The ability to safely store radioactive materials for long periods of time depends on our understanding of the conditions that mobilize the nuclei, which requires an understanding of the mechanisms of dissolution and transport in aquifers. The objective of this research was to gain an understanding of the dissolution and transport of naturally occurring uranium, thorium, and their radioactive daughter products in groundwater systems without using injected tracers or accidental contaminants. The study involved analyses of groundwater in and around the Brookhaven National Laboratory site and the water supply system. A theoretical model of continuous flow was developed considering chemical, physical, and geologic properties. This is the first model of water transport in the vadose zone and the groundwater table with water-rock interactions supplying insight into the problems of mobilization and precipitation. We derived clear theoretical predictions on U and Th behavior in groundwater. The combination of sound theory and good data was successful. Most of the variation in uranium isotopes was due to the original imprint of near-surface weathering and not to water-rock reactions at depth. It was shown that high radon content was not due to micropores in the minerals but a reflection of thorium precipitation on surfaces …

We construct renormalizable, asymptotically free, four dimensional gauge theories that dynamically generate a fifth dimension.

Three major dairy policy issues captured the attention of the 106th Congress, and are expected to remain issues of concern to the 107th Congress-- federal financial assistance for dairy farmers; implementation by USDA of changes to federal farm milk pricing regulations; and regional debates over the market effects of dairy compacts.

Positron emission tomography (PET) has become a valuable interdisciplinary tool for understanding physiological, biochemical and pharmacological functions at a molecular level in living humans, whether in a healthy or diseased state. The utility of tracing chemical activity through the body transcends the fields of cardiology, oncology, neurology and psychiatry. In this, PET techniques span radiochemistry and radiopharmaceutical development to instrumentation, image analysis, anatomy and modeling. PET has made substantial contributions in each of these fields by providing a,venue for mapping dynamic functions of healthy and unhealthy human anatomy. As diverse as the disciplines it bridges, PET has provided insight into an equally significant variety of psychiatric disorders. Using the unique quantitative ability of PET, researchers are now better able to non-invasively characterize normally occurring neurotransmitter interactions in the brain. With the knowledge that these interactions provide the fundamental basis for brain response, many investigators have recently focused their efforts on an examination of the communication between these chemicals in both healthy volunteers and individuals suffering from diseases classically defined as neurotransmitter specific in nature. In addition, PET can measure the biochemical dynamics of acute and sustained drug abuse. Thus, PET studies of neurotransmitter interactions enable investigators to describe a multitude …

This report summarizes the findings of an experimental program conducted to support the modeling of the crush behavior of triaxial braid carbon fiber composites. The matrix material as well as braided panels and tubes were characterized in order to determine material properties, to assess failure modes, and to provide a test bed for new analytical and numerical tools developed specifically for braided composites. The matrix material selected by the ACC was an epoxy vinyl ester (Ashland Hetron 922). Tensile tests were used to compare two formulations-one used by the ACC and one recommended by the resin supplier. The latter was a faster reacting system and gelled in one-third the time of the ACC formulation. Both formulations had an average elongation at failure that was only half of the resin supplier's reported value. Only one specimen of each type came close to the reported elongation value and it was shown that failure invariably initiated at both surface and internal defects. Overall, the tensile properties of the two formulations were nearly identical, but those of the ACC system were more consistent. The properties of the ACC matrix formulation were measured in tension, shear, and compression and the average properties obtained in these …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses the management challenges that continue to face the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). These challenges include (1) computer security, (2) financial management, (3) organizational modernization and performance management, and (4) business systems modernization management. IRS must make progress in all four areas to improve the agency's efficiency and to significantly improve service to taxpayers. IRS has taken important steps in all of these areas, but significant obstacles remain. In the area of computer security, IRS corrected many previously reported weaknesses and is launching a computer security management program that should help it manage its risks in this area. However, serious weaknesses persist that could impair IRS' ability to perform vital functions. In financial management, IRS was able to prepare financial statements this year that received an unqualified opinion. However, this achievement came through the use of substantial, costly, and time-consuming processes to work around IRS' system deficiencies. IRS has reorganized into four taxpayer-focused divisions and has developed a performance management approach consistent with management principles contained in the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act and the Government Performance and Results Act. However, much work remains to be …

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It is evident from this chapter that there is enormous flexibility both in the selection of the nature of the radioisotope and ways to generate it, as well as in the selection of the labeling precursor to appropriately attach that radioisotope to some larger biomolecule of interest. The arsenal of radiolabeling precursors now available to the chemist is quite extensive, and without a doubt will continue to grow as chemists develop new ones. However, the upcoming years will perhaps reflect a greater effort in refining existing methods for preparing some of those precursors that are already available to us. For example, the use of solid-phase reactions to accomplish in a single step what would normally take several using conventional solvent-based reactions has already been shown to work in many occasions. The obvious advantage here is that processes become more amenable to system automation thus affording greater reliability in day-to-day operations. There are perhaps other technologies in science that have yet to be realized by the chemist in the PET laboratory that could provide a similar or even a greater benefit. One only needs to be open to new ideas, and imaginative enough to apply them to the problems at hand.

Application of a novel transform operator, the Sticklet transform, to the quantitative estimation of trace chemicals in industrial effluent plumes is reported. The sticklet transform is a superset of the well-known derivative operator and the Haar wavelet, and is characterized by independently adjustable lobe width and separation. Computer simulations demonstrate that they can make accurate and robust concentration estimates of multiple chemical species in industrial effluent plumes in the presence of strong clutter background, interferent chemicals and random noise. In this paper they address the application of the sticklet transform in estimating chemical concentrations in effluent plumes in the presence of atmospheric transmission effects. They show that this transform retains the ability to yield accurate estimates using on-plume/off-plume measurements that represent atmospheric differentials up to 10% of the full atmospheric attenuation.

Single pulse laser ablation sampling with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was assessed for accurate chemical analysis. Elemental fractionation (e.g. Pb/U), the quantity of ablated mass (crater volume), ICP-MS intensity and the particle contribution (spike signal) during single pulse ablation of NIST 610 glass were investigated. Pb/U fractionation significantly changed between the first and second laser pulse and showed strong irradiance dependence. The Pb/U ratio obtained by the first pulse was usually higher than that of the second pulse, with the average value close to the representative level. Segregation during laser ablation is proposed to explain the composition change between the first and second pulse. Crater volume measurements showed that the second pulse produced significantly more ablated mass. A roll-off of the crater depth occurred at {approx}750 GW/cm{sup 2}. The absolute ICP-MS intensity from the second pulse showed no correlation with crater depth. Particle induced spikes on the transit signal showed irradiance and elemental species dependence.

This goal of this research project was to determine the solid solubility of Pu, U, Gd, and Hf in candidate ceramics for immobilization of high-level nuclear waste. The experimental approach was to saturate each phase by adding more than the solid solubility limit of the given cation, using a nominated substitution scheme, and then analyzing the candidate phase that formed to evaluate the solid solubility limit under firing conditions. Confirmation that the solid solution limit had been reached insofar as other phases rich in the cation of interest was also required. The candidate phases were monazite, titanite, zirconolite, perovskite, apatite, pyrochlore, and brannerite. The valences of Pu and U were typically deduced from the firing atmosphere, and charge balancing in the candidate phase composition as evaluated from electron microscopy, although in some cases it was measured directly by x-ray absorption and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies (for U). Tetravalent Pu and U have restricted (< 0.1 formula units) solid solubility in apatite, titanite, and perovskite. Trivalent Pu has a larger solubility in apatite and perovskite than Pu4+. U3+ appears to be a credible species in reduced perovskite with a solubility of {approximately} 0.25 f.u. as opposed to {approximately} 0.05 f.u. for U4+. …

A description of some of the methods used in neuroreceptor imaging to distinguish changes in receptor availability has been presented in this chapter. It is necessary to look beyond regional uptake of the tracer since uptake generally is affected by factors other than the number of receptors for which the tracer has affinity. An exception is the infusion method producing an equilibrium state. The techniques vary in complexity some requiring arterial blood measurements of unmetabolized tracer and multiple time uptake data. Others require only a few plasma and uptake measurements and those based on a reference region require no plasma measurements. We have outlined some of the limitations of the different methods. Laruelle (1999) has pointed out that test/retest studies to which various methods can be applied are crucial in determining the optimal method for a particular study. The choice of method will also depend upon the application. In a clinical setting, methods not involving arterial blood sampling are generally preferred. In the future techniques for externally measuring arterial plasma radioactivity with only a few blood samples for metabolite correction will extend the modeling options of clinical PET. Also since parametric images can provide information beyond that of ROI analysis, …

Newsletter of the Texas Department of Health discussing the news, activities, and events of the organization and other information related to health in Texas.

Dynamically evolving boundaries and deforming bodies interacting with a flow are commonly encountered in fluid dynamics. However, the numerical simulation of flows with dynamic boundaries is difficult with current methods. We propose a new method for studying such problems. The key idea is to use the overset grid method with a thin, body-fitted grid near the deforming boundary, while using fixed Cartesian grids to cover most of the computational domain. Our approach combines the strengths of earlier moving overset grid methods for rigid body motion, and unstructured grid methods for Aow-structure interactions. Large scale deformation of the flow boundaries can be handled without a global regridding, and in a computationally efficient way. In terms of computational cost, even a full overset grid regridding is significantly cheaper than a full regridding of an unstructured grid for the same domain, especially in three dimensions. Numerical studies are used to verify accuracy and convergence of our flow solver. As a computational example, we consider two-dimensional incompressible flow past a flexible filament with prescribed dynamics.

This report describes a study of water velocity around an extended-length submerged bar screen (ESBS) at John Day Dam. The study was conducted for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by AScI Corporation and MEVATEC Corporation in March of 2000. This report was prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. ESBS are being studied as one method for diverting juvenile migrating fish from the dam's turbine intakes into the gate well and through the juvenile fish bypass channels.

This report describes a study of water velocity around an extended-length submerged bar screen (ESBS) at John Day Dam. The study was conducted for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by AScI Corporation and MEVATEC Corporation in March of 2000. This report was prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. ESBS are being studied as one method for diverting juvenile migrating fish from the dam's turbine intakes into the gate well and through the juvenile fish bypass channels.