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At least 541 records · Page 30

Performance of a HPGe System for Surface and Container Measurements - 13582

The decommissioning of a nuclear facility or post-accident cleanup is an immense engineering effort requiring an array of specialist tools and techniques. The decommissioning and cleanup activities generate large quantities of low activity waste. For economic disposal, it is desirable to certify the waste as suitable for free release. Every container must be assayed to a sufficient degree of accuracy and sensitivity so that it may be certified to be or not to be suitable for 'free release'. In a previous work, the performance of a highly-automated system for free release of large numbers of containers was presented in which the spectroscopy hardware comprised four ORTEC Interchangeable Detector Module (IDM) mechanically cooled HPGe spectrometers in conjunction with ORTEC ISOPlus waste assay software. It was shown that the system was capable of assaying large containers to free release levels in reasonable measurement times. Not all operations have enough waste to justify an automated system or rapid assay results may be required, perhaps in a remote location. To meet this need, a new mobile system has been developed for the assay of smaller objects (drums, boxes, and surfaces) In-Situ. The system incorporates the latest generation IDM-200 and ISOPlus software and a new variant of the ISOCart hardware. This paper will describe the system and performance. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

New container development for the international market - 15656

Designs of casks and containers for the disposal of radioactive waste have to meet safety requirements for transport and storage. Since nuclear law is a national issue, the legal specifications often differ significantly. To improve the flexibility of a given basic design, the development of a set of generic design elements and the application of favorable material characteristics are of major importance. As an example for the international approach the design development for an IP-2 container for radioactive non-fuel waste made of Ductile Cast Iron (DCI) for the UK market in the frame of the specific national waste disposal concept is described. The results of drop tests performed during the licensing procedure and of parametric analysis work regarding a wide spectrum of accidental scenarios and impacts show the excellent behavior of the container concept and confirm the related favorable manufacturing procedures. Furthermore, the development work provided a significant set of proposals for the future detailed work. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Performance and Implementation of Hydrophobic Filter Material for Nuclear Material Transportation and Storage Containers - 18550

Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed a hydrophobic filter material that resists water ingress after exposure to radiation and/or elevated temperature. Facility and transportation accident scenarios often include fire, impact and subsequent water spray or flooding conditions. The hydrophobic filter material provides enhanced resistance to fire and radiation damage, and continues to minimize water ingress after such an accident. Test results indicate that the treated filters provide resistance to a water column pressure test and have filtration efficiencies and air flow pressure drops that meet the current performance criteria for the SAVY{sup TM}-4000. These filters could broaden the use of filtered containers in the transportation and storage of nuclear materials, and could have broader implications in other industrial applications. Implementation of the new hydrophobic filter material is planned for the SAVY{sup TM}-4000 nuclear storage container, which will lead the way for this robust material to be applied to other nuclear material transportation and storage containers. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Inspection Technologies for Waste Containers at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories - 19429

To provide data for aging management programs, containers for different forms of nuclear waste, ranging from low-level waste to irradiated nuclear fuel, should be inspected. At Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, visual, ultrasonic, electromagnetic, and hybrid forms of non-destructive evaluation (NDE) are used for in situ inspection of carbon steel containers having various configurations, access issues, and material thickness. NDE applications tailored to the requirements of the task provide data for condition monitoring and operational assessments. The examples of fuel baskets stacked in concrete canisters and sheet metal containers arrayed in warehouses are illustrated here. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

New Designed Containers for Activated ILW from NPP Decommissioning - 20208

The paper focuses on packaging of dismantled and fragmented reactor components into containers and their transport to their storage and/or disposal facility within the immediate dismantling strategy applied on decommissioning of nuclear power plant (NPP) finally shutdown after standard operation. The main purpose of the paper is to present the process of design, manufacture, testing and use of new transport and storage containers for activated intermediate level waste (ILW) from V1 NPP decommissioning at Jaslovske Bohunice site. Legislation conditions, container selection process, requirements on their design and manufacture, scope of associated licensing documentation and technical procedures applied up to their use on site are described in detail. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Molecular Characterization of S- and N-containing Organic Constituents in Ambient Aerosols by negative ion mode High-Resolution Nanospray Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry: CalNex 2010 field study

Samples of ambient aerosols from the 2010 California Research at the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (CalNex) field study were analyzed using Nanospray Desorption Electrospray Ionization High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (nano-DESI/MS). Four samples per day were collected in Bakersfield, CA on June 20-24 with a collection time of 6 hours per sample. Four characteristic groups of organic constituents were identified in the samples: compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only (CHO), sulfur- (CHOS), nitrogen-(CHON), and both nitrogen- and sulfur-containing organics (CHONS). Within the groups, organonitrates, organosulfates, and nitroxy organosulfates were assigned based on accurate mass measurements and elemental ratio comparisons. Changes in the chemical composition of the aerosol samples were observed throughout the day. The number of observed CHO compounds increased in the afternoon samples, suggesting regional photochemical processing as a source. The average number of CHOS compounds had the smallest changes throughout the day, consistent with a more broadly distributed source. Both of the nitrogen-containing groups (CHON and CHONS) had greater numbers of compounds in the night and morning samples, indicating that nitrate radical chemistry was likely a source for those compounds. Most of the compounds were found in submicron particles. The size distribution of CHON compounds was bimodal. We conclude that the majority of the compounds observed were secondary in nature with both biogenic and anthropogenic sources.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

Potent HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors Containing Carboxylic and Boronic Acids: Effect on Enzyme Inhibition and Antiviral Activity and Protein-Ligand X-ray Structural Studies

We report the synthesis and biological evaluation of phenylcarboxylic acid and phenylboronic acid containing HIV-1 protease inhibitors and their functional effect on enzyme inhibition and antiviral activity in MT-2 cell lines. Inhibitors bearing bis -THF ligand as P2 ligand and phenylcarboxylic acids and carboxamide as the P2' ligands, showed very potent HIV-1 protease inhibitory activity. However, carboxylic acid containing inhibitors showed very poor antiviral activity relative to carboxamide-derived inhibitors which showed good antiviral IC 50 value. Boronic acid derived inhibitor with bis -THF as the P2 ligand showed very potent enzyme inhibitory activity, but it showed lower antiviral activity than darunavir in the same assay. Boronic acid containing inhibitor with a P2- Crn -THF ligand also showed potent enzyme K i but significantly decreased antiviral activity. We have evaluated antiviral activity against a panel of highly drug-resistant HIV-1 variants. One of the inhibitors maintained good antiviral activity against HIV DRV R P20 and HIV DRV R P30 viruses. We have determined high resolution X-ray structures of two synthetic inhibitors bound to HIV-1 protease and obtained molecular insight into the ligand-binding site interactions.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

High-throughput screening of environmental polysaccharide-degrading bacteria using biomass containment and complex insoluble substrates

Abstract Carbohydrate degradation by microbes plays an important role in global nutrient cycling, human nutrition, and biotechnological applications. Studies that focus on the degradation of complex recalcitrant polysaccharides are challenging because of the insolubility of these substrates as found in their natural contexts. Specifically, current methods to examine carbohydrate-based biomass degradation using bacterial strains or purified enzymes are not compatible with high-throughput screening using complex insoluble materials. In this report, we developed a small 3D printed filter device that fits inside a microplate well that allows for the free movement of bacterial cells, media, and enzymes while containing insoluble biomass. These devices do not interfere with standard microplate readers and can be used for both short- (24–48 h) and long-duration (> 100 h) experiments using complex insoluble substrates. These devices were used to quantitatively screen in a high-throughput manner environmental isolates for their ability to grow using lignocellulose or rice grains as a sole nutrient source. Additionally, we determined that the microplate-based containment devices are compatible with existing enzymatic assays to measure activity against insoluble biomass. Overall, these microplate containment devices provide a platform to study the degradation of complex insoluble materials in a high-throughput manner and have the potential to help uncover ecologically important aspects of bacterial metabolism as well as to accelerate biotechnological innovation.

3D printing↗

Validation of heat transfer, thermal decomposition, and container pressurization of polyurethane foam using mean value and Latin hypercube sampling approaches

In this study, polymer foam encapsulants provide mechanical, electrical, and thermal isolation in engineered systems. It can be advantageous to surround objects of interest, such as electronics, with foams in a hermetically sealed container in order to protect them from hostile environments or from accidents such as fire. In fire environments, gas pressure from thermal decomposition of foams can cause mechanical failure of sealed systems. In this work, a detailed uncertainty quantification study of polymeric methylene diisocyanate (PMDI)-polyether-polyol based polyurethane foam is presented and compared to experimental results to assess the validity of a 3-D finite element model of the heat transfer and degradation processes. In this series of experiments, 320 kg/m 3 PMDI foam in a 0.2 L sealed steel container is heated to 1,073 K at a rate of 150 K/min. The experiment ends when the can breaches due to the buildup of pressure. The temperature at key location is monitored as well as the internal pressure of the can. Both experimental uncertainty and computational uncertainty are examined and compared. The mean value method (MV) and Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) approach are used to propagate the uncertainty through the model. The results of the both the MV method and the LHS approach show that while the model generally can predict the temperature at given locations in the system, it is less successful at predicting the pressure response. Also, these two approaches for propagating uncertainty agree with each other, the importance of each input parameter on the simulation results is also investigated, showing that for the temperature response the conductivity of the steel container and the effective conductivity of the foam, are the most important parameters. For the pressure response, the activation energy, effective conductivity, and specific heat are most important. The comparison to experiments and the identification of the drivers of uncertainty allow for targeted development of the computational model and for definition of the experiments necessary to improve accuracy.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Elevated-Temperature Corrosion of CoCrCuFeNiAl0.5Bx High-Entropy Alloys in Simulated Syngas Containing H2S

High-entropy alloys are formed by synthesizing five or more principal elements in equimolar or near equimolar concentrations. Microstructure of the CoCrCuFeNiAl{sub 0.5}B{sub x} (x = 0, 0.2, 0.6, 1) high-entropy alloys under investigation is composed of a mixture of disordered bcc and fcc phases and borides. These alloys were tested gravimetrically for their corrosion resistance in simulated syngas containing 0, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 % H{sub 2}S at 500 °C. The exposed coupons were characterized using XRD and SEM. No significant corrosion was detected at 500 °C in syngas containing 0 and 0.01 % H{sub 2}S while significant corrosion was observed in syngas containing 0.1 and 1 % H{sub 2}S. Cu{sub 1.96}S was the primary sulfide in the external corrosion scale on the low-boron high-entropy alloys, whereas FeCo{sub 4}Ni{sub 4}S{sub 8} on the high-boron high-entropy alloys. Multi-phase Cu-rich regions in the low-B high-entropy alloys were vulnerable to corrosive attack.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Modification of carbonyl iron particles by carboxyl-containing polydimethylsiloxanes

The possibility of preparing magnetic particles with the “core–shell” structure was demonstrated. The procedure is based on the treatment of carbonyl iron particles with polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) containing terminal or distributed over the chain carboxyl groups attached via the alkyl or aryl spacer. The presence of carboxyl-containing PDMS grafted to the surface of carbonyl iron particles was revealed by electron microscopy. Magnetorheological fluids and magnetic elastomers containing magnetic particles with the “core–shell” structure were obtained, and their rheological properties were studied.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Microstructure and Wear Performance of Cobalt-Containing Iron-Based Slag-Free Self-shielded Flux-Cored Wire

A new type of cobalt-containing iron-based slag-free self-shielded flux-cored wire was developed for hardfacing. The influence of cobalt additions on the microstructure and wear performance of the hardfacing was investigated. The cobalt-containing iron-based hardfacing alloy has a typical hypereutectic microstructure consisting of primary M{sub 7}(C, B){sub 3} carbide, and a eutectic of M{sub 3}(C, B) carbide and austenite (part of which subsequently transformed into martensite). Cobalt promoted the formation of austenite and changed the morphology of the primary carbide and eutectic colonies. The morphology of primary carbide became fragmented with increasing cobalt due to the possible impeding effect of cobalt to the movement of the M{sub 7}(C, B){sub 3}/liquid interface. Different structures of the eutectic carbides were observed—the chrysanthemum structure for 1.42 wt.% cobalt, the skeleton form for 2.88 wt.% cobalt, the radial stripe 4.37 wt.% cobalt and the discrete stripe for 5.75 wt.% cobalt. Wear loss of the hardfacing alloy containing 2.88 wt.% cobalt was the smallest among all the alloys, owing to the large primary large carbide and skeleton-shaped eutectic carbides, the proper amount of austenite phase separating the M{sub 7}(C, B){sub 3} and M{sub 3}(C, B) carbides, the solid solution strengthening by cobalt in the matrix, and the high hardness of the alloy. Moreover, the wear resistance has a tendency to decrease with the increase in velocity as well as load.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effects of Laves phase particles on recovery and recrystallization behaviors of Nb-containing FeCrAl alloys

The microstructures and mechanical properties of deformed and annealed Nb-containing FeCrAl alloys were investigated. Fine dispersion of Fe 2 Nb-type Laves phase particles was observed in the bcc-Fe matrix after applying a thermomechanical treatment, especially along grain/subgrain boundaries, which effectively stabilized the recovered and recrystallized microstructures compared with the Nb-free FeCrAl alloy. The stability of recovered areas increased with Nb content up to 1 wt%. The recrystallized grain structure in Nb-containing FeCrAl alloys consisted of elongated grains along the rolling direction with a weak texture when annealed below 1100 °C. An abnormal relationship between recrystallized grain size and annealing temperature was found. Microstructural inhomogeneity in the deformed and annealed states was explained based on the Taylor factor. Annealed Nb-containing FeCrAl alloys showed a good combination of strength and ductility, which is desirable for their application as fuel cladding in light-water reactors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Exact sum rules for inhomogeneous systems containing a zero mode

We show that the formulas for the sum rules for the eigenvalues of inhomogeneous systems that we have obtained in two recent papers are incomplete when the system contains a zero mode. We prove that there are finite contributions of the zero mode to the sum rules and we explicitly calculate the expressions for the sum rules of order one and two. The previous results for systems that do not contain a zero mode are unaffected. - Highlights: • We discuss the sum rules of the eigenvalues of inhomogeneous systems containing a zero mode. • We derive the explicit expressions for sum rules of order one and two. • We perform accurate numerical tests of these results for three examples.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

HMGB1-containing nucleosome mediates chemotherapy-induced metastasis of human lung cancer

Highlights: • Chemotherapy induces invasion and metastasis of human lung cancer. • HMGB1-containing nucleosome drives lung cancer invasion and metastasis. • TLR4 and TLR9 license HMGB1/nucleosome-induced cancer metastasis. • Circulating HMGB1/nucleosome reflects cancer cell invasion in lung cancer patients. While chemotherapy is an important and widely used therapeutic for cancer, it may facilitate cancer metastasis. Herein, we report that human lung cancer cells exert higher invasion and metastasis after chemotherapy. In a human lung cancer xenograft model, chemotherapy promotes the cancer invasion and metastasis in HMGB1-dependent manner. Further studies identify HMGB1-containing nucleosome from chemotherapy-induced apoptotic cancer cells as an effective factor. Such nucleosome functions through TLR4 and TLR9 to drive cancer invasion and metastasis. In lung cancer patients, circulating HMGB1-containing nucleosome is higher in those under chemotherapy, predicting poorly cancer cell differentiation state, enhanced cancer invasion and advanced TNM stages. These findings provide a novel mechanism by which the tumor metastasis is propagated in lung cancer patients, especially in those under chemotherapy, and a clue for developing therapeutic strategies against chemotherapy-induced metastasis.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Minocycline prevents peroxidative permeabilization of cardiolipin-containing bilayer lipid membranes mediated by cytochrome c

Highlights: • Minocycline blocked cytochrome c-mediated peroxidative permeabilization of liposomes. • Minocycline prevented cytochrome c binding to cardiolipin-containing liposomes. • Minocycline suppressed cardiolipin-stimulated peroxidase activity of cytochrome c. • This could be relevant to minocycline inhibition of cyt c release from mitochondria. Peroxidase activity of cytochrome c stimulated by interaction of the protein with cardiolipin is considered to be involved in the induction of mitochondrial apoptosis associated with cytochrome c release from mitochondria. In model systems, this activity has been previously shown to cause permeabilization of cardiolipin-containing membranes. Here, we found that the antibiotic minocycline, known to have neuroprotective properties, inhibited both the binding of cyt c to cardiolipin-containing membranes and the cyt c/H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-induced liposome permeabilization. The results could be relevant to inhibition of cyt c release from mitochondria exerted by minocycline.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Continuous recovery of phosphoric acid and Rare-Earths containing particles from phosphoric acid sludge using a decanter centrifuge

Recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from various industrial and natural streams currently draws significant attention in efforts to meet the demands of the manufacturing industry. Among many industrial byproducts and waste streams, phosphoric acid sludge could be one of the most economically feasible resources for the recovery of REEs because solid particles in the sludge contain relatively concentrated REEs, up to 3,000 ppm, while the liquid component of the sludge is valuable phosphoric acid (P 2 O 5 ) that can be recovered and returned to the main product. Due to high viscosity and large solids content (e.g., 30–40 %), however, this byproduct stream requires multistep separation and purification processes. In this study, a single-step process involving a continuous-flow decanter centrifuge (CFDC) was employed to investigate its feasibility for continuous solid/liquid separation from real phosphoric acid sludge. High centrifugal forces generated from up to 1500 G gravity acceleration separate solid particles from the sludge, generating a liquid-rich stream and a solids-rich stream at the exit of the CFDC. A single pass of phosphoric-acid sludge through the CFDC yielded 95 % liquid recovery and 90 % recovery of REEs-containing solids from 20 to 34 wt% solids-containing sludge. Finally, a reduced order model developed for the CFDC operation showed good agreement with experimental data, and preliminary technoeconomic analysis revealed potential process feasibility.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Interactions between fluoride ions and cement paste containing superplasticizer

Fluoride compounds are used as fluxes in the low-temperature calcination of cement. Elution of fluoride ions after calcination decreases the fluidity of cement paste containing superplasticizers, but the mechanism of fluidity decrease is unclear. Authors investigated the effects of fluoride on cement pastes containing superplasticizers and the fluidity decrease mechanism. KF addition to cement paste containing a polycarboxylate- or naphthalenesulfonate-based superplasticizer increased the yield stress, the amount of adsorbed superplasticizer, and the solid-phase specific surface area. KF addition increased the amount of adsorbed superplasticizer for alite paste but not for Ca{sub 3}Al{sub 2}O{sub 6}-CaSO{sub 4} paste. Transmission electron microscopy found SiO{sub 2} fine particles after KF addition. In the absence of water, the increase in specific surface area with fluoride was larger in hydrated than in unhydrated cement. It is supposed that the fluidity decrease results from the preferential adsorption of superplasticizer on SiO{sub 2} particles generated by reactions between hydrated calcium silicate and fluoride ions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗