a clinic and at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elzanaty, Saad; Malm, Johan

    2008-06-01

    To investigate differences in semen quality between samples collected by masturbation at a clinic and at home. Cross-sectional study. Fertility center. Three hundred seventy-nine men assessed for infertility. None. Semen was analyzed according to World Health Organization guidelines. Seminal markers of epididymal (neutral alpha-glucosidase), prostatic (prostate-specific antigen and zinc), and seminal vesicle (fructose) function were measured. Two patient groups were defined according to sample collection location: at a clinic (n = 273) or at home (n = 106). Compared with clinic-collected semen, home-collected samples had statistically significantly higher values for sperm concentration, total sperm count, rapid progressive motility, and total count of progressive motility. Semen volume, proportion of normal sperm morphology, neutral alpha-glucosidase, prostate-specific antigen, zinc, and fructose did not differ significantly between groups. An abnormal sperm concentration (masturbation at home compared with at a clinic. This should be taken into consideration in infertility investigations.

  19. Use of self-collected capillary blood samples for islet autoantibody screening in relatives: a feasibility and acceptability study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Y; Rafkin, L E; Matheson, D; Henderson, C; Boulware, D; Besser, R E J; Ferrara, C; Yu, L; Steck, A K; Bingley, P J

    2017-07-01

    To evaluate the feasibility of using self-collected capillary blood samples for islet autoantibody testing to identify risk in relatives of people with Type 1 diabetes. Participants were recruited via the observational TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study, which screens and monitors relatives of people with Type 1 diabetes for islet autoantibodies. Relatives were sent kits for capillary blood collection, with written instructions, an online instructional video link and a questionnaire. Sera from capillary blood samples were tested for autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase, islet antigen-2, insulin and zinc transporter 8. 'Successful' sample collection was defined as obtaining sufficient volume and quality to provide definitive autoantibody results, including confirmation of positive results by repeat assay. In 240 relatives who returned samples, the median (range) age was 15.5 (1-49) years and 51% were male. Of these samples, 98% were sufficient for glutamic acid decarboxylase, islet antigen-2 and zinc transporter 8 autoantibody testing and 84% for insulin autoantibody testing and complete autoantibody screen. The upper 90% confidence bound for unsuccessful collection was 4.4% for glutamic acid decarboxylase, islet antigen-2 and/or zinc transporter 8 autoantibody assays, and 19.3% for insulin autoantibodies. Despite 43% of 220 questionnaire respondents finding capillary blood collection uncomfortable or painful, 82% preferred home self-collection of capillary blood samples compared with outpatient venepuncture (90% of those aged 18 years). The perceived difficulty of collecting capillary blood samples did not affect success rate. Self-collected capillary blood sampling offers a feasible alternative to venous sampling, with the potential to facilitate autoantibody screening for Type 1 diabetes risk. © 2017 Diabetes UK.

  20. New Zealand guidelines for the collection of groundwater samples for chemical and isotopic analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosen, M.R.; Cameron, S.G.; Reeves, R.R.; Taylor, C.B.

    1999-01-01

    Chemical and isotopic analyses of groundwater are important tools for differentiating between the natural composition and human-induced contaminants of groundwater. A comprehensive suite of inorganic water chemical analyses is necessary to characterise waters. The geology of New Zealand is diverse, so it is impractical to characterise a ''typical'' groundwater chemical composition. Each aquifer system should be evaluated individually because the major dissolved species contain useful information about the pathways of water through the soil zone into the aquifer. Analyses of major ions such as chloride, nitrate, potassium and sulphate often give indication of septic systems and agricultural contamination. The minor ions, while most are not considered contaminants, are often indicators of human activity. Iron and manganese are good indicators of Eh potential, which is an important control on the mobility of many heavy metals. The inexpensive inorganic chemical analytical suite should be used as a guide to advisability of more expensive contaminant testing. The purpose of this manual is to provide consistent groundwater sampling guidelines for use throughout New Zealand. Sinton's (1998) guide to groundwater sampling techniques provided a sound basis for the accurate collection of groundwater samples. However Sinton did not address sampling materials and techniques for the collection of samples for ultra trace component analysis or the collection of environmental isotope samples. These important aspects of groundwater sampling have been included in this updated manual. (author). 30 refs., 12 figs., 5 tabs., 1 appendix

  1. Analysis of Samples Collected from the Surface of Interim Storage Canisters at Calvert Cliffs in June 2017: Revision 01.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bryan, Charles R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Schindelholz, Eric John [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-11-01

    In June 2017, dust and salt samples were collected from the surface of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) dry storage canisters at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant. The samples were delivered to Sandia National laboratories for analysis. Two types of samples were collected: filter-backed Scotch-Brite TM pads were used to collect dry dust samples for characterization of salt and dust morphologies and distributions; and Saltsmart TM test strips were used to collect soluble salts for determining salt surface loadings per unit area. After collection, the samples were sealed into plastic sleeves for shipping. Condensation within the sleeves containing the Scotch-Brite TM samples remobilized the salts, rendering them ineffective for the intended purpose, and also led to mold growth, further compromising the samples; for these reasons, the samples were not analyzed. The SaltSmart TM samples were unaffected and were analyzed by ion chromatography for major anions and cations. The results of those analyses are presented here.

  2. Collection and preparation of marine samples for radionuclide analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holm, E.

    1997-01-01

    The ultimate goal of research in radioecology is to be able to predict the pathways of radioactive material in the environment and hence estimate possible doses to the population in various regions. Knowledge of levels of contamination are necessary to maintain control of operations of nuclear facilities. Correct methods of sample collection, handling and preparation are among the most important parts for a correct assessment. On basis of the final results of radionuclide concentrations, scientific, medical and political decisions are taken. (author)

  3. 76 FR 49538 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Forms 8027 and 8027-T

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-10

    .... Abstract: To help IRS in its examinations of returns filed by tipped employees, large food or beverage establishments are required to report annually information concerning food or beverage operations receipts, tips... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Forms...

  4. A simple and novel method for retrieval of Pasteurellaceae from swab samples collected in the field

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Mie J; Bertelsen, Mads F; Dietz, Rune

    2013-01-01

    and stored at -20°C. As a control study, 15 samples were collected from the oral cavity of a captive brown bear. One was immediately plated, while the remaining 12 swabs were stored at -20°C for 7 days and multiples of 30 days up to 330 days prior to plating. Two samples were stored without the medium for 7......Traditionally it has been difficult or impossible to collect and preserve bacterial samples of especially fastidious bacteria in mixed primary cultures, unless the samples could be transported to a laboratory within approximately 24 h. Therefore, a simple novel method for preserving swab samples...... until bacterial isolation can be completed in the laboratory was developed and evaluated. Pasteurellaceae bacteria were used as a representative for fastidious bacteria. A 7.5% glucose serum medium was used as freeze medium. Swab samples were soaked in the medium a maximum of 2 h after collection...

  5. Procedures for the collection and preservation of groundwater and surface water samples and for the installation of monitoring wells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korte, N.; Kearl, P.

    1984-01-01

    Proper sampling procedures are essential for a successful water-quality monitoring program. It must be emphasized, however, that it is impossible to maintain absolutely in-situ conditions when collecting and preserving a water sample, whether from a flowing stream or an aquifer. Consequently, the most that can reasonably be expected is to collect a best possible sample with minimal disturbance. This document describes procedures for installing monitoring wells and for collecting samples of surface water and groundwater. The discussion of monitoring wells includes mention of multilevel sampling and a general overview of vadose-zone monitoring. Guidelines for well installation are presented in detail. The discussion of water-sample collection contains evaluations of sampling pumps, filtration equipment, and sample containers. Sample-preservation techniques, as published by several government and private sources, are reviewed. Finally, step-by-step procedures for collection of water samples are provided; these procedures address such considerations as necessary equipment, field operations, and written documentation. Separate procedures are also included for the collection of samples for determination of sulfide and for reactive aluminum. The report concludes with a brief discussion of adverse sampling, conditions that may significantly affect the quality of the data. Appendix A presents a rationale for the development and use of statistical considerations in water sampling to ensure a more complete water quality monitoring program. 51 references, 9 figures, 4 tables

  6. Multi-element composition of historical lichen collections and bark samples, indicators of changing atmospheric conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purvis, O. W.; Chimonides, P. D. J.; Jeffries, T. E.; Jones, G. C.; Rusu, A.-M.; Read, H.

    Thirty six element signatures were compared in historical Parmelia sulcata samples from the Natural History Museum herbarium collected over the period 1797-1967 with those recorded in the same species and tree bark sampled in 2000 from Burnham Beeches, lying 40 km west of London. Nineteen elements reached highest concentrations in herbarium samples, consistent with a pollution legacy and dust contamination in the herbarium. Healthy Parmelia sampled east and down-wind of London at a farm during peak SO 2 emissions in 1967 contained highest V, Ni, Zn, Cd, Se, Ge contents, supporting derivation from fuel combustion; the same sample was previously determined as having a low δ34S and high S and N contents. Lowest V, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sn, Ba, Pb, Mo, Sb, Li, B, Cs, U, Th, Ga contents were recorded in a sample with a high δ34S and low S content collected in 1887 from a remote region from Ross-shire, Scotland. Se and Cd enrichment, never-the-less suggest a transboundary pollution influence. Lichen Pb concentrations from Burnham Beeches were amongst the lowest recorded in spite of lichens being collected close to roads. Herbarium samples help interpret changes in element deposition where few data exist, in spite of dust contamination.

  7. Control of the positional relationship between a sample collection instrument and a surface to be analyzed during a sampling procedure using a laser sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Berkel, Gary J [Clinton, TN; Kertesz, Vilmos [Knoxville, TN

    2012-02-21

    A system and method utilizes distance-measuring equipment including a laser sensor for controlling the collection instrument-to-surface distance during a sample collection process for use, for example, with mass spectrometric detection. The laser sensor is arranged in a fixed positional relationship with the collection instrument, and a signal is generated by way of the laser sensor which corresponds to the actual distance between the laser sensor and the surface. The actual distance between the laser sensor and the surface is compared to a target distance between the laser sensor and the surface when the collection instrument is arranged at a desired distance from the surface for sample collecting purposes, and adjustments are made, if necessary, so that the actual distance approaches the target distance.

  8. Acceptability of self-collected vaginal samples for HPV testing in an ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objective: To evaluate the acceptability of self-collected vaginal samples for HPV testing in women living in rural and urban areas of Madagascar. Materials and methods: Participants were recruited in a health care center (urban group) and smaller affiliated dispensaries (rural group). They were invited to perform ...

  9. 77 FR 73053 - Comment Request for Information Collection on Administrative Procedures Including Form MA 8-7...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-07

    ... format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly... prescribes the use of Form MA 8-7, Transmittal for Unemployment Insurance Materials. This simple check off... particularly interested in comments which: Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary...

  10. Seasonal associations and atmospheric transport distances of Fusarium collected with unmanned aerial vehicles and ground-based sampling devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmale, David; Ross, Shane; Lin, Binbin

    2014-05-01

    Spores of fungi in the genus Fusarium may be transported through the atmosphere over long distances. Members of this genus are important pathogens and mycotoxin producers. New information is needed to characterize seasonal trends in atmospheric loads of Fusarium and to pinpoint the source(s) of inoculum at both local (farm) and regional (state or country) scales. Spores of Fusarium were collected from the atmosphere in an agricultural ecosystem in Blacksburg, VA, USA using a Burkard volumetric sampler (BVS) 1 m above ground level and autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) 100 m above ground level. More than 2,200 colony forming units (CFUs) of Fusarium were collected during 104 BVS sampling periods and 180 UAV sampling periods over four calendar years (2009-2012). Spore concentrations ranged from 0 to 13 and 0 to 23 spores m-3 for the BVS and the UAVs, respectively. Spore concentrations were generally higher in the fall, spring, and summer, and lower in the winter. Spore concentrations from the BVS were generally higher than those from the UAVs for both seasonal and hourly collections. Some of the species of Fusarium identified from our collections have not been previously reported in the state of Virginia. A Gaussian plume transport model was used to estimate distances to the potential inoculum source(s) by season. This work extends previous studies showing an association between atmospheric transport barriers (Lagrangian coherent structures or LCSs) and the movement of Fusarium in the lower atmosphere. An increased understanding of the aerobiology of Fusarium may contribute to new and improved control strategies for diseases causes by fusaria in the future.

  11. CTEPP STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION OF SOIL SAMPLES FOR PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (SOP-2.20)

    Science.gov (United States)

    This SOP describes the method for collecting soil samples from the child's outdoor play area to measure for persistent organic pollutants. Soil samples are collected by scraping up the top 0.5 cm of soil in a 0.095 m2 (1 ft2) area in the middle of the child's play area.

  12. Chlamydia trachomatis antibody detection in home-collected blood samples for use in epidemiological studies.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoenderboom, B M; van Ess, E F; van den Broek, I V F; van Loo, I H M; Hoebe, C J P A; Ouburg, S; Morré, S A

    Capillary blood collected in serum tubes was subjected to centrifugation delay while stored at room temperature. Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) IgG concentrations in aliquoted serum of these blood samples remained stable for seven days after collection. CT IgG concentrations can reliably be measured in

  13. 77 FR 38064 - Public Buildings Service; Information Collection; GSA Form 3453, Application/Permit for Use of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-26

    ... Buildings Service; Information Collection; GSA Form 3453, Application/Permit for Use of Space in Public Buildings and Grounds AGENCY: Public Buildings Service, GSA. ACTION: Notice of request for comments... regarding GSA Form 3453, Application/Permit for Use of Space in Public Buildings and Grounds. Public...

  14. Improved explosive collection and detection with rationally assembled surface sampling materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chouyyok, Wilaiwan; Bays, J. Timothy; Gerasimenko, Aleksandr A.; Cinson, Anthony D.; Ewing, Robert G.; Atkinson, David A.; Addleman, R. Shane

    2016-01-01

    Sampling and detection of trace explosives is a key analytical process in modern transportation safety. In this work we have explored some of the fundamental analytical processes for collection and detection of trace level explosive on surfaces with the most widely utilized system, thermal desorption IMS. The performance of the standard muslin swipe material was compared with chemically modified fiberglass cloth. The fiberglass surface was modified to include phenyl functional groups. When compared to standard muslin, the phenyl functionalized fiberglass sampling material showed better analyte release from the sampling material as well as improved response and repeatability from multiple uses of the same swipe. The improved sample release of the functionalized fiberglass swipes resulted in a significant increase in sensitivity. Various physical and chemical properties were systematically explored to determine optimal performance. The results herein have relevance to improving the detection of other explosive compounds and potentially to a wide range of other chemical sampling and field detection challenges.

  15. 77 FR 47370 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Northeast Region Logbook Family of Forms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Northeast Region Logbook Family of Forms AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its...

  16. Sample collection of virulent and non-virulent B. anthracis and Y. pestis for bioforensics analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hong-geller, Elizabeth [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Valdez, Yolanda E [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Shou, Yulin [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Yoshida, Thomas M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Marrone, Babetta L [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Dunbar, John [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2009-01-01

    Validated sample collection methods are needed for recovery of microbial evidence in the event of accidental or intentional release of biological agents into the environment. To address this need, we evaluated the sample recovery efficiencies of two collection methods -- swabs and wipes -- for both non-virulent and virulent strains of B. anthracis and Y. pestis from four types of non-porous surfaces: two hydrophilic surfaces, stainless steel and glass, and two hydrophobic surfaces, vinyl and plastic. Sample recovery was quantified using Real-time qPCR to assay for intact DNA signatures. We found no consistent difference in collection efficiency between swabs or wipes. Furthermore, collection efficiency was more surface-dependent for virulent strains than non-virulent strains. For the two non-virulent strains, B. anthracis Sterne and Y. pestis A1122, collection efficiency was approximately 100% and 1 %, respectively, from all four surfaces. In contrast, recovery of B. anthracis Ames spores and Y. pestis C092 from vinyl and plastic was generally lower compared to collection from glass or stainless steel, suggesting that surface hydrophobicity may playa role in the strength of pathogen adhesion. The surface-dependent collection efficiencies observed with the virulent strains may arise from strain-specific expression of capsular material or other cell surface receptors that alter cell adhesion to specific surfaces. These findings contribute to validation of standard bioforensics procedures and emphasize the importance of specific strain and surface interactions in pathogen detection.

  17. 21 CFR 809.40 - Restrictions on the sale, distribution, and use of OTC test sample collection systems for drugs...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... OTC test sample collection systems for drugs of abuse testing. 809.40 Section 809.40 Food and Drugs... Restrictions on the sale, distribution, and use of OTC test sample collection systems for drugs of abuse testing. (a) Over-the-counter (OTC) test sample collection systems for drugs of abuse testing (§ 864.3260...

  18. Normalisation of spot urine samples to 24-h collection for assessment of exposure to uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marco, R.; Katorza, E.; Gonen, R.; German, U.; Tshuva, A.; Pelled, O.; Paz-tal, O.; Adout, A.; Karpas, Z.

    2008-01-01

    For dose assessment of workers at Nuclear Research Center Negev exposed to natural uranium, spot urine samples are analysed and the results are normalised to 24-h urine excretion based on 'standard' man urine volume of 1.6 l d -1 . In the present work, the urine volume, uranium level and creatinine concentration were determined in two or three 24-h urine collections from 133 male workers (319 samples) and 33 female workers (88 samples). Three volunteers provided urine spot samples from each voiding during a 24-h period and a good correlation was found between the relative level of creatinine and uranium in spot samples collected from the same individual. The results show that normalisation of uranium concentration to creatinine in a spot sample represents the 24-h content of uranium better than normalisation to the standard volume and may be used to reduce the uncertainty of dose assessment based on spot samples. (authors)

  19. Planning Considerations Related to Collecting and Analyzing Samples of the Martian Soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yang; Mellon, Mike T.; Ming, Douglas W.; Morris, Richard V.; Noble, Sarah K.; Sullivan, Robert J.; Taylor, Lawrence A.; Beaty, David W.

    2014-01-01

    The Mars Sample Return (MSR) End-to-End International Science Analysis Group (E2E-iSAG [1]) established scientific objectives associ-ated with Mars returned-sample science that require the return and investigation of one or more soil samples. Soil is defined here as loose, unconsolidated materials with no implication for the presence or absence of or-ganic components. The proposed Mars 2020 (M-2020) rover is likely to collect and cache soil in addition to rock samples [2], which could be followed by future sample retrieval and return missions. Here we discuss key scientific consid-erations for sampling and caching soil samples on the proposed M-2020 rover, as well as the state in which samples would need to be preserved when received by analysts on Earth. We are seeking feedback on these draft plans as input to mission requirement formulation. A related planning exercise on rocks is reported in an accompanying abstract [3].

  20. 77 FR 59206 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB; OSHC Financial Reporting Form

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-26

    ... Proposed Information Collection to OMB; OSHC Financial Reporting Form AGENCY: Office of the Chief... reporting by grantees. This tracking of grantee financial data is solely in regards to the HUD-OSHC SCI... Lists the Following Information: Title of Proposal: OSHC Financial Reporting Form. OMB Approval Number...

  1. 77 FR 61776 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), Form I-129F, Revision of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-11

    ...-0001] Agency Information Collection Activities: Petition for Alien Fianc[eacute](e), Form I-129F.../Collection: Petition for Alien Fianc[eacute](e). (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component... United States in order to petition for an alien fianc[eacute](e), spouse, or his/her children. (5) An...

  2. 78 FR 19649 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Southwest Region Permit Family of Forms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-02

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Southwest Region Permit Family of Forms AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing...

  3. 77 FR 43346 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Application for Posthumous Citizenship, Form N-644...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services [OMB Control No. 1615-0059] Agency Information Collection Activities: Application for Posthumous Citizenship, Form N-644... Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the...

  4. 77 FR 59205 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Application for Posthumous Citizenship, Form Number N...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services [OMB Control Number 1615-0059] Agency Information Collection Activities: Application for Posthumous Citizenship, Form Number N... Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting...

  5. 76 FR 41763 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Region Logbook Family of Forms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-15

    ... Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Region Logbook Family of Forms AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric... (NMFS) Alaska Region manages the United States (U.S.) groundfish fisheries of the Exclusive Economic.... NMFS Alaska Region requests information from participating groundfish participants. This information...

  6. PIXE Analysis of Atmospheric Aerosol Samples Collected in the Adirondack Mountains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoskowitz, Josh; Ali, Salina; Nadareski, Benjamin; Safiq, Alexandrea; Smith, Jeremy; Labrake, Scott; Vineyard, Michael

    2013-10-01

    We have performed an elemental analysis of atmospheric aerosol samples collected at Piseco Lake in Upstate New York using proton induced x-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE). This work is part of a systematic study of airborne pollution in the Adirondack Mountains. Of particular interest is the sulfur content that can contribute to acid rain, a well-documented problem in the Adirondacks. We used a nine-stage cascade impactor to collect the samples and distribute the particulate matter onto Kapton foils by particle size. The PIXE experiments were performed with 2.2-MeV proton beams from the 1.1-MV pelletron accelerator in the Union College Ion-Beam Analysis Laboratory. X-Ray energy spectra were measured with a silicon drift detector and analyzed with GUPIX software to determine the elemental concentrations of the aerosols. A broad range of elements from silicon to zinc were detected with significant sulfur concentrations measured for particulate matter between 0.25 and 0.5 μm in size. The PIXE analysis will be described and preliminary results will be presented.

  7. Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 3: Sampling, data collection and analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moser, Albine; Korstjens, Irene

    2018-12-01

    In the course of our supervisory work over the years, we have noticed that qualitative research tends to evoke a lot of questions and worries, so-called frequently asked questions (FAQs). This series of four articles intends to provide novice researchers with practical guidance for conducting high-quality qualitative research in primary care. By 'novice' we mean Master's students and junior researchers, as well as experienced quantitative researchers who are engaging in qualitative research for the first time. This series addresses their questions and provides researchers, readers, reviewers and editors with references to criteria and tools for judging the quality of qualitative research papers. The second article focused on context, research questions and designs, and referred to publications for further reading. This third article addresses FAQs about sampling, data collection and analysis. The data collection plan needs to be broadly defined and open at first, and become flexible during data collection. Sampling strategies should be chosen in such a way that they yield rich information and are consistent with the methodological approach used. Data saturation determines sample size and will be different for each study. The most commonly used data collection methods are participant observation, face-to-face in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Analyses in ethnographic, phenomenological, grounded theory, and content analysis studies yield different narrative findings: a detailed description of a culture, the essence of the lived experience, a theory, and a descriptive summary, respectively. The fourth and final article will focus on trustworthiness and publishing qualitative research.

  8. Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 3: Sampling, data collection and analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moser, Albine; Korstjens, Irene

    2018-01-01

    Abstract In the course of our supervisory work over the years, we have noticed that qualitative research tends to evoke a lot of questions and worries, so-called frequently asked questions (FAQs). This series of four articles intends to provide novice researchers with practical guidance for conducting high-quality qualitative research in primary care. By ‘novice’ we mean Master’s students and junior researchers, as well as experienced quantitative researchers who are engaging in qualitative research for the first time. This series addresses their questions and provides researchers, readers, reviewers and editors with references to criteria and tools for judging the quality of qualitative research papers. The second article focused on context, research questions and designs, and referred to publications for further reading. This third article addresses FAQs about sampling, data collection and analysis. The data collection plan needs to be broadly defined and open at first, and become flexible during data collection. Sampling strategies should be chosen in such a way that they yield rich information and are consistent with the methodological approach used. Data saturation determines sample size and will be different for each study. The most commonly used data collection methods are participant observation, face-to-face in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Analyses in ethnographic, phenomenological, grounded theory, and content analysis studies yield different narrative findings: a detailed description of a culture, the essence of the lived experience, a theory, and a descriptive summary, respectively. The fourth and final article will focus on trustworthiness and publishing qualitative research. PMID:29199486

  9. 77 FR 50710 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I-9, OMB...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-22

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information...), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following information... sponsoring the collection: Form I-9. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (4) Affected public who will...

  10. Effect of seasonal variations and collection form on antioxidant activity of propolis from San Juan, Argentina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isla, María I; Zampini, Iris C; Ordóñez, Roxana M; Cuello, Soledad; Juárez, Belén Carrasco; Sayago, Jorge Esteban; Moreno, María I Nieva; Alberto, María Rosa; Vera, Nancy R; Bedascarrasbure, Enrique; Alvarez, Alejandro; Cioccini, Fabián; Maldonado, Luis M

    2009-12-01

    Propolis was included in the Argentine Food Code as a functional food. The chemical parameters and antioxidant properties of propolis samples from the same colonies of Apis mellifera in San Juan (Cuyo region, Western Argentine) were compared every month for 1 year using two collection methods. Chemical parameters were analyzed by the spectrophotometric method and fingerprinting using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The antioxidant activities of propolis samples were measured using model systems including the analysis of the scavenging activities for 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and the beta-carotene bleaching assay. The results showed that propolis had a higher free radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibitory capacity than butylated hydroxytoluene and quercetin, antioxidants used in the pharmaceutical and food industries. The concentration required to scavenge 50% of free radicals (SC(50)) values differed depending on the sample collection month. Samples collected in November had the highest antioxidant capacity. In all cases, SC(50) values of propolis samples obtained by scraping were similar to those collected from a wire mesh (5 microg/mL for ABTS and 20-30 microg/mL for DPPH radicals). A significant positive correlation was found between the antioxidant capacity and flavonoid content of each analyzed extract. The chemical profiles were very similar. Galangin (3,5,7-trihydroxyflavone), an antioxidant compound, was detected in all samples as a major compound. The chromatographic profile suggests that of Baccharis sp., which would be one of the botanical sources of propolis from western Argentina, and the content of galangin can be used as a parameter for evaluating propolis quality. Our results suggest that Argentine propolis from Cuyo is a promising source of bioactive compounds as ingredients for developing functional foods with a

  11. Collection and application of by-product formed in e-b flue gas treatment process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chmielewski, A.G.; Tyminski, B.; Zakrzewska-Trznadel, G.; Tokunaga, O.; Machi, S.

    1998-01-01

    In the e-b process SO 2 and NO x are converted into ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate, which condenses from gas phase in the form of submicrone particles. These salts are a valuable fertilizer and should be removed from cleaned gas. Bag filter, ESP and wet gravel bed filter were applied for collecting of salt particles in pilot plant facilities. Up to now ESP is considered to be the best filtration method of aerosols formed after irradiation of flue gas. Collected salts after granulation may be used as a fertilizer enriching soil in nitrogen and sulphur or as a component of mixed fertilizer. Analysis of by-products from different e-b pilot plants confirms that it does not contain any harmful substances like heavy metals and fulfill all standards for commercial fertilizers. Also field experiments show that the by-products have the same properties as a commercial fertilizer

  12. Collection of size fractionated particulate matter sample for neutron activation analysis in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Otoshi, Tsunehiko; Nakamatsu, Hiroaki; Oura, Yasuji; Ebihara, Mitsuru

    2004-01-01

    According to the decision of the 2001 Workshop on Utilization of Research Reactor (Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Section), size fractionated particulate matter collection for NAA was started from 2002 at two sites in Japan. The two monitoring sites, ''Tokyo'' and ''Sakata'', were classified into ''urban'' and ''rural''. In each site, two size fractions, namely PM 2-10 '' and PM 2 '' particles (aerodynamic particle size between 2 to 10 micrometer and less than 2 micrometer, respectively) were collected every month on polycarbonate membrane filters. Average concentrations of PM 10 (sum of PM 2-10 and PM 2 samples) during the common sampling period of August to November 2002 in each site were 0.031mg/m 3 in Tokyo, and 0.022mg/m 3 in Sakata. (author)

  13. Measurement of technetium-99 in soil samples collected in Marshall Islands

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tagami, K.; Uchida, S. [National Inst. of Radiological Sciences, Environmental and Toxicological Sciences Research Group, Chiba (Japan)

    2000-07-01

    Extraction techniques for recovery of technetium-99 ({sup 99}Tc) for ICP-MS measurements were evaluated using soil samples collected from the Marshall Islands. The results of three different extraction techniques were compared: (M1) acid leaching of Tc from ashed soil; (M2) acid leaching of Tc from raw dry soil; and (M3) Tc volatilization from ashed soil using a combustion apparatus. Total Tc recoveries varied considerably between the extraction techniques but each method yielded similar analytical results for {sup 99}Tc. Applications of these extraction techniques to a series of environmental samples and ICP-MS measurements have yielded first data on the {sup 99}Tc content of Marshall Islands soil samples contaminated with close-in radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing. The {sup 99}Tc activity concentration in the soil samples ranged between 0.1 and 1.1 mBq/g-dw. The limit of detection for {sup 99}Tc by ICP-MS was 0.17 mBq per sample or 0.014 mBq/g-dw under standard operating conditions. (author)

  14. Measurement of technetium-99 in soil samples collected in Marshall Islands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tagami, K.; Uchida, S.

    2000-01-01

    Extraction techniques for recovery of technetium-99 ( 99 Tc) for ICP-MS measurements were evaluated using soil samples collected from the Marshall Islands. The results of three different extraction techniques were compared: (M1) acid leaching of Tc from ashed soil; (M2) acid leaching of Tc from raw dry soil; and (M3) Tc volatilization from ashed soil using a combustion apparatus. Total Tc recoveries varied considerably between the extraction techniques but each method yielded similar analytical results for 99 Tc. Applications of these extraction techniques to a series of environmental samples and ICP-MS measurements have yielded first data on the 99 Tc content of Marshall Islands soil samples contaminated with close-in radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing. The 99 Tc activity concentration in the soil samples ranged between 0.1 and 1.1 mBq/g-dw. The limit of detection for 99 Tc by ICP-MS was 0.17 mBq per sample or 0.014 mBq/g-dw under standard operating conditions. (author)

  15. 76 FR 22939 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Form- DS-1950, Department of State Application...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-25

    ... information collection and supporting documents from Marvin E. Moore, Bureau of Human Resources, Recruitment... Request: Extension of a currently approved collection. Originating Office: Bureau of Human Resources, Office of Recruitment, Examination, Employment (HR/REE) Form Number: DS-1950. Respondents: U.S. Citizens...

  16. 75 FR 1069 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Passenger List/Crew List (Form I-418)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-08

    ...: Extension (without change). Affected Public: Businesses. Estimated Number of Respondents: 95,000. Estimated.... CBP is proposing that this information collection be extended with no change to the burden hours. This... other technological techniques or other forms of information. Title: Passenger List/Crew List. OMB...

  17. 77 FR 9259 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Forms G-1041 and G-1041A, Extension of a Currently...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-16

    ..., Genealogy Index Search Request and Genealogy Records Request. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S... the Forms/Collections: Genealogy Index Search Request and Genealogy Records Request. (3) Agency form.... USCIS will use these forms will to facilitate an accurate and timely response to genealogy index search...

  18. 32 CFR Appendix D to Part 113 - Sample DD Form 2654, “Involuntary Allotment Notice and Processing”

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Sample DD Form 2654, âInvoluntary Allotment Notice and Processingâ D Appendix D to Part 113 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE..., App. D Appendix D to Part 113—Sample DD Form 2654, “Involuntary Allotment Notice and Processing...

  19. Portable automation of static chamber sample collection for quantifying soil gas flux

    Science.gov (United States)

    The collection of soil gas flux using the static chamber method is labor intensive. The number of chambers that can be sampled in a given time period is limited by the spacing between chambers and the availability of trained research technicians. However, the static chamber method can limit spatial ...

  20. Automating Groundwater Sampling At Hanford, The Next Step

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Connell, C.W.; Conley, S.F.; Hildebrand, R.D.; Cunningham, D.E.

    2010-01-01

    Historically, the groundwater monitoring activities at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State have been very 'people intensive.' Approximately 1500 wells are sampled each year by field personnel or 'samplers.' These individuals have been issued pre-printed forms showing information about the well(s) for a particular sampling evolution. This information is taken from 2 official electronic databases: the Hanford Well information System (HWIS) and the Hanford Environmental Information System (HEIS). The samplers used these hardcopy forms to document the groundwater samples and well water-levels. After recording the entries in the field, the samplers turned the forms in at the end of the day and other personnel posted the collected information onto a spreadsheet that was then printed and included in a log book. The log book was then used to make manual entries of the new information into the software application(s) for the HEIS and HWIS databases. A pilot project for automating this extremely tedious process was lauched in 2008. Initially, the automation was focused on water-level measurements. Now, the effort is being extended to automate the meta-data associated with collecting groundwater samples. The project allowed electronic forms produced in the field by samplers to be used in a work flow process where the data is transferred to the database and electronic form is filed in managed records - thus eliminating manually completed forms. Elimating the manual forms and streamlining the data entry not only improved the accuracy of the information recorded, but also enhanced the efficiency and sampling capacity of field office personnel.

  1. 77 FR 67792 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Northeast Region Permit Family of Forms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-14

    ... Collection; Comment Request; Northeast Region Permit Family of Forms AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric... offered in the Northeast region. Exemption programs may allow a vessel to fish in an area that is limited.... Vessels are also required to request gillnet and lobster tags through the Northeast region permit office...

  2. Mobile sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitro-PAH: Results of samples collected in a roadway tunnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benner, B.A. Jr.; Gordon, G.E.; Wise, S.A.

    1987-01-01

    A recent review article emphasized the need for further characterizations of the carbonaceous fraction of mobile source emissions, particularly with the impending removal of lead alkyl octane boosters and bromine-containing lead scavengers from regular leaded gasolines. The lead and bromine emitted from the combustion of these fuels have been used as tracers of mobile source emissions for a number of years. Single vehicle emission studies have shed light on the relationship between engine operating parameters and the chemical characteristics of the emissions but they are not suitable for use in source apportionment studies which require emission data from a large number of different vehicles. Air particulate samples collected near a busy highway or in a roadway tunnel would be more appropriate for use in estimating the mobile source contribution of organic compounds to a region. Suspended particle samples collected in a heavily-travelled roadway tunnel (Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, Baltimore, Maryland) were characterized for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and some nitro-PAH by gas and liquid chromatographic techniques. These samples included those collected on Teflon filters and on glass fiber filters for investigating any differences in samples collected on an inert (Teflon) and more reactive (glass-fiber) medium. All samples collected on Teflon were backed-up with polyurethane foam plugs (PUF) which trapped any inherent vapor-phase PAH as well as any compounds ''blown-off'' the particles during collection

  3. 76 FR 46895 - Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review; Reports, Forms and Record Keeping...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-03

    ... manufacturers of passenger cars, trucks, buses and MPVs with a GVWR of 4,536 kg (10,000 lb) or less, to annually... information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information...

  4. 40 CFR Appendix I to Part 261 - Representative Sampling Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Representative Sampling Methods I...—Representative Sampling Methods The methods and equipment used for sampling waste materials will vary with the form and consistency of the waste materials to be sampled. Samples collected using the sampling...

  5. Direct impact aerosol sampling by electrostatic precipitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braden, Jason D.; Harter, Andrew G.; Stinson, Brad J.; Sullivan, Nicholas M.

    2016-02-02

    The present disclosure provides apparatuses for collecting aerosol samples by ionizing an air sample at different degrees. An air flow is generated through a cavity in which at least one corona wire is disposed and electrically charged to form a corona therearound. At least one grounded sample collection plate is provided downstream of the at least one corona wire so that aerosol ions generated within the corona are deposited on the at least one grounded sample collection plate. A plurality of aerosol samples ionized to different degrees can be generated. The at least one corona wire may be perpendicular to the direction of the flow, or may be parallel to the direction of the flow. The apparatus can include a serial connection of a plurality of stages such that each stage is capable of generating at least one aerosol sample, and the air flow passes through the plurality of stages serially.

  6. Radiometric assessment of natural radioactivity levels of agricultural soil samples collected in Dakahlia, Egypt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Issa, Shams A M

    2013-01-01

    Determination of the natural radioactivity has been carried out, by using a gamma-ray spectrometry [NaI (Tl) 3″ × 3″] system, in surface soil samples collected from various locations in Dakahlia governorate, Egypt. These locations form the agriculturally important regions of Egypt. The study area has many industries such as chemical, paper, organic fertilisers and construction materials, and the soils of the study region are used as a construction material. Therefore, it becomes necessary to study the natural radioactivity levels in soil to assess the dose for the population in order to know the health risks. The activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K in the soil ranged from 5.7 ± 0.3 to 140 ± 7, from 9.0 ± 0.4 to 139 ± 7 and from 22 ± 1 to 319 ± 16 Bq kg(-1), respectively. The absorbed dose rate, annual effective dose rate, radium equivalent (Req), excess lifetime cancer risk, hazard indices (Hex and Hin) and annual gonadal dose equivalent, which resulted from the natural radionuclides in the soil were calculated.

  7. 75 FR 9474 - Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements; Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-02

    ...: National Survey of Speeding Attitudes and Behavior: 2010. Type of Request: New information collection... motivations for speeding, knowledge of measures to deter speeding, attitudes towards measures to deter... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Reports, Forms, and...

  8. 75 FR 4450 - Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Fiscal Service Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form AGENCY: Financial Management Service, Fiscal Service, Treasury. ACTION: Notice and Request for comments. SUMMARY: The Financial Management Service, as part of its...

  9. 75 FR 46945 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request; the Drug Accountability Record (Form NIH 2564) (NCI)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-04

    ... Request; the Drug Accountability Record (Form NIH 2564) (NCI) SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement... Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. Proposed Collection Title: The Drug Accountability... agent accountability. In order to fulfill these requirements, a standard Investigational Drug...

  10. 76 FR 53929 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form G-639, Revision of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-30

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Act Request. * * * * * The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services... sponsoring the collection: Form G-639; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). (4) Affected public...

  11. Miniature Blimps for Surveillance and Collection of Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Jack

    2004-01-01

    Miniature blimps are under development as robots for use in exploring the thick, cold, nitrogen atmosphere of Saturn's moon, Titan. Similar blimps can also be used for surveillance and collection of biochemical samples in buildings, caves, subways, and other, similar structures on Earth. The widely perceived need for means to thwart attacks on buildings and to mitigate the effects of such attacks has prompted consideration of the use of robots. Relative to rover-type (wheeled) robots that have been considered for such uses, miniature blimps offer the advantage of ability to move through the air in any direction and, hence, to perform tasks that are difficult or impossible for wheeled robots, including climbing stairs and looking through windows. In addition, miniature blimps are expected to have greater range and to cost less, relative to wheeled robots.

  12. Comparison of three media for transport and storage of the samples collected for detection of avian influenza virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiao-Chun; Liu, Shuo; Hou, Guang-Yu; Zhuang, Qing-Ye; Wang, Kai-Cheng; Jiang, Wen-Ming; Wang, Su-Chun; Li, Jin-Ping; Yu, Jian-Min; Du, Xiang; Huang, Bao-Xu; Chen, Ji-Ming

    2015-09-15

    Detection of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) is important for diagnosis, surveillance and control of avian influenza which is of great economic and public health significance. Proper transport and storage of samples is critical for the detection when the samples cannot be detected immediately. As recommended by some international or national authoritative entities and some publications, phosphate buffered saline (PBS), PBS-glycerol and brain heart infusion broth (BHIB) are frequently used for transport and storage of the samples collected for detection of AIVs worldwide. In this study, we compared these three media for transport and storage of simulated and authentic swab and feces samples collected for detection of AIVs using virus isolation and reverse transcription-PCR. The results suggest that PBS-glycerol is superior to PBS and BHIB as the sample transport and storage media. The results also suggest that the samples collected for detection of AIVs should be detected as soon as possible because the virus concentration of the samples may decline rapidly during storage within days at 4 or -20°C. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. A Systematic Review of Published Respondent-Driven Sampling Surveys Collecting Behavioral and Biologic Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Lisa G; Hakim, Avi J; Dittrich, Samantha; Burnett, Janet; Kim, Evelyn; White, Richard G

    2016-08-01

    Reporting key details of respondent-driven sampling (RDS) survey implementation and analysis is essential for assessing the quality of RDS surveys. RDS is both a recruitment and analytic method and, as such, it is important to adequately describe both aspects in publications. We extracted data from peer-reviewed literature published through September, 2013 that reported collected biological specimens using RDS. We identified 151 eligible peer-reviewed articles describing 222 surveys conducted in seven regions throughout the world. Most published surveys reported basic implementation information such as survey city, country, year, population sampled, interview method, and final sample size. However, many surveys did not report essential methodological and analytical information for assessing RDS survey quality, including number of recruitment sites, seeds at start and end, maximum number of waves, and whether data were adjusted for network size. Understanding the quality of data collection and analysis in RDS is useful for effectively planning public health service delivery and funding priorities.

  14. Theorical and practical bases for blood sample collection from the heel of newborns for neonatal screening

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcela Vela-Amieva

    2014-07-01

    collected in a special filter paper (Guthrie’s card. Despite its apparent simplicity, NBS laboratories commonly receive a large number of samples collected incorrectly and technically unsuitable for perfor4ming biochemical determinations. The aim of the present paper is to offer recommendations based on scientific evidence, for the properly blood collection on filter paper for NBS programs.

  15. 76 FR 17144 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form N-300; Extension of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Intention; OMB Control No. 1615-0078. The Department Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration... the Department of Homeland Security sponsoring the collection: Form N-300; U.S. Citizenship and...

  16. 75 FR 39271 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-694, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the... the Department of Homeland Security sponsoring the collection: Form I-694; U.S. Citizenship and...

  17. 75 FR 47822 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form G-639, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Act Request; OMB Control No. 1615- 0102. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and... Department of Homeland Security sponsoring the collection: Form G-639; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration...

  18. 75 FR 47824 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-643, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following information... collection: Form I-643; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). (4) Affected public who will be...

  19. 75 FR 51096 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form N-470; Extension of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... for Naturalization; OMB Control No. 1615-0056. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship... of Homeland Security sponsoring the collection: Form N-470; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services...

  20. 76 FR 63320 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form N-470, Revision of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Residence for Naturalization. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services... sponsoring the collection: Form N-470, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (4) Affected public who...

  1. 77 FR 34053 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-590, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Classification as Refugee. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS... Security sponsoring the collection: Form I-590; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). (4...

  2. 75 FR 6212 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-129, Revision of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Control Number 1615-0009. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services... the Department of Homeland Security sponsoring the collection: Form I-129. U.S. Citizenship and...

  3. 78 FR 73237 - Reports, Forms and Record Keeping Requirements Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-05

    ...-0088] Reports, Forms and Record Keeping Requirements Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB... entities over which the agency exercises regulatory authority. Recent trends lead the agency to estimate.... Requesters are not required to keep copies of any records or reports [[Page 73238

  4. Blood sample collection and patient identification demand improvement: a questionnaire study of preanalytical practices in hospital wards and laboratories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallin, Olof; Söderberg, Johan; Van Guelpen, Bethany; Stenlund, Hans; Grankvist, Kjell; Brulin, Christine

    2010-09-01

    Scand J Caring Sci; 2010; 24; 581-591 
 Blood sample collection and patient identification demand improvement: a questionnaire study of preanalytical practices in hospital wards and laboratories   Most errors in venous blood testing result from human mistakes occurring before the sample reach the laboratory.   To survey venous blood sampling (VBS) practices in hospital wards and to compare practices with hospital laboratories.   Staff in two hospitals (all wards) and two hospital laboratories (314 respondents, response rate 94%), completed a questionnaire addressing issues relevant to the collection of venous blood samples for clinical chemistry testing.   The findings suggest that instructions for patient identification and the collection of venous blood samples were not always followed. For example, 79% of the respondents reported the undesirable practice (UDP) of not always using wristbands for patient identification. Similarly, 87% of the respondents noted the UDP of removing venous stasis after the sampling is finished. Compared with the ward staff, a significantly higher proportion of the laboratory staff reported desirable practices regarding the collection of venous blood samples. Neither education nor the existence of established sampling routines was clearly associated with VBS practices among the ward staff.   The results of this study, the first of its kind, suggest that a clinically important risk of error is associated with VBS in the surveyed wards. Most important is the risk of misidentification of patients. Quality improvement of blood sample collection is clearly needed, particularly in hospital wards. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Nordic College of Caring Science.

  5. 77 FR 43607 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status, Form I-918, and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-25

    ..., mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g... biometric-related responses at .167 hours (10 minutes) (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours...

  6. Collecting Samples for Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Creatinine Ratio Valproic Acid Vancomycin Vanillylmandelic Acid (VMA) VAP Vitamin A Vitamin B12 and Folate Vitamin D ... that used for CSF in that they require aspiration of a sample of the fluid through a ...

  7. Persistent organic pollutants in biota samples collected during the Ymer-80 expedition to the Arctic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henrik Kylin

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available During the 1980 expedition to the Arctic with the icebreaker Ymer, a number of vertebrate species were sampled for determination of persistent organic pollutants. Samples of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus, n=34, glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus, n=8, common eider (Somateria mollissima, n=10, Brünnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia, n=9, ringed seal (Pusa hispida, n=2 and polar bear (Ursus maritimus, n=2 were collected. With the exception of Brünnich's guillemot, there was a marked contamination difference of birds from western as compared to eastern/northern Svalbard. Samples in the west contained a larger number of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB congeners and also polychlorinated terphenyls, indicating local sources. Brünnich's guillemots had similar pollutant concentrations in the west and east/north; possibly younger birds were sampled in the west. In Arctic char, pollutant profiles from lake Linnévatn (n=5, the lake closest to the main economic activities in Svalbard, were similar to profiles in Arctic char from the Shetland Islands (n=5, but differed from lakes to the north and east in Svalbard (n=30. Arctic char samples had higher concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs than the marine species of birds and mammals, possibly due to accumulation via snowmelt. Compared to the Baltic Sea, comparable species collected in Svalbard had lower concentrations of PCB and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT, but similar concentrations indicating long-range transport of hexachlorobenzene, HCHs and cyclodiene pesticides. In samples collected in Svalbard in 1971, the concentrations of PCB and DDT in Brünnich's guillemot (n=7, glaucous gull (n=2 and polar bear (n=2 were similar to the concentrations found in 1980.

  8. 75 FR 54646 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-914; Extension of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services [OMB Control No. 1615.... 1615-0099. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will... Homeland Security sponsoring the collection: Form I-914; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS...

  9. 76 FR 27078 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form N-426, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Military or Naval Service; OMB Control No. 1615-0053. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship... sponsoring the collection: Form N-426, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (4) Affected public who...

  10. 77 FR 31033 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-589, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Withholding of Removal. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS... collection: Form I-589. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). (4) Affected public who will be...

  11. 75 FR 51095 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form N-336; Extension of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services [OMB Control No. 1615...-0050. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be... sponsoring the collection: Form N-336; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). (4) Affected public...

  12. Next Generation Offline Approaches to Trace Gas-Phase Organic Compound Speciation: Sample Collection and Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheu, R.; Marcotte, A.; Khare, P.; Ditto, J.; Charan, S.; Gentner, D. R.

    2017-12-01

    Intermediate-volatility and semi-volatile organic compounds (I/SVOCs) are major precursors to secondary organic aerosol, and contribute to tropospheric ozone formation. Their wide volatility range, chemical complexity, behavior in analytical systems, and trace concentrations present numerous hurdles to characterization. We present an integrated sampling-to-analysis system for the collection and offline analysis of trace gas-phase organic compounds with the goal of preserving and recovering analytes throughout sample collection, transport, storage, and thermal desorption for accurate analysis. Custom multi-bed adsorbent tubes are used to collect samples for offline analysis by advanced analytical detectors. The analytical instrumentation comprises an automated thermal desorption system that introduces analytes from the adsorbent tubes into a gas chromatograph, which is coupled with an electron ionization mass spectrometer (GC-EIMS) and other detectors. In order to optimize the collection and recovery for a wide range of analyte volatility and functionalization, we evaluated a variety of commercially-available materials, including Res-Sil beads, quartz wool, glass beads, Tenax TA, and silica gel. Key properties for optimization include inertness, versatile chemical capture, minimal affinity for water, and minimal artifacts or degradation byproducts; these properties were assessed with a diverse mix of traditionally-measured and functionalized analytes. Along with a focus on material selection, we provide recommendations spanning the entire sampling-and-analysis process to improve the accuracy of future comprehensive I/SVOC measurements, including oxygenated and other functionalized I/SVOCs. We demonstrate the performance of our system by providing results on speciated VOCs-SVOCs from indoor, outdoor, and chamber studies that establish the utility of our protocols and pave the way for precise laboratory characterization via a mix of detection methods.

  13. Collection of analytes from microneedle patches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romanyuk, Andrey V; Zvezdin, Vasiliy N; Samant, Pradnya; Grenader, Mark I; Zemlyanova, Marina; Prausnitz, Mark R

    2014-11-04

    Clinical medicine and public health would benefit from simplified acquisition of biological samples from patients that can be easily obtained at point of care, in the field, and by patients themselves. Microneedle patches are designed to serve this need by collecting dermal interstitial fluid containing biomarkers without the dangers, pain, or expertise needed to collect blood. This study presents novel methods to collect biomarker analytes from microneedle patches for analysis by integration into conventional analytical laboratory microtubes and microplates. Microneedle patches were made out of cross-linked hydrogel composed of poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid) and poly(ethylene glycol) prepared by micromolding. Microneedle patches were shown to swell with water up to 50-fold in volume, depending on degree of polymer cross-linking, and to collect interstitial fluid from the skin of rats. To collect analytes from microneedle patches, the patches were mounted within the cap of microcentrifuge tubes or formed the top of V-bottom multiwell microplates, and fluid was collected in the bottom of the tubes under gentle centrifugation. In another method, microneedle patches were attached to form the bottom of multiwell microplates, thereby enabling in situ analysis. The simplicity of biological sample acquisition using microneedle patches coupled with the simplicity of analyte collection from microneedles patches integrated into conventional analytical equipment could broaden the reach of future screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of biomarkers in healthcare and environmental/workplace settings.

  14. 76 FR 12751 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-589, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Witholding of Removal; OMB Control No. 1615-0067. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and... collection: Form I-589. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). (4) Affected public who will be...

  15. Establishment of a cervical cancer bio-bank for the Chinese population: from project-based sample collection to routine management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Ru; Li, Xiong; Zhou, Hang; Jia, Yao; Zhou, Jin; Huang, Kecheng; Tang, Fangxu; Hu, Ting; Shen, Jian; Chen, Zhilan; Wang, Shaoshuai; Sun, Haiying; Guo, Lili; Wang, Lin; Wang, Hui; Ma, Ding; Li, Shuang

    2015-08-01

    There is an increasing need for the establishment of a cervical cancer bio-bank that will facilitate both clinical and basic research. The cervical cancer bio-bank was first established in January 1999 and included two stages. First, a GWAS-based sample collection was conducted with special emphasis on the diagnosis and the retrieval of the corresponding bio-specimens, especially blood samples. Second, clinical data and their corresponding bio-specimens were routinely collected and handled. Notably, these bio-specimens also included samples from Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, which has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in China. The specimens were collected from patients with cervical cancer and those with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, while the control samples were collected from normal individuals. With special emphasis on clinical data and blood samples for the GWAS analysis, the collection of other bio-specimens was slow, and the pairing of specimens and clinical data was poor during the first stage. However, in the second stage, the pairing of the clinical data and its corresponding bio-specimens improved. At present, the samples procured and preserved in the bio-bank cover most regions of China and different ethnic groups for both the normal controls and cervical cancer patients of different pathological categories. This bio-bank of cervical cancer specimens from the Chinese population will greatly promote the studies of cervical cancer in China.

  16. Use of aspiration method for collecting brain samples for rabies diagnosis in small wild animals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iamamoto, K; Quadros, J; Queiroz, L H

    2011-02-01

    In developing countries such as Brazil, where canine rabies is still a considerable problem, samples from wildlife species are infrequently collected and submitted for screening for rabies. A collaborative study was established involving environmental biologists and veterinarians for rabies epidemiological research in a specific ecological area located at the Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The wild animals' brains are required to be collected without skull damage because the skull's measurements are important in the identification of the captured animal species. For this purpose, samples from bats and small mammals were collected using an aspiration method by inserting a plastic pipette into the brain through the magnum foramen. While there is a progressive increase in the use of the plastic pipette technique in various studies undertaken, it is also appreciated that this method could foster collaborative research between wildlife scientists and rabies epidemiologists thus improving rabies surveillance. © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  17. Waste tank vapor project: Vapor characterization of Tank 241-C-103: Data report for OVS samples collected from Sample Job 7b, Parts I and II, received 5/18/94 and 5/24/94

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clauss, T.R.; Edwards, J.A.; Fruchter, J.S.

    1994-09-01

    On 5/18/94, Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) delivered samples to Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) that were collected from waste Tank 241-C-103 on 5/16/94. These samples were from Sample Job (SJ) 7b, Part 1. On 5/24/94, WHC delivered samples to PNL that were collected from waste Tank 241-C-103 on 5/18/94. These samples were from SJ7b, Part 2. A summary of data derived from the sampling of waste Tank 241-C-103 for gravimetric (H 2 O) and normal paraffin hydrocarbon (NPH) concentrations are shown for SJ7b. Gravimetric analysis was performed on the samples within 24 hours of receipt by PNL. The NPH concentration of 10 samples collected for Part 1 was slightly higher than the average concentration for 15 samples collected in Part 2, 812 (± 133) mg/m 3 and 659 (± 88) mg/m 3 , respectively. The higher concentrations measured in Part 1 samples may be because the samples in Part 1 were collected at a single level, 0.79 meters above the air-liquid interface. Part 2 samples were collected at three different tank levels, 0.79, 2.92, and 5.05 m above the air-liquid interface. In Part 2, the average NPH concentrations for 5 samples collected at each of three levels was similar: 697 (60) mg/m 3 at the low level, 631 (51) mg/m 3 at the mid level, and 651 (134) mg/m 3 at the high level. It is important to note that the measured tridecane to dodecane concentration remained constant in all samples collected in Parts 1 and 2. That ratio is 1.2 ± 0.05. This consistent ratio indicates that there were no random analytical biases towards either compound

  18. Collecting Comet Samples by ER-2 Aircraft: Cosmic Dust Collection During the Draconid Meteor Shower in October 2012

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastien, Ron; Burkett, P. J.; Rodriquez, M.; Frank, D.; Gonzalez, C.; Robinson, G.-A.; Zolensky, M.; Brown, P.; Campbell-Brown, M.; Broce, S.; hide

    2014-01-01

    Many tons of dust grains, including samples of asteroids and comets, fall from space into the Earth's atmosphere each day. NASA periodically collects some of these particles from the Earth's stratosphere using sticky collectors mounted on NASA's high-flying aircraft. Sometimes, especially when the Earth experiences a known meteor shower, a special opportunity is presented to associate cosmic dust particles with a known source. NASA JSC's Cosmic Dust Collection Program has made special attempts to collect dust from particular meteor showers and asteroid families when flights can be planned well in advance. However, it has rarely been possible to make collections on very short notice. In 2012, the Draconid meteor shower presented that opportunity. The Draconid meteor shower, originating from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, has produced both outbursts and storms several times during the last century, but the 2012 event was not predicted to be much of a show. Because of these predictions, the Cosmic Dust team had not targeted a stratospheric collection effort for the Draconids, despite the fact that they have one of the slowest atmospheric entry velocities (23 km/s) of any comet shower, and thus offer significant possibilities of successful dust capture. However, radar measurements obtained by the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar during the 2012 Draconids shower indicated a meteor storm did occur October 8 with a peak at 16:38 (+/-5 min) UTC for a total duration of approximately 2 hours.

  19. Radioactivity in Soil Samples Collected in Southern Serbia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jankovic, M.; Nikolic, J.; Pantelic, G.; Rajacic, M.; Sarap, N.; Todorovic, D.

    2013-01-01

    In the attack on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (the focus effect was of Kosovo and Metohija and southern Serbia) in 1999, NATO forces used ammunition containing depleted uranium. Cleaning action of depleted uranium was performed by Radiation and Environmental Protection Department of the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Science, during 2002?2007 at locations: Pljackovica, Bratoselce, Borovac and Reljan. At all locations underwent detailed dosimetric screening and decontamination was performed. Because of the loose soil, DU projectils were found to a depth of 1 m. Found missiles, contaminated soil and radioactive material has been collected and stored on radioactive waste. After cleaning the ground is leveled and another dosimetric prospecting was performed. Monitoring of radioactivity in southern Serbia included determination of gamma emitters as well as determination of gross alpha and beta activities in soil, water and plant. Sampling was carried out at Pljackovica, Borovac, Bratoselce and Reljan in July 2011. This paper presents only the results of measurement of gamma emitters in soil samples and showed the presence of natural radionuclides: 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, 235U, 238U and the produced radionuclide 137Cs (from the Chernobyl accident). Also, the ratio between the 235U and 238U is given. In order to evaluate the radiological hazard of the natural radioactivity, the radium equivalent activity, the gamma-absorbed dose rate and the external hazard index have been calculated. (author)

  20. Aspergillus, Penicillium and Talaromyces isolated from house dust samples collected around the world

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Visagie, C M; Hirooka, Y; Tanney, J B; Whitfield, E; Mwange, K; Meijer, M; Amend, A S; Seifert, K A; Samson, R A

    As part of a worldwide survey of the indoor mycobiota, dust was collected from nine countries. Analyses of dust samples included the culture-dependent dilution-to-extinction method and the culture-independent 454-pyrosequencing. Of the 7 904 isolates, 2 717 isolates were identified as belonging to

  1. Water-quality assessment of south-central Texas : comparison of water quality in surface-water samples collected manually and by automated samplers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ging, Patricia B.

    1999-01-01

    Surface-water sampling protocols of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program specify samples for most properties and constituents to be collected manually in equal-width increments across a stream channel and composited for analysis. Single-point sampling with an automated sampler (autosampler) during storms was proposed in the upper part of the South-Central Texas NAWQA study unit, raising the question of whether property and constituent concentrations from automatically collected samples differ significantly from those in samples collected manually. Statistical (Wilcoxon signed-rank test) analyses of 3 to 16 paired concentrations for each of 26 properties and constituents from water samples collected using both methods at eight sites in the upper part of the study unit indicated that there were no significant differences in concentrations for dissolved constituents, other than calcium and organic carbon.

  2. Validation of a Sampling Method to Collect Exposure Data for Central-Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammami, Naïma; Mertens, Karl; Overholser, Rosanna; Goetghebeur, Els; Catry, Boudewijn; Lambert, Marie-Laurence

    2016-05-01

    Surveillance of central-line-associated bloodstream infections requires the labor-intensive counting of central-line days (CLDs). This workload could be reduced by sampling. Our objective was to evaluate the accuracy of various sampling strategies in the estimation of CLDs in intensive care units (ICUs) and to establish a set of rules to identify optimal sampling strategies depending on ICU characteristics. Analyses of existing data collected according to the European protocol for patient-based surveillance of ICU-acquired infections in Belgium between 2004 and 2012. CLD data were reported by 56 ICUs in 39 hospitals during 364 trimesters. We compared estimated CLD data obtained from weekly and monthly sampling schemes with the observed exhaustive CLD data over the trimester by assessing the CLD percentage error (ie, observed CLDs - estimated CLDs/observed CLDs). We identified predictors of improved accuracy using linear mixed models. When sampling once per week or 3 times per month, 80% of ICU trimesters had a CLD percentage error within 10%. When sampling twice per week, this was >90% of ICU trimesters. Sampling on Tuesdays provided the best estimations. In the linear mixed model, the observed CLD count was the best predictor for a smaller percentage error. The following sampling strategies provided an estimate within 10% of the actual CLD for 97% of the ICU trimesters with 90% confidence: 3 times per month in an ICU with >650 CLDs per trimester or each Tuesday in an ICU with >480 CLDs per trimester. Sampling of CLDs provides an acceptable alternative to daily collection of CLD data.

  3. Monitoring of uranium concentrations in water samples collected near potentially hazardous objects in North-West Tajikistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zoriy, P; Schläger, M; Murtazaev, K; Pillath, J; Zoriy, M; Heuel-Fabianek, B

    2018-01-01

    The water contamination near ecologically problematic objects was investigated between 2009 and 2014 in North-West Tajikistan as a part of a joint project between Forschungszentrum Jülich and Khujand State University. The main part of this work was the determination of uranium in water samples collected near the Degmay tailings dump, the Taboshar pit lake and the Syr Darya river. More than 130 water samples were collected and analyzed to monitor the uranium concentration near the investigated areas. Two different mass spectrometers and an ion chromatograph were used for element concentration measurements. Based on the results obtained, the uranium influence of the Degmay tailings on the rivers Khoja-Bakyrgan-Say and Syr Darya and surrounding water was not found. The uranium concentration in water samples was monitored for a lengthy period at seven locations Great differences in the uranium concentration in waters collected in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 for each location were not observed. Drinking water samples from the region of North-West Tajikistan were analyzed and compared with the World Health Organization's guidelines. Seven out of nine drinking water samples near Taboshar exceeded the WHO guideline value for uranium concentrations (30 μg/L). The average uranium concentration of water samples from Syr Darya for the period from 2009 to 2014 was determined to be 20.1 (±5.2) μg/L. The uranium contamination of the Syr Darya was determined from the western border to the eastern border and the results are shown in this paper. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. 222Rn in water: A comparison of two sample collection methods and two sample transport methods, and the determination of temporal variation in North Carolina ground water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hightower, J.H. III

    1994-01-01

    Objectives of this field experiment were: (1) determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between the radon concentrations of samples collected by EPA's standard method, using a syringe, and an alternative, slow-flow method; (2) determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between the measured radon concentrations of samples mailed vs samples not mailed; and (3) determine whether there was a temporal variation of water radon concentration over a 7-month period. The field experiment was conducted at 9 sites, 5 private wells, and 4 public wells, at various locations in North Carolina. Results showed that a syringe is not necessary for sample collection, there was generally no significant radon loss due to mailing samples, and there was statistically significant evidence of temporal variations in water radon concentrations

  5. Wideband 4-diode sampling circuit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojtulewicz, Andrzej; Radtke, Maciej

    2016-09-01

    The objective of this work was to develop a wide-band sampling circuit. The device should have the ability to collect samples of a very fast signal applied to its input, strengthen it and prepare for further processing. The study emphasizes the method of sampling pulse shaping. The use of ultrafast pulse generator allows sampling signals with a wide frequency spectrum, reaching several gigahertzes. The device uses a pulse transformer to prepare symmetrical pulses. Their final shape is formed with the help of the step recovery diode, two coplanar strips and Schottky diode. Made device can be used in the sampling oscilloscope, as well as other measurement system.

  6. 12 CFR Appendix B to Part 203 - Form and Instructions for Data Collection on Ethnicity, Race, and Sex

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Ethnicity, Race, and Sex B Appendix B to Part 203 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM BOARD OF... to Part 203—Form and Instructions for Data Collection on Ethnicity, Race, and Sex I. Instructions on Collection of Data on Ethnicity, Race, and Sex You may list questions regarding the ethnicity, race, and sex...

  7. Method for rapid screening analysis of Sr-90 in edible plant samples collected near Fukushima, Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amano, Hikaru; Sakamoto, Hideaki; Shiga, Norikatsu; Suzuki, Kaori

    2016-01-01

    A screening method for measuring 90 Sr in edible plant samples by focusing on 90 Y in equilibrium with 90 Sr is reported. 90 Y was extracted from samples with acid, co-precipitated with iron hydroxide, and precipitated with oxalic acid. The dissolved oxalate precipitate was loaded on an extraction chromatography resin, and the 90 Y-enriched eluate was analyzed by Cherenkov counting with a TDCR liquid scintillation counter. 90 Sr ( 90 Y) concentration was determined in plant samples collected near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants with this method. - Highlights: • A screening method for measuring 90 Sr in edible plant samples by focusing on 90 Y in equilibrium with 90 Sr is reported. • 90 Y was extracted from samples with acid, co-precipitated with iron hydroxide, and precipitated with oxalic acid. • The dissolved oxalate precipitate was loaded on an extraction chromatography resin. • 90 Y-enriched eluate was analyzed by Cherenkov counting with a TDCR liquid scintillation counter. • 90 Sr ( 90 Y) concentration was determined in edible plant samples collected near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi NPPs with this method.

  8. Ram-air sample collection device for a chemical warfare agent sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Megerle, Clifford A.; Adkins, Douglas R.; Frye-Mason, Gregory C.

    2002-01-01

    In a surface acoustic wave sensor mounted within a body, the sensor having a surface acoustic wave array detector and a micro-fabricated sample preconcentrator exposed on a surface of the body, an apparatus for collecting air for the sensor, comprising a housing operatively arranged to mount atop the body, the housing including a multi-stage channel having an inlet and an outlet, the channel having a first stage having a first height and width proximate the inlet, a second stage having a second lower height and width proximate the micro-fabricated sample preconcentrator, a third stage having a still lower third height and width proximate the surface acoustic wave array detector, and a fourth stage having a fourth height and width proximate the outlet, where the fourth height and width are substantially the same as the first height and width.

  9. Reliability of different methods used for forming of working samples in the laboratory for seed testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Opra Branislava

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available The testing of seed quality starts from the moment a sample is formed in a warehouse during processing or packaging of the seed. The seed sampling as the process of obtaining the working sample also assumes each step undertaken during its testing in the laboratory. With the aim of appropriate forming of a seed sample in the laboratory, the usage of seed divider is prescribed for large seeded species (such as seed the size of wheat or larger (ISTA Rules, 1999. The aim of this paper was the comparison of different methods used for obtaining the working samples of maize and wheat seeds using conical, soil and centrifugal dividers. The number of seed of added admixtures confirmed the reliability of working samples formation. To each maize sample (1000 g 10 seeds of the following admixtures were added: Zea mays L. (red pericarp, Hordeum vulgäre L., Triticum aestivum L., and Glycine max (L. Merr. Two methods were used for formation of maze seed working sample. To wheat samples (1000 g 10 seeds of each of the following species were added: Avena saliva (hulled seeds, Hordeum vulgäre L., Galium tricorne Stokes, and Polygonum lapatifolmm L. For formation of wheat seed working samples four methods were used. Optimum of 9, but not less than 7 seeds of admixture were due to be determined in the maize seed working sample, while for wheat, at least one seed of admixture was expected to be found in the working sample. The obtained results confirmed that the formation of the maize seed working samples was the most reliable when centrifugal divider, the first method was used (average of admixture - 9.37. From the observed admixtures the seed of Triticum aestivum L. was the most uniformly distributed, the first method also being used (6.93. The second method gains high average values satisfying the given criterion, but it should be used with previous homogenization of the sample being tested. The forming of wheat seed working samples is the most reliable if the

  10. Improved sperm kinematics in semen samples collected after 2 h versus 4-7 days of ejaculation abstinence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alipour, H; Van Der Horst, G; Christiansen, O B

    2017-01-01

    STUDY QUESTION: Does a short abstinence period of only 2 h yield spermatozoa with better motility characteristics than samples collected after 4-7 days? SUMMARY ANSWER: Despite lower semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm counts and total motile counts, higher percentages of motile...... a controlled repeated-measures design based on semen samples from 43 male partners, in couples attending for IVF treatment, who had a sperm concentration above 15 million/ml. Data were collected between June 2014 and December 2015 in the Fertility Unit of Aalborg University Hospital (Aalborg, Denmark......). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Participants provided a semen sample after 4-7 days of abstinence followed by another sample after only 2 h. For both ejaculates, sperm concentration, total sperm counts, motility groups and detailed kinematic parameters were assessed and compared by using the Sperm...

  11. 76 FR 55081 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-129S; Extension of an Existing Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... Blanket L Petition. The Department Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS... of the Department of Homeland Security sponsoring the collection: Form I-129S; U.S. Citizenship and...

  12. 76 FR 58029 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form N-600K, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... ACTION: 30-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Form N- 600K; Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate under Section 322. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship...

  13. Tritium concentrations in environmental water and food samples collected around the vicinity of the PNPP-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia, T.Y.; Enriquez, S.O.; Duran, E.B.

    1986-01-01

    The natural radioactivity levels of tritium in environmental samples collected around the vicinity and more distant environment of the first Philippine Nuclear Power Plant (PNPP-1) in Bataan were assessed. The samples analyzed consisted of water samples such as seawater, freshwater, drinking water, groundwater and rainwater; and food samples such as cereals, vegetables, fruits; meat, milk fish and crustaceans. Tritium concentrations in water samples were determined by distillation and liquid scintillation counting techniques. The food samples were analyzed for tissue-free water tritium by the freezing-drying method followed by liquid scintillation counting techniques. (Auth.) 13 refs

  14. The UK Biobank sample handling and storage protocol for the collection, processing and archiving of human blood and urine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Paul; Peakman, Tim C

    2008-04-01

    UK Biobank is a large prospective study in the UK to investigate the role of genetic factors, environmental exposures and lifestyle in the causes of major diseases of late and middle age. Extensive data and biological samples are being collected from 500,000 participants aged between 40 and 69 years. The biological samples that are collected and how they are processed and stored will have a major impact on the future scientific usefulness of the UK Biobank resource. The aim of the UK Biobank sample handling and storage protocol is to specify methods for the collection and storage of participant samples that give maximum scientific return within the available budget. Processing or storage methods that, as far as can be predicted, will preclude current or future assays have been avoided. The protocol was developed through a review of the literature on sample handling and processing, wide consultation within the academic community and peer review. Protocol development addressed which samples should be collected, how and when they should be processed and how the processed samples should be stored to ensure their long-term integrity. The recommended protocol was extensively tested in a series of validation studies. UK Biobank collects about 45 ml blood and 9 ml of urine with minimal local processing from each participant using the vacutainer system. A variety of preservatives, anti-coagulants and clot accelerators is used appropriate to the expected end use of the samples. Collection of other material (hair, nails, saliva and faeces) was also considered but rejected for the full cohort. Blood and urine samples from participants are transported overnight by commercial courier to a central laboratory where they are processed and aliquots of urine, plasma, serum, white cells and red cells stored in ultra-low temperature archives. Aliquots of whole blood are also stored for potential future production of immortalized cell lines. A standard panel of haematology assays is

  15. Airborne detection and quantification of swine influenza a virus in air samples collected inside, outside and downwind from swine barns.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cesar A Corzo

    Full Text Available Airborne transmission of influenza A virus (IAV in swine is speculated to be an important route of virus dissemination, but data are scarce. This study attempted to detect and quantify airborne IAV by virus isolation and RRT-PCR in air samples collected under field conditions. This was accomplished by collecting air samples from four acutely infected pig farms and locating air samplers inside the barns, at the external exhaust fans and downwind from the farms at distances up to 2.1 km. IAV was detected in air samples collected in 3 out of 4 farms included in the study. Isolation of IAV was possible from air samples collected inside the barn at two of the farms and in one farm from the exhausted air. Between 13% and 100% of samples collected inside the barns tested RRT-PCR positive with an average viral load of 3.20E+05 IAV RNA copies/m³ of air. Percentage of exhaust positive air samples also ranged between 13% and 100% with an average viral load of 1.79E+04 RNA copies/m³ of air. Influenza virus RNA was detected in air samples collected between 1.5 and 2.1 Km away from the farms with viral levels significantly lower at 4.65E+03 RNA copies/m³. H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2 subtypes were detected in the air samples and the hemagglutinin gene sequences identified in the swine samples matched those in aerosols providing evidence that the viruses detected in the aerosols originated from the pigs in the farms under study. Overall our results indicate that pigs can be a source of IAV infectious aerosols and that these aerosols can be exhausted from pig barns and be transported downwind. The results from this study provide evidence of the risk of aerosol transmission in pigs under field conditions.

  16. Concentration and characteristics of depleted uranium in biological and water samples collected in Bosnia and Herzegovina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia Guogang; Belli, Maria; Sansone, Umberto; Rosamilia, Silvia; Gaudino, Stefania

    2006-01-01

    During Balkan conflicts in 1994-1995, depleted uranium (DU) ordnance was employed and was left in the battlefield. Health concern is related to the risk arising from contamination of the environment with DU penetrators and dust. In order to evaluate the impact of DU on the environment and population in Bosnia and Herzegovina, radiological survey of DU in biological and water samples were carried out over the period 12-24 October 2002. The uranium isotopic concentrations in biological samples collected in Bosnia and Herzegovina, mainly lichens, mosses and barks, were found to be in the range of 0.27-35.7 Bq kg -1 for 238 U, 0.24-16.8 Bq kg -1 for 234 U, and 0.02-1.11 Bq kg -1 for 235 U, showing uranium levels to be higher than in the samples collected at the control site. Moreover, the 236 U in some of the samples was detectable. The isotopic ratios of 234 U/ 238 U showed DU to be detectable in many biological samples at most sites examined, but in very low levels. The presence of DU in the biological samples was as a result of DU contamination in air. The uranium concentrations in water samples collected in Bosnia and Herzegovina were found to be in the range of 0.27-16.2 mBq l -1 for 238 U, 0.41-15.6 mBq l -1 for 234 U and 0.012-0.695 mBq l -1 for 235 U, and two water samples were observed to be DU positive; these values are much lower than those in mineral water found in central Italy and below the WHO guideline for public drinking water. From radiotoxicological point of view, at this moment there is no significant radiological risk related to these investigated sites in terms of possible DU contamination of water and/or plants

  17. Fluid sampling tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Anthony R.; Johnston, Roger G.; Martinez, Ronald K.

    1999-05-25

    A fluid sampling tool for sampling fluid from a container. The tool has a fluid collecting portion which is drilled into the container wall, thereby affixing it to the wall. The tool may have a fluid extracting section which withdraws fluid collected by the fluid collecting section. The fluid collecting section has a fluted shank with an end configured to drill a hole into a container wall. The shank has a threaded portion for tapping the borehole. The shank is threadably engaged to a cylindrical housing having an inner axial passageway sealed at one end by a septum. A flexible member having a cylindrical portion and a bulbous portion is provided. The housing can be slid into an inner axial passageway in the cylindrical portion and sealed to the flexible member. The bulbous portion has an outer lip defining an opening. The housing is clamped into the chuck of a drill, the lip of the bulbous section is pressed against a container wall until the shank touches the wall, and the user operates the drill. Wall shavings (kerf) are confined in a chamber formed in the bulbous section as it folds when the shank advances inside the container. After sufficient advancement of the shank, an o-ring makes a seal with the container wall.

  18. Fast concentration of dissolved forms of cesium radioisotopes from large seawater samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jan Kamenik; Henrieta Dulaiova; Ferdinand Sebesta; Kamila St'astna; Czech Technical University, Prague

    2013-01-01

    The method developed for cesium concentration from large freshwater samples was tested and adapted for analysis of cesium radionuclides in seawater. Concentration of dissolved forms of cesium in large seawater samples (about 100 L) was performed using composite absorbers AMP-PAN and KNiFC-PAN with ammonium molybdophosphate and potassium–nickel hexacyanoferrate(II) as active components, respectively, and polyacrylonitrile as a binding polymer. A specially designed chromatography column with bed volume (BV) 25 mL allowed fast flow rates of seawater (up to 1,200 BV h -1 ). The recovery yields were determined by ICP-MS analysis of stable cesium added to seawater sample. Both absorbers proved usability for cesium concentration from large seawater samples. KNiFC-PAN material was slightly more effective in cesium concentration from acidified seawater (recovery yield around 93 % for 700 BV h -1 ). This material showed similar efficiency in cesium concentration also from natural seawater. The activity concentrations of 137 Cs determined in seawater from the central Pacific Ocean were 1.5 ± 0.1 and 1.4 ± 0.1 Bq m -3 for an offshore (January 2012) and a coastal (February 2012) locality, respectively, 134 Cs activities were below detection limit ( -3 ). (author)

  19. Aerosol Sampling System for Collection of Capstone Depleted Uranium Particles in a High-Energy Environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holmes, Thomas D.; Guilmette, Raymond A.; Cheng, Yung-Sung; Parkhurst, MaryAnn; Hoover, Mark D.

    2009-01-01

    The Capstone Depleted Uranium Aerosol Study was undertaken to obtain aerosol samples resulting from a kinetic-energy cartridge with a large-caliber depleted uranium (DU) penetrator striking an Abrams or Bradley test vehicle. The sampling strategy was designed to (1) optimize the performance of the samplers and maintain their integrity in the extreme environment created during perforation of an armored vehicle by a DU penetrator, (2) collect aerosols as a function of time post-impact, and (3) obtain size-classified samples for analysis of chemical composition, particle morphology, and solubility in lung fluid. This paper describes the experimental setup and sampling methodologies used to achieve these objectives. Custom-designed arrays of sampling heads were secured to the inside of the target in locations approximating the breathing zones of the vehicle commander, loader, gunner, and driver. Each array was designed to support nine filter cassettes and nine cascade impactors mounted with quick-disconnect fittings. Shielding and sampler placement strategies were used to minimize sampler loss caused by the penetrator impact and the resulting fragments of eroded penetrator and perforated armor. A cyclone train was used to collect larger quantities of DU aerosol for chemical composition and solubility. A moving filter sample was used to obtain semicontinuous samples for depleted uranium concentration determination. Control for the air samplers was provided by five remotely located valve control and pressure monitoring units located inside and around the test vehicle. These units were connected to a computer interface chassis and controlled using a customized LabVIEW engineering computer control program. The aerosol sampling arrays and control systems for the Capstone study provided the needed aerosol samples for physicochemical analysis, and the resultant data were used for risk assessment of exposure to DU aerosol

  20. Molecular dynamics based enhanced sampling of collective variables with very large time steps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Pei-Yang; Tuckerman, Mark E.

    2018-01-01

    Enhanced sampling techniques that target a set of collective variables and that use molecular dynamics as the driving engine have seen widespread application in the computational molecular sciences as a means to explore the free-energy landscapes of complex systems. The use of molecular dynamics as the fundamental driver of the sampling requires the introduction of a time step whose magnitude is limited by the fastest motions in a system. While standard multiple time-stepping methods allow larger time steps to be employed for the slower and computationally more expensive forces, the maximum achievable increase in time step is limited by resonance phenomena, which inextricably couple fast and slow motions. Recently, we introduced deterministic and stochastic resonance-free multiple time step algorithms for molecular dynamics that solve this resonance problem and allow ten- to twenty-fold gains in the large time step compared to standard multiple time step algorithms [P. Minary et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 150201 (2004); B. Leimkuhler et al., Mol. Phys. 111, 3579-3594 (2013)]. These methods are based on the imposition of isokinetic constraints that couple the physical system to Nosé-Hoover chains or Nosé-Hoover Langevin schemes. In this paper, we show how to adapt these methods for collective variable-based enhanced sampling techniques, specifically adiabatic free-energy dynamics/temperature-accelerated molecular dynamics, unified free-energy dynamics, and by extension, metadynamics, thus allowing simulations employing these methods to employ similarly very large time steps. The combination of resonance-free multiple time step integrators with free-energy-based enhanced sampling significantly improves the efficiency of conformational exploration.

  1. Radiological results for samples collected on paired glass- and cellulose-fiber filters at the Sandia complex, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizell, Steve A.; Shadel, Craig A.

    2016-01-01

    Airborne particulates are collected at U.S. Department of Energy sites that exhibit radiological contamination on the soil surface to help assess the potential for wind to transport radionuclides from the contamination sites. Collecting these samples was originally accomplished by drawing air through a cellulose-fiber filter. These filters were replaced with glass-fiber filters in March 2011. Airborne particulates were collected side by side on the two filter materials between May 2013 and May 2014. Comparisons of the sample mass and the radioactivity determinations for the side-by-side samples were undertaken to determine if the change in the filter medium produced significant results. The differences in the results obtained using the two filter types were assessed visually by evaluating the time series and correlation plots and statistically by conducting a nonparametric matched-pair sign test. Generally, the glass-fiber filters collect larger samples of particulates and produce higher radioactivity values for the gross alpha, gross beta, and gamma spectroscopy analyses. However, the correlation between the radioanalytical results for the glass-fiber filters and the cellulose-fiber filters was not strong enough to generate a linear regression function to estimate the glass-fiber filter sample results from the cellulose-fiber filter sample results.

  2. Sample management implementation plan: Salt Repository Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-01-01

    The purpose of the Sample Management Implementation Plan is to define management controls and building requirements for handling materials collected during the site characterization of the Deaf Smith County, Texas, site. This work will be conducted for the US Department of Energy Salt Repository Project Office (SRPO). The plan provides for controls mandated by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Salt Repository Project (SRP) Sample Management will interface with program participants who request, collect, and test samples. SRP Sample Management will be responsible for the following: (1) preparing samples; (2) ensuring documentation control; (3) providing for uniform forms, labels, data formats, and transportation and storage requirements; and (4) identifying sample specifications to ensure sample quality. The SRP Sample Management Facility will be operated under a set of procedures that will impact numerous program participants. Requesters of samples will be responsible for definition of requirements in advance of collection. Sample requests for field activities will be approved by the SRPO, aided by an advisory group, the SRP Sample Allocation Committee. This document details the staffing, building, storage, and transportation requirements for establishing an SRP Sample Management Facility. Materials to be managed in the facility include rock core and rock discontinuities, soils, fluids, biota, air particulates, cultural artifacts, and crop and food stuffs. 39 refs., 3 figs., 11 tabs

  3. Macroinvertebrate and algal community sample collection methods and data collected at selected sites in the Eagle River watershed, Colorado, 2000-07

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuellig, Robert E.; Bruce, James F.

    2010-01-01

    State and local agencies are concerned about the effects of increasing urban development and human population growth on water quality and the biological condition of regional streams in the Eagle River watershed. In response to these needs, the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a study in cooperation with the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Eagle County, Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority, Colorado Department of Transportation, City of Aurora, Town of Eagle, Town of Gypsum, Town of Minturn, Town of Vail, Vail Resorts, Colorado Springs Utilities, Denver Water, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. As part of this study, previously collected macroinvertebrate and algal data from the Eagle River watershed were compiled. This report includes macroinvertebrate data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and(or) the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service from 73 sites from 2000 to 2007 and algal data collected from up to 26 sites between 2000 and 2001 in the Eagle River watershed. Additionally, a brief description of the sample collection methods and data processing procedures are presented.

  4. Acceptability and usability of self-collected sampling for HPV testing among African-American women living in the Mississippi Delta.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scarinci, Isabel C; Litton, Allison G; Garcés-Palacio, Isabel C; Partridge, Edward E; Castle, Philip E

    2013-01-01

    Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing has been shown to be an effective approach to cervical cancer screening, and self-collection sampling for HPV testing could be a potential alternative to Pap test, provided that women who tested positive by any method get timely follow-up and care. This feasibility study examined acceptability and usability of self-collected sampling for HPV testing among African-American (AA) women in the Mississippi Delta to inform the development of interventions to promote cervical cancer screening in this population. The study consisted of two phases. Phase I consisted of eight focus groups (n = 87) with AA women to explore knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about cervical cancer and HPV infection as well as acceptability of self-collected sampling for HPV testing. In phase II, we examined the usability of this technology through one discussion group (n = 9). The Health Belief Model guided data collection and analysis. Although participants perceived themselves as susceptible to cervical cancer and acknowledged its severity, there was a lack of knowledge of the link between HPV and cervical cancer, and they expressed a number of misconceptions. The most frequent barriers to screening included embarrassment, discomfort, and fear of the results. Women in both phases were receptive to self-collected sampling for HPV testing. All participants in the usability phase expressed that self-collection was easy and they did not experience any difficulties. Self-collection for HPV testing is an acceptable and feasible method among AA women in the Mississippi Delta to complement current cytology cervical cancer screening programs. Copyright © 2013 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. 21 CFR 864.3260 - OTC test sample collection systems for drugs of abuse testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false OTC test sample collection systems for drugs of abuse testing. 864.3260 Section 864.3260 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Pathology...

  6. Determination of 36Cl in environmental samples collected in the JCO by AMS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seki, R.; Tsukuba Univ., Ibaraki; Arai, D.; Nagashima, Y.; Takahashi, T.; Matsuhiro, T.; Imanaka, T.

    2003-01-01

    Long-lived chlorine, 36 Cl (T 1/2 = 301,000 y) in environmental samples has been measured by the AMS system installed in Tandem Accelerator Center, University of Tsukuba. A tri-carbon-molecular 12 C 3 - pilot beam method is used to stabilize the terminal voltage of the tandem. A small amount of pure carbon graphite is well mixed into a AgCl target material for creating Cl - and 12 C 3 - in the ion source. A 36 S isobaric interference in the system is eliminated to determine 36 Cl in environmental samples by chemical procedure. Some samples containing chlorine such as soil, chemical reagents and table salt have been collected in the JCO criticality accident site and analyzed to detect neutron-induced 36 Cl. The experimental result has been compared with a theoretical calculation. (author)

  7. 75 FR 79068 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Form- DS-1950, Department of State Application...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-17

    .... Moore, Bureau of Human Resources, Recruitment Division, Student Programs, U.S. Department of State... a currently approved collection. Originating Office: Bureau of Human Resources, Office of Recruitment, Examination, Employment (HR/REE) Form Number: DS-1950. Respondents: U.S. Citizens seeking entry...

  8. Concentration and characteristics of depleted uranium in water, air and biological samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia Guogang; Belli, Maria; Sansone, Umberto; Rosamilia, Silvia; Gaudino, Stefania

    2005-01-01

    During the Balkan conflicts, in 1995 and 1999, depleted uranium (DU) rounds were employed and were left in the battlefield. Health concern is related to the risk arising from contamination of the environment with DU penetrators and dust. In order to evaluate the impact of DU on the environment and population in Serbia and Montenegro, radiological surveys of DU in water, air and biological samples were carried out over the period 27 October-5 November 2001. The uranium isotopic concentrations in biological samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro, mainly lichens and barks, were found to be in the range of 0.67-704 Bq kg -1 for 238 U, 0.48-93.9 Bq kg -1 for 234 U and 0.02-12.2 Bq kg -1 for 235 U, showing uranium levels to be higher than in the samples collected at the control sites. Moreover, 236 U was detectable in some of the samples. The isotopic ratios of 234 U/ 238 U showed DU to be detectable in many biological samples at all examined sites, especially in Montenegro, indicating widespread ground-surface DU contamination, albeit at very low level. The uranium isotopic concentrations in air obtained from the air filter samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro were found to be in the range of 1.99-42.1 μBq m -3 for 238 U, 0.96-38.0 μBq m -3 for 234 U, and 0.05-1.83 μBq m -3 for 235 U, being in the typical range of natural uranium values. Thus said, most of the air samples are DU positive, this fact agreeing well with the widespread DU contamination detected in the biological samples. The uranium concentrations in water samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro were found to be in the range of 0.40-21.9 mBq l -1 for 238 U, 0.27-28.1 mBq l -1 for 234 U, and 0.01-0.88 mBq l -1 for 235 U, these values being much lower than those in mineral water found in central Italy and below the WHO guideline for drinking water. From a radiotoxicological point of view, at this moment there is no significant radiological risk related to these investigated sites in terms of

  9. Concentration and characteristics of depleted uranium in water, air and biological samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Guogang; Belli, Maria; Sansone, Umberto; Rosamilia, Silvia; Gaudino, Stefania

    2005-09-01

    During the Balkan conflicts, in 1995 and 1999, depleted uranium (DU) rounds were employed and were left in the battlefield. Health concern is related to the risk arising from contamination of the environment with DU penetrators and dust. In order to evaluate the impact of DU on the environment and population in Serbia and Montenegro, radiological surveys of DU in water, air and biological samples were carried out over the period 27 October-5 November 2001. The uranium isotopic concentrations in biological samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro, mainly lichens and barks, were found to be in the range of 0.67-704 Bqkg(-1) for (238)U, 0.48-93.9 Bqkg(-1) for (234)U and 0.02-12.2 Bqkg(-1) for (235)U, showing uranium levels to be higher than in the samples collected at the control sites. Moreover, (236)U was detectable in some of the samples. The isotopic ratios of (234)U/(238)U showed DU to be detectable in many biological samples at all examined sites, especially in Montenegro, indicating widespread ground-surface DU contamination, albeit at very low level. The uranium isotopic concentrations in air obtained from the air filter samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro were found to be in the range of 1.99-42.1 microBqm(-3) for (238)U, 0.96-38.0 microBqm(-3) for (234)U, and 0.05-1.83 microBqm(-3) for (235)U, being in the typical range of natural uranium values. Thus said, most of the air samples are DU positive, this fact agreeing well with the widespread DU contamination detected in the biological samples. The uranium concentrations in water samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro were found to be in the range of 0.40-21.9 mBql(-1) for (238)U, 0.27-28.1 mBql(-1) for (234)U, and 0.01-0.88 mBql(-1) for (235)U, these values being much lower than those in mineral water found in central Italy and below the WHO guideline for drinking water. From a radiotoxicological point of view, at this moment there is no significant radiological risk related to these investigated

  10. Estimation of uranium in drinking water samples collected from different locations across Tarapur, India

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dusane, C.B.; Maity, Sukanta; Sahu, S.K.; Pandit, G.G.

    2015-01-01

    In this study, drinking water samples were collected from different locations across Tarapur, India for screening uranium contents. Uranium concentrations were determined by differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DPASV). Uranium concentration in water samples varied in a wide range from 0.6-7.9 μg L -1 . Results were compared with the international water quality guidelines World Health Organization (WHO, 2011) and were found within the permissible limit. Results were also compared with the safe limit values for drinking water recommended by national organization like Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). (author)

  11. Comparison of some properties of star forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei between two BOSS galaxy samples from SDSS DR9

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng Xin-Fa

    2014-01-01

    Using the LOWZ and CMASS samples of the ninth data release (DR9) from the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), I investigate properties of star forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The CMASS sample seriously suffers from the radial selection effect, even within the redshift 0.44 ≤ z ≤ 0.6, which will likely lead to statistical conclusions in the CMASS sample being less robust. In the LOWZ sample, the fraction of star-forming galaxies is nearly constant from the least dense regime to the densest regime; the AGN fraction is also insensitive to the local environment. In addition, I note that in the LOWZ sample, the distributions of stellar mass and stellar velocity dispersion for star forming galaxies and AGNs are nearly the same

  12. 78 FR 70570 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Arrival and Departure Record (Forms I-94 and I-94W) and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-26

    ... information technology; and (e) the annual costs burden to respondents or record keepers from the collection... estimated time to complete ESTA or Form I-94W. There are no proposed changes to Form I-94. Type of Review... Responses: 4,387,550. Estimated Time per Response: 8 minutes. Estimated Burden Hours: 583,544. Estimated...

  13. Use of a dry-plasma collection device to overcome problems with storage and transportation of blood samples for epidemiology studies in developing countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nurgalieva, Z Z; Almuchambetova, R; Machmudova, A; Kapsultanova, D; Osato, M S; Peacock, J; Zoltek, R P; Marchildon, P A; Graham, D Y; Zhangabylov, A

    2000-11-01

    Studies are difficult in areas lacking modern facilities due to the inability to reliably collect, store, and ship samples. Thus, we sought to evaluate the use of a dry plasma collection device for seroepidemiology studies. Plasma was obtained by fingerstick using a commercial dry plasma collection device (Chemcard Plasma Collection Device) and serum (venipuncture) from individuals in Kazakhstan. Plasma samples were air dried for 15 min and then stored desiccated in foil zip-lock pouches at 4 to 6 degrees C and subsequently shipped to the United States by air at ambient temperature. Serum samples remained frozen at -20 degrees C until assayed. Helicobacter pylori status was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (HM-CAP EIA) for the dry plasma and the serum samples. The results were concordant in 250 of the 289 cases (86.5%). In 25 cases (8.6%), the dry plasma samples gave indeterminate results and could not be retested because only one sample was collected. Five serum samples were positive, and the corresponding dry plasma samples were negative; one serum sample was negative, and the corresponding plasma sample was positive. The relative sensitivity and specificity of the Chemcard samples to serum were 97.6 and 97.9%, respectively, excluding those with indeterminate results. Repeated freeze-thawing had no adverse effect on the accuracy of the test. We found the dry plasma collection device to provide an accurate and practical alternative to serum when venipuncture may be difficult or inconvenient and sample storage and handling present difficulties, especially for seroepidemiologic studies in rural areas or developing countries and where freeze-thawing may be unavoidable.

  14. Vapor space characterization of waste tank 241-C-101: Results from samples collected on 9/1/94

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lucke, R.B.; Clauss, T.W.; Ligotke, M.W.

    1995-11-01

    This report describes results of the analyses of tank-headspace samples taken from the Hanford waste Tank 241-C-101 (referred to as Tank C-101) and the ambient air collected - 30 ft upwind near the tank and through the VSS near the tank. Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) contracted with Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to provide sampling devices and to analyze inorganic and organic analytes collected from the tank headspace and ambient air near the tank. The sample job was designated S4056, and samples were collected by WHC on September 1, 1994, using the vapor sampling system (VSS). The samples were inspected upon delivery to the 326/23B laboratory and logged into PNL record book 55408 before implementation of PNL Technical Procedure PNL-TVP-07. Custody of the sorbent traps was transferred to PNL personnel performing the inorganic analysis and stored at refrigerated (≤ 10 degrees C) temperature until the time of analysis. The canisters were stored in the 326/23B laboratory at ambient (25 degrees C) temperature until the time of the analysis. Access to the 326/23B laboratory is limited to PNL personnel working on the waste-tank safety program. Analyses described in this report were performed at PNL in the 300 area of the Hanford Reservation. Analytical methods that were used are described in the text. In summary, sorbent traps for inorganic analyses containing sample materials were either weighed (for water analysis) or desorbed with the appropriate aqueous solutions (for NH 3 , NO 2 , and NO analyses). The aqueous extracts were analyzed either by selective electrode or by ion chromatography (IC). Organic analyses were performed using cryogenic preconcentration followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)

  15. 76 FR 21946 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 990-BL; Schedule A (Form 990-BL), Form 6069

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-19

    ... Initial Excise Tax Return for Black Lung Benefit Trusts and Certain Related Persons, and Form 6069, Return of Excise Tax on Excess Contributions to Black Lung Benefit Trust Under Section 4953 and Computation...: Form 990-BL, Schedule A (Form 990-BL), Information and Initial Excise Tax Return for Black Lung Benefit...

  16. 75 FR 1084 - Agency Information Collection Activities: New Collection, Comments Requested

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-08

    ... be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget..., mechanical, or other technological collection techniques of other forms of information technology, e.g... information collection: New collection. (2) The title of the form/collection: InfraGard Knowledge/Skills...

  17. Challenges in collecting clinical samples for research from pregnant women of South Asian origin: evidence from a UK study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neelotpol, Sharmind; Hay, Alastair W M; Jolly, A Jim; Woolridge, Mike W

    2016-08-31

    To recruit South Asian pregnant women, living in the UK, into a clinicoepidemiological study for the collection of lifestyle survey data and antenatal blood and to retain the women for the later collection of cord blood and meconium samples from their babies for biochemical analysis. A longitudinal study recruiting pregnant women of South Asian and Caucasian origin living in the UK. Recruitment of the participants, collection of clinical samples and survey data took place at the 2 sites within a single UK Northern Hospital Trust. Pregnant women of South Asian origin (study group, n=98) and of Caucasian origin (comparison group, n=38) living in Leeds, UK. Among the participants approached, 81% agreed to take part in the study while a 'direct approach' method was followed. The retention rate of the participants was a remarkable 93.4%. The main challenges in recruiting the ethnic minority participants were their cultural and religious conservativeness, language barrier, lack of interest and feeling of extra 'stress' in taking part in research. The chief investigator developed an innovative participant retention method, associated with the women's cultural and religious practices. The method proved useful in retaining the participants for about 5 months and in enabling successful collection of clinical samples from the same mother-baby pairs. The collection of clinical samples and lifestyle data exceeded the calculated sample size required to give the study sufficient power. The numbers of samples obtained were: maternal blood (n=171), cord blood (n=38), meconium (n=176), lifestyle questionnaire data (n=136) and postnatal records (n=136). Recruitment and retention of participants, according to the calculated sample size, ensured sufficient power and success for a clinicoepidemiological study. Results suggest that development of trust and confidence between the participant and the researcher is the key to the success of a clinical and epidemiological study involving

  18. Bridging the gap between sample collection and laboratory analysis: using dried blood spots to identify human exposure to chemical agents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamelin, Elizabeth I.; Blake, Thomas A.; Perez, Jonas W.; Crow, Brian S.; Shaner, Rebecca L.; Coleman, Rebecca M.; Johnson, Rudolph C.

    2016-05-01

    Public health response to large scale chemical emergencies presents logistical challenges for sample collection, transport, and analysis. Diagnostic methods used to identify and determine exposure to chemical warfare agents, toxins, and poisons traditionally involve blood collection by phlebotomists, cold transport of biomedical samples, and costly sample preparation techniques. Use of dried blood spots, which consist of dried blood on an FDA-approved substrate, can increase analyte stability, decrease infection hazard for those handling samples, greatly reduce the cost of shipping/storing samples by removing the need for refrigeration and cold chain transportation, and be self-prepared by potentially exposed individuals using a simple finger prick and blood spot compatible paper. Our laboratory has developed clinical assays to detect human exposures to nerve agents through the analysis of specific protein adducts and metabolites, for which a simple extraction from a dried blood spot is sufficient for removing matrix interferents and attaining sensitivities on par with traditional sampling methods. The use of dried blood spots can bridge the gap between the laboratory and the field allowing for large scale sample collection with minimal impact on hospital resources while maintaining sensitivity, specificity, traceability, and quality requirements for both clinical and forensic applications.

  19. 75 FR 77906 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested: Drug...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-14

    ... Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested: Drug Questionnaire DEA Form 341 ACTION: 60...: Extension of a currently approved collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Drug Questionnaire (DEA Form... specific questions about their personal history, if any, of illegal drug use. (5) An estimate of the total...

  20. Influence of sexual stimulation on sperm parameters in semen samples collected via masturbation from normozoospermic men or cryptozoospermic men participating in an assisted reproduction programme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto, Y; Sofikitis, N; Mio, Y; Miyagawa, I

    2000-05-01

    To evaluate the influence of sexual stimulation via sexually stimulating videotaped visual images (VIM) on sperm function, two semen samples were collected from each of 19 normozoospermic men via masturbation with VIM. Two additional samples were collected from each man via masturbation without VIM. The volume of seminal plasma, total sperm count, sperm motility, percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa, outcome of hypo-osmotic swelling test and zona-free hamster oocyte sperm penetration assay, and markers of the secretory function of prostate were significantly larger in semen samples collected via masturbation with VIM than masturbation without VIM. The improved sperm parameters in the samples collected via masturbation with VIM may reflect an enhanced prostatic secretory function and increased loading of the vas deferens at that time. In a similar protocol, two semen samples were collected via masturbation with VIM from each of 22 non-obstructed azoospermic men. Semen samples from these men had been occasionally positive in the past for a very small number of spermatozoa (cryptozoospermic men). Two additional samples were collected from each cryptozoospermic man via masturbation without VIM. The volume of seminal plasma, total sperm count, sperm motility, and a marker of the secretory function of prostate were significantly larger in semen samples collected via masturbation with VIM. Fourteen out of the 22 men were negative for spermatozoa in both samples collected via masturbation without VIM. These men demonstrated spermatozoa in both samples collected via masturbation with VIM. Six men with immotile spermatozoa in both samples collected via masturbation without VIM exposed motile spermatozoa in both samples collected via masturbation with VIM. High sexual stimulation during masturbation with VIM results in recovery of spermatozoa of greater fertilizing potential both in normozoospermic and cryptozoospermic men. The appearance of spermatozoa after

  1. Analysis of dust samples collected from spent nuclear fuel interim storage containers at Hope Creek, Delaware, and Diablo Canyon, California

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bryan, Charles R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Enos, David George [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2014-07-01

    Potentially corrosive environments may form on the surface of spent nuclear fuel dry storage canisters by deliquescence of deposited dusts. To assess this, samples of dust were collected from in-service dry storage canisters at two near-marine sites, the Hope Creek and Diablo Canyon storage installations, and have been characterized with respect to mineralogy, chemistry, and texture. At both sites, terrestrially-derived silicate minerals, including quartz, feldspars, micas, and clays, comprise the largest fraction of the dust. Also significant at both sites were particles of iron and iron-chromium metal and oxides generated by the manufacturing process. Soluble salt phases were minor component of the Hope Creek dusts, and were compositionally similar to inland salt aerosols, rich in calcium, sulfate, and nitrate. At Diablo Canyon, however, sea-salt aerosols, occurring as aggregates of NaCl and Mg-sulfate, were a major component of the dust samples. The seasalt aerosols commonly occurred as hollow spheres, which may have formed by evaporation of suspended aerosol seawater droplets, possibly while rising through the heated annulus between the canister and the overpack. The differences in salt composition and abundance for the two sites are attributed to differences in proximity to the open ocean and wave action. The Diablo Canyon facility is on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, while the Hope Creek facility is on the shores of the Delaware River, several miles from the open ocean.

  2. Efficient removal of perfluorooctane sulfonate from aqueous film-forming foam solution by aeration-foam collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Pingping; Deng, Shubo; Maimaiti, Ayiguli; Wang, Bin; Huang, Jun; Wang, Yujue; Cousins, Ian T; Yu, Gang

    2018-07-01

    Aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) used in fire-fighting are one of the main contamination sources of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) to the subterranean environment, requiring high costs for remediation. In this study, a method that combined aeration and foam collection was presented to remove PFOS from a commercially available AFFF solution. The method utilized the strong surfactant properties of PFOS that cause it to be highly enriched at air-water interfaces. With an aeration flow rate of 75 mL/min, PFOS removal percent reached 96% after 2 h, and the PFOS concentration in the collected foam was up to 6.5 mmol/L, beneficial for PFOS recovery and reuse. Increasing the aeration flow rate, ionic strength and concentration of co-existing surfactant, as well as decreasing the initial PFOS concentration, increased the removal percents of PFOS by increasing the foam volume, but reduced the enrichment of PFOS in the foams. With the assistance of a co-existing hydrocarbon surfactant, PFOS removal percent was above 99.9% after aeration-foam collection for 2 h and the enrichment factor exceeded 8400. Aeration-foam collection was less effective for short-chain perfluoroalkyl substances due to their relatively lower surface activity. Aeration-foam collection was found to be effective for the removal of high concentrations of PFOS from AFFF-contaminated wastewater, and the concentrated PFOS in the collected foam can be reused. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Demonstration Exercise of a Validated Sample Collection Method for Powders Suspected of Being Biological Agents in Georgia 2006

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marsh, B.

    2007-01-01

    August 7, 2006 the state of Georgia conducted a collaborative sampling exercise between the Georgia National Guard 4th Civil Support Team Weapons of Mass Destruction (CST-WMD) and the Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health demonstrating a recently validated bulk powder sampling method. The exercise was hosted at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) at Glynn County, Georgia and involved the participation of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), Georgia National Guard, Georgia Public Health Laboratories, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Atlanta Office, Georgia Coastal Health District, and the Glynn County Fire Department. The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate a recently validated national sampling standard developed by the American Standards and Test Measures (ASTM) International; ASTM E2458 S tandard Practice for Bulk Sample Collection and Swab Sample Collection of Visible Powders Suspected of Being Biological Agents from Nonporous Surfaces . The intent of the exercise was not to endorse the sampling method, but to develop a model for exercising new sampling methods in the context of existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) while strengthening operational relationships between response teams and analytical laboratories. The exercise required a sampling team to respond real-time to an incident cross state involving a clandestine bio-terrorism production lab found within a recreational vehicle (RV). Sample targets consisted of non-viable gamma irradiated B. anthracis Sterne spores prepared by Dugway Proving Ground. Various spore concentration levels were collected by the ASTM method, followed by on- and off-scene analysis utilizing the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Laboratory Response Network (LRN) and National Guard Bureau (NGB) CST mobile Analytical Laboratory Suite (ALS) protocols. Analytical results were compared and detailed surveys of participant evaluation comments were examined. I will

  4. Concentration comparison of selected constituents between groundwater samples collected within the Missouri River alluvial aquifer using purge and pump and grab-sampling methods, near the city of Independence, Missouri, 2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krempa, Heather M.

    2015-10-29

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Independence, Missouri, Water Department, has historically collected water-quality samples using the purge and pump method (hereafter referred to as pump method) to identify potential contamination in groundwater supply wells within the Independence well field. If grab sample results are comparable to the pump method, grab samplers may reduce time, labor, and overall cost. This study was designed to compare constituent concentrations between samples collected within the Independence well field using the pump method and the grab method.

  5. CO2 isotope analyses using large air samples collected on intercontinental flights by the CARIBIC Boeing 767

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Assonov, S.S.; Brenninkmeijer, C.A.M.; Koeppel, C.; Röckmann, T.

    2009-01-01

    Analytical details for 13C and 18O isotope analyses of atmospheric CO2 in large air samples are given. The large air samples of nominally 300 L were collected during the passenger aircraft-based atmospheric chemistry research project CARIBIC and analyzed for a large number of trace gases and

  6. Fluid sampling tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, A.R.; Johnston, R.G.; Martinez, R.K.

    1999-05-25

    A fluid sampling tool is described for sampling fluid from a container. The tool has a fluid collecting portion which is drilled into the container wall, thereby affixing it to the wall. The tool may have a fluid extracting section which withdraws fluid collected by the fluid collecting section. The fluid collecting section has a fluted shank with an end configured to drill a hole into a container wall. The shank has a threaded portion for tapping the borehole. The shank is threadably engaged to a cylindrical housing having an inner axial passageway sealed at one end by a septum. A flexible member having a cylindrical portion and a bulbous portion is provided. The housing can be slid into an inner axial passageway in the cylindrical portion and sealed to the flexible member. The bulbous portion has an outer lip defining an opening. The housing is clamped into the chuck of a drill, the lip of the bulbous section is pressed against a container wall until the shank touches the wall, and the user operates the drill. Wall shavings (kerf) are confined in a chamber formed in the bulbous section as it folds when the shank advances inside the container. After sufficient advancement of the shank, an o-ring makes a seal with the container wall. 6 figs.

  7. Phosphorus forms of the surface sediment in the Iranian coast of the southern Caspian Sea

    OpenAIRE

    Nasrollahzadeh Saravi, H.; Pouraria, A.; Nowruzi, B.

    2015-01-01

    Sediments from the southern Caspian Sea, located in Iranian coast were examined on the basis of P-fractionation (five forms of phosphorus) by a sequential extraction scheme. Ninety-six surface sediment samples (for each season with triplicate) were collected from eight sampling transects in 10 and 100 m depths during summer and winter in 2010-2011. The result indicated that the most abundant forms of phosphorus were calcium bound phosphorus. Relative abundance of other forms of phosphorus fol...

  8. Assessment of high-risk human papillomavirus infections using clinician- and self-collected cervical sampling methods in rural women from far western Nepal.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Derek C Johnson

    Full Text Available Nepal has one of the highest cervical cancer rates in South Asia. Only a few studies in populations from urban areas have investigated type specific distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV in Nepali women. Data on high-risk HPV (HR-HPV types are not currently available for rural populations in Nepal. We aimed to assess the distribution of HR- HPV among rural Nepali women while assessing self-collected and clinician-collected cervico-vaginal specimens as sample collection methods for HPV screening.Study participants were recruited during a health camp conducted by Nepal Fertility Care Center in Achham District of rural far western Nepal. Women of reproductive age completed a socio-demographic and clinical questionnaire, and provided two specimens; one cervical-vaginal specimen using a self-collection method and another cervical specimen collected by health camp auxiliary nurse midwives during a pelvic examination. All samples were tested for 14 different HR-HPV mRNA and also specific for HPV16/18/45 mRNA.Of 261 women with both clinician- and self-collected cervical samples, 25 tested positive for HR-HPV, resulting in an overall HR-HPV prevalence of 9.6% (95% confidence Interval [CI]: 6.3-13.8. The overall Kappa value assessing agreement between clinician- and self-collected tests was 0.62 (95% CI: 0.43-0.81, indicating a "good" level of agreement. Abnormal cytology was reported for 8 women. One woman identified with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, and 7 women with high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL. Seven of the 8 women tested positive for HR-HPV (87.5% in clinician-collected samples and 6 in self-collected samples (75.0%.This is the first study to assess HR-HPV among rural Nepali women. Self-collected sampling methods should be the subject of additional research in Nepal for screening HR-HPV, associated with pre-cancer lesions and cancer, in women in rural areas with limited access to health services.

  9. 77 FR 50521 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for an Individual Fee Waiver, Form Number I-912...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services [OMB Control Number 1615... Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following information... households. The collection of information on Form I-912 is necessary in order for U.S. Citizenship and...

  10. Correlating activity incorporation with properties of oxide films formed on material samples exposed to BWR and PWR coolants in Finnish nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bojinov, M.; Kinnunen, P.; Laitinen, T.; Maekelae, K.; Saario, T.; Sirkiae, P. [VTT Industrial Systems, Espoo (Finland); Buddas, T.; Halin, M.; Kvarnstroem, R.; Tompuri, K. [Fortum Power and Heat Oy, Loviisa Power Plant, Loviisa (Finland); Helin, M.; Muttilainen, E.; Reinvall, A. [Teollisuuden Voima Oy, Olkiluoto (Finland)

    2002-07-01

    The extent of activity incorporation on primary circuit surfaces in nuclear power plants is connected to the chemical composition of the coolant, to the corrosion behaviour of the material surfaces and to the structure and properties of oxide films formed on circuit surfaces due to corrosion. Possible changes in operational conditions may induce changes in the structure of the oxide films and thus in the rate of activity incorporation. To predict these changes, experimental correlations between water chemistry, oxide films and activity incorporation, as well as mechanistic understanding of the related phenomena need to be established. In order to do this, flow-through cells with material samples and facilities for high-temperature water chemistry monitoring have been installed at Olkiluoto unit 1 (BWR) and Loviisa unit 1 (PWR) in spring 2000. The cells are being used for two major purposes: To observe the changes in the structure and activity levels of oxide films formed on material samples exposed to the primary coolant. Correlating these observations with the abundant chemical and radiochemical data on coolant composition, dose rates etc. collected routinely by the plant, as well as with high-temperature water chemistry monitoring data such as the corrosion potentials of relevant material samples, the redox potential and the high-temperature conductivity of the primary coolant. We describe in this paper the scope of the work, give examples of the observations made and summarize the results on oxide films that have been obtained during one full fuel cycle at both plants. (authors)

  11. 75 FR 51093 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-864, Form I-864A, Form I-864EZ, and Form I-864W...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information... of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the...: Form I-864, Form I-864A, Form I-864EZ, and Form I-864W; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services...

  12. Dental arch dimensions, form and tooth size ratio among a Saudi sample

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haidi Omar

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To determine the dental arch dimensions and arch forms in a sample of Saudi orthodontic patients, to investigate the prevalence of Bolton anterior and overall tooth size discrepancies, and to compare the effect of gender on the measured parameters. Methods: This study is a biometric analysis of dental casts of 149 young adults recruited from different orthodontic centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The dental arch dimensions were measured. The measured parameters were arch length, arch width, Bolton’s ratio, and arch form. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software version 22.0 (IBM Corporation, New York, USA; this cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2015 and May 2016. Results: Dental arch measurements, including inter-canine and inter-molar distance, were found to be significantly greater in males than females (p less than 0.05. The most prevalent dental arch forms were narrow tapered (50.3% and narrow ovoid (34.2%, respectively. The prevalence of tooth size discrepancy in all cases was 43.6% for anterior ratio and 24.8% for overall ratio. The mean Bolton’s anterior ratio in all malocclusion classes was 79.81%, whereas the mean Bolton’s overall ratio was 92.21%. There was no significant difference between males and females regarding Bolton’s ratio. Conclusion: The most prevalent arch form was narrow tapered, followed by narrow ovoid. Males generally had larger dental arch measurements than females, and the prevalence of tooth size discrepancy was more in Bolton’s anterior teeth ratio than in overall ratio.

  13. X RF measurement for sediment sample collected from the niles in Khartoum State

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohammed, Aisha Abdelgader Ahmed

    2015-04-01

    The goal of this study to determine the concentration of element (K, Ca Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Rb, Sr, Y and Zr) in sediment sample collected from thirty different sites from the three rivers in Khartoum state. X-ray fluorescence (X RF) was used to identify the element concentration. Validation of the equipment was done by measuring reference samples provided by IAEA. Iron was found to be the dominant element with concentration ranged between (13000 ppm) in the white nile to (101000 ppm) in the blue nile, Pb was found to be the lowest among the twelve elements measured with concentration ranged between (11.7 ppm) in the white nile to (28 ppm) in the river nile for all samples. In general there was no variation of the concentration of elements between the blue nile sediments and the river nile sediments and was found variation of concentration of elements between the white nile sediments and other two niles. (Author).

  14. Pre-Mission Input Requirements to Enable Successful Sample Collection by a Remote Field/EVA Team

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, B. A.; Young, K. E.; Lim, D. S.

    2015-01-01

    This paper is intended to evaluate the sample collection process with respect to sample characterization and decision making. In some cases, it may be sufficient to know whether a given outcrop or hand sample is the same as or different from previous sampling localities or samples. In other cases, it may be important to have more in-depth characterization of the sample, such as basic composition, mineralogy, and petrology, in order to effectively identify the best sample. Contextual field observations, in situ/handheld analysis, and backroom evaluation may all play a role in understanding field lithologies and their importance for return. For example, whether a rock is a breccia or a clast-laden impact melt may be difficult based on a single sample, but becomes clear as exploration of a field site puts it into context. The FINESSE (Field Investigations to Enable Solar System Science and Exploration) team is a new activity focused on a science and exploration field based research program aimed at generating strategic knowledge in preparation for the human and robotic exploration of the Moon, near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and Phobos and Deimos. We used the FINESSE field excursion to the West Clearwater Lake Impact structure (WCIS) as an opportunity to test factors related to sampling decisions. In contract to other technology-driven NASA analog studies, The FINESSE WCIS activity is science-focused, and moreover, is sampling-focused, with the explicit intent to return the best samples for geochronology studies in the laboratory. This specific objective effectively reduces the number of variables in the goals of the field test and enables a more controlled investigation of the role of the crewmember in selecting samples. We formulated one hypothesis to test: that providing details regarding the analytical fate of the samples (e.g. geochronology, XRF/XRD, etc.) to the crew prior to their traverse will result in samples that are more likely to meet specific analytical

  15. The effects of aging on compressive strength of low-level radioactive waste form samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McConnell, J.W. Jr.; Neilson, R.M. Jr.

    1996-06-01

    The Field Lysimeter Investigations: Low-Level Waste Data Base Development Program, funded by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), is (a) studying the degradation effects in organic ion-exchange resins caused by radiation, (b) examining the adequacy of test procedures recommended in the Branch Technical Position on Waste Form to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 61 using solidified ion-exchange resins, (c) obtaining performance information on solidified ion-exchange resins in a disposal environment, and (d) determining the condition of liners used to dispose ion-exchange resins. Compressive tests were performed periodically over a 12-year period as part of the Technical Position testing. Results of that compressive testing are presented and discussed. During the study, both portland type I-II cement and Dow vinyl ester-styrene waste form samples were tested. This testing was designed to examine the effects of aging caused by self-irradiation on the compressive strength of the waste forms. Also presented is a brief summary of the results of waste form characterization, which has been conducted in 1986, using tests recommended in the Technical Position on Waste Form. The aging test results are compared to the results of those earlier tests. 14 refs., 52 figs., 5 tabs

  16. POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON CONTAMINATION LEVELS IN COLLECTED SAMPLES FROM VICINITY OF A HIGHWAY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. V. Samimi ، R. Akbari Rad ، F. Ghanizadeh

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Tehran as the biggest city of Iran with a population of more than 10 millions has potentially high pollutant exposures of gas oil and gasoline combustion from vehicles that are commuting in the highways every day. The vehicle exhausts contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are produced by incomplete combustion and can be directly deposited in the environment. In the present study, the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contamination in the collected samples of a western highway in Tehran was investigated. The studied location was a busy highway in Tehran. High performance liquid chromatography equipped with florescence detector was used for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations in the studied samples. Total concentration of the ten studied polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons compounds ranged from 11107 to 24342 ng/g dry weight in the dust samples and increased from 164 to 2886 ng/g dry weight in the soil samples taken from 300 m and middle of the highway, respectively. Also the average of Σ PAHs was 1759 ng/L in the water samples of pools in parks near the highway. The obtained results indicated that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contamination levels were very high in the vicinity of the highway.

  17. 77 FR 49831 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection, Comments Requested; Customer...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-17

    ... Collection Activities; Proposed Collection, Comments Requested; Customer Satisfaction Assessment ACTION: 30... Information Collection 1. Type of information collection: Customer survey. 2. The title of the form/collection: Customer Satisfaction Assessment. 3. The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the...

  18. 77 FR 36293 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection, Comments Requested: Customer...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-18

    ... Collection Activities; Proposed Collection, Comments Requested: Customer Satisfaction Assessment ACTION: 60... Information Collection 1. Type of information collection: Customer survey. 2. The title of the form/collection: Customer Satisfaction Assessment. 3. The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the...

  19. The concentration of Cs, Sr and other elements in water samples collected in a paddy field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ban-nai, Tadaaki; Hisamatsu, Shun'ichi; Yanai-Kudo, Masumi; Hasegawa, Hidenao; Torikai, Yuji

    2000-01-01

    To research elemental concentrations in soil water in a paddy field, samples of the soil water were collected with porous Teflon resin tubes which were buried in the field. The soil water collections were made at various depth, 2.5, 12.5, 25 and 35 cm from the surface in the paddy field, located in Rokkasho, Aomori, once every two weeks during the rice cultivation period, from May to October in 1998. The paddy field was irrigated from May 7th to July 20th, dried from July 20th to August 5th, then again irrigated until September 16th. Drastic changes of the alkaline earth metal elements, Fe and Mn in soil water samples were seen at the beginning and end of the midsummer drainage. The concentrations of Cs, Fe, Mn and NH 4 in soil water samples showed a similar variation pattern to that of alkaline earth metal elements in the waterlogged period. The change of redox potential was considered a possible cause for the concentration variation for these substances. (author)

  20. Urine concentrations of oral salbutamol in samples collected after intense exercise in endurance athletes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hostrup, Morten; Kalsen, Anders; Auchenberg, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Our objective was to investigate urine concentrations of 8 mg oral salbutamol in samples collected after intense exercise in endurance athletes. Nine male endurance athletes with a VO2max of 70.2 ± 5.9 mL/min/kg (mean ± SD) took part in the study. Two hours after administration of 8 mg oral...

  1. Evaluation of Trapper-Collected Nobuto Filter-Paper Blood Samples for Distemper and Parvovirus Antibody Detection in Coyotes (Canis latrans) and Raccoons (Procyon lotor).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamps, Amanda J; Dubay, Shelli A; Langenberg, Julie; Maes, Roger K

    2015-07-01

    Blood samples are often collected from free-ranging wildlife for antibody detection. However, filter-paper (FP) strips are more cost efficient and easy to collect and store. We evaluated trapper-collected FP strips and body-cavity blood for canine distemper (CDV) and parvovirus (CPV-2) antibody detection in raccoons (Procyon lotor) and coyotes (Canis latrans). From 2008 to 2010, licensed trappers near Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US collected paired samples from harvested animals. Canine distemper antibodies were detected using virus neutralization and parvovirus antibodies were detected using hemagglutination inhibition. Titers ≥ 1:32 for CDV and ≥ 1:25 for CPV-2 were considered evidence of exposure. Using Cohen's kappa test of agreement, FP strip titers agreed with sera for CDV in coyotes (n = 28, K = 0.772) and raccoons (n = 29, K = 0.858) and for CPV-2 in coyotes (n = 40, K = 0.775) and raccoons (n = 70, K = 0.646). However, raccoons determined to be exposed to CPV-2 from sera were unexposed by FP strips in 35% of the samples. Titer results may be affected by quality and volume of blood samples, interval between collection and processing, small sample sizes, and diagnostic testing procedures. Filter-paper strips can be useful for detecting CDV and CPV-2 exposure in coyotes and raccoons with correct field sample collection and appropriate diagnostic testing procedures.

  2. Seasonal associations and atmospheric transport distances of fungi in the genus Fusarium collected with unmanned aerial vehicles and ground-based sampling devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Binbin; Ross, Shane D.; Prussin, Aaron J.; Schmale, David G.

    2014-09-01

    Spores of fungi in the genus Fusarium may be transported through the atmosphere over long distances. New information is needed to characterize seasonal trends in atmospheric loads of Fusarium and to pinpoint the source(s) of inoculum at both local (farm) and regional (state or country) scales. We hypothesized that (1) atmospheric concentrations of Fusarium spores in an agricultural ecosystem vary with height and season and (2) transport distances from potential inoculum source(s) vary with season. To test these hypotheses, spores of Fusarium were collected from the atmosphere in an agricultural ecosystem in Blacksburg, VA, USA using a Burkard volumetric sampler (BVS) 1 m above ground level and autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) 100 m above ground level. More than 2200 colony forming units (CFUs) of Fusarium were collected during 104 BVS sampling periods and 180 UAV sampling periods over four calendar years (2009-2012). Spore concentrations ranged from 0 to 13 and 0 to 23 spores m-3 for the BVS and the UAVs, respectively. Spore concentrations were generally higher in the fall, spring, and summer, and lower in the winter. Spore concentrations from the BVS were generally higher than those from the UAVs for both seasonal and hourly collections. A Gaussian plume transport model was used to estimate distances to the potential inoculum source(s) by season, and produced mean transport distances of 1.4 km for the spring, 1.7 km for the summer, 1.2 km for the fall, and 4.1 km for the winter. Environmental signatures that predict atmospheric loads of Fusarium could inform disease spread, air pollution, and climate change.

  3. Headspace vapor characterization of Hanford Waste Tank SX-102: Results from samples collected on July 19, 1995. Tank Vapor Characterization Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McVeety, B.D.; Evans, J.C.; Clauss, T.W.; Pool, K.H.

    1996-05-01

    This report describes the results of vapor samples taken from the headspace of waste storage tank 241-SX-102 (Tank SX-102) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) contracted with Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to provide sampling devices and analyze samples for inorganic and organic analytes collected from the tank headspace and ambient air near the tank. The analytical work was performed under the PNNL Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) by the Tank Vapor Characterization Project. Work performed was based on a sample and analysis plan (SAP) prepared by WHC. The SAP provided job-specific instructions for samples, analyses, and reporting. The SAP for this sample job was open-quotes Vapor Sampling and Analysis Planclose quotes, and the sample job was designated S5046. Samples were collected by WHC on July 19, 1995, using the vapor sampling system (VSS), a truck-based sampling method using a heated probe inserted into the tank headspace

  4. Headspace vapor characterization of Hanford Waste Tank AX-103: Results from samples collected on June 21, 1995. Tank Vapor Characterization Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ligotke, M.W.; Pool, K.H.; Clauss, T.W.

    1996-05-01

    This report describes the results of vapor samples taken from the headspace of waste storage tank 241-AX-103 (Tank AX-103) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) contracted with Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to provide sampling devices and analyze samples for inorganic and organic analytes collected from the tank headspace and ambient air near the tank. The analytical work was performed by the PNNL Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) by the Tank Vapor Characterization Project. Work performed was based on a sample and analysis plan (SAP) prepared by WHC. The SAP provided job-specific instructions for samples, analyses, and reporting. The SAP for this sample job was open-quotes Vapor Sampling and Analysis Planclose quotes, and the sample job was designated S5029. Samples were collected by WHC on June 21, 1995, using the Vapor Sampling System (VSS), a truck-based sampling method using a heated probe inserted into the tank headspace

  5. Headspace vapor characterization of Hanford Waste Tank AX-101: Results from samples collected on June 15, 1995. Tank Vapor Characterization Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pool, K.H.; Clauss, T.W.; Evans, J.C.; McVeety, B.D.

    1996-05-01

    This report describes the results of vapor samples taken from the headspace of waste storage tank 241-AX-101 (Tank AX-101) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) contracted with Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to provide sampling devices and analyze samples for inorganic and organic analytes collected from the tank headspace and ambient air near the tank. The analytical work was performed by the PNNL Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) under the Tank Vapor Characterization Project. Work performed was based on a sample and analysis plan (SAP) prepared by WHC. The SAP provided job-specific instructions for samples, analyses, and reporting. The SAP for this sample job was open-quotes Vapor Sampling and Analysis Planclose quotes, and the sample job was designated S5028. Samples were collected by WHC on June 15, 1995, using the Vapor Sampling System (VSS), a truck-based sampling method using a heated probe inserted into the tank headspace

  6. Tracer techniques for urine volume determination and urine collection and sampling back-up system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez, R. V.

    1971-01-01

    The feasibility, functionality, and overall accuracy of the use of lithium were investigated as a chemical tracer in urine for providing a means of indirect determination of total urine volume by the atomic absorption spectrophotometry method. Experiments were conducted to investigate the parameters of instrumentation, tracer concentration, mixing times, and methods for incorporating the tracer material in the urine collection bag, and to refine and optimize the urine tracer technique to comply with the Skylab scheme and operational parameters of + or - 2% of volume error and + or - 1% accuracy of amount of tracer added to each container. In addition, a back-up method for urine collection and sampling system was developed and evaluated. This back-up method incorporates the tracer technique for volume determination in event of failure of the primary urine collection and preservation system. One chemical preservative was selected and evaluated as a contingency chemical preservative for the storage of urine in event of failure of the urine cooling system.

  7. Flora sampling in the vicinity of gamma greenhouse: As a flora sampling model for supporting the national nuclear power program (NPP)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Affrida Abu Hassan; Zaiton Ahmad; Ros Anita Ahmad Ramli; Shakinah Salleh; Norazlina Noordin; Salmah Moosa; Sakinah Ariffin; Salahbiah Abdul Majid; Nur Humaira Lau Abdullah; Mohd Zaidan Kandar; Abdul Rahim Harun

    2012-01-01

    Gamma Green House was used as a model to study radiation effects on flora and ecosystems in supporting the National Nuclear Power Programme (NPP). A task force was formed in BAB which consists of 3 main groups of flora, fauna and microorganisms. For the flora group, two sampling expeditions have been carried out on July 7, 2011 and March 2, 2012 with the assistant of experts from University Putra Malaysia. From these expeditions, a preliminary data on the types and distribution of plants in selected quadrants close to the Gamma Greenhouse has been successfully observed and the collected plant samples have been preserved as part of the herbarium collection. This paper will describe on the sampling activities and sample preservation. Knowledge gained from this study will be very useful as model for flora distribution baseline data at plant site(author)

  8. 75 FR 5853 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 13803

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-04

    ... 13803, Income Verification Express Service Application and Employee Delegation Form. DATES: Written... Application and Employee Delegation Form. OMB Number: 1545-2032. Form Number: Form 13803. Abstract: Form 13803, Income Verification Express Service Application and Employee Delegation Form, is used to submit the...

  9. Standard operating procedures for collection of soil and sediment samples for the Sediment-bound Contaminant Resiliency and Response (SCoRR) strategy pilot study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Shawn C.; Reilly, Timothy J.; Jones, Daniel K.; Benzel, William M.; Griffin, Dale W.; Loftin, Keith A.; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Cohl, Jonathan A.

    2015-12-17

    An understanding of the effects on human and ecological health brought by major coastal storms or flooding events is typically limited because of a lack of regionally consistent baseline and trends data in locations proximal to potential contaminant sources and mitigation activities, sensitive ecosystems, and recreational facilities where exposures are probable. In an attempt to close this gap, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has implemented the Sediment-bound Contaminant Resiliency and Response (SCoRR) strategy pilot study to collect regional sediment-quality data prior to and in response to future coastal storms. The standard operating procedure (SOP) detailed in this document serves as the sample-collection protocol for the SCoRR strategy by providing step-by-step instructions for site preparation, sample collection and processing, and shipping of soil and surficial sediment (for example, bed sediment, marsh sediment, or beach material). The objectives of the SCoRR strategy pilot study are (1) to create a baseline of soil-, sand-, marsh sediment-, and bed-sediment-quality data from sites located in the coastal counties from Maine to Virginia based on their potential risk of being contaminated in the event of a major coastal storm or flooding (defined as Resiliency mode); and (2) respond to major coastal storms and flooding by reoccupying select baseline sites and sampling within days of the event (defined as Response mode). For both modes, samples are collected in a consistent manner to minimize bias and maximize quality control by ensuring that all sampling personnel across the region collect, document, and process soil and sediment samples following the procedures outlined in this SOP. Samples are analyzed using four USGS-developed screening methods—inorganic geochemistry, organic geochemistry, pathogens, and biological assays—which are also outlined in this SOP. Because the SCoRR strategy employs a multi-metric approach for sample analyses, this

  10. EpiCollect+: linking smartphones to web applications for complex data collection projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aanensen, David M; Huntley, Derek M; Menegazzo, Mirko; Powell, Chris I; Spratt, Brian G

    2014-01-01

    Previously, we have described the development of the generic mobile phone data gathering tool, EpiCollect, and an associated web application, providing two-way communication between multiple data gatherers and a project database. This software only allows data collection on the phone using a single questionnaire form that is tailored to the needs of the user (including a single GPS point and photo per entry), whereas many applications require a more complex structure, allowing users to link a series of forms in a linear or branching hierarchy, along with the addition of any number of media types accessible from smartphones and/or tablet devices (e.g., GPS, photos, videos, sound clips and barcode scanning). A much enhanced version of EpiCollect has been developed (EpiCollect+). The individual data collection forms in EpiCollect+ provide more design complexity than the single form used in EpiCollect, and the software allows the generation of complex data collection projects through the ability to link many forms together in a linear (or branching) hierarchy. Furthermore, EpiCollect+ allows the collection of multiple media types as well as standard text fields, increased data validation and form logic. The entire process of setting up a complex mobile phone data collection project to the specification of a user (project and form definitions) can be undertaken at the EpiCollect+ website using a simple 'drag and drop' procedure, with visualisation of the data gathered using Google Maps and charts at the project website. EpiCollect+ is suitable for situations where multiple users transmit complex data by mobile phone (or other Android devices) to a single project web database and is already being used for a range of field projects, particularly public health projects in sub-Saharan Africa. However, many uses can be envisaged from education, ecology and epidemiology to citizen science.

  11. Determination of different contaminants in selective drinking water samples collected from Peshawar valley area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ihsanullah; Khan, M.; Khattak, T.N.; Sattar, A.

    1999-01-01

    Among the pollutants carried through sewage, industrial effluents, fertilizers, pesticides; heavy metals and various pathogenic bacteria are directly related to human/animal diseases. Samples of drinking water were collected from different locations, in the Peshawar area. Cadmium, lead and copper levels in these samples were determined by potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA). The data indicated wide variation in the concentration of these heavy metals. Variation in results is discussed on the basis of some possible sources of contamination. The concentration of cadmium and lead in all the samples was higher compared to the values given in the guideline of World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking water. Copper was below the detection limit in majority of the samples. The values of Cd, Pb and Cu were in the range of 0.023-2.75, 0.025-1.88 and 0-0.67 mg/1 respectively. Various physical quality indices (ph, electrical conductivity and total solids) and pathogenic bacteria (E. coli and total coliforms) were also determined in water samples. Most of the drinking waters was found contaminated with higher levels of Cd and Pb and pathogenic bacteria and hence, considered unfit for drinking purposes. (author)

  12. Closed-Form Representations of the Density Function and Integer Moments of the Sample Correlation Coefficient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serge B. Provost

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper provides a simplified representation of the exact density function of R, the sample correlation coefficient. The odd and even moments of R are also obtained in closed forms. Being expressed in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions, the resulting representations are readily computable. Some numerical examples corroborate the validity of the results derived herein.

  13. Composition of Trace Metals in Dust Samples Collected from Selected High Schools in Pretoria, South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. O. Olowoyo

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Potential health risks associated with trace metal pollution have necessitated the importance of monitoring their levels in the environment. The present study investigated the concentrations and compositions of trace metals in dust samples collected from classrooms and playing ground from the selected high schools In Pretoria. Schools were selected from Pretoria based on factors such as proximity to high traffic ways, industrial areas, and residential areas. Thirty-two dust samples were collected from inside and outside the classrooms, where learners often stay during recess period. The dust samples were analysed for trace metal concentrations using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS. The composition of the elements showed that the concentrations of Zn were more than all other elements except from one of the schools. There were significant differences in the concentrations of trace metals from the schools (p<0.05. Regular cleaning, proximity to busy road, and well maintained gardens seem to have positive effects on the concentrations of trace metals recorded from the classrooms dust. The result further revealed a positive correlation for elements such as Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Sb, indicating that the dust might have a common source.

  14. Collection, pre-treatment and analyses of Cs-137 and Tc-99 in marine samples at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Norway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heldal, H.E.

    2010-01-01

    Full text: The Institute of Marine Research (IMR) is an important contributor to the Norwegian marine monitoring programme RAME (Radioactivity in the Marine Environment). RAME is funded by the Ministry of the Environment and coordinated by the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA). Sample collection is performed from IMRs research vessels in the open sea areas of the North-, Norwegian- and Barents Seas and in Norwegian fjords. The samples consist of biota (fish and other marine organisms), sediments and seawater. Biota samples are frozen onboard the ship and transported to IMR where the samples are subsequently ground up, freeze dried, homogenized and aliquoted into polyethylene counting boxes of appropriate size prior to analysis. Attempts are made to collect filets from 25 fish for each sample of large fish such as cod, haddock, saithe, red-fish and Greenland halibut. For smaller fish (e.g. blue whiting, polar cod, capelin and Atlantic herring) and other organisms such as amphipods, krill, and deep-sea shrimps, a sample of 2-3 kg of each species is taken. These samples are ground up whole. Sediment samples are collected using a Smoegen boxcorer, from where both surface samples and cores are taken. The samples are frozen onboard the ship. While half-frozen, the cores are cut into slices of 1 or 2 cm thickness on board the ship, then frozen again and transported to IMR where they are treated as described above for the biota samples. Large volumes (typically 50-200 L) of seawater are needed in order to get enough material for analysis. Pre-treatment of the samples in the field is therefore an advantage. Surface samples (5 m) of seawater are collected from a shipboard pump, while a CTD-rosette multi-bottle sampler with 12 10 L samplers is used to collect seawater from depths below 5 meters. For the analysis of Cs-137, Cu 2 [Fe(CN) 6 ]-impregnated cotton filters are used for the pre-concentration. One pre-filter without impregnation, two Cu 2 [Fe(CN) 6

  15. NHEXAS PHASE I MARYLAND STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION, STORAGE, AND SHIPMENT OF URINE SAMPLES FOR METAL, PESTICIDE, AND CREATININE ANALYSIS (F10)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The purpose of this SOP is to describe the procedures for collection, storage, and shipment of urine samples for metal, pesticides, and creatinine analysis. Samples were collected on Days 2 and 8 of each Cycle. The Day 2 sample was analyzed for metals and creatinine. The Day 8...

  16. 76 FR 27088 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request-Agency Proposal for the Collection of Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-10

    .... AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with the..., New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503, Attention: Wendy Liberante, Desk Officer for U.S... information collection consists of five forms, namely the Sample Producers', Sample Importers', Sample...

  17. NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION, STORAGE AND SHIPMENT OF URINE SAMPLES FOR SELECTED METALS AND PESTICIDES (UA-F-20.1)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The purpose of this SOP is to guide the collection, storage, and shipment of urine samples collected for the NHEXAS Arizona project. This SOP provides a brief description of sample, collection, preservation, storage, shipping, and custody procedures. This procedure was followed ...

  18. Characterization Data Package for Containerized Sludge Samples Collected from Engineered Container SCS-CON-210

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fountain, Matthew S.; Fiskum, Sandra K.; Baldwin, David L.; Daniel, Richard C.; Bos, Stanley J.; Burns, Carolyn A.; Carlson, Clark D.; Coffey, Deborah S.; Delegard, Calvin H.; Edwards, Matthew K.; Greenwood, Lawrence R.; Neiner, Doinita; Oliver, Brian M.; Pool, Karl N.; Schmidt, Andrew J.; Shimskey, Rick W.; Sinkov, Sergey I.; Snow, Lanee A.; Soderquist, Chuck Z.; Thompson, Christopher J.; Trang-Le, Truc LT; Urie, Michael W.

    2013-09-10

    This data package contains the K Basin sludge characterization results obtained by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory during processing and analysis of four sludge core samples collected from Engineered Container SCS-CON-210 in 2010 as requested by CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company. Sample processing requirements, analytes of interest, detection limits, and quality control sample requirements are defined in the KBC-33786, Rev. 2. The core processing scope included reconstitution of a sludge core sample distributed among four to six 4-L polypropylene bottles into a single container. The reconstituted core sample was then mixed and subsampled to support a variety of characterization activities. Additional core sludge subsamples were combined to prepare a container composite. The container composite was fractionated by wet sieving through a 2,000 micron mesh and a 500-micron mesh sieve. Each sieve fraction was sampled to support a suite of analyses. The core composite analysis scope included density determination, radioisotope analysis, and metals analysis, including the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Hazardous Waste Facility Permit metals (with the exception of mercury). The container composite analysis included most of the core composite analysis scope plus particle size distribution, particle density, rheology, and crystalline phase identification. A summary of the received samples, core sample reconstitution and subsampling activities, container composite preparation and subsampling activities, physical properties, and analytical results are presented. Supporting data and documentation are provided in the appendices. There were no cases of sample or data loss and all of the available samples and data are reported as required by the Quality Assurance Project Plan/Sampling and Analysis Plan.

  19. Disposable Collection Kit for Rapid and Reliable Collection of Saliva

    OpenAIRE

    Yamaguchi, Masaki; Tezuka, Yuki; Takeda, Kazunori; Shetty, Vivek

    2015-01-01

    Objectives To describe and evaluate disposable saliva collection kit for rapid, reliable, and reproducible collection of saliva samples. Methods The saliva collection kit comprised of a saliva absorbent swab and an extractor unit was used to retrieve whole saliva samples from 10 subjects. The accuracy and precision of the extracted volumes (3, 10, and 30 ?l) were compared to similar volumes drawn from control samples obtained by passive drool. Additionally, the impact of kit collection method...

  20. Radioactivity measurements in moss (Hypnum cupressiforme) and lichen (Cladonia rangiformis) samples collected from Marmara region of Turkey

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Belivermis, Murat, E-mail: belmurat@istanbul.edu.t [Istanbul University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, 34134 Vezneciler, Istanbul (Turkey); Cotuk, Yavuz, E-mail: cotukyav@istanbul.edu.t [Istanbul University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, 34134 Vezneciler, Istanbul (Turkey)

    2010-11-15

    The present study was conducted to compare the {sup 137}Cs, {sup 40}K, {sup 232}Th, and {sup 238}U activity concentrations in epigeic moss (Hypnum cupressiforme) and lichen (Cladonia rangiformis). The activity levels in 37 moss and 38 lichen samples collected from the Marmara region of Turkey were measured using a gamma spectrometer equipped with a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The activity concentrations of {sup 137}Cs, {sup 40}K, {sup 232}Th, and {sup 238}U in the moss samples were found to be in the range of 0.36-8.13, 17.1-181.1, 1.51-6.17, and 0.87-6.70 Bq kg{sup -1} respectively, while these values were below detection limit (BDL)-4.32, 16.6-240.0, 1.32-6.47, and BDL-3.57 Bq kg{sup -1} respectively in lichen. The average moss/lichen activity ratios of {sup 137}Cs, {sup 40}K, {sup 232}Th, and {sup 238}U were found to be 1.32 {+-} 0.57, 2.79 {+-} 1.67, 2.11 {+-} 0.82, and 2.19 {+-} 1.02, respectively. Very low {sup 137}Cs concentrations were observed in moss and lichen samples compared to soil samples collected from the same locations in a previous study. Seasonal variations of the measured radionuclide activities were also examined in the three sampling stations.

  1. 75 FR 65499 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-600/I-600A, Extension of a Currently Approved...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-25

    ... Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative and Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition; OMB... encouraged and will be accepted until November 24, 2010. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR...) Title of the Form/Collection: Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative and Application for...

  2. 76 FR 32379 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-06

    ... authorization or employment clearance. 5. The number of annual respondents: 80. 6. The number of hours needed... Forms, or after having been granted an NRC access authorization or employment clearance. Form 354... information collection be minimized, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of...

  3. Analytical results for 544 water samples collected in the Attean Quartz Monzonite in the vicinity of Jackman, Maine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ficklin, W.H.; Nowlan, G.A.; Preston, D.J.

    1983-01-01

    Water samples were collected in the vicinity of Jackman, Maine as a part of the study of the relationship of dissolved constituents in water to the sediments subjacent to the water. Each sample was analyzed for specific conductance, alkalinity, acidity, pH, fluoride, chloride, sulfate, phosphate, nitrate, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and silica. Trace elements determined were copper, zinc, molybdenum, lead, iron, manganese, arsenic, cobalt, nickel, and strontium. The longitude and latitude of each sample location and a sample site map are included in the report as well as a table of the analytical results.

  4. 76 FR 80403 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed collection; Comments Request: Alien's Change...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-23

    ... collection; Comments Request: Alien's Change of Address Form: 33/BIA Board of Immigration Appeal; 33/IC... Collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Alien's Change of Address Forms 33/BIA Board of Immigration... send notices of the next administrative action or of any decisions in an alien's case. (5) An estimate...

  5. Identification of Colored Dyes that are Resistant to Fading on Exposure to Ethylene Oxide; Use with Indicating FTA™ Sample Collection Cards

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nina Moran

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Regulatory Standards and Forensic Communities are expressing an expectation for HID products to be certified as “DNA-free.” Recently, “DNA-free” status was described for HID-related products using ethylene oxide (EtO; this gas reduces the presence of amplifiable DNA and causes minimal interference to downstream HID-analytical methods. During sample collection, indicating cards, for example, Indicating FTA™ (GE Healthcare Life Sciences, UK, are used to collect and store buccal cell DNA. These cards contain a dye which changes color on application of a colorless sample. Generating “DNA-free” indicating cards using EtO should not impact the dyes' ability to indicate sample location or the efficacy of the card in downstream HID-analytical methods. This study was initiated to identify alternative dyes to those currently used with sample indicating collection cards. The most promising, dyes when applied to cellulose papers exhibited a uniform color distribution and excellent sample indicating properties even when mixed with chemicals associated with FTA™. When dyed cellulose papers were exposed to EtO, ultraviolet radiation, elevated temperature, and humidity, negligible fading or discoloration was observed. The presence of these dyes on cellulose papers did not interfere with direct short tandem repeat (STR profiling. Allelic concordance, first pass success rate, and mean peak heights were comparable to samples applied to Indicating FTA. Biological samples applied to EtO-treated dyed cellulose papers and stored >1 month produced full STR profiles of sufficient quality to allow submission to DNA databases, confirming negligible interference from EtO treatment. These alternative sample indicating dyes resist EtO-mediated fading while fulfilling the Forensic Community's expectation for “DNA-free” with negligible impact on collection card performance.

  6. Measurement of radon exhalation rates in some soil samples collected near the international monument Taj Mahal, Agra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, Jyoti; Kumar, Rupesh; Indolia, R.S.; Swarup, R.; Mahur, A.K.; Singh, Hargyan; Sonkawade, R.G.

    2011-01-01

    Human beings are exposed to ionizing radiation from natural sources due to the occurrence of natural radioactive elements in solids, rocks, sand, soil etc. used as building construction materials and to the internal exposure from radioactive elements through good, water and air. Radon exhalation rate is of prime importance for the estimation of radiation risk from various materials. In the present study soil samples collected near the Tajmahal Agra. Sealed Can Technique was adopted for radon exhalation measurements. All the soil samples collected were grinded, dried and sieved through a 100 mesh sieve. Equal amount of each sieved (100μm grain size) sample (100 gm) was placed at the base of the Cans of 7.5 cm height and 7.0 cm diameter similar to those used in the calibration experiment (Singh et al., 1997). LR-115 type II plastic track detector (2 cm x 2 cm) was fixed on the top inside of the cylindrical Can. Radon exhalation rate varies from 529 mBqm -2 h -1 to 1254 mBqm -2 h -1 . The results will be presented. (author)

  7. A Prototype Ice-Melting Probe for Collecting Biological Samples from Cryogenic Ice at Low Pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Ashley

    2017-08-01

    In the Solar System, the surface of an icy moon is composed of irregular ice formations at cryogenic temperatures (pumps. The device contains a heated conical probe with a central orifice, which is forced into surface ice and directs the meltwater upward into a reservoir. The force on the probe is proportional to the height of meltwater (pressure) obtained in the system and allows regulation of the melt rate and temperature of the sample. The device can collect 5-50 mL of meltwater from the surface of an ice block at 233-208 K with an environmental pressure of less than 10-2 atm while maintaining a sample temperature between 273 and 293 K. These conditions maintain most biological samples in a pristine state and maintain the integrity of most organisms' structure and function.

  8. 77 FR 32137 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested; Strategic...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-31

    ...] Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested; Strategic Planning... Form/Collection: Strategic Planning Environmental Assessment Outreach. (3) Agency form number, if any... satisfaction. This act requires that agencies update and revise their strategic plans every three years. The...

  9. Effects of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) form and administration mode on PABA recovery in 24-hour urine collections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Rashmi S; Joy, Raechel C; Boushey, Carol J; Ferruzzi, Mario G; Leonov, Alexei P; McCrory, Megan A

    2014-03-01

    Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) has long been used as an objective measure to assess completeness of 24-hour urine collections. However, pharmaceutical-grade PABA for human ingestion is not available in the United States. An alternative, the potassium salt of PABA, aminobenzoate potassium, can be obtained for clinical use, although it has not yet been validated in this role. Both PABA and aminobenzoate potassium can be directly ingested in their tablet or capsule forms or added to food before consumption. Our aim was to investigate the effect of form (PABA vs aminobenzoate potassium) and administration mode (directly ingested as a tablet/capsule vs added to food) on urinary PABA recovery levels. Twenty healthy participants underwent 3 test days separated by two 24-hour wash-out periods. Three test conditions, one on each test day, were investigated in randomized order: PABA tablet, aminobenzoate potassium capsule, and PABA or aminobenzoate potassium in food. Ingestion of each dose was supervised and participants performed the 24-hour urine collections while free-living. The 24-hour urine collections were analyzed for PABA recovery (%R) levels using a colorimetric assay. Recoveries 85% to 110% were deemed complete and those >110% were reanalyzed by high pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Only complete collections (>85%R) were included in analyses. The recovery for the PABA tablet, aminobenzoate potassium capsule, and PABA/aminobenzoate potassium in food were similar at 98.8%R±2.0%R, 95.1%R±2.3%R, and 93.2%R±2.1%R, respectively, and did not differ significantly. These results suggest that aminobenzoate potassium may be used as an alternative to PABA for assessing the completeness of 24-hour urine collections and to track compliance with consuming provided diets in community-dwelling studies. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. 76 FR 64377 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested: Alien's Change...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-18

    ... Collection; Comments Requested: Alien's Change of Address Forms: 33/BIA Board of Immigration Appeals and 33... approved collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Alien's Change of Address Forms: 33/BIA Board of... determine where to send notices of the next administrative action or of any decisions in an alien's case. (5...

  11. Headspace vapor characterization of Hanford Waste Tank 241-T-110: Results from samples collected on August 31, 1995. Tank Vapor Characterization Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McVeety, B.D.; Thomas, B.L.; Evans, J.C.

    1996-05-01

    This report describes the results of vapor samples taken from the headspace of waste storage tank 241-T-110 (Tank T-110) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) contracted with Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to provide sampling devices and analyze samples for inorganic and organic analytes collected from the tank headspace and ambient air near the tank. The analytical work was performed by the PNNL Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) by the Tank Vapor Characterization Project. Work performed was based on a sample and analysis plan (SAP) prepared by WHC. The SAP provided job-specific instructions for samples, analyses, and reporting. The SAP for this sample job was open-quotes Vapor Sampling and Analysis Planclose quotes, and the sample job was designated S5056. Samples were collected by WHC on August 31, 1995, using the Vapor Sampling System (VSS), a truck-based sampling method using a heated probe inserted into the tank headspace

  12. Headspace vapor characterization of Hanford Waste Tank 241-TX-111: Results from samples collected on October 12, 1995. Tank Vapor Characterization Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pool, K.H.; Clauss, T.W.; Evans, J.C.

    1996-06-01

    This report describes the results of vapor samples taken from the headspace of waste storage tank 241-TX-111 (Tank TX-111) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) contracted with Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to provide sampling devices and analyze samples for inorganic and organic analytes collected from the tank headspace and ambient air near the tank. The analytical work was performed by the PNNL Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) by the Tank Vapor Characterization Project. Work performed was based on a sample and analysis plan (SAP) prepared by WHC. The SAP provided job-specific instructions for samples, analyses, and reporting. The SAP for this sample job was open-quotes Vapor Sampling and Analysis Planclose quotes, and the sample job was designated S5069. Samples were collected by WHC on October 12, 1995, using the Vapor Sampling System (VSS), a truck-based sampling method using a heated probe inserted into the tank headspace

  13. Headspace vapor characterization of Hanford Waste Tank 241-SX-109: Results from samples collected on August 1, 1995. Tank Vapor Characterization Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pool, K.H.; Clauss, T.W.; Evans, J.C.

    1996-05-01

    This report describes the results of vapor samples taken from the headspace of waste storage tank 241-SX-109 (Tank SX-109) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) contracted with Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to provide sampling devices and analyze samples for inorganic and organic analytes collected from the tank headspace and ambient air near the tank. The analytical work was performed by the PNNL Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) by the Tank Vapor Characterization Project. Work performed was based on a sample and analysis plan (SAP) prepared by WHC. The SAP provided job-specific instructions for samples, analyses, and reporting. The SAP for this sample job was open-quotes Vapor Sampling and Analysis Planclose quotes, and the sample job was designated S5048. Samples were collected by WHC on August 1, 1995, using the Vapor Sampling System (VSS), a truck-based sampling method using a heated probe inserted into the tank headspace

  14. Headspace vapor characterization of Hanford Waste Tank 241-SX-104: Results from samples collected on July 25, 1995. Tank Vapor Characterization Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, B.L.; Clauss, T.W.; Evans, J.C.

    1996-05-01

    This report describes the results of vapor samples taken from the headspace of waste storage tank 241-SX-104 (Tank SX-104) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) contracted with Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to provide sampling devices and analyze samples for inorganic and organic analytes collected from the tank headspace and ambient air near the tank. The analytical work was performed by the PNNL Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) by the Tank Vapor Characterization Project. Work performed was based on a sample and analysis plan (SAP) prepared by WHC. The SAP provided job-specific instructions for samples, analyses, and reporting. The SAP for this sample job was open-quotes Vapor Sampling and Analysis Planclose quotes, and the sample job was designated S5049. Samples were collected by WHC on July 25, 1995, using the Vapor Sampling System (VSS), a truck-based sampling method using a heated probe inserted into the tank headspace

  15. Headspace vapor characterization of Hanford Waste Tank 241-S-112: Results from samples collected on July 11, 1995. Tank Vapor Characterization Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clauss, T.W.; Pool, K.H.; Evans, J.C.

    1996-05-01

    This report describes the results of vapor samples taken from the headspace of waste storage Tank 241-S-112 (Tank S-112) at the Hanford. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is contracted with Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to provide sampling devices and analyze samples for inorganic and organic analytes collected from the tank headspace and ambient air near the tank. The analytical work was performed by the PNNL Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) by the Tank Vapor Characterization Project. Work performed was based on a sample and analysis plan (SAP) prepared by WHC. The SAP provided job-specific instructions for samples, analyses, and reporting. The SAP for this sample job was open-quotes Vapor Sampling and Analysis Planclose quotes, and the sample job was designated S5044. Samples were collected by WHC on July 11, 1995, using the Vapor Sampling System (VSS), a truck-based sampling method using a heated probe inserted into the tank headspace

  16. Headspace vapor characterization of Hanford Waste Tank 241-SX-105: Results from samples collected on July 26, 1995. Tank Vapor Characterization Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pool, K.H.; Clauss, T.W.; Evans, J.C.

    1996-05-01

    This report describes the results of vapor samples taken from the headspace of waste storage tank 241-SX-105 (Tank SX-105) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) contracted with Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) to provide sampling devices and analyze samples for inorganic and organic analytes collected from the tank headspace and ambient air near the tank. The analytical work was performed by the PNNL Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) by the Tank Vapor Characterization Project. Work performed was based on a sample and analysis plan (SAP) prepared by WHC. The SAP provided job-specific instructions for samples, analyses, and reporting. The SAP for this sample job was open-quotes Vapor Sampling and Analysis Planclose quotes, and the sample job was designated S5047. Samples were collected by WHC on July 26, 1995, using the Vapor Sampling System (VSS), a truck-based sampling method using a heated probe inserted into the tank headspace

  17. The international Genome sample resource (IGSR): A worldwide collection of genome variation incorporating the 1000 Genomes Project data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Laura; Fairley, Susan; Zheng-Bradley, Xiangqun; Streeter, Ian; Perry, Emily; Lowy, Ernesto; Tassé, Anne-Marie; Flicek, Paul

    2017-01-04

    The International Genome Sample Resource (IGSR; http://www.internationalgenome.org) expands in data type and population diversity the resources from the 1000 Genomes Project. IGSR represents the largest open collection of human variation data and provides easy access to these resources. IGSR was established in 2015 to maintain and extend the 1000 Genomes Project data, which has been widely used as a reference set of human variation and by researchers developing analysis methods. IGSR has mapped all of the 1000 Genomes sequence to the newest human reference (GRCh38), and will release updated variant calls to ensure maximal usefulness of the existing data. IGSR is collecting new structural variation data on the 1000 Genomes samples from long read sequencing and other technologies, and will collect relevant functional data into a single comprehensive resource. IGSR is extending coverage with new populations sequenced by collaborating groups. Here, we present the new data and analysis that IGSR has made available. We have also introduced a new data portal that increases discoverability of our data-previously only browseable through our FTP site-by focusing on particular samples, populations or data sets of interest. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  18. Cortisol and prolactin concentrations during repeated blood sample collection from freely moving, mouse-sized mammals (Phodopus spp.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reburn, C J; Wynne-Edwards, K E

    2000-04-01

    Validation of a method for obtaining blood samples that does not change cortisol or prolactin concentrations yet allows serial blood samples to be collected from animals under anesthesia, without prior handling, from freely interacting social groups of small mammals. Results from five experiments are reported. Male dwarf hamsters (Phodopus spp.) were housed in modified home cages under continuous flow of compressed air that could be switched to isoflurane in O2 vehicle without approaching the cages. Dwarf hamsters respond to manual restraint with behavioral distress and increase in the concentration of the dominant glucocorticoid, cortisol, and decrease in prolactin concentration. Both effects are evident within one minute. In contrast, when this new method was used, neither cortisol nor prolactin changed in response to repeated sample collection (up to 8 successive samples at 2 hour intervals), prolonged isoflurane exposure, or substantial blood volume reduction (30%). Prolactin concentration was suppressed and cortisol concentration was increased in response to stimuli from other hamsters tested without anesthesia. Suppression of prolactin concentration was graded in response to the degree of stress and equaled the pharmacologic reduction caused by bromocryptine mesylate (50 microg of CB154 x 3 days). The technique is superior to alternatives for studies of behavioral endocrinology of freely interacting small mammals.

  19. Feasibility of automated speech sample collection with stuttering children using interactive voice response (IVR) technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogel, Adam P; Block, Susan; Kefalianos, Elaina; Onslow, Mark; Eadie, Patricia; Barth, Ben; Conway, Laura; Mundt, James C; Reilly, Sheena

    2015-04-01

    To investigate the feasibility of adopting automated interactive voice response (IVR) technology for remotely capturing standardized speech samples from stuttering children. Participants were 10 6-year-old stuttering children. Their parents called a toll-free number from their homes and were prompted to elicit speech from their children using a standard protocol involving conversation, picture description and games. The automated IVR system was implemented using an off-the-shelf telephony software program and delivered by a standard desktop computer. The software infrastructure utilizes voice over internet protocol. Speech samples were automatically recorded during the calls. Video recordings were simultaneously acquired in the home at the time of the call to evaluate the fidelity of the telephone collected samples. Key outcome measures included syllables spoken, percentage of syllables stuttered and an overall rating of stuttering severity using a 10-point scale. Data revealed a high level of relative reliability in terms of intra-class correlation between the video and telephone acquired samples on all outcome measures during the conversation task. Findings were less consistent for speech samples during picture description and games. Results suggest that IVR technology can be used successfully to automate remote capture of child speech samples.

  20. 77 FR 39259 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comments Requested: Body Armor in...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-02

    ...: Establishment survey and initial approval of collection. (2) Title of Form/Collection: Body Armor in Correctional Institutions Survey. The collections include the forms Body Armor Administrative Agency-Level Survey and Body Armor Individual-level Correctional Officer Survey. (3) Agency form number, if any, and...

  1. Designing an enhanced groundwater sample collection system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schalla, R.

    1994-10-01

    As part of an ongoing technical support mission to achieve excellence and efficiency in environmental restoration activities at the Laboratory for Energy and Health-Related Research (LEHR), Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) provided guidance on the design and construction of monitoring wells and identified the most suitable type of groundwater sampling pump and accessories for monitoring wells. The goal was to utilize a monitoring well design that would allow for hydrologic testing and reduce turbidity to minimize the impact of sampling. The sampling results of the newly designed monitoring wells were clearly superior to those of the previously installed monitoring wells. The new wells exhibited reduced turbidity, in addition to improved access for instrumentation and hydrologic testing. The variable frequency submersible pump was selected as the best choice for obtaining groundwater samples. The literature references are listed at the end of this report. Despite some initial difficulties, the actual performance of the variable frequency, submersible pump and its accessories was effective in reducing sampling time and labor costs, and its ease of use was preferred over the previously used bladder pumps. The surface seals system, called the Dedicator, proved to be useful accessory to prevent surface contamination while providing easy access for water-level measurements and for connecting the pump. Cost savings resulted from the use of the pre-production pumps (beta units) donated by the manufacturer for the demonstration. However, larger savings resulted from shortened field time due to the ease in using the submersible pumps and the surface seal access system. Proper deployment of the monitoring wells also resulted in cost savings and ensured representative samples

  2. 77 FR 58802 - Notice of Intent To Seek OMB Approval To Collect Information: Forms Pertaining to the Peer Review...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-24

    ... Collect Information: Forms Pertaining to the Peer Review of ARS Research Projects AGENCY: Agricultural... S. Strauss, Peer Review Program Coordinator, Office of Scientific Quality Review; Agricultural... allow the ARS to efficiently manage data associated with the peer review of agricultural research. All...

  3. Evaluation of human papillomavirus detection by Abbott m2000 system on samples collected by FTA Elute™ Card in a Chinese HIV-1 positive population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Yu; Zhang, Hongyun; Marlowe, Natalia; Fei, Mandong; Yu, Judy; Lei, Xiaoqin; Yu, Lulu; Zhang, Jia; Cao, Di; Ma, Li; Chen, Wen

    2016-12-01

    HIV+/AIDS women have an increased risk of developing into CIN and cervical cancer compared to the general population. Limited medical resource and the lack of AIDS relevant knowledge impair the coverage and efficiency of cervical cancer screening. To compare the clinical performance of self-collected dry storage medium (FTA Elute card) and physician-collected PreservCyt medium in detection of high risk human papillomavirus (HR HPV) among HIV-1 positive population. Three hundred HIV-1 positive women (aged 25-65) were recruited from Yunnan infectious hospital. Two cervicovaginal samples were collected from each participant: one was collected by the women themselves and applied on a FTA Elute card; the other one was collected by a physician and stored in PreservCyt solution. All the samples were tested for 14 HR HPV using Abbott RealTime High Risk HPV assay. Biopsies were taken for histological diagnosis if any abnormal impression was noticed under colposcopy. 291 (97.0%) of participants were eligible for this study. 101 (34.70%) participants were found HR HPV positive in both FTA card and PreservCyt samples, and 19 (6.53%) women were diagnosed as CIN2+. The HR HPV positive rate on samples collected by FTA Elute card and PreservCyt solution was 42.61% and 39.86%, respectively. The overall agreement was 87% (kappa=0.731) between FTA card and PreservCyt. The clinical sensitivity and specificity of FTA card and PreservCyt were 100%, 61.39% and 100%, 64.33%, respectively. In this study, FTA Elute card demonstrated a good performance on self-collected sample for HR HPV detection in HIV-1 positive population. For the women from low-resource area with HIV-1 infection, FTA Elute card could be an attractive sample collection method for cervical cancer screening. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Handbook: Collecting Groundwater Samples from Monitoring Wells in Frenchman Flat, CAU 98

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chapman, Jenny [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Reno, NV (United States); Lyles, Brad [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Reno, NV (United States); Cooper, Clay [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Reno, NV (United States); Hershey, Ron [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Reno, NV (United States); Healey, John [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Reno, NV (United States)

    2015-06-01

    Frenchman Flat basin on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) contains Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 98, which is comprised of ten underground nuclear test locations. Environmental management of these test locations is part of the Underground Test Area (UGTA) Activity conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) (1996, as amended) with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the State of Nevada. A Corrective Action Decision Document (CADD)/Corrective Action Plan (CAP) has been approved for CAU 98 (DOE, 2011). The CADD/CAP reports on the Corrective Action Investigation that was conducted for the CAU, which included characterization and modeling. It also presents the recommended corrective actions to address the objective of protecting human health and the environment. The recommended corrective action alternative is “Closure in Place with Modeling, Monitoring, and Institutional Controls.” The role of monitoring is to verify that Contaminants of Concern (COCs) have not exceeded the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) limits (Code of Federal Regulations, 2014) at the regulatory boundary, to ensure that institutional controls are adequate, and to monitor for changed conditions that could affect the closure conditions. The long-term closure monitoring program will be planned and implemented as part of the Closure Report stage after activities specified in the CADD/CAP are complete. Groundwater at the NNSS has been monitored for decades through a variety of programs. Current activities were recently consolidated in an NNSS Integrated Sampling Plan (DOE, 2014). Although monitoring directed by the plan is not intended to meet the FFACO long-term monitoring requirements for a CAU (which will be defined in the Closure Report), the objective to ensure public health protection is similar. It is expected that data collected in accordance with the plan will support the transition to long-term monitoring at each

  5. Validation of the Short Form of the Career Development Inventory with an Iranian High School Sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadeghi, Ahmad; Baghban, Iran; Bahrami, Fatemeh; Ahmadi, Ahmad; Creed, Peter

    2011-01-01

    A short 33-item form of the Career Development Inventory was validated on a sample of 310 Iranian high school students. Factor analysis indicated that attitude and cognitive subscale items loaded on their respective factors, and that internal reliability coefficients at all levels were satisfactory to good. Support for validity was demonstrated by…

  6. Bell violation using entangled photons without the fair-sampling assumption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giustina, Marissa; Mech, Alexandra; Ramelow, Sven; Wittmann, Bernhard; Kofler, Johannes; Beyer, Jörn; Lita, Adriana; Calkins, Brice; Gerrits, Thomas; Nam, Sae Woo; Ursin, Rupert; Zeilinger, Anton

    2013-05-09

    The violation of a Bell inequality is an experimental observation that forces the abandonment of a local realistic viewpoint--namely, one in which physical properties are (probabilistically) defined before and independently of measurement, and in which no physical influence can propagate faster than the speed of light. All such experimental violations require additional assumptions depending on their specific construction, making them vulnerable to so-called loopholes. Here we use entangled photons to violate a Bell inequality while closing the fair-sampling loophole, that is, without assuming that the sample of measured photons accurately represents the entire ensemble. To do this, we use the Eberhard form of Bell's inequality, which is not vulnerable to the fair-sampling assumption and which allows a lower collection efficiency than other forms. Technical improvements of the photon source and high-efficiency transition-edge sensors were crucial for achieving a sufficiently high collection efficiency. Our experiment makes the photon the first physical system for which each of the main loopholes has been closed, albeit in different experiments.

  7. 76 FR 71621 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8892

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-18

    ... 8892, Payment of Gift/GST Tax and/or Application for Extension to File Form 709. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before January 17, 2012 to be assured of consideration. ADDRESSES: Direct... Tax and/or Application for Extension to File Form 709. OMB Number: 1545-1913. Form Number: Form 8892...

  8. k0-INAA for APM samples collected in period of June 2004 - March 2005 and some marine certified reference materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dung, Ho Manh; Vu, Cao Dong; Y, Truong; Sy, Nguyen Thi

    2006-01-01

    The airborne particulate matter (APM) samples have been collected in 2004 using two types of polycarbonate membrane filter PM 2.5 and PM 2.5-10 at two sites of industrial (Ho Chi Mihn City) and rural (Dateh) regions in south of Vietnam. Three marine certified reference materials have been selected to establish a k0-NAA procedure for marine samples. The concentration of trace multi-element in the samples has been determined by the k 0 -INAA procedure using K o -DALAT software developed in Dalat NRI. About 28 elements in 224 APM samples collected at two areas of Dateh and HCMC of Vietnam in period from June, 2004 to March, 2005 were presented in report. The statistical analysis was applied to the data set to investigate the pollution source at sampling sites. The results proved that the k 0 -NAA on the Dalat research reactor is a reliable and effective analytical technique for characterization of trace multi-element in APM and marine samples for air and marine environmental pollution study in Vietnam. (author)

  9. Sampling and examination methods used for TMI-2 samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marley, A.W.; Akers, D.W.; McIsaac, C.V.

    1988-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to summarize the sampling and examination techniques that were used in the collection and analysis of TMI-2 samples. Samples ranging from auxiliary building air to core debris were collected and analyzed. Handling of the larger samples and many of the smaller samples had to be done remotely and many standard laboratory analytical techniques were modified to accommodate the extremely high radiation fields associated with these samples. The TMI-2 samples presented unique problems with sampling and the laboratory analysis of prior molten fuel debris. 14 refs., 8 figs

  10. Risks for animal health related to the presence of fumonisins, their modified forms and hidden forms in feed

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Annette

    2018-01-01

    Fumonisins, mycotoxins primarily produced by Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium proliferatum, occur predominantly in cereal grains, especially in maize. The European Commission asked EFSA for a scientific opinion on the risk to animal health related to fumonisins and their modified and hidden...... forms in feed. Fumonisin B1 (FB1), FB2 and FB3 are the most common forms of fumonisins in feedstuffs and thus were included in the assessment. FB1, FB2 and FB3 have the same mode of action and were considered as having similar toxicological profile and potencies. For fumonisins, the EFSA Panel......, dogs, cats and mink. The dietary exposure was estimated on 18,140 feed samples on FB1–3 representing most of the feed commodities with potential presence of fumonisins. Samples were collected between 2003 and 2016 from 19 different European countries, but most of them from four Member States. To take...

  11. 78 FR 16918 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 976

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-19

    ..., Public Law 104-13(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 976..., or Real Estate Investment Trust. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before May 20, 2013... Company, or Real Estate Investment Trust. OMB Number: 1545-0045. Form Number: Form 976. Abstract: Form 976...

  12. Monitoring PCDD/Fs in soil and herbage samples collected in the neighborhood of a hazardous waste incinerator after five years of operation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nadal, M.; Bocio, A.; Schuhmacher, M.; Liobet, J.M.; Domingo, J.L. [Rovira i Virgili Univ., Reus (Spain); Diaz-Ferrero, J. [Inst. Quimic de Sarria, Barcelona (Spain)

    2004-09-15

    Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are among the most dangerous environmental pollutants, usually generated during combustion processes. Until recently, waste incineration was widely referenced as one of the most important sources of PCDD/F release to the atmosphere. In 1999, the only hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) in Spain began regular operations. This facility is placed in Tarragona, Catalonia. The presence of this HWI, as well as that of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) at a few kilometers, increased the concern of the public opinion in relation to the potential toxic emissions, especially those of metals and PCDD/Fs, which could affect the health of the population living in the area. Previously to regular operations (1996) the baseline levels of PCDD/Fs in soil and vegetation samples collected near the HWI were determined. A second survey was carried out two years later (1998) in order to establish the temporal variation in PCDD/F concentrations in soil and vegetation samples taken at the same sampling points. Vegetation is considered an adequate short-term environmental monitor for PCDD/Fs. Therefore, in the surveillance program of the facility (1999-2003), herbage samples (40) were annually collected at the same sampling points in which baseline samples had been taken. Moreover, considering soil as a suitable long-term monitor for PCDD/Fs, 40 soil samples in this matrix were again collected in 2001 and 2003 to examine the temporal variations of PCDD/F levels in the area. In the present study, we present the concentrations of PCDD/Fs in soil and vegetation samples collected in the vicinity of the HWI after 5 years of regular operations.

  13. CHARACTERISTIC OF AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTER SAMPLES COLLECTED FROM TWO SEMI INDUSTRIAL SITES IN BANDUNG, INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diah Dwiana Lestiani

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Air particulate matter concentrations, black carbon as well as elemental concentrations in two semi industrial sites were investigated as a preliminary study for evaluation of air quality in these areas. Sampling of airborne particulate matter was conducted in July 2009 using a Gent stacked filter unit sampler and a total of 18 pairs of samples were collected. Black carbon was determined by reflectance measurement and elemental analysis was performed using particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE. Elements Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and As were detected. Twenty four hour PM2.5 concentration at semi industrial sites Kiaracondong and Holis ranged from 4.0 to 22.2 µg m-3, while the PM10 concentration ranged from 24.5 to 77.1 µg m-3. High concentration of crustal elements, sulphur and zinc were identified in fine and coarse fractions for both sites. The fine fraction data from both sites were analyzed using a multivariate principal component analysis and for Kiaracondong site, identified factors are attributed to sea-salt with soil dust, vehicular emissions and biomass burning, non ferrous smelter, and iron/steel work industry, while for Holis site identified factors are attributed to soil dust, industrial emissions, vehicular emissions with biomass burning, and sea-salt. Although particulate samples were collected from semi industrial sites, vehicular emissions constituted with S, Zn and BC were identified in both sites.

  14. 40 CFR 761.283 - Determination of the number of samples to collect and sample collection locations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...) MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING, DISTRIBUTION IN COMMERCE, AND USE PROHIBITIONS Sampling To Verify Completion of Self... cleanup verification conducted in accordance with § 761.61(a)(6), follow the procedures in paragraph (b... verification conducted in accordance with § 761.61(a)(6), follow the procedures in this section for locating...

  15. Adaptation of the Four Forms of Employee Silence Scale in a Polish sample

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krystyna Adamska

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background Silence is understood as a decision not to speak up in situations of observed irregularities both in productivity and ethics. The study examined the validity of the Four Forms of Employee Silence Scale (FFESS in the Polish population. The scale is a four-factor measure designed to capture differently motivated tendencies to be silent in organizations. The scale distinguishes acquiescent, quiescent, prosocial and opportunistic silence. Employee silence has been linked to many important individual outcomes: failure to react to ethical transgressions, stress and depression, and lower creativity and productivity. Participants and procedure A total of 1044 employees of various organizations working for at least six months at a given position provided the responses for the validation study. Results The results confirmed the superiority of the four-factor model shown by adequate fit indexes: The FFESS has adequate internal consistency at both the scale and item levels. The criterion-related validity of the scale was established by correlating four forms of silence with measures of emotional attitude toward organization, procedural justice, relational contract and turnover intention. Conclusions The four forms of employee silence are empirically distinct concepts in the Polish sample. The scale may be used as the measurement of individual differences. It can also serve as a tool for diagnosing a climate of silence in an organization.

  16. An innovative approach to sampling complex industrial emissions for use in animal toxicity tests: application to iron casting operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmer, W G; Scholz, R C; Moorman, W J

    1983-03-01

    Sampling of complex mixtures of airborne contaminants for chronic animal toxicity tests often involves numerous sampling devices, requires extensive sampling time, and yields forms of collected materials unsuitable for administration to animals. A method is described which used a high volume, wet venturi scrubber for collection of respirable fractions of emissions from iron foundry casting operations. The construction and operation of the sampler are presented along with collection efficiency data and its application to the preparation of large quantities of samples to be administered to animals by intratracheal instillation.

  17. Assessment of selected contaminants in streambed- and suspended-sediment samples collected in Bexar County, Texas, 2007-09

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Jennifer T.

    2011-01-01

    Elevated concentrations of sediment-associated contaminants are typically associated with urban areas such as San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County, the seventh most populous city in the United States. This report describes an assessment of selected sediment-associated contaminants in samples collected in Bexar County from sites on the following streams: Medio Creek, Medina River, Elm Creek, Martinez Creek, Chupaderas Creek, Leon Creek, Salado Creek, and San Antonio River. During 2007-09, the U.S. Geological Survey periodically collected surficial streambed-sediment samples during base flow and suspended-sediment (large-volume suspended-sediment) samples from selected streams during stormwater runoff. All sediment samples were analyzed for major and trace elements and for organic compounds including halogenated organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Selected contaminants in streambed and suspended sediments in watersheds of the eight major streams in Bexar County were assessed by using a variety of methods—observations of occurrence and distribution, comparison to sediment-quality guidelines and data from previous studies, statistical analyses, and source indicators. Trace elements concentrations were low compared to the consensus-based sediment-quality guidelines threshold effect concentration (TEC) and probable effect concentration (PEC). Trace element concentrations were greater than the TEC in 28 percent of the samples and greater than the PEC in 1.5 percent of the samples. Chromium concentrations exceeded sediment-quality guidelines more frequently than concentrations of any other constituents analyzed in this study (greater than the TEC in 69 percent of samples and greater than the PEC in 8 percent of samples). Mean trace element concentrations generally are lower in Bexar County samples compared to concentrations in samples collected during previous studies in the Austin and Fort Worth, Texas, areas, but considering the relatively

  18. RECOMMENDED OPERATING PROCEDURE NO. 56: COLLECTION OF GASEOUS GRAB SAMPLES FROM COMBUSTION SOURCES FOR NITROUS OXIDE MEASUREMENT

    Science.gov (United States)

    The document is a recommended operating procedure, prepare or use in research activities conducted by EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory (AEERL). The procedure applies to the collection of gaseous grab samples from fossil fuel combustion sources for subsequent a...

  19. 77 FR 35106 - Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-12

    ... information collection activities on the public by automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological... Appliance Standards Guidance Checklist Forms. OMB Control Number: 2130-0565. Abstract: Sample car/locomotive inspections are performed as a courtesy to the car manufacturers to ensure that the equipment is built in...

  20. Performance of a New HPV Cervi-Collect Collection and Transportation Kit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Chernesky

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Liquid-based Pap (L-Pap media are used for Pap and human papillomavirus (HPV testing. Objectives. To compare RealTime High Risk (HR HPV testing of a new collection kit (Cervi-Collect and PreservCyt L-Pap specimens. To determine ease of use and safety of Cervi-Collect. Methods. L-Pap samples (n=203 were tested with HC2 and RealTime HR HPV and Cervi-Collect with RealTime HR HPV. Discordant samples were genotyped. Results. L-Pap and Cervi-Collect specimens tested by RealTime HR HPV showed 93.1% agreement (Kappa 0.86. RealTime HR HPV and HC2 on L-Pap had 90.3% agreement (Kappa 0.80. RealTime HR HPV on Cervi-Collect and HC2 on L-Pap showed 88.2% agreement (Kappa 0.76. Sixteen of 21 samples which were HC2 negative and RealTime HR HPV positive on L-Pap or Cervi-Collect contained HR HPV genotypes. Eleven healthcare collectors were in strong agreement on a usability and safety questionnaire. Conclusion. Cervi-Collect samples were easy to collect and showed strong agreement with L-Pap samples tested with RealTime HR HPV or HC2.

  1. 77 FR 3003 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested: Notice of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-20

    ... Collection; Comments Requested: Notice of Appeal From a Decision of an Immigration Judge ACTION: 30-Day...) Type of Information Collection: Revision of a Currently Approved Collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Notice of Appeal from a Decision of an Immigration Judge. (3) Agency form number, if any, and the...

  2. Comparison of noninvasive sample collection procedures for canine leishmaniasis diagnosis by PCR-hybridization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferreira, Sidney de Almeida; Andrade, Antero Silva Ribeiro de [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)]. E-mail: vidasnino@yahoo.com.br; antero@cdtn.br; Ituassu, Leonardo Trindade; Melo, Maria Norma de [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)]. E-mail: melo@mono.icb.ufmg.br; ltituassu@yahoo.com.br

    2007-07-01

    The dogs are the main reservoir of the visceral leishmaniasis etiological agent Leishmania chagasi and these animals have to be systematically monitored. The aim of present work was to standardize a method for canine leishmaniasis diagnosis using DNA samples obtained by a noninvasive ways. Two kind of samples were compared: conjunctival swab and blood. The samples were analyzed by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) associated with the hybridization of {sup 32}P labeled DNA probes. An in vitro test was carried out using cotton swabs seeded with L. chagasi parasites at different cell numbers. After that, the PCR and hybridization sensitivity was evaluated in two groups of 23 seropositive dogs. Conjunctival swabs and 1,0 mL of blood were collected from each animal. 90 {mu}L of these blood were spotted onto filter paper and the remaining used to prepare the buffy coat. The DNA purification from cotton swabs was carried out through the phenol-chloroform (group 1) or boiling (group 2). The Wizard kit was used to DNA extraction from buffy coat. The filters were treated according to Dialab protocol. The analysis of the seeded samples showed that the PCR was able to identify until ten parasites while the following hybridization of the PCR products allows the detection of until one parasite. The PCR positivity for the conjunctival swabs were 73.9% and 52.2% respectively to the groups 1 and 2. For buffy coat the positivities were 43.5% and 56.5% respectively. The filters presented the lowest positivity. The hybridization step was not accomplished yet for these samples. (author)

  3. Mechanisms of sampling interstitial fluid from skin using a microneedle patch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samant, Pradnya P; Prausnitz, Mark R

    2018-05-01

    Although interstitial fluid (ISF) contains biomarkers of physiological significance and medical interest, sampling of ISF for clinical applications has made limited impact due to a lack of simple, clinically useful techniques that collect more than nanoliter volumes of ISF. This study describes experimental and theoretical analysis of ISF transport from skin using microneedle (MN) patches and demonstrates collection of >1 µL of ISF within 20 min in pig cadaver skin and living human subjects using an optimized system. MN patches containing arrays of submillimeter solid, porous, or hollow needles were used to penetrate superficial skin layers and access ISF through micropores (µpores) formed upon insertion. Experimental studies in pig skin found that ISF collection depended on transport mechanism according to the rank order diffusion sampling is transport through the dermis. Based on these studies and other considerations like safety and convenience for future clinical use, we designed an MN patch prototype to sample ISF using suction as the driving force. Using this approach, we collected ISF from human volunteers and identified the presence of biomarkers in the collected ISF. In this way, sampling ISF from skin using an MN patch could enable collection of ISF for use in research and medicine.

  4. The Internet of Samples in the Earth Sciences (iSamples)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, M. R.; Lehnert, K. A.

    2015-12-01

    Across most Earth Science disciplines, research depends on the availability of samples collected above, at, and beneath Earth's surface, on the moon and in space, or generated in experiments. Many domains in the Earth Sciences have recently expressed the need for better discovery, access, and sharing of scientific samples and collections (EarthCube End-User Domain workshops, 2012 and 2013, http://earthcube.org/info/about/end-user-workshops), as has the US government (OSTP Memo, March 2014). The Internet of Samples in the Earth Sciences (iSamples) is an initiative funded as a Research Coordination Network (RCN) within the EarthCube program to address this need. iSamples aims to advance the use of innovative cyberinfrastructure to connect physical samples and sample collections across the Earth Sciences with digital data infrastructures to revolutionize their utility for science. iSamples strives to build, grow, and foster a new community of practice, in which domain scientists, curators of sample repositories and collections, computer and information scientists, software developers and technology innovators engage in and collaborate on defining, articulating, and addressing the needs and challenges of physical samples as a critical component of digital data infrastructure. A primary goal of iSamples is to deliver a community-endorsed set of best practices and standards for the registration, description, identification, and citation of physical specimens and define an actionable plan for implementation. iSamples conducted a broad community survey about sample sharing and has created 5 different working groups to address the different challenges of developing the internet of samples - from metadata schemas and unique identifiers to an architecture of a shared cyberinfrastructure for collections, to digitization of existing collections, to education, and ultimately to establishing the physical infrastructure that will ensure preservation and access of the physical

  5. Tank vapor characterization project - Tank 241-U-112 headspace gas and vapor characterization: Results for homogeneity samples collected on December 6, 1996

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sklarew, D.S.; Pool, K.H.; Evans, J.C.; Hayes, J.C. [and others

    1997-09-01

    This report presents the results of analyses of samples taken from the headspace of waste storage tank 241-U-112 (Tank U-112) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Samples were collected to determine the homogeneity of selected inorganic and organic headspace constitutents. Two risers (Riser 3 and Riser 6) were sampled at three different elevations (Bottom, Middle, and Top) within the tank. Tank headspace samples were collected by SGN Eurisys Service Corporation (SESC) and were analyzed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to determine headspace concentrations of selected non-radioactive analytes. Analyses were performed by the Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) at PNNL. Ammonia was determined to be above the immediate notification limit specified by the sampling and analysis plan.

  6. Collecting data from migrants in Ghana: Lessons learned using respondent-driven sampling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samantha R. Lattof

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Policymakers and program implementers require high-quality data on migrants and migration in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC; however, a shortage of high-quality data exists in these settings. Sampling migrant populations requires better techniques. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS may be one such solution. Objective: Using Ghana as a case study, the objectives of this paper are to: 1 assess RDS recruitment productivity, network size, and ties of internal migrants; 2 test for homophily; and 3 detail the successes of and challenges to implementing RDS in Ghana and how these lessons can be applied to migrant populations in other LMIC settings. Methods: This study used RDS to sample 625 rural-urban female migrants working as market porters (kayayei in Accra, Ghana. Results: This study generated the most comprehensive data set on kayayei to date. Network size increases as participants become more educated and migrate more often to Accra. Ethnic group membership is an important determinant of recruitment, with certain groups preferring to recruit from within. Employing members of the kayayei population to collect data built crucial trust. Conclusions: Whilst RDS is not a one-size-fits-all solution for sampling hard-to-reach migrants in LMIC, it can be a powerful tool to uncover and to recruit hard-to-reach migrant populations. In countries with multiple ethnolinguistic groups, recruiting a migrant population with greater ethnolinguistic overlap may facilitate quicker equilibrium. Contribution: This study expands the evidence base on use of RDS among migrant populations in LMIC and provides lessons learned to assist other researchers implementing RDS in LMIC settings.

  7. Mandibulary dental arch form differences between level four polynomial method and pentamorphic pattern for normal occlusion sample

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Yuliana

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of an orthodontic treatment is to achieve aesthetic, dental health and the surrounding tissues, occlusal functional relationship, and stability. The success of an orthodontic treatment is influenced by many factors, such as diagnosis and treatment plan. In order to do a diagnosis and a treatment plan, medical record, clinical examination, radiographic examination, extra oral and intra oral photos, as well as study model analysis are needed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in dental arch form between level four polynomial and pentamorphic arch form and to determine which one is best suitable for normal occlusion sample. This analytic comparative study was conducted at Faculty of Dentistry Universitas Padjadjaran on 13 models by comparing the dental arch form using the level four polynomial method based on mathematical calculations, the pattern of the pentamorphic arch and mandibular normal occlusion as a control. The results obtained were tested using statistical analysis T student test. The results indicate a significant difference both in the form of level four polynomial method and pentamorphic arch form when compared with mandibular normal occlusion dental arch form. Level four polynomial fits better, compare to pentamorphic arch form.

  8. 75 FR 76997 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Arrival and Departure Record (Forms I-94 and I-94W) and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency Information Collection Activities: Arrival and Departure Record (Forms I-94 and I-94W) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security ACTION: 30-Day notice...

  9. 76 FR 44349 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Arrival and Departure Record (Forms I-94 and I-94W) and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency Information Collection Activities: Arrival and Departure Record (Forms I-94 and I-94W) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security ACTION: 30-day notice...

  10. Improving the forming capability of laser dynamic forming by using rubber as a forming medium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Zongbao; Liu, Huixia; Wang, Xiao; Wang, Cuntang

    2016-04-01

    Laser dynamic forming (LDF) is a novel high velocity forming technique, which employs laser-generated shock wave to load the sample. The forming velocity induced by the high energy laser pulse may exceed the critical forming velocity, resulting in the occurrence of premature fracture. To avoid the above premature fracture, rubber is introduced in LDF as a forming medium to prolong the loading duration in this paper. Laser induced shock wave energy is transferred to the sample in different forming stages, so the forming velocity can be kept below the critical forming velocity when the initial laser energy is high for fracture. Bulge forming experiments with and without rubber were performed to study the effect of rubber on loading duration. The experimental results show that, the shock wave energy attenuates during the propagation through the rubber layer, the rubber can avoid the premature fracture. So the plastic deformation can continue, the forming capability of LDF is improved. Due to the severe plastic deformation under rubber compression, adiabatic shear bands (ASB) occur in LDF with rubber. The material softening in ASB leads to the irregular fracture, which is different from the premature fracture pattern (regular fracture) in LDF without rubber. To better understand this deformation behavior, Johnson-Cook model is used to simulate the dynamic response and the evolution of ASB of copper sample. The simulation results also indicate the rubber can prolong the loading duration.

  11. Geochemical Data for Samples Collected in 2007 Near the Concealed Pebble Porphyry Cu-Au-Mo Deposit, Southwest Alaska

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fey, David L.; Granitto, Matthew; Giles, Stuart A.; Smith, Steven M.; Eppinger, Robert G.; Kelley, Karen D.

    2008-01-01

    In the summer of 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began an exploration geochemical research study over the Pebble porphyry copper-gold-molydenum (Cu-Au-Mo) deposit in southwest Alaska. The Pebble deposit is extremely large and is almost entirely concealed by tundra, glacial deposits, and post-Cretaceous volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks. The deposit is presently being explored by Northern Dynasty Minerals, Ltd., and Anglo-American LLC. The USGS undertakes unbiased, broad-scale mineral resource assessments of government lands to provide Congress and citizens with information on national mineral endowment. Research on known deposits is also done to refine and better constrain methods and deposit models for the mineral resource assessments. The Pebble deposit was chosen for this study because it is concealed by surficial cover rocks, it is relatively undisturbed (except for exploration company drill holes), it is a large mineral system, and it is fairly well constrained at depth by the drill hole geology and geochemistry. The goals of the USGS study are (1) to determine whether the concealed deposit can be detected with surface samples, (2) to better understand the processes of metal migration from the deposit to the surface, and (3) to test and develop methods for assessing mineral resources in similar concealed terrains. This report presents analytical results for geochemical samples collected in 2007 from the Pebble deposit and surrounding environs. The analytical data are presented digitally both as an integrated Microsoft 2003 Access? database and as Microsoft 2003 Excel? files. The Pebble deposit is located in southwestern Alaska on state lands about 30 km (18 mi) northwest of the village of Illiamna and 320 km (200 mi) southwest of Anchorage (fig. 1). Elevations in the Pebble area range from 287 m (940 ft) at Frying Pan Lake just south of the deposit to 1146 m (3760 ft) on Kaskanak Mountain about 5 km (5 mi) to the west. The deposit is in an area of

  12. Disposable collection kit for rapid and reliable collection of saliva.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamaguchi, Masaki; Tezuka, Yuki; Takeda, Kazunori; Shetty, Vivek

    2015-01-01

    To describe and evaluate disposable saliva collection kit for rapid, reliable, and reproducible collection of saliva samples. The saliva collection kit comprised of a saliva absorbent swab and an extractor unit was used to retrieve whole saliva samples from 10 subjects. The accuracy and precision of the extracted volumes (3, 10, and 30 μl) were compared to similar volumes drawn from control samples obtained by passive drool. Additionally, the impact of kit collection method on subsequent immunoassay results was verified by assessing salivary cortisol levels in the samples and comparing them to controls. The recovered volumes for the whole saliva samples were 3.85 ± 0.28, 10.79 ± 0.95, and 31.18 ± 1.72 μl, respectively (CV = 8.76%) and 2.91 ± 0.19, 9.75 ± 0.43, and 29.64 ± 0.91 μl, respectively, (CV = 6.36%) for the controls. There was a close correspondence between the salivary cortisol levels from the saliva samples obtained by the collection kit and the controls (R(2)  > 0.96). The disposable saliva collection kit allows accurate and repeatable collection of fixed amounts of whole saliva and does not interfere with subsequent measurements of salivary cortisol. The simple collection process, lack of elaborate specimen recovery steps, and the short turnaround time (<3 min) should render the kit attractive to test subjects and researchers alike. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Fog-harvesting inspired by the Stenocara beetle—An analysis of drop collection and removal from biomimetic samples with wetting contrast

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Beatrice; Sarkar, Anjishnu; Kietzig, Anne-Marie

    2013-11-01

    This work examines the fog-harvesting ability of patterned and non-patterned samples in spray chamber experiments. The samples were prepared from different materials and the patterns under investigation were channels, hydrophobic patches and hydrophilic patches of contrasting wettability to mimic and optimize the alleged natural fog-harvesting ability of the Stenocara beetle. Fog-harvesting results based on the amount of collected water showed no significant differences among all samples, as the influence of “wind” was found to be the more dominant factor compared to the samples’ wetting characteristics. Video analysis of the experiments, however, revealed differences in the water collection and water removal mechanisms and were concluded to be more helpful than water collection results in the assessment of the various competing mechanisms in fog-harvesting experiments. The analysis with regard to surface wettability is based on drop rolling on the surface and roll-off into air, respectively. All patterned and most non-patterned samples exhibited drop motion by coalescence rather than rolling. Larger coalesced drops of non-spherical shape with irregular triple line shapes span the surface pattern on all our surfaces, which suggests that the underlying pattern of the surface has no dominant effect on the behavior of the droplets on these surfaces.

  14. Analysis of Drugs of Abuse in Anonymously Collected Urine and Soil samples from a Music Festival in Scandinavia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mardal, Marie; Ramin, Pedram; Plósz, Benedek G.

    Aim: Pooled human urine and soil from urinating spots were collected anonymously at a Scandinavian music festival. Samples should be screened for drugs of abuse, particularly novel psychoactive substances (NPS), but also therapeutic drugs and ethanol. Methods: Twenty-one urine samples were...... be detected besides several therapeutic drugs: cocaine (9), MDMA (7), sildenafil (2), ketamine (1), amphetamine (1), and oxycodone (1). Conclusions: NPS were detected neither in urine nor in soil samples. This might be due to low concentrations based on their negligible consumption at the studied festival...

  15. Independent random sampling methods

    CERN Document Server

    Martino, Luca; Míguez, Joaquín

    2018-01-01

    This book systematically addresses the design and analysis of efficient techniques for independent random sampling. Both general-purpose approaches, which can be used to generate samples from arbitrary probability distributions, and tailored techniques, designed to efficiently address common real-world practical problems, are introduced and discussed in detail. In turn, the monograph presents fundamental results and methodologies in the field, elaborating and developing them into the latest techniques. The theory and methods are illustrated with a varied collection of examples, which are discussed in detail in the text and supplemented with ready-to-run computer code. The main problem addressed in the book is how to generate independent random samples from an arbitrary probability distribution with the weakest possible constraints or assumptions in a form suitable for practical implementation. The authors review the fundamental results and methods in the field, address the latest methods, and emphasize the li...

  16. 76 FR 77592 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 14242

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-13

    ... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Reporting Abusive Tax Promotions or Preparers. OMB Number: 1545-2219. Form Number: Form 14242. Abstract: The IC form is used to report an abusive tax avoidance scheme and tax... 14242, Reporting Abusive Tax Promotions or Preparers. DATES: Written comments should be received on or...

  17. 76 FR 57803 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 14242

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-16

    ... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Reporting Abusive Tax Promotions or Preparers. OMB Number: 1545-XXXX. Form Number: Form 14242. Abstract: The IC form is used to report an abusive tax avoidance scheme and tax... 14242, Reporting Abusive Tax Promotions or Preparers. DATES: Written comments should be received on or...

  18. 78 FR 20139 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comments Requested: Request for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-03

    ... Collection; Comments Requested: Request for Recognition of a Non-profit Religious, Charitable, Social Service... Approved Collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Request for Recognition of a Non- profit Religious, Charitable, Social Service, or Similar Organization. (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable...

  19. 78 FR 78515 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 14242

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-26

    ... INFORMATION: Title: Reporting Abusive Tax Promotions or Preparers. OMB Number: 1545-2219. Form Number: Form 14242. Abstract: The IC form is used to report an abusive tax avoidance scheme and tax return preparers... 14242, Reporting Abusive Tax Promotions or Preparers. DATES: Written comments should be received on or...

  20. 76 FR 27748 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8842

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-12

    ..., Public Law 104-13(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 8842, Election To Use Different Annualization Periods for Corporate Estimated Tax. DATES: Written... Annualization Periods for Corporate Estimated Tax. OMB Number: 1545-1409. Form Number: 8842. Abstract: Form 8842...

  1. [Comparison of the determination of cyclosporin-A in blood samples collected on filter paper and by the ordinary technique].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azevedo, L S; Manrique, R; Sabbaga, E

    1995-01-01

    Monitoring cyclosporin-A (CsA) blood levels is of utmost importance for the rational use of this drug. Although many centers perform transplants, in Brazil there are few laboratories able to measure CsA blood levels. Therefore making blood samples reach the laboratory emerged as a problem. Collection of blood on filter paper has been a technique used for a long time in special cases. PURPOSE--To confirm the usefulness of measuring CsA blood levels in blood samples collected on filter paper and in the usual way. METHOD--We studied twenty renal cadaver kidney recipients who were receiving CsA, azathioprine and prednisone. Ninety five blood samples were collected and divided into two aliquots. One of them was sent routinely to one laboratory to perform whole blood CsA measurements. From the other aliquot, 20 microliters were pipetted on filter paper. When dried they were mailed to the other laboratory, where, after elution, CsA was measured. In both cases radioimmunoassay with polyclonal antibody was used. RESULTS--Linear correlation between both measurements revealed r = 0.81 with no statistical difference. CONCLUSION--The technique showed to be useful in clinical practice. In countries with continental size, as Brazil, it may be very helpful.

  2. 49 CFR Appendix H to Part 40 - DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing Management Information System (MIS) Data Collection Form

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ..., App. H Appendix H to Part 40—DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing Management Information System (MIS) Data... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing Management Information System (MIS) Data Collection Form H Appendix H to Part 40 Transportation Office of the Secretary...

  3. 75 FR 40031 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 3800

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-13

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 3800, General Business Credit. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before September 13... INFORMATION: Title: General Business Credit. OMB Number: 1545-0895. Form Number: Form 3800. Abstract: Internal...

  4. 78 FR 36577 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comments Requested: Request for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-18

    ... Collection; Comments Requested: Request for Recognition of a Non-Profit Religious, Charitable, Social Service... Collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Request for Recognition of a Non- profit Religious, Charitable, Social Service, or Similar Organization. (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of...

  5. 78 FR 70101 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 3800

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-22

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 3800, General Business Credit. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before January 21, 2014... Business Credit. OMB Number: 1545-0895. Form Number: Form 3800. Abstract: Internal Revenue Code section 38...

  6. 75 FR 66427 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 13551

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-28

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 13551, Application to Participate in the IRS Acceptance Agent Program. DATES: Written comments should be... Acceptance Agent Program. OMB Number: 1545-1896. Form Number: 13551. Abstract: Form 13551 is used to gather...

  7. 76 FR 31015 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8050

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-27

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 8050, Direct Deposit of Corporate Tax Refund. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before...: Direct Deposit of Corporate Tax Refund. OMB Number: 1545-1762. Form Number: 8050. Abstract: Form 8050 is...

  8. 75 FR 5868 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 966

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-04

    ..., Public Law 104-13(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 966, Corporate Dissolution or Liquidation. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before April 5, 2010...: Title: Corporate Dissolution or Liquidation. OMB Number: 1545-0041. Form Number: 966. Abstract: Form 966...

  9. [Sampling, storage and transport of biological materials collected from living and deceased subjects for determination of concentration levels of ethyl alcohol and similarly acting substances. A proposal of updating the blood and urine sampling protocol].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiergowski, Marek; Reguła, Krystyna; Pieśniak, Dorota; Galer-Tatarowicz, Katarzyna; Szpiech, Beata; Jankowski, Zbigniew

    2007-01-01

    The present paper emphasizes the most common mistakes committed at the beginning of an analytical procedure. To shorten the time and decrease the cost of determinations of substances with similar to alcohol activity, it is postulated to introduce mass-scale screening analysis of saliva collected from a living subject at the site of the event, with all positive results confirmed in blood or urine samples. If no saliva sample is collected for toxicology, a urine sample, allowing for a stat fast screening analysis, and a blood sample, to confirm the result, should be ensured. Inappropriate storage of a blood sample in the tube without a preservative can cause sample spilling and its irretrievable loss. The authors propose updating the "Blood/urine sampling protocol", with the updated version to be introduced into practice following consultations and revisions.

  10. 76 FR 71601 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-18

    ... technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic...) Title of the Form/Collection: Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of Pistols and Revolvers. (3... information documents certain sales or other dispositions of handguns for law enforcement purposes and...

  11. Analyses of Gas, Steam and Water Samples Collected in and Around Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, 1975-2002

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janik, Cathy J.; Bergfeld, D.

    2010-01-01

    This report contains physical and chemical data from gas, steam, and water samples collected between July 1975 and September 2002 from locations in and around Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. Data are compiled as tables in Excel spreadsheets and are organized by locale. Most data are keyed to 1 of 107 site codes that are shown on local- and regional-scale maps. Brief descriptions of terminology, sampling, and analytical methods are provided.

  12. Collection of Oral Fluids Using Cotton Ropes as a Sampling Method to Detect Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Infection in Pigs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vosloo, W; Morris, J; Davis, A; Giles, M; Wang, J; Nguyen, H T T; Kim, P V; Quach, N V; Le, P T T; Nguyen, P H N; Dang, H; Tran, H X; Vu, P P; Hung, V V; Le, Q T; Tran, T M; Mai, T M T; Le, Q T V; Singanallur, N B

    2015-10-01

    In high-density farming practices, it is important to constantly monitor for infectious diseases, especially diseases that have the potential to spread rapidly between holdings. Pigs are known to amplify foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) by excreting large amounts of virus, and it is therefore important to detect the virus quickly and accurately to minimize the spread of disease. Ropes were used to collect oral fluid samples from pigs, and each sample was compared to saliva samples collected from individual animals by detecting FMD virus RNA using real-time PCR. Two different experiments are described where groups of pigs were infected with different serotypes of FMD virus, either with or without vaccination, and unvaccinated pigs were kept in aerosol contact. The sensitivity of the rope sampling varied between 0.67 and 0.92, and the statistical agreement between this method and individual sampling ranged from substantial to moderate for the two different serotypes. The ease of collecting oral fluids using ropes together with the high sensitivity of subsequent FMD detection through PCR indicates that this could be a useful method to monitor pig populations for FMD virus infection. With further validation of the sensitivity of detection of FMD virus RNA, this can be a cost-effective, non-invasive diagnostic tool. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  13. Evaluation of some pollutant levels in environmental samples collected from the area of the new campus of Taif University.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharshar, Taher; Hassan, H Ebrahim; Arida, Hassan A; Aydarous, Abdulkadir; Bazaid, Salih A; Ahmed, Mamdouh A

    2013-01-01

    The levels of radioactivity and heavy metals in soil, plant and groundwater samples collected from the area of the new campus of Taif University, Saudi Arabia, and its neighbouring areas have been determined. High-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy was used for radioactivity measurements, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy was used to determine the concentration of heavy metals. The means of (226)Ra, (228)Ra and (40)K concentrations in water samples collected from four wells were found to be 0.13 ± 0.03, 0.05 ± 0.03 and 1.3 ± 0.5 Bq l(-1), respectively. The means of (238)U, (226)Ra, (228)Ra ((232)Th for soil samples) and (40)K concentrations in wild plant and soil samples were found to be 3.7 ± 4.1, 8.8 ± 11.6, 3.8 ± 2.9 and 1025 ± 685, and 8.6 ± 3.4, 12.8 ± 3.4, 16.6 ± 7.1 and 618 ± 82 Bq kg(-1) dry weight (DW), respectively. The (137)Cs of artificial origin was also detected in soil samples with a mean concentration of 3.8 ± 2.2 Bq kg(-1) DW. Evaluating the results, it can be concluded that the concentrations of (238)U, (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K in soil samples fall within the world average. Furthermore, 19 trace and major elements in groundwater samples and 22 elements in soil and plant samples were determined. The sampling locations of soil can be classified into three groups (relatively high, medium and low polluted) according to their calculated metal pollution index using the contents of trace and major elements. A cluster analysis of the contents of radioactivity and trace element contents in soil samples shows the presence of two main distinct clusters of sampling locations.

  14. 76 FR 24055 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested: Report of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-29

    ... brief abstract: Primary: Business or other for-profit. Other: Not-for-profit, State, local or tribal... Collection; Comments Requested: Report of Theft or Loss of Controlled Substances; DEA Form 106 AGENCY...) Title of the Form/Collection: Report of Theft or Loss of Controlled Substances (DEA Form 106). (3...

  15. Automatic collection of bovine blood samples | Hale | South African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A technique is described which allows automatic collection of jugular venous blood from tethered cows. In this system, blood is pumped continuously from an intravenous cannula which has a double lumen while an anticoagulant is pumped through the second opening. Diluted blood is collected in a fraction collector which ...

  16. Characteristic of selected frequency luminescence for samples collected in deserts north to Beijing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Dongxu; Wei Mingjian; Wang Junping; Pan Baolin; Zhao Shiyuan; Liu Zhaowen

    2009-01-01

    Surface sand samples were collected in eight sites of the Horqin and Otindag deserts located in north to Beijing. BG2003 luminescence spectrograph was used to analyze the emitted photons and characteristic spectra of the selected frequency luminescence were obtained. It was found that high intensities of emitted photons stimulated by heat from 85 degree C-135 degree C and 350 degree C-400 degree C. It belong to the traps of 4.13 eV (300 nm), 4.00 eV (310 nm), 3.88 eV (320 nm) and 2.70 eV (460 nm), and the emitted photons belong to traps of 4.00 eV (310 nm), 3.88 eV (320 nm) and 2.70 eV (460 nm) were stimulated by green laser. And sand samples of the eight sites can respond to the increase of definite radiological dose at each wavelength, which is the characteristic spectrum to provide radiation dosimetry basis for dating. There are definite district characteristic in their characteristic spectra. (authors)

  17. Uranium analysis in some food samples collected from Bathinda area of Punjab, India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Mukesh; Prasher, Sangeeta; Singh, Surinder

    2009-07-01

    To strengthen the radiation protection infrastructure in Bathinda, the uranium concentration in daily diet of the residents has been measured and its associated radiation risks were estimated for the adult population. Food samples were collected from major cancer prone areas of the district, from which daily diets were prepared. These diet samples were analyzed using fission track technique. The measured values of the uranium content were found to vary from 0.38 mBq/g in mustard seeds to 4.60 mBq/g in wheat. In case of milk the uranium content is found to vary from 28.57-213.36 mBq/ℓ with mean concentration of 61.35 mBq/ℓ. This leads to a daily dietary intake of 0.90 Bq/day. The measured value of 0.90 Bq d-1, contributes to 1.12 mSv to the cumulative effective dose to the population. This dose is much large than the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP) annual effective dose limit of 1 mSv for the general public [1]. Therefore, it would pose significant health hazard.

  18. Sample preparation of environmental samples using benzene synthesis followed by high-performance LSC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filippis, S. De; Noakes, J.E.

    1991-01-01

    Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) techniques have been widely employed as the detection method for determining environmental levels of tritium and 14 C. Since anthropogenic and nonanthropogenic inputs to the environment are a concern, sampling the environment surrounding a nuclear power facility or fuel reprocessing operation requires the collection of many different sample types, including agriculture products, water, biota, aquatic life, soil, and vegetation. These sample types are not suitable for the direct detection of tritium of 14 C for liquid scintillation techniques. Each sample type must be initially prepared in order to obtain the carbon or hydrogen component of interest and present this in a chemical form that is compatible with common chemicals used in scintillation counting applications. Converting the sample of interest to chemically pure benzene as a sample preparation technique has been widely accepted for processing samples for radiocarbon age-dating applications. The synthesized benzene is composed of the carbon or hydrogen atoms from the original sample and is ideal as a solvent for LSC with excellent photo-optical properties. Benzene synthesis followed by low-background scintillation counting can be applied to the preparation and measurement of environmental samples yielding good detection sensitivities, high radionuclide counting efficiency, and shorter preparation time. The method of benzene synthesis provides a unique approach to the preparation of a wide variety of environmental sample types using similar chemistry for all samples

  19. 78 FR 18988 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-28

    ... techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden. Information Collection Request Title: The Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) Program: Physician's... Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance...

  20. Soil Gas Sample Handling: Evaluation of Water Removal and Sample Ganging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fritz, Brad G. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Abrecht, David G. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Hayes, James C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Mendoza, Donaldo P. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2016-10-31

    Soil gas sampling is currently conducted in support of Nuclear Test Ban treaty verification. Soil gas samples are collected and analyzed for isotopes of interest. Some issues that can impact sampling and analysis of these samples are excess moisture and sample processing time. Here we discuss three potential improvements to the current sampling protocol; a desiccant for water removal, use of molecular sieve to remove CO2 from the sample during collection, and a ganging manifold to allow composite analysis of multiple samples.

  1. Effects of storage time and temperature on pH, specific gravity, and crystal formation in urine samples from dogs and cats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albasan, Hasan; Lulich, Jody P; Osborne, Carl A; Lekcharoensuk, Chalermpol; Ulrich, Lisa K; Carpenter, Kathleen A

    2003-01-15

    To determine effects of storage temperature and time on pH and specific gravity of and number and size of crystals in urine samples from dogs and cats. Randomized complete block design. 31 dogs and 8 cats. Aliquots of each urine sample were analyzed within 60 minutes of collection or after storage at room or refrigeration temperatures (20 vs 6 degrees C [68 vs 43 degrees F]) for 6 or 24 hours. Crystals formed in samples from 11 of 39 (28%) animals. Calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals formed in vitro in samples from 1 cat and 8 dogs. Magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) crystals formed in vitro in samples from 2 dogs. Compared with aliquots stored at room temperature, refrigeration increased the number and size of crystals that formed in vitro; however, the increase in number and size of MAP crystals in stored urine samples was not significant. Increased storage time and decreased storage temperature were associated with a significant increase in number of CaOx crystals formed. Greater numbers of crystals formed in urine aliquots stored for 24 hours than in aliquots stored for 6 hours. Storage time and temperature did not have a significant effect on pH or specific gravity. Urine samples should be analyzed within 60 minutes of collection to minimize temperature- and time-dependent effects on in vitro crystal formation. Presence of crystals observed in stored samples should be validated by reevaluation of fresh urine.

  2. 78 FR 56241 - Agency Information Collection Activities:

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-12

    ...-0095] Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Appeal or Motion, Form I-290B; Revision of a... Collection (1) Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a Currently Approved Collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Notice of Appeal or Motion. (3) Agency form number, if any, and the...

  3. 75 FR 62815 - Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-13

    ... (or a remittance voucher form in lieu of an advice form) must accompany any payment to the Federal... Collection; Form 159-E, Remittance Voucher; and Form 159-W, Interstate Telephone Service Provider Worksheet. Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection. Respondents: Individuals or households...

  4. Petrographic description of calcite/opal samples collected on field trip of December 5-9, 1992. Special report No. 7

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hill, C.A.; Schluter, C.M.

    1993-06-01

    This study is part of the research program of the Yucca Mountain Project intended to provide the State of Nevada with a detailed analysis and assessment of the water-deposited minerals of Yucca Mountain and adjacent regions. Forty-three separate stops were made and 203 samples were collected during the five days of the field trip. This report describes petrographic observations made on the calcite/opal samples

  5. U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION, STORAGE, AND SHIPMENT OF URINE SAMPLES FOR METALS AND PESTICIDES ANALYSIS (UA-F-20.1)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The purpose of this SOP is to guide the collection, storage, and shipment of urine samples collected. This SOP provides a brief description of sample, collection, preservation, storage, shipping, and custody procedures. This procedure was followed to ensure consistent data retri...

  6. Tank 241-U-104 headspace gas and vapor characterization results from samples collected on July 16, 1996

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pool, K.H.; Evans, J.C.; Hayes, J.C.; Mitroshkov, A.V.; Edwards, J.A.; Julya, J.L.; Thornton, B.M.; Fruchter, J.S.; Silvers, K.L.

    1997-08-01

    This report presents the results from analyses of samples taken from the headspace of waste storage tank 241-U-104 (Tank U-104) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Tank headspace samples collected by Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) were analyzed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to determine headspace concentrations of selected non-radioactive analytes. Analyses were performed by the Vapor Analytical Laboratory (VAL) at PNNL. Vapor concentrations from sorbent trap samples are based on measured sample volumes provided by WHC. No analytes were determined to be above the immediate notification limits specified by the sampling and analysis plan. None of the flammable constituents were present at concentrations above the analytical instrument detection limits. Total headspace flammability was estimated to be <0.108% of the lower flammability limit. Average measured concentrations of targeted gases, inorganic vapors, and selected organic vapors are provided in a table. A summary of experimental methods, including sampling methodology, analytical procedures, and quality assurance and control methods are presented in Section 2.0. Detailed descriptions of the analytical results are provided in Section 3.0

  7. Supplementing electronic health records through sample collection and patient diaries: A study set within a primary care research database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, Rebecca M; Soames, Jamie; Wright, Mark; Sultana, Kirin; van Staa, Tjeerd P; Dixon, William G

    2018-02-01

    To describe a novel observational study that supplemented primary care electronic health record (EHR) data with sample collection and patient diaries. The study was set in primary care in England. A list of 3974 potentially eligible patients was compiled using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Interested general practices opted into the study then confirmed patient suitability and sent out postal invitations. Participants completed a drug-use diary and provided saliva samples to the research team to combine with EHR data. Of 252 practices contacted to participate, 66 (26%) mailed invitations to patients. Of the 3974 potentially eligible patients, 859 (22%) were at participating practices, and 526 (13%) were sent invitations. Of those invited, 117 (22%) consented to participate of whom 86 (74%) completed the study. We have confirmed the feasibility of supplementing EHR with data collected directly from patients. Although the present study successfully collected essential data from patients, it also underlined the requirement for improved engagement with both patients and general practitioners to support similar studies. © 2017 The Authors. Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Optimizing detection of noble gas emission at a former UNE site: sample strategy, collection, and analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirkham, R.; Olsen, K.; Hayes, J. C.; Emer, D. F.

    2013-12-01

    Underground nuclear tests may be first detected by seismic or air samplers operated by the CTBTO (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization). After initial detection of a suspicious event, member nations may call for an On-Site Inspection (OSI) that in part, will sample for localized releases of radioactive noble gases and particles. Although much of the commercially available equipment and methods used for surface and subsurface environmental sampling of gases can be used for an OSI scenario, on-site sampling conditions, required sampling volumes and establishment of background concentrations of noble gases require development of specialized methodologies. To facilitate development of sampling equipment and methodologies that address OSI sampling volume and detection objectives, and to collect information required for model development, a field test site was created at a former underground nuclear explosion site located in welded volcanic tuff. A mixture of SF-6, Xe127 and Ar37 was metered into 4400 m3 of air as it was injected into the top region of the UNE cavity. These tracers were expected to move towards the surface primarily in response to barometric pumping or through delayed cavity pressurization (accelerated transport to minimize source decay time). Sampling approaches compared during the field exercise included sampling at the soil surface, inside surface fractures, and at soil vapor extraction points at depths down to 2 m. Effectiveness of various sampling approaches and the results of tracer gas measurements will be presented.

  9. 77 FR 22345 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested; Body Armor in...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-13

    ... Collection: Establishment survey and initial approval of collection. (2) Title of Form/Collection: Body Armor... Agency-Level Survey and Body Armor Individual-level Correctional Officer Survey. (3) Agency form number... approaches to overcome those barriers. (a) For the Body Armor Administrative Agency-Level Survey, the chief...

  10. Design of the CERN MEDICIS Collection and Sample Extraction System

    CERN Document Server

    Brown, Alexander

    MEDICIS is a new facility at CERN ISOLDE that aims to produce radio-isotopes for medical research. Possible designs for the collection and transport system for the collection of radio-isotopes was investigated. A system using readily available equipment was devised with the the aim of keeping costs to a minimum whilst maintaining the highest safety standards. FLUKA, a Monte Carlo radiation transport code, was used to simulate the radiation from the isotopes to be collected. Of the isotopes to be collected 44Sc was found to give the largest dose by simulating the collection of all isotopes of interest to CERN’s MEDICIS facility, for medical research. The simulations helped guide the amount of shielding used in the final design. Swiss Regulations stipulating allowed activity level of individual isotopes was also considered within the body of the work.

  11. 75 FR 2931 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 1099-H

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-19

    ... 1099-H AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Form 1099-H, Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) Advance Payments. DATES: Written comments should be.... OMB Number: 1545-1813. Form Number: Form 1099-H. Abstract: Form 1099-H is used to report advance...

  12. 77 FR 37098 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8038-CP

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-20

    ... 8038-CP AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Form 8038-CP, Return for Credit Payments to Issuers of Qualified Bonds. DATES: Written comments should... Issuers of Qualified Bonds. OMB Number: 1545-2142. Form Number: Form 8038-CP. Abstract: Form 8038-CP...

  13. Genetic Sample Inventory

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This database archives genetic tissue samples from marine mammals collected primarily from the U.S. east coast. The collection includes samples from field programs,...

  14. Radon exhalation rates from slate stone samples in Aravali Range in Haryana

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Upadhyay, S.B.; Kant, K.; Chakarvarti, S.K.

    2012-01-01

    The slate stone tiles are very popular in covering the walls of the rooms. Radon is released into ambient air from slate stones due to ubiquitous uranium and radium in them, thus increasing the airborne radon concentration. The radioactivity in slates stones is related to radioactivity in the rocks from which the slate stone tiles are formed. In the present investigation, the radon emanated from slate stone samples collected from different slate mines in Aravali range of hills in the Haryana state of Northern India has been estimated. For the measurement of radon concentration emanated from these samples, alpha-sensitive LR-115 type II plastic track detectors have been used. The alpha particles emitted from the radon form tracks in these detectors. After chemical etching the track density of registered tracks is used to calculate radon concentration and exhalation rates of radon using required formulae. The measurements indicate normal to some higher levels of radon concentration emanated from the slat stone samples collected from Aravali range of hills in north India. The results will be discussed in full paper. (author)

  15. 78 FR 8225 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 1099-H

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-05

    ... 1099-H AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Form 1099-H, Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) Advance Payments. DATES: Written comments should be...: 1545-1813. Form Number: Form 1099-H. Abstract: Form 1099-H is used to report advance payments of health...

  16. Comparison of different forms of gravel as aggregate in concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sikiru ORITOLA

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Gradation plays an important role in the workability, segregation, and pump ability of concrete. Uniformly distributed aggregates require less paste which will also decrease bleeding, creep and shrinkage while producing better workability, more durable concrete and higher packing. This attempt looks at the effect of particle size distribution pattern for five types of gravel aggregate forms, angular, elongated, smooth rounded, irregular and flaky as related to the strength of concrete produced. Different forms of naturally existing gravel aggregate were collected from a particular location and tests were carried out on them to determine their gradation. Based on the gradation the aggregates were used to prepare different samples of grade 20 concrete with water-cement ratio of 0.5. The particle size distribution resulted in coefficients of uniformity ranging from 1.24 to 1.44. The granite aggregate, which serves as a reference, had a coefficient of uniformity of 1.47. Tests were conducted on fresh and hardened concrete cube samples. The concrete sample CT5 recorded a slump of 32mm and highest compressive strength value of 21.7 N/mm2, among the concrete produced from different forms of gravel.

  17. Localization and chemical forms of cadmium in plant samples by combining analytical electron microscopy and X-ray spectromicroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Isaure, Marie-Pierre [Section d' Application des Traceurs, LITEN, CEA-Grenoble, 17, rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble cedex 9 (France) and Environmental Geochemistry Group, LGIT, UMR 5559, Universite J. Fourier and CNRS, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble cedex 9 (France)]. E-mail: mpisaure@ujf-grenoble.fr; Fayard, Barbara [Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, UMR 8502 Universite Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay (France); European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, ID-21, BP220, 38043 Grenoble (France); Sarret, Geraldine [Environmental Geochemistry Group, LGIT, UMR 5559, Universite J. Fourier and CNRS, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble cedex 9 (France); Pairis, Sebastien [Laboratoire de Cristallographie, UPR 5031, 25 Avenue des Martyrs, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble cedex 9 (France); Bourguignon, Jacques [Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire Vegetale, UMR 5168 CEA/CNRS/INRA/UJF, DRDC, CEA-Grenoble, 17 Avenue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble cedex 9 (France)

    2006-12-15

    Cadmium (Cd) is a metal of high toxicity for plants. Resolving its distribution and speciation in plants is essential for understanding the mechanisms involved in Cd tolerance, trafficking and accumulation. The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana was exposed to cadmium under controlled conditions. Elemental distributions in the roots and in the leaves were determined using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDX), and synchrotron-based micro X-ray fluorescence ({mu}-XRF), which offers a better sensitivity. The chemical form(s) of cadmium was investigated using Cd L{sub III}-edge (3538 eV) micro X-ray absorption near edge structure ({mu}-XANES) spectroscopy. Plant {mu}-XANES spectra were fitted by linear combination of Cd reference spectra. Biological sample preparation and conditioning is a critical point because of possible artifacts. In this work we compared freeze-dried samples analyzed at ambient temperature and frozen hydrated samples analyzed at -170 deg. C. Our results suggest that in the roots Cd is localized in vascular bundles, and coordinated to S ligands. In the leaves, trichomes (epidermal hairs) represent the main compartment of Cd accumulation. In these specialized cells, {mu}-XANES results show that the majority of Cd is bound to O/N ligands likely provided by the cell wall, and a minor fraction could be bound to S-containing ligands. No significant difference in Cd speciation was observed between freeze-dried and frozen hydrated samples. This work illustrates the interest and the sensitivity of Cd L{sub III}-edge XANES spectroscopy, which is applied here for the first time to plant samples. Combining {mu}-XRF and Cd L{sub III}-edge {mu}-XANES spectroscopy offers promising tools to study Cd storage and trafficking mechanisms in plants and other biological samples.

  18. Acceptability of study procedures (self-collected introital swabs, blood draws and stool sample collection) by students 10-16 years for an HPV vaccine effectiveness study: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakalembe, Miriam; Mutyaba, Twaha; Mirembe, Florence

    2016-03-16

    A cohort study was planned to evaluate vaccine immunogenicity and effect of malaria and helminth co-infections on the bivalent Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine. The study would involve self collected introital swabs, blood draws and stool sample collection. We therefore conducted a pilot study to assess the acceptability of these procedures among the students and their parents. A cross-sectional study among forty four students from two purposively selected primary schools of Western Uganda. Exit interviews and two focus group discussions (FGD) (for parents) were conducted. Acceptability was measured by willingness to undergo the procedures again, recommending the procedures to others as well as proportion of introital swabs positive for β globulin. FGD determined acceptability of the parents and explored opinions and perceptions that would influence their decisions. HPV-16/18 and β globulin deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) were analysed using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kit. All the students (100%) in the study were willing to provide a self- collected introital swab and a stool sample as well as recommending their friends while (86.3%) were willing for blood draws. There were 40/44 (90.1%) self collected introital swabs that had positive result for human β globulin though none of them was positive for HPV-16/18. In the FGD, it emerged that parents concerns were on the blood draws and introital swab collection which were addressed. The study procedures were highly acceptable among this study population of students and their parents. Follow-up to assess HPV vaccine effectiveness and factors that may influence the vaccine in this age group is feasible.

  19. β-trace protein as a diagnostic marker for perilymphatic fluid fistula: a prospective controlled pilot study to test a sample collection technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bachmann-Harildstad, Gregor; Stenklev, Niels Christian; Myrvoll, Elin; Jablonski, Greg; Klingenberg, Olav

    2011-01-01

    The diagnosis of perilymphatic fluid (PLF) fistula is still challenging. Perilymphatic fluid fistula is one possible complication after stapedotomy or cochlear implant surgery. We have performed a prospective diagnostic pilot study to further investigate β-trace protein (β-TP) as a marker for PLF fistula. In this pilot study, we tested the sensitivity of the β-TP marker using a simple method for sample collection from the tympanic cavity. Prospective controlled diagnostic study. Two-center tertiary referral hospitals. A total of 35 adult patients undergoing ear surgery were included. Subjects were divided into 2 groups: 1) 19 patients undergoing stapedotomy were investigated for PLF fistula in samples obtained from the tympanic cavity and 2) 16 patients undergoing myringoplasty were investigated for PLF fistula in samples from the tympanic cavity. This group served as the control. Mean age +/- SD at surgery was 49.9 +/- 8.0 years in the study group and 39.69 +/- 15.47 years in the control group. β-Trace protein (prostaglandin D synthase) in tympanic cavity samples and serum samples was analyzed. The samples were collected by gradually filling the tympanic cavity with 100 to 200 μl sodium chloride and by immediately collecting a volume of 60 to 100 μl in a mucus specimen set container. The concentration of β-TP was quantified using laser nephelometry. The median β-TP in the study group was 0.8 mg/L (range, 0.05-4.5 mg/L). In the control group, the median β-TP value was 0.16 mg/L (range, 0.01-0.36 mg/L). Thirty-five percent of the values in the study group were below the highest value in the negative control group. The β-TP values of the tympanic cavity samples were significantly higher in the study group than in controls (p = 0.0001). The serum values were 0.55 +/- 0.18 and 0.53 +/- 0.11 mg/L, respectively. It may be feasible to test for PLF fistula using β-TP in samples from the tympanic cavity. Our results, however, suggest a relative low diagnostic

  20. 77 FR 36008 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection: Cargo Theft Incident Report...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-15

    ... Collection Activities; Proposed Collection: Cargo Theft Incident Report, Revision of a Currently Approved... collection: Revision of a currently approved collection. (2) The title of the form/collection: Cargo Theft... enforcement agencies. Brief Abstract: This collection is needed to collect information on cargo theft...

  1. 77 FR 38144 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8594

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-26

    ... reported includes the amount allocated to goodwill or going concern value. Form 8594 is used to report this..., Public Law 104-13(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form...

  2. 75 FR 53018 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 720

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-30

    .... Abstract: Form 720 is used to report (1) excise taxes due from retailers and manufacturers on the sale or... are no changes being made to the form at this time. Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved...

  3. Effective sample labeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rieger, J.T.; Bryce, R.W.

    1990-01-01

    Ground-water samples collected for hazardous-waste and radiological monitoring have come under strict regulatory and quality assurance requirements as a result of laws such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. To comply with these laws, the labeling system used to identify environmental samples had to be upgraded to ensure proper handling and to protect collection personnel from exposure to sample contaminants and sample preservatives. The sample label now used as the Pacific Northwest Laboratory is a complete sample document. In the event other paperwork on a labeled sample were lost, the necessary information could be found on the label

  4. PCR detection and identification of histamine-forming bacteria in filleted tuna fish samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrario, Chiara; Pegollo, Chiara; Ricci, Giovanni; Borgo, Francesca; Fortina, M Grazia

    2012-02-01

    Total of 14 filleted yellowfin tuna fish (Thunnus albacares) sold in wholesale fish market and supermarkets in Milan, Italy, were purchased and tested to determine microbial count, histamine level, histamine-forming bacteria, and their ability to produce histamine in culture broth. Although histamine level was less than 10 ppm, many samples showed high total viable bacterial and enterobacterial counts that reached dangerous levels after temperature abuse for short periods of time. A PCR assay targeting a 709-bp fragment of the histidine decarboxylase gene (hdc) revealed that 30.5% of the 141 enteric bacteria isolated from samples were positive and potentially able to produce histamine. The hdc positive strains were mainly isolated from fish bought at wholesale fish market, where we observed several possible risk factors, such as handling in poor and non-refrigerated conditions during fillet preparation. These positive strains were identified as Citrobacter koseri/Enterobacter spp. and Morganella morganii, by 16S/23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer amplification and 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The strains showed a variable ability of histamine production, with Morganella morganii being the most active histamine-producing species. A direct DNA extraction from fish and a PCR targeting the hdc gene showed a high degree of concordance with the results obtained through microbiological and chemical analyses, and could aid in the prompt detection of potentially contaminated fish products, before histamine accumulates. The use of methods for the early and rapid detection of bacteria producing biogenic amines is important for preventing accumulation of these toxic substances in food products. In this study, we used a molecular approach for the detection of histamine-forming bacteria in fish. PCR-based methods require expensive equipment and a high degree of training for the user, but are fast (marketing and can be used in the investigation of risk reduction strategies.

  5. 75 FR 71718 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, OMB No. 1660-0011...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-24

    ... provide personal financial information on FEMA Form 127-0-1 concerning their current financial position... Collection Financial Statement AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Notice; 60-day...-0011; FEMA Form 127-0-1 (formerly FEMA Form 22-13), Debt Collection Financial Statement. SUMMARY: The...

  6. Sampling technique for collection of expired COsub(2) in studies using naturally labelled sup(13)C in calves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chevalier, R.; Pelletier, G.; Gagnon, M.

    1984-01-01

    Natural isotopic labelling of animal metabolic processes presents great advantages over the use of artificially enriched compounds. These advantages include the use of natural diets, low cost and easiness of handling, sampling and disposal. Changes in the sup(13)C/sup(12)C ratio of expired COsub(2) after ingestion of a test meal containing a variable proportion of Csub(3) and/or Csub(4) plant-derived products permits measurements of the immediate oxidation of dietary carbohydrates. A breathing device for collection of expired COsub(2) and purification techniques are described. The breath-sampling device is composed of a polypropylene enclosure and a rubber bag. The rubber bag is blown up by the animal and a sample of the expired gas is transferred to a sampling glass holder in which a vacuum had been previously achieved. Sample purification of expired COsub(2) is done by differential freezing

  7. Determination of chemical form of iodine with IC-ICP-MS system and its application to the environmental samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, S.; Katou, S.; Sekimoto, H.; Muramatsu, Y.

    2005-01-01

    Iodine-129 is one of the important radionuclides possibly released into the environment from nuclear weapons testing and from the nuclear facilities such as nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. Because of its long half-life (1.57 x 10 7 y), knowing its long-term behavior in the environment is a major concern. As I-129 is expected to act together with stable iodine (I-127) in the environment after long time, the biogeochemical cycling of stable iodine in the environment can be used for the reliable safety assessment of I-129. Chemical form is the one of the important factors controlling the 'iodine behavior in the environment. Iodide (I - ) and iodate (IO 3 - ) are known to be the major chemical form in the aqueous solution. However, the information on the chemical form of iodine in the environmental sample is limited because of lack of reliable analytical technique for trace level of iodine in the environment. In this study, the analytical system by using ion chromatograph (IC) followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed for the separate determination of I - and IO 3 - in the aqueous solution. The IC with anion exchange column (EXCELPAK ICS-A23) was used for the separation of I - and IO 3 - with 30 mM (NH 4 ) 2 CO 3 as eluent. Separated iodine was determined with ICP-MS on line. with the detection limit 0.1 - 1 μg/L. The total iodine concentration was also measured by the direct determination with ICP-MS. The iodine in the several environmental samples such as irrigation water in paddy field was successfully determined with information of chemical form. In incubation experiment with flooded soil, the change of the chemical form of iodine in the soil solution with change of Eh was observed. Detailed data will be discussed in the presentation.

  8. 76 FR 53475 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-26

    ... forms for the proposed paperwork collections referenced above, access CMS' Web Site address at http...) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) the use... Collection: National Balancing Indicators Project (NBIP) Direct Service Workforce Data Collection Effort; Use...

  9. Laboratory Sampling Guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-11

    environment, and by ingestion of foodstuffs that have incorporated C-14 by photosynthesis . Like tritium, C-14 is a very low energy beta emitter and is... bacterial growth and to minimize development of solids in the sample. • Properly identify each sample container with name, SSN, and collection start and...sampling in the same cardboard carton. The sample may be kept cool or frozen during collection to control odor and bacterial growth. • Once

  10. 77 FR 71798 - Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-04

    ... hospitals that participated in prior phases of the survey). Infection prevention personnel in participating... hours Infection Prevention Personnel Data Collection 500 75 15/60 9,375 in Participating Hospitals. Form... sample of 338 hospitals; 5% of hospitalized patients acquired an infection not present at the time of...

  11. Microbial diversity in firework chemical exposed soil and water samples collected in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhasarathan, P; Theriappan, P; Ashokraja, C

    2010-03-01

    Microbial diversity of soil and water samples collected from pyrochemicals exposed areas of Virdhunagar district (Tamil Nadu, India) was studied. Soil and water samples from cultivable area, waste land and city area of the same region were also studied for a comparative acount. There is a remarkable reduction in total heterotrophic bacterial population (THB) in pyrochemicals exposed soil and water samples (42 × 10(4) CFU/g and 5.6 × 10(4) CFU/ml respectively), compared to the THB of cultivable area soil and water samples (98 × 10(7) CFU/g and 38.6 × 10(7) CFU/ml). The generic composition the THB of the pyrochemicals exposed samples too exhibited considerable change compared to other samples. Pseudomonas sp. was the predominant one (41.6%) followed by Achromobacter sp. (25%) in pyrochemical exposed soil and Pseudomonas sp. was the predominant one (25%) in pyrochemical exposed water samples followed by Bacillus sp. (25%) and Micrococcus sp. (16.6%). It was observed that Cornybacterium sp. and Micrococcus sp. were absent completely in pyrochemical exposed soil and Achromobacter sp. was missing in the pyrochemical exposed water samples, which were present in the other samples. The outcome of this study clearly demonstrates that pollutants such as chemicals used in pyrotechniques affect the microbial biodiversity and suitable measures have to be taken to control the pollution level and to save biodiversity.

  12. 77 FR 64379 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 1000

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-19

    ... 1000 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY... 1000, Ownership Certificate. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before December 18, 2012...: Ownership Certificate. OMB Number: 1545-0054. Form Number: 1000. Abstract: Form 1000 is used by citizens...

  13. 78 FR 54514 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8941

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-04

    ... 8941, Credit for Small Employer Health Insurance Premiums. DATES: Written comments should be received... INFORMATION: Title: Credit for Small Employer Health Insurance Premiums. OMB Number: 1545-2198. Form Number... coverage expenses. Form 8941, Credit for Small Employer Health Insurance Premiums, has been developed to...

  14. 77 FR 71037 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 9452

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-28

    ... 9452, Filing Assistance Program (Do you have to file a Federal Income Tax Return?). DATES: Written... Internet, at [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Filing Assistance Program (Do you have to file a Federal Income Tax Return?). OMB Number: 1545-1316. Form Number: 9452. Abstract: Form...

  15. 78 FR 46414 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8916

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-31

    ... 8916, Reconciliation of Schedule M-3 Taxable Income with Tax Return Taxable Income for Mixed Groups... internet, at [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Reconciliation of Schedule M-3 Taxable Income with Tax Return Taxable Income for Mixed Groups. OMB Number: 1545-2062. Form Number: Form...

  16. Prevalence of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus from raw milk samples collected from the local vendors in the region of Tirupathi, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sudhanthirakodi Sudhanthiramani

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The study was carried out with the aim to identify the suitability of the milk for consumer use with special reference to Staphylococcus aureus from milk samples collected from various local vendors and determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of those positive isolates. Materials and Methods: A total of 110 milk samples were collected from the local milk vendors in and around Tirupathi region of India. All the samples were enriched with buffered peptone water in 9:1 ratio and the then inoculated on baird parker agar medium with added 2% egg yolk tellurite emulsion as selective medium for S.aureus and confirmed with mannitol salt agar, Gram’s staining and biochemical tests. The typical cultural characters with coagulase-positive samples were taken as positive samples the positive samples were tested for antibiotic susceptibility with 10 different antibiotics by employing disc diffusion method. Results: Prevalence of coagulase-positive S. aureus was 39.09% (43/110 from the milk samples. The antibiotic susceptibility test of positive isolates showed high resistant toward penicillin G 37/43 (86.04% and ampicillin 32/43 (74.42%, and also showed resistant to methicillin 6/43 (13.95%, cephalothin 6/43 (13.95%, tetracycline 6/43 (13.95%, ciprofloxacin 4/43 (9.30%, enrofloxacin 3/43 (6.97%, cefoxitin 2/43 (4.65%, gentamicin 2/43 (4.65%, and co-trimoxazole 2/43 (4.65%. Many individual isolates showed resistant against two or more antibiotics in our study. Conclusion: The above study results show that the milk samples collected from local vendor having S. aureus, which can induce disease condition as well as antibiotic resistant to the humans particularly young children and old age peoples by means of consumption of raw milk and its products. This is the public health issue, which needs to be solved by educating the local vendors regarding health problems related to unhygienic milk supply and make the awareness among the consumers about this

  17. Isolation of Arcobacter butzleri in environmental and food samples collected in industrial and artisanal dairy plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federica Giacometti

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the presence of Arcobacter species in two cheese factories; a total of 22 environmental samples and 10 food samples were collected from an artisanal and an industrial cheese factory; Arcobacter species were isolated after enrichment, and isolates were identified at species level by multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (PCR assay. In the artisanal cheese factory, Arcobacter spp. were isolated from several environmental samples, cow and water buffalo raw milk and ricotta cheese. In the industrial plant, Arcobacter spp. were isolated from surfaces not in contact with food and from a cleaned surface in contact with food; no Arcobacter spp. was isolated from food. All isolates were identified as A. butzleri. We report of the presence of A. butzleri in a ready-to-eat cheese produced for retail. In addition, the isolation of A. butzleri in food processing surfaces in the two cheese factories could be assessed as a source of potential contamination for cheeses

  18. DogMATIC--A Remote Biospecimen Collection Kit for Biobanking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milley, Kristi M; Nimmo, Judith S; Bacci, Barbara; Ryan, Stewart D; Richardson, Samantha J; Danks, Janine A

    2015-08-01

    Canine tumors are valuable comparative oncology models. This research was designed to create a sustainable biobank of canine mammary tumors for breast cancer research. The aim was to provide a well-characterized sample cohort for specimen sharing, data mining, and long-term research aims. Canine mammary tumors are most frequently managed at a local veterinary clinic or hospital. We adopted a biobank framework based on a large number of participating veterinary hospitals and clinics acting as collection centers that were serviced by a centralized storage facility. Recruitment was targeted at rural veterinary clinics. A tailored, stable collection kit (DogMATIC) was designed that was used by veterinarians in remote or rural locations to collect both fresh and fixed tissue for submission to the biobank. To validate this methodology the kit design, collection rate, and sample quality were analyzed. The Australian Veterinary Cancer Biobank was established as a network of 47 veterinary clinics and three veterinary pathology laboratories spanning over 200,000 km(2). In the first 12 months, 30 canine mammary tumor cases were submitted via the DogMATIC kit. Pure intact RNA was isolated in over 80% of samples with an average yield of 14.49 μg. A large network biobank, utilizing off-site collection with the DogMATIC kit, was successfully coordinated. The creation of the Australian Veterinary Cancer Biobank has established a long-term, sustainable, comparative oncology research resource in Australia. There are broader implications for biobanking with this very different form of collection and banking.

  19. Testing a groundwater sampling tool: Are the samples representative?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaback, D.S.; Bergren, C.L.; Carlson, C.A.; Carlson, C.L.

    1989-01-01

    A ground water sampling tool, the HydroPunch trademark, was tested at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina to determine if representative ground water samples could be obtained without installing monitoring wells. Chemical analyses of ground water samples collected with the HydroPunch trademark from various depths within a borehole were compared with chemical analyses of ground water from nearby monitoring wells. The site selected for the test was in the vicinity of a large coal storage pile and a coal pile runoff basin that was constructed to collect the runoff from the coal storage pile. Existing monitoring wells in the area indicate the presence of a ground water contaminant plume that: (1) contains elevated concentrations of trace metals; (2) has an extremely low pH; and (3) contains elevated concentrations of major cations and anions. Ground water samples collected with the HydroPunch trademark provide in excellent estimate of ground water quality at discrete depths. Groundwater chemical data collected from various depths using the HydroPunch trademark can be averaged to simulate what a screen zone in a monitoring well would sample. The averaged depth-discrete data compared favorably with the data obtained from the nearby monitoring wells

  20. 78 FR 16047 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 966

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-13

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 966, Corporate Dissolution or Liquidation. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before May... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Corporate Dissolution or Liquidation. OMB Number: 1545-0041. Form Number: 966...

  1. 75 FR 32989 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 706

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-10

    ... 706, United States Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before August 9, 2010 to be assured of consideration. ADDRESSES: Direct all... Transfer) Tax Return. OMB Number: 1545-0015. Form Number: 706. Abstract: Form 706 is used by executors to...

  2. 78 FR 54512 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 720

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-04

    ... 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before November 4, 2013 to be assured of consideration. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Yvette Lawrence...: Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return. OMB Number: 1545-0023. Form Number: 720. Abstract: Form 720 is used to...

  3. 78 FR 35660 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 1116

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-13

    ... 1116, Foreign Tax Credit. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before August 12, 2013 to be assured of consideration. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Yvette Lawrence, Internal Revenue...: Foreign Tax Credit. OMB Number: 1545-0121. Form Number: 1116. Abstract: Form 1116 is used by individuals...

  4. Aliiglaciecola coringensis sp. nov., isolated from a water sample collected from mangrove forest in Coringa, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Gupta, V.; Sharma, G.; Srinivas, T.N.R.; AnilKumar, P.

    A Gram-negative, rod shaped, motile, aerobic bacterium, designated as strain AK49(T) was isolated from a water sample from a mangrove forest in Coringa village, Andhra Pradesh, India. Strain AK49(T) was observed to form yellow coloured, smooth...

  5. 76 FR 37194 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 1099-R.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-24

    ... 1099-R. AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Form 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs..., Insurance Contracts, etc. OMB Number: 1545-0119. Form Number: 1099-R. Abstract: Form 1099-R is used to...

  6. 76 FR 24038 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 1660-NEW; Level 1...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-29

    ...] Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 1660-NEW; Level 1 Assessment and Level III Evaluations for the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) AGENCY: Federal Emergency...; OMB No. 1660-NEW; FEMA Form 092-0-2, Level 1 Assessment Form; FEMA Form 092-0-2A, Level 3 Evaluation...

  7. Googling your hand hygiene data: Using Google Forms, Google Sheets, and R to collect and automate analysis of hand hygiene compliance monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiemken, Timothy L; Furmanek, Stephen P; Mattingly, William A; Haas, Janet; Ramirez, Julio A; Carrico, Ruth M

    2018-06-01

    Hand hygiene is one of the most important interventions in the quest to eliminate healthcare-associated infections, and rates in healthcare facilities are markedly low. Since hand hygiene observation and feedback are critical to improve adherence, we created an easy-to-use, platform-independent hand hygiene data collection process and an automated, on-demand reporting engine. A 3-step approach was used for this project: 1) creation of a data collection form using Google Forms, 2) transfer of data from the form to a spreadsheet using Google Spreadsheets, and 3) creation of an automated, cloud-based analytics platform for report generation using R and RStudio Shiny software. A video tutorial of all steps in the creation and use of this free tool can be found on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFatMR1rXqU&t. The on-demand reporting tool can be accessed at: https://crsp.louisville.edu/shiny/handhygiene. This data collection and automated analytics engine provides an easy-to-use environment for evaluating hand hygiene data; it also provides rapid feedback to healthcare workers. By reducing some of the data management workload required of the infection preventionist, more focused interventions may be instituted to increase global hand hygiene rates and reduce infection. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. 76 FR 36620 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 4797

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-22

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 4797, Sales of Business Property. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before August [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Sales of Business Property. OMB Number: 1545-0184. Form...

  9. 76 FR 9077 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 2553

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-16

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 2553, Election by a Small Business Corporation. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Election by a Small Business Corporation. OMB Number: 1545-0146. Form Number...

  10. The collection and field chemical analysis of water samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korte, N.E.; Ealey, D.T.; Hollenbach, M.H.

    1984-01-01

    A successful water sampling program requires a clear understanding of appropriate measurement and sampling procedures in order to obtain reliable field data and representative samples. It is imperative that the personnel involved have a thorough knowledge of the limitations of the techniques being used. Though this seems self-evident, many sampling and field-chemical-analysis programs are still not properly conducted. Recognizing these problems, the Department of Energy contracted with Bendix Field Engineering Corporation through the Technical Measurements Center to develop and select procedures for water sampling and field chemical analysis at waste sites. The fundamental causese of poor field programs are addressed in this paper, largely through discussion of specific field-measurement techniques and their limitations. Recommendations for improvement, including quality-assurance measures, are also presented

  11. 75 FR 5855 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8038-TC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-04

    ... 8038-TC AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... comments concerning Form 8038-TC, Information Return for Tax Credit Bonds. DATES: Written comments should...: Form 8038-TC. Abstract: Form 8038-TC will be used by issuers of qualified tax- exempt credit bonds...

  12. 76 FR 53168 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 1120-H

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-25

    ... 1120-H AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Form 1120-H, U.S. Income Tax Return for Homeowners Associations. DATES: Written comments should be... Associations. OMB Number: 1545-0127. Form Number: 1120-H. Abstract: Homeowners associations file Form 1120-H to...

  13. 78 FR 76892 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form W-12

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-19

    ... W-12 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Form W-12 IRS Paid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). DATES: Written comments should be.... Form Number: Form W-12. Abstract: Paid tax return preparers are required to get a preparer tax...

  14. 75 FR 6708 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-10

    ... of Information Collection Under Review: Advanced Explosives Destruction Techniques (AEDT) Training... collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Advanced Explosives Destruction Techniques (AEDT) Training... Management Division, 99 New York Ave., NE.,Washington, DC 20226. Written comments and suggestions from the...

  15. 77 FR 36294 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comments Requested: Accounting...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-18

    ... Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comments Requested: Accounting System and Financial Capability... change of a currently approved collection. (2) The title of the form/collection: Accounting System and... for-profit entities and not-for-profit institutions. Other: None. The purpose of the Accounting System...

  16. 78 FR 24312 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 5308

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-24

    ..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 5308, Request for Change in Plan/Trust Year. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Request for Change in Plan/Trust Year. OMB Number: 1545-0201. Form Number...

  17. Mapping of marine benthic invertebrates in the Oslofjord and the Skagerrak: sampling data of museum collections from 1950-1955 and from recent investigations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eivind Oug

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Data from large sampling programmes for the mapping of marine invertebrates in the Oslofjord, Norway, and the Skagerrak, spanning more than six decades, are compiled and digitized to provide easy access in modern data repositories. Two sampling programmes undertaken in the period 1950–55 are still the most extensive mapping of marine benthic fauna in the area. Information from a total of more than 900 localities, or sampling events, covering all benthic habitats in the Oslofjord and coastal waters to Kvitsøy in Rogaland county, have been carefully digitized from field notes, original sea charts, and primary observations from sample handling in the field. Geographical coordinates referred to WGS84 chart datum have been fixed with a general accuracy of 20 m in the Oslofjord and 100–250 m in coastal areas, based on precise map sketches with cross-bearings to land objects and chart annotations. Most samples were collected using triangular, Agassiz and lightweight dredges. The collected material has been deposited in the collections of the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo. Two recent projects, ‘Polyskag’ and ‘Bioskag’ (2006–2014, are briefly described. The projects focused on the diversity of marine bristle worms (Polychaeta, inter alia providing material for molecular genetic analyses. Type localities for early described species and generally understudied biotopes were visited. The data from the 1950s, together with recent studies, constitute a considerable resource for studies of biodiversity, facilitated through the sharing of species records from the museum collections in modern data repositories. The accurate positioning of sampling localities in the 1950s is of particular value for documenting species distributions over long time spans, thus providing a reference base for studying present and future species changes and assessing the effects of human influence and environmental changes in the Oslofjord and the Skagerrak.

  18. Characteristics of HIV target CD4 T cells collected using different sampling methods from the genital tract of HIV seronegative women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iyer, Smita S; Sabula, Michael J; Mehta, C Christina; Haddad, Lisa B; Brown, Nakita L; Amara, Rama R; Ofotokun, Igho; Sheth, Anandi N

    2017-01-01

    Understanding the immune profile of CD4 T cells, the primary targets for HIV, in the female genital tract (FGT) is critical for evaluating and developing effective biomedical HIV prevention strategies in women. However, longitudinal investigation of HIV susceptibility markers expressed by FGT CD4 T cells has been hindered by low cellular yield and risk of sampling-associated trauma. We investigated three minimally invasive FGT sampling methods to characterize and compare CD4 T cell yield and phenotype with the goal of establishing feasible sampling strategies for immune profiling of mucosal CD4 T cells. FGT samples were collected bimonthly from 12 healthy HIV negative women of reproductive age in the following order: 1) Cervicovaginal lavage (CVL), 2) two sequential endocervical flocked swabs (FS), and 3) two sequential endocervical cytobrushes (CB1, CB2). Cells were isolated and phentoyped via flow cytometry. CD4 T cell recovery was highest from each individual CB compared to either CVL or FS (p sampling method, expressed CCR5 relative to peripheral blood (p samples. Using three different mucosal sampling methods collected longitudinally we demonstrate that CD4 T cells within the FGT express CCR5 and α4β7 and are highly activated, attributes which could act in concert to facilitate HIV acquisition. FS and CB sampling methods can allow for investigation of strategies to reduce HIV target cells in the FGT and could inform the design and interpretation microbicide and vaccine studies in women.

  19. 75 FR 30907 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 990-N

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-02

    ... 990-N AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Form 990-N, Electronic Notice (e-Postcard) for Tax-Exempt Organizations not Required To file Form 990... Number: 1545-2085. Form Number: 990-N. Abstract: Section 1223 of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA...

  20. 78 FR 69938 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8453-R

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-21

    ... 8453-R AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Form 8453-R, Declaration and Signature for Electronic Filing of Forms 8947 and 8963. DATES: Written... copies of the form and instructions should be directed to R. Joseph Durbala, (202) 622-3634, at Internal...

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.