The objectives of this study were to determine if cadmium would induce chromosomal aberration, to determine if simultaneous aberration events occurred in somatic and germinal tissue, and to determine an estimated minimum exposure time required for significant chromosomal change. Bone marrow chromosome aberrations, specifically breaks and deletions, were found to increase after acute cadmium exposure both at MTD and normal exposure levels. Subacute exposure also resulted in increased occurrences of breaks, deletions, and despiralization. With longer in vivo exposure to cadmium, bone marrow cells continued to show increased numbers of breaks, as well as a physiological effect, despiralization, and more severe break-related aberrations; rearrangements and pulverization. In spermatocytes of the same animals, gaps, breaks, rearrangements, stickiness, and autosomal univalents were the principle aberrations. Correlation of bone marrow and spermatocyte aberrations indicated that in treated mice significant relationships existed for gaps, breaks, rearrangements, and stickiness in the tissues. An estimate of the minimum exposure time to produce chromosomal damage, based on the acute exposure experiment, would be 6 hours for bone marrow. This was confirmed by the exposure duration experiment. Spermatocytes also had chromosomal damage within 24 hours.

This research examines the basis of current hospital HVAC standards and determines if they can be relaxed on criteria that do not compromise the health, safety, and comfort of patients and staff and has acceptance of the health care community. Chapter 2 summarizes existing standards in use throughout the United States governing hospital ventilation systems and the thermal environment. Chapter 3 explores the role of air in hospital-acquired infections. Chapter 4 explores the realm of indoor air quality within the hospital. Chapter 5 contains a discussion concerning the influence of thermal factors on patient comfort. Chapter 6 discusses the hospital odor problem with regards to ventilation rates. The final chapter includes conclusions and recommendations developed from the literature review and from a small working conference sponsored by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

The inelastic response of a beam to several time-varying moments is presented. The constitutive equations used to describe the beam material are due to Hart. This is one of several state variable theories of inelastic deformation that have been proposed recently. Hart's equations have been previously shown to accurately predict the response of uniaxial specimens to time-varying loads. It is seen that Hart's theory is able to qualitatively simulate various phenomena in creep and plasticity such as the effect of previous deformation history, yielding, strain recovery, material hardening and strain rate sensitivity in this case of bending of a beam. The computational scheme used to integrate the equations is very efficient.

FY78 results of the Wind Resource Analyses task of the ERAB are described. Initial steps were taken to acquire modern atmosphere models of near-surface wind flow and primary data sets used in previous studies of national and regional wind resources. Because numerous assumptions are necessary to interpret available data in terms of wind energy potential, conclusions of previous studies differ considerably. These data analyses may be improved by future SERI research. State-of-the-art atmosphere models are a necessary component of the SERI wind resource analyses capacity. However, these methods also need to be tested and verified in diverse applications. The primary data sets and principal features of the models are discussed.

A comparison of plant performance and cost-effectiveness as computed with two insolation data bases is presented. Three different collector/concentrator concepts (flat peak, north-south parabolic trough, and central receiver) and operation at four locations were evaluated. It is concluded that recent revisions in the insolation data base do not significantly change earlier evaluations of flat-plate photovoltaic plants but result in significantly less optimistic projections of cost-effectiveness of concentrator photovoltaic systems.

As a part of an ongoing evaluation of the endochronic theory of plasticity to assess its utility in describing the dynamic inelastic response of shipping containers to several accident loads, the study explores recently raised questions concerning the numerical stability and uniqueness associated with practical application of the theory.

This is an interim report of a study to establish a risk measure for radioactive waste repositories and to generate radiological performance objectives. The problem of regulating radioactive waste repositories is reviewed, and the difficulties associated with this activity are discussed. Risk-benefit analysis as a tool for regulation has been suggested, and its contribution is assessed. Decision analysis as a development of risk-benefit analysis is suggested as an alternative approach, in particular, employing the concept of expected utility. A utility function which describes the possible consequences of a radioactive waste repository is discussed in some detail, paying particular attention to the public concerns which must be addressable through such a function and how it is recommended to capture them. A specific utility function is developed, and its elicitation from a particular subject is described. The representation of public values in a decision-analytic approach presents some problems and these are fully discussed; recommendations are made as to appropriate methods to carry this out. The vexed question of determining an acceptable safety limit is studied and recommendations are made concerning the most suitable way to determine ''how safe is safe enough.'' Finally a brief discussion is given of how these concepts may …

The growing awareness of the hazards of chemicals in the environment has resulted in the passing of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) on Oct. 11, 1976. This paper attempts to cover some of the salient features of Public Law 94-469, EPA's approach to implementation of its provisions, and some of a chemist's perceptions of TSCA's prospects of success.

Research projects are conducted in the following areas: environmental assessment, technology assessment, resource assessment, and material assessment. Project summaries for 1977 are included. (MHR)

Light and heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles isolated from rabbit leg muscle have been used in a study of chloride-induced calcium release. The biochemical and morphological data indicate that light sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles are derived from the longitudinal reticulum and heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles are derived from the terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The light and heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles were both able to accumulate calcium in the presence of ATP to amounts greater than 100 nmoles Ca/sup + +/ per mg of protein in less than one minute. Light and heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles each had a biphasic time course of calcium uptake. The initial uptake was followed by a rapid release after approximately one minute, of 30 to 40% of the accumulated calcium, which was then followed by a slower phase of calcium accumulation. Results indicate that the chloride induced release of calcium may be acting by two mechanisms, osmotic swelling and depolarization. The release of calcium from the light SR vesicles is probably due to osmotic swelling and the release of calcium from the heavy SR vesicles is probably due to depolarization.

Industrial conversion in the U.S. to alternate fuels from natural gas is presently underway and is anticipated to accelerate rapidly in the next few years. Currently the prime alternate fuels are distillate and residual oils. Conversion to residual oils for high-temperature process heat applications is anticipated to result in accelerated refractory and insulation corrosion and degradation due to reactions between fuel impurities and the ceramic linings of high-temperature equipment. Analyses are presented of several generic types of refractories and fibrous insulations which were exposed to residual oil combustion products under well-controlled conditions for times ranging from hundreds to thousands of hours in a Refractory Test Facility (RTF) designed to simulate industrial process heat combustors. Results are presented for aluminosilicate refractory firebricks, mortars, and refractory fibrous insulations following exposure to domestic residual oil combustion for 500 hr at temperatures near 1375/sup 0/C (2500/sup 0/F). For all three types of refractory material, compositions with two different Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ contents were included. The fuel oil impurities included Fe, Ca, Zn, Ni, Pb, and S in concentrations from tens to hundreds of weight ppM. Some of these impurities reacted with the refractory samples by producing a slag layer on the exposed surfaces followed …

Events leading up to the birth of the Health Physics Society in June, 1955, are reviewed. Membership requirements, chapters, and sections are discussed. An international organization, International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA), founded in 1963, was the outgrowth of the Health Physics Society. Other events in the history of the organization, such as the initiation of publishing of a society journal in 1957, the employment of the first Executive Secretary in 1965, and the establishment of awards, are reviewed. The two appendixes include lists of the officers of the society and award recipients. (JGB)

This GRIPS (Geothermal Resources Impact Project Study) contains over 1700 references on a wide variety of subjects dealing directly or indirectly with geothermal development at the Geysers/Calistoga KGRA. (MHR)

The present study was started early in 1977 in response to a need expressed by the then Assistant Administrator for ERDA Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation and was endorsed by the Administrator of ERDA. The primary purpose is to explore various institutional alternatives that might be employed by the Federal government and the private sector to provide an effective coupling between the requirements of the private sector for new energy technologies and the government's planning process to develop these technologies. This also included an analysis of several institutional initiatives that have been tested by ERDA to create an effective working relationship with industry. Based on these studies, the Committee was requested to make recommendations on an appropriate institutional mechanism to improve the planning process. Chapters are entitled: The Government Role in Energy RD and D; The ERDA (DOE) Private Sector RD and D Planning Interface; Industry Perceptions of the ERDA/Private Sector Interface; Legal Constraints to DOE/Private Sector Cooperation; Instability as a Constraint to DOE/Private Sector Cooperation; and the RD and D Planning Process. An analysis of five legal problems in structuring private sector participation in joint RD and D planning is discussed in an appendix.

The compartment model has a large number of applications in ecosystem science. An attempt is made to outline the problem areas and objectives for which this type of model has particular advantages. The areas identified are an adequate model of tracer movement through an undisturbed but non-equilibrium ecosystem; an adequate model of the movement of material in greater than tracer quantity through an ecosystem near steady state; a minimal model based on limited data; a tool for extrapolating past trends; a framework for the summarization of large data sets; and a theoretical tool for exploring and comparing limited aspects of ecosystem dynamics. The review is set in an historical perspective which helps explain why these models were adopted in ecology. References are also provided to literature which documents available mathematical techniques in an ecological context.

This quarterly/annual report reviews and summarizes the activities performed in support of the Fuel Performance Improvement Program (FPIP) during Fiscal Year 1978 with emphasis on those activities that transpired during the quarter ending September 30, 1978. Significant progress has been made in achieving the primary objectives of the program, i.e., to demonstrate commercially viable fuel concepts with improved fuel - cladding interaction (FCI) behavior. This includes out-of-reactor experiments to support the fuel concepts being evaluated, initiation of instrumented test rod experiments in the Halden Boiling Water Reactor (HBWR), and fabrication of the first series of demonstration rods for irradiation in the Big Rock Point Reactor (BRPR).

This workshop consisted of sections concerning records management, establishing a microfilm system, aperture card production, keywording, and computerizing the document retrieval system. The presentations are given here in outline form. (RWR)

The theory of irradiation swelling and creep, generalized to include impurity trapping of point defects and impurity-induced changes in sink efficiencies for point defects, is reviewed. The mathematical framework is developed and significant results are described. These include the relation between vacancy and interstitial trapping and the effectiveness of trapping as compared to segregation-induced changes in sink efficiencies in modifying void nucleation, void growth, and creep. Current understanding is critically assessed. Several areas requiring further development are identified. In particular those given special attention are the treatment of nondilute solutions and the consequences of current uncertainties in fundamental materials properties whose importance has been identified using the theory.

Preliminary concepts are presented for improved materials measurement and accounting in large critical facilities. These concepts will be developed as part of a study that will emphasize international safeguarding of critical facilities. The major safeguards problem is the timely verification of in-reactor inventory during periods of reactor operation. This will require a combination of measurement, statistical sampling, and data analysis techniques. Promising techniques include integral measurements of reactivity and other reactor parameters that are sensitive to the total fissile inventory, and nondestructive assay measurements of the fissile material in reactor fuel drawers and vault storage canisters coupled with statistical sampling plans tailored for the specific application. The effectiveness of proposed measurement and accounting strategies will be evaluated during the study.

The purpose of this publication is to provide instructions for the development of EEO Plans for Fiscal Year 1979. It supplements the National EEO Plan for the Department of Energy issued in August 1978 (DOE/S-0002). The material included should be used immediately as guidance to develop, document, and implement subordinate echelon commitments to EEO. A schedule for the development and submission of EEO Plans is included. Most of the continuing requirements will be published at a later date as part of the directives system. Any comments or helpful suggestions concerned with the program outlined would be appreciated by the Office of Equal Opportunity.

A prerequisite to considering solar energy projects is to determine the requirements for information about solar radiation to apply to possible projects. This report offers techniques to help the reader specify requirements in terms of solar radiation data and information currently available, describes the past and present programs to record and present information to be used for most requirements, presents courses of action to help the user meet his needs for information, lists sources of solar radiation data and presents the problems, costs, benefits and responsibilities of programs to acquire additional solar radiation data. Extensive background information is provided about solar radiation data and its use. Specialized information about recording, collecting, processing, storing and disseminating solar radiation data is given. Several Appendices are included which provide reference material for special situations.

Through the Waste Fixation Program, the Pacific Northwest Laboratory is directing research on the solidification of high-level radioactive waste. A major goal of this program is to develop reliable waste glass compositions and processes for their manufacture. This progress report describes the research and development activities of the past quarter: A 36-in.-diam spray calciner coupled to a 210 KWA electrical resistance in-can melter, capable of accepting canisters 24 in. in diameter by approximately 9 ft long, was placed in operation. In initial tests, a waste feed rate of 210 liters/hour and a melting rate of 60 kg glass/hour were demonstrated. Leach rates of multiple samples from five nonradioactive simulated waste glass canisters (runs ICM-16, -18, -20, and -34) show good uniformity for the glass in the 8 to 16 in. diameter canisters. X-ray diffraction measurements on supercalcine containing 3 wt% /sup 244/Cm show that the radiation is causing the apatite phase to become amorphous. Fluorite and tetragonal phases are unaffected after three months. Self-decontamination of waste canisters (WSEP canisters SS-7 and PG-2) in a mini-wet basin was demonstrated. In the first 150 days, 86% of the initial smearable contamination was removed. Simulated waste glass marbles, encapsulated in an A1-12Si matrix …

The thermal conductivity, electrical resistivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, volume, and Seebeck coefficient of simulated fuel rods for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) were measured before and after neutron irradiations to 13.5 x 10/sup 25/ neutrons/m/sup 2/ at nominal irradiation temperatures of 1220 K. These measurements were made as functions of volume percent particle loading, temperature, and neutron fluence. The thermal conductivities decrease with increasing particle loading at all measurement temperatures. The large difference between the properties of specimens from two fabrication processes (extrusion and slug injection) is attributed to the fact that the densities of the continuous phases within the elements differ by a factor of 2.6. Increases in the thermal conductivity with initial neutron fluence of some of the extruded specimens are attributed to partial ordering of carbonaceous material within the composites, but an unambiguous quantitative analysis is difficult. Some electrical resistivity results obtained on slug-injected unirradiated fuel rods show that the thermal conductivity would probably be affected by graphite shim content.

This program has as its ultimate objective the demonstration of an advanced fuel concept that is resistant to the failure mechanism known as fuel pellet-cladding interaction (PCI). Since currently used fuel in the nuclear power industry is subject to the PCI failure mechanism, reactor operators limit the rates of power increases and thus reduce their capacity factors in order to protect the fuel. Two concepts are being developed for possible demonstration within this program: (a) Cu-barrier fuel and (b) Zr-liner fuel. These advanced fuels (known collectively as ''barrier fuels'') have special fuel cladding designed to protect the Zircaloy cladding tube from the harmful effects of localized stress and reactive fission products during reactor service. The demonstration of one of these concepts in a commercial power reactor is planned for PHASE 2 of this program. The current plans for the demonstration will involve approximately 132 bundles of PCI-resistant fuel.