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DOE OSTI2023

Storm-DEPART (Damage Estimate Prediction and Recovery Tool)

Storm-DEPART (Damage Estimate Prediction and Restoration Tool): Each year hurricanes and tropical storms in the United States damage critical infrastructure assets, disrupt the services they provide, and cause millions to billions of dollars in economic impacts due to extended recovery times. The Storm-DEPART tool and analytical output enable more impactful data-driven decision-making capabilities and strengthen national-level disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Storm-DEPART, built through multi-month collaboration between Entergy and INL, combines Entergy’s critical infrastructure inventory data with weather forecasts to predict damages to Electric utility’s assets due to natural disasters and the estimated recovery support needed, including time, materials, and resource allocation. In the event of an approaching hurricane, this innovative solution can assess potential damage to power generation capacity, transmission grids, distribution networks, and communications assets from wind bands, storm surge, and flooding. With more effective predictions, Entergy can more efficiently allocate resources to mitigate impacts and optimize recovery for customers. Storm-DEPART also allows Electric utilities the ability to apply a planning scenario and model expected damage to better inform infrastructure restoration needs leading to enhance system resiliency. The technology is fully transferrable to other electric utilities with the same damage estimating challenges. The INL team is working on the evolution of Storm-DEPART to include ice event damage prediction framework.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2023

Storm-DEPART (Damage Estimate Prediction and Recovery Tool)

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2015

Ceiling art in a radiation therapy department: its effect on patient treatment experience

A new initiative has been implemented at the Sunshine Hospital Radiation Therapy Centre, to provide a calming and comforting environment for patients attending radiation therapy treatment. As part of this initiative, the department's computed tomography (CT) room and radiation therapy bunkers were designed to incorporate ceiling art that replicates a number of different visual scenes. The study was undertaken to determine if ceiling art in the radiation therapy treatment CT and treatment bunkers had an effect on a patient's experience during treatment at the department. Additionally, the study aimed to identify which of the visuals in the ceiling art were most preferred by patients. Patients were requested to complete a 12-question survey. The survey solicited a patient's opinion/perception on the unit's unique ceiling display with emphasis on aesthetic appeal, patient treatment experience and the patient's engagement due to the ceiling display. The responses were dichotomised to ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. Every sixth patient who completed the survey was invited to have a general face-to-face discussion to provide further information about their thoughts on the displays. The results demonstrate that the ceiling artwork solicited a positive reaction in 89.8% of patients surveyed. This score indicates that ceiling artwork contributed positively to patients’ experiences during radiation therapy treatment. The study suggests that ceiling artwork in the department has a positive effect on patient experience during their radiation therapy treatment at the department.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Improving the Academic Climate of an R1 STEM Department: Quantified Positive Shifts in Perception

Ongoing efforts to improve diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) primarily manifest as attempts to recruit more women and individuals from historically marginalized groups. Yet, these efforts fail to repair the specific, systemic issues within academic communities that hinder diverse individuals from persisting and thriving in STEM. Here, we present the results of a quantitative, multiyear effort to make the academic climate of an R1 STEM department more inclusive. We use a student-led, department-specific, faculty-supported initiative to assess and improve the climate of the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, as a case study. Our results provide quantitative evidence that community discussions grounded in our own data, alongside cooperative community efforts to address the issues present in those data, are effective methods for driving positive change. Longitudinal assessment of our academic climate from 2018 to 2020 via annual department-wide surveys indicates that these interventions have succeeded in shifting the perception of our academic climate. This study confirms the positive outcomes of having a practical, sustainable, and data-driven framework for affecting change within a graduate community.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Use of CAP88 at Department of Energy Sites

The U.S. Department of Energy is committed to protecting the public and environment against undue risk from radiation associated with radiological activities conducted under its control. Some U.S. Department of Energy Site activities result in emissions of radioactive materials to the air. CAP88 codes are used to model these emissions and the subsequent maximum estimated dose to a member of the public in the vicinity of the U.S. Department of Energy Site. This paper reviews the use of the CAP88 code at the variety of U.S. Department of Energy sites that use it for compliance reporting under 40 CFR Part 61, Subpart H.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

SU-E-P-07: Retrospective Analysis of Incident Reports at a Radiology Department: Feedback From Incident Reporting System

Purpose: To provide an overview of reported incidents that occurred in a radiology department and to describe the most common causal source of incidents. Methods: Incident reports from the radiology department at the University of the Ryukyus Hospital between 2008 and 2013 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The incident report form contains the following items, causal factors of the incident and desirable corrective actions to prevent recurrence of similar incidents. These items allow the institution to investigate/analyze root causes of the incidents and suggest measures to be taken to prevent further, similar incidents. The ‘causal factors of the incident’ item comprises multiple selections from among 24 selections and includes some synonymous selections. In this study, this item was re-categorized into four causal source types: (i) carelessness, (ii) lack of skill or knowledge, (iii) deficiencies in communication, and (iv) external factors. Results: There were a total of 7490 incident reports over the study period and 276 (3.7%) were identified as originating from the radiology department. The most frequent causal source type was carelessness (62%). The other three types showed similar frequencies (10–14%). The staff members involved in incidents indicate three predominant desirable corrective actions to prevent or decrease the recurrence of similar incidents. These are ‘improvement in communication’ (24%), ‘staff training/education’ (19%), and ‘daily medical procedures’ (22%), and the most frequent was ‘improvement in communication’. Even though the most frequent causal factor was related to carelessness, the most desirable corrective action indicated by the staff members was related to communication. Conclusion: Our finding suggests that the most immediate causes are strongly related to carelessness. However, the most likely underlying causes of incidents would be related to deficiencies in effective communication. At our department, therefore, the primary action to prevent/reduce similar incidents should be ‘communication improvement’.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

NASA NTRS2000

Marshall Space Flight Center's Education Department

Marshall Space Flight Center's Education Department is a resource for Educator, Students and Lifelong Learners. This paper will highlight the Marshall Space Flight Center's Education Department with references to other NASA Education Departments nationwide. The principal focus will be on the responsibilities of the Pre-college Education Team which is responsible for supporting K- 12 teachers highlighting how many of the NASA Pre-college Offices engage teachers and their students in better understanding NASA's inspiring missions, unique facilities, and specialized workforce to carryout these many agency-wide tasks, goals and objectives. Attendee's will learn about the Marshall Educational Alliance Teams, as well, which is responsible for using NASA's unique assets to support all types of learning. All experience and knowledge levels, all grades K-12, and teachers in these specified groupings will gain a true appreciation of what is available for them, through Marshall Space Flight Center's Education Department. An agency-wide blue directory booklet will be distributed to all attendees, for future references and related points of contact.

Henderson, Arthur J., Jr.↗

DOE OSTI2012

Overview of the US Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program

The US Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program is focused on the long-term operation of US commercial power plants. It encompasses two facets of long-term operation: (1) manage the aging of plant systems, structures, and components so that nuclear power plant lifetimes can be extended and the plants can continue to operate safely, efficiently, and economically; and (2) provide science-based solutions to the nuclear industry that support implementation of performance improvement technologies. An important aspect of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program is partnering with industry and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to support and conduct the long-term research needed to inform major component refurbishment and replacement strategies, performance enhancements, plant license extensions, and age-related regulatory oversight decisions. The Department of Energy research, development, and demonstration role focuses on aging phenomena and issues that require long-term research and/or unique Department of Energy laboratory expertise and facilities and are applicable to all operating reactors. This paper gives an overview of the Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program, including vision, goals, and major deliverables.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2016

A Methodology to Evaluate Ecological Resources and Risk Using Two Case Studies at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site

An assessment of the potential risks to ecological resources from remediation activities or other perturbations should involve a quantitative evaluation of resources on the remediation site and in the surrounding environment. We developed a risk methodology to rapidly evaluate potential impact on ecological resources for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in southcentral Washington State. We describe the application of the risk evaluation for two case studies to illustrate its applicability. The ecological assessment involves examining previous sources of information for the site, defining different resource levels from 0 to 5. We also developed a risk rating scale from nondiscernable to very high. Field assessment is the critical step to determine resource levels or to determine if current conditions are the same as previously evaluated. We provide a rapid assessment method for current ecological conditions that can be compared to previous site-specific data, or that can be used to assess resource value on other sites where ecological information is not generally available. The method is applicable to other Department of Energy’s sites, where its development may involve a range of state regulators, resource trustees, Tribes and other stakeholders. Achieving consistency across Department of Energy’s sites for valuation of ecological resources on remediation sites will assure Congress and the public that funds and personnel are being deployed appropriately.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2019

Utilization of stress testing for low-risk patients with chest discomfort in the emergency department

Background: The management of patients presenting to an emergency department with chest discomfort at low-risk for acute coronary syndrome represents a common clinical challenge. Such patients are often triaged to chest pain units for monitoring and cardiac stress testing for further risk stratification. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 292 low-risk patients who presented to an emergency department with chest discomfort. We performed physician-adjudicated chart reviews of all patients with positive stress tests to assess downstream testing, subsequent coronary revascularization, and outcomes. Results: Of the 292 patients, 33 (11.3%) had stress tests positive for ischemia, and 12 (4.1%) underwent diagnostic cardiac catheterization. Of the 292 patients, 4 (1.4%) underwent coronary revascularization that may have resulted in a mortality benefit. Conclusion: These data suggest a very low yield of detecting clinically significant coronary disease with stress testing low-risk patients with chest discomfort in emergency department chest pain units.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2013

Impact of Quality Assurance Rounds in a Canadian Radiation Therapy Department

Purpose: Quality assurance (QA) programs aim to identify inconsistencies that may compromise patient care. Radiation treatment planning is a well-documented source of variation in radiation oncology, leading many organizations to recommend the implementation of QA rounds in which radiation therapy plans are peer reviewed. This study evaluates the outcome of QA rounds that have been conducted by a radiation therapy department since 2004. Methods and Materials: Prospectively documented records of QA rounds, from 2004 to 2010, were obtained. During rounds, randomly selected radiation therapy plans were peer reviewed and assigned a grade of A (adequate), B (minor suggestions of change to a plan for a future patient), or C (significant change required before the next fraction). The proportion of plans that received each recommendation was calculated, and the relationship between recommendations for each plan, tumor site, and mean years of experience of the radiation oncologist (RO) were explored. Chart reviews were performed for each plan that received a C. Results: During the study period, 1247 plans were evaluated; 6% received a B and 1% received a C. The mean RO years of experience were lower for plans graded C versus those graded A (P=.02). The tumor sites with the highest proportion of plans graded B or C were gastrointestinal (14%), lung (13%), and lymphoma (8%). The most common reasons for plans to receive a grade of C were inadequate target volume coverage (36%), suboptimal dose or fractionation (27%), errors in patient setup (27%), and overtreatment of normal tissue (9%). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that QA rounds are feasible and an important element of a radiation therapy department's QA program. Through peer review, plans that deviate from a department's expected standard can be identified and corrected. Additional benefits include identifying patterns of practice that may contribute to inconsistencies in treatment planning and the continuing education of staff members who attend.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2012

Dose received by occupationally exposed workers at a nuclear medicine department

Personal Dose Equivalent (PDE) values were determined for occupational exposed workers (OEW) at the Nuclear Medicine Department (NMD) of 'Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia' (INCan), Mexico, using TLD-100 thermoluminescent dosemeters. OEW at NMD, INCan make use of radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Radionuclides associated to a pharmaceutical compound used at this Department are {sup 131}I, {sup 18}F, {sup 68}Ga, {sup 99m}Tc, {sup 111}In and {sup 11}C with main gamma emission energies between 140 and 511 keV. Dosemeter calibration was performed at the metrology department of 'Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares' (ININ), Mexico. Every occupational worker used dark containers with three dosimeters which were replaced monthly for a total of 5 periods. Additionally, control dosemeters were also placed at a site free of radioactive sources in order to determine the background radiation. Results were adjusted to find PDE/day and estimating annual PDE values in the range between 2 mSv (background) and 9 mSv. The mean annual value is 3.51 mSv and the standard deviation SD is 0.78 mSv. Four of the 16 OEW received annual doses higher than the average +1 SD (4.29 mSv). Results depend on OEW daily activities and were consistent for each OEW for the 5 studied periods as well as with PDE values reported by the firm that performs the monthly service. All obtained values are well within the established annual OEW dose limit stated in the {sup R}eglamento General de Seguridad Radiologica{sup ,} Mexico (50 mSv), as well as within the lower limit recommended by the 'International Commission on Radiation Protection' (ICRP), report no.60 (20 mSv). These results verify the adequate compliance of the NMD at INCan, Mexico with the norms given by the national regulatory commission.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-T-251: The Quality Assurance for the Heavy Patient Load Department in the Developing Country: The Primary Experience of An Entire Workflow QA Process Management in Radiotherapy

Purpose: To implement an entire workflow quality assurance (QA) process in the radiotherapy department and to reduce the error rates of radiotherapy based on the entire workflow management in the developing country. Methods: The entire workflow QA process management starts from patient registration to the end of last treatment including all steps through the entire radiotherapy process. Error rate of chartcheck is used to evaluate the the entire workflow QA process. Two to three qualified senior medical physicists checked the documents before the first treatment fraction of every patient. Random check of the treatment history during treatment was also performed. A total of around 6000 patients treatment data before and after implementing the entire workflow QA process were compared from May, 2014 to December, 2015. Results: A systemic checklist was established. It mainly includes patient’s registration, treatment plan QA, information exporting to OIS(Oncology Information System), documents of treatment QAand QA of the treatment history. The error rate derived from the chart check decreases from 1.7% to 0.9% after our the entire workflow QA process. All checked errors before the first treatment fraction were corrected as soon as oncologist re-confirmed them and reinforce staff training was accordingly followed to prevent those errors. Conclusion: The entire workflow QA process improved the safety, quality of radiotherapy in our department and we consider that our QA experience can be applicable for the heavily-loaded radiotherapy departments in developing country.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2013

U.S. Department of Energy Pacific Region Clean Energy Application Center (PCEAC)

The U.S. Department of Energy Pacific Region Clean Energy Application Center (PCEAC) was formed in 2009 by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the California Energy Commission to provide education, outreach, and technical support to promote clean energy -- combined heat and power (CHP), district energy, and waste energy recovery (WHP) -- development in the Pacific Region. The region includes California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific territories. The PCEAC was operated as one of nine regional clean energy application centers, originally established in 2003/2004 as Regional Application Centers for combined heat and power (CHP). Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, these centers received an expanded charter to also promote district energy and waste energy recovery, where economically and environmentally advantageous. The centers are working in a coordinated fashion to provide objective information on clean energy system technical and economic performance, direct technical assistance for clean energy projects and additional outreach activities to end users, policy, utility, and industry stakeholders. A key goal of the CEACs is to assist the U.S. in achieving the DOE goal to ramp up the implementation of CHP to account for 20% of U.S. generating capacity by 2030, which is estimated at a requirement for an additional 241 GW of installed clean technologies. Additional goals include meeting the Obama Administration goal of 40 GW of new CHP by 2020, key statewide goals such as renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in each state, California’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals under AB32, and Governor Brown’s “Clean Energy Jobs Plan” goal of 6.5 GW of additional CHP over the next twenty years. The primary partners in the PCEAC are the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at UC Berkeley, the Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) at UC Irvine, and the Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) at San Diego State University and San Francisco State University. The center also worked with a wide range of affiliated groups and industry, government, NGO, and academic stakeholders to conduct a series of CHP education and outreach, project technical support, and related activities for the Pacific region. Key PCEAC tasks have included: - Preparing, organizing and conducting educational seminars on various aspects of CHP - Conducting state baseline assessments for CHP - Working with state energy offices to prepare state CHP action plans - Providing technical support services including CHP/district energy project feasibility screenings - Working with state agencies on CHP policy development - Developing additional CHP educational materials The primary specific services that PCEAC has offered include: - A CHP “information clearinghouse “ website: http://www.pacificcleanenergy.org - Site evaluations and potential projects screenings - Assessment of CHP status, potential, and key issues for each state - Information and training workshops - Policy and regulatory guidance documents and other interactions These services were generally offered at no cost to client groups based on the DOE funding and additional activities supported by the California Energy Commission, except for the in-kind staff resources needed to provide input data and support to PCEAC assessments at host sites. Through these efforts, the PCEAC reached thousands of end-users and directly worked with several dozen organizations and potential CHP “host sites” from 2009-2013. The major activities and outcomes of PCEAC project work are described.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2015

INL Fleet Vehicle Characterization Study for the U.S. Department of Navy

Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, managing and operating contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, is the lead laboratory for U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Vehicle Testing. Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC collected and evaluated data on federal fleet operations as part of the Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity’s Federal Fleet Vehicle Data Logging and Characterization Study. The Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity’s study seeks to collect and evaluate data to validate use of advanced plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) transportation. This report focuses on US Department of Navy's fleet to identify daily operational characteristics of select vehicles and report findings on vehicle and mission characterizations to support the successful introduction of PEVs into the agency’s fleets. Individual observations of these selected vehicles provide the basis for recommendations related to electric vehicle adoption and whether a battery electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (collectively referred to as PEVs) can fulfill the mission requirements.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Department of Energy: Nuclear S&T workforce development programs

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories use their expertise in nuclear science and technology (S&T) to support a robust national nuclear S&T enterprise from the ground up. Traditional academic programs do not provide all the elements necessary to develop this expertise, so the DOE has initiated a number of supplemental programs to develop and support the nuclear S&T workforce pipeline. This document catalogs existing workforce development programs that are supported by a number of DOE offices (such as the Offices of Nuclear Energy, Science, Energy Efficiency, and Environmental Management), and by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Naval Reactor Program. Workforce development programs in nuclear S&T administered through the Department of Homeland Security, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Defense are also included. The information about these programs, which is cataloged below, is drawn from the program websites. Some programs, such as the Minority Serving Institutes Partnership Programs (MSIPPs) are available through more than one DOE office, so they appear in more than one section of this document.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2020

What Should Health Departments Do with HIV Sequence Data?

Many countries and US states have mandatory statues that require reporting of HIV clinical data including genetic sequencing results to the public health departments. Because genetic sequencing is a part of routine care for HIV infected persons, health departments have extensive sequence collections spanning years and even decades of the HIV epidemic. How should these data be used (or not) in public health practice? This is a complex, multi-faceted question that weighs personal risks against public health benefit. The answer is neither straightforward nor universal. However, to make that judgement—of how genetic sequence data should be used in describing and combating the HIV epidemic—we need a clear image of what a phylogenetically enhanced HIV surveillance system can do and what benefit it might provide. In this paper, we present a positive case for how up-to-date analysis of HIV sequence databases managed by health departments can provide unique and actionable information of how HIV is spreading in local communities. We discuss this question broadly, with examples from the US, as it is globally relevant for all health authorities that collect HIV genetic data.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1972

Department of Transportation Merger Policy

The policy of the Department of Transportation with respect to evaluating airline mergers is discussed. The subjects presented are: (1) statutory responsibilities of the Department of Transportation, (2) interrelationship of airline merger policy and overall airline policy, (3) executive branch criteria for domestic airline merger proposals, and position of Department of Transportation on several merger proceedings.

Gillick, J.↗