Safety and Environmental Activities for ITER

This paper will summarize highlights of the safety approach and discuss the ITER EDA safety activities. The ITER safety approach is driven by three major objectives: (1) Enhancement or improvement of fusion's intrinsic safety characteristics to the maximum extent feasible, which includes a minimization of the dependence on dedicated safety systems; (2) Selection of conservative design parameters and development of a robust design to accommodate uncertainties in plasma physics as well as the lack of operational experience and data; and (3) Integration of engineered mitigation systems to enhance the safety assurance against potentially hazardous inventories in the device by deploying well-established nuclear safety approaches and methodologies tailored as appropriate for ITER.     

Endoscopic diagnosis of hookworm disease of the duodenum

Guidelines of good clinical practice regulate controlled clinical studies. Goal of the study, type of treatment and possible side effects have to be explained. The physician faces problems, if the study includes a "no treatment group". Referring to the literature and based on our own experience with tumor patients, several criteria are proposed to optimize the recruitment of patients. Important points are: Explanations should be given by an experienced doctor. He must be informed about the study and therapeutic alternative treatments. The atmosphere for the talk must be quiet. The participation of a person whom the patient trusts is desirable. The necessity of the study must be explained. Randomization in different study groups should be discussed without any preference. Prognosis should be explained without any detailed statistical data. Form of treatment, possible side effects and control examinations have to be discussed. The family physician's cooperation should be stressed. Personal autonomy in the patient's decision to participate in the study must be emphasized. Enough time for reflection must be granted before the final decision. It must be assured that the patient receives the same medical attention even after rejecting the study. These recommendations might help to avoid major mistakes which are harmful for the doctor-patient-relationship and further tumor therapy. A good initial discussion forms the basis for effective cooperation during tumor treatment. It may counteract the personal fear and negative reports in media of being "a guinea pig". The patient will appreciate the efforts of the doctor to provide optimal therapy. Furthermore, he will realize that such studies are necessary to improve future therapies.     

Preparation of CdS thin films by electrodeposition: effect of colloidal sulfur particle stability on film composition

CdS thin films of about 1 m thickness were deposited from an aqueous solution containing Cd²⁺, Na₂S₂O₃ and gelatin as the protective colloid to stabilize the size of colloidal sulfur at from 30 to 40 nm and keep the concentration to an appropriate value during electrolysis. The effects of concentrations of Cd²⁺ and S₂O₃ ^2– ions and the deposition potential on the composition of CdS films were studied. The reaction mechanism of CdS film formation on the electrode is discussed. CdS film, whose composition is uniform across the film and which does not contain excess metallic cadmium, can be deposited from a solution containing 0.50 to 2.00 mM Cd(NO₃)₂, 1.00 to 5.00 mM Na₂S₂O₃ and 1.0 × 10^–7 to 1.0 × 10^–3 wt % gelatin.     

Modification and laboratory evaluation of a TSI ultrafine condensation particle counter (Model 3776) for airborne measurements

A butanol-type ultrafine condensation particle counter (UCPC, Model 3776, TSI, Inc., Shoreview, MN, USA), which can achieve a 50% detection efficiency diameter (d₅₀) of 2.5 nm using a capillary-sheath structure, was modified and tested in the laboratory for airborne measurements. The aerosol flow rate through the capillary is a key factor affecting the quantification of aerosol particle number concentrations. A pressure-dependent correction factor for the aerosol flow rate was determined using a newly added mass flow meter for the sheath flow and the external calibration system. The effect of particle coincidence in the optical sensing volume was evaluated using an aerosol electrometer (AE, Model 3068B, TSI, Inc.) as a reference. An additional correction factor for the coincidence effect was derived to improve the quantification accuracy at higher concentrations. The particle detection efficiency relative to the AE was measured for mobility diameters of 3.1–50 nm and inlet absolute pressures of 101–40 kPa. The pressure dependence of the d₅₀ value, asymptotic detection efficiency, and shape of the particle detection efficiency curve is discussed, along with simple theoretical calculations for the diffusion loss of particles and the butanol saturation ratio in the condenser.

© 2017 American Association for Aerosol Science     

Aerosol-to-liquid collection: A method for making aqueous suspension of hydrophobic nanomaterial without adding dispersant

This article introduces an aerosol-based technique to make aqueous suspension of hydrophobic nanomaterial without adding dispersant. The method is intended for making a test-sample for evaluating the toxicities of nanomaterial by intra-tracheal administration. The method can wet the surface of hydrophobic nanomaterial within a few seconds. After the wetting process five to ten minutes of sonication assisted with manual stirring can fully disperse the hydrophobic nanomaterials in water. Two types of TiO₂ nanomaterial were used in this study; Tayca JMT-150IB whose surfaces are coated with negatively charged hydrophobic functional group, and P25 whose surfaces are naturally hydrophilic. Nanomaterials are aerosolized by a dry-method and become micrometer-sized agglomerates. Then supersaturated water vapor is condensed onto these airborne agglomerates by using a growth tube collector. The collected suspension (CS) of hydrophobic nanomaterial (JMT-150IB) is prepared in two steps; airborne agglomerates are collected onto a flat surface then transferred to liquid-water and subsequently sonicated for complete dispersion. This method works equally well for making the CS of hydrophilic nanomaterial. Size distribution measurements of the CS show that airborne agglomerates of TiO₂ dissociate into smaller units of agglomerates once they are captured into water, and the sizes of the agglomerates are in the nanometer to sub-micrometer range. Light scattering technique is used to show that a short sonication process can reproduce the particle number concentration of the CS after long storage.

Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research     

The study of activity median aerodynamic diameter using imaging plate technique for assessment of effective dose from radon and its decay products

The indoor workplace environment was evaluated for exposure to radon and its decay products at two Universities in two metropolises of Japan. The mean radon concentrations in Nagoya University (NU) and Hokkaido University (HU) were 16.7 Bq m(-3) and 18.0 Bq m(-3), respectively. Activity median aerodynamic diameter (AMAD) of particles at NU ranged from 172 nm approximately 205 nm and at HU from 186 nm approximately 300 nm. Estimated effective doses for five usual sites of NU by ICRP approach was 0.15 mSvy(-1) approximately 0.76 mSvy(-1) and by UNSCEAR approach was 0.05 mSvy(-1) approximately 0.24 mSvy(-1). The effective dose for the same of HU by ICRP 66 approach was 0.16 mSvy(-1) approximately 0.79 mSvy(-1) and by UNSCEAR 2000 approach was 0.05 mSv y(-1) to 0.26 mSv y(-1). The two approaches differs on an average by a factor 2.3- approximately 4.7. The AMAD of obtained particle size distribution at NU has an average total deposition of 23% in human respiratory tract and 20% at HU.     

Development of “STORK”, a watermelon-harvesting robot

Recently, the production of heavy fruit and vegetables has been decreasing in Japan because strenuous labor is require to harvest them. A robot would allow them to be harvested more easily. We have developed the robot “STORK” to harvest watermelons. STORK has a low mass and a long working range. The position accuracy and repeatability of the manipulator, the required vacuum, and the allowance for position error of the vacuum pad were tested.     

Structure-retention correlation of isomeric bile acids in inclusion high-performance liquid chromatography with methyl β-cyclodextrin

The structure-retention correlation of various C₂₄ bile acid isomers was studied by the addition of methyl β-cyclodextrin (Me-β-CD) to mobile phases in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The compounds examined include a series of monosubstituted bile acids related to cholanoic acids differing from one another in the position and configuration of an oxygen-containing function (hydroxyl or oxo group) at the position C-3, C-6, C-7, or C-12 and the stereochemistry of the A/B-ring fusion (trans 5α-H and cis 5β-H) in the steroid nucleus. The inclusion HPLC with Me-β-CD was also applied to biologically important 4β- and 6-hydroxylated bile acids substituted by three to four hydroxyl groups in the 5β-steroid nucleus. These bile acid samples were converted into their fluorescence prelabeled 24-pyrenacyl ester derivatives and chromatographed on a Capcell Pak C₁₈ column eluted with methanol-water mixtures in the presence or absence of 5 mM Me-β-CD. The effects of Me-β-CD on the retentions of each compound were correlated quantitatively to the decreasing rate of capacity factors and the relative strength of host-guest inter-actions. On the basis of the retention data, specific and nonspecific hydrogen-bonding interactions between the bile acids and the Me-β-CD were discussed.     

New Thermodynamic Data for Liquid Aluminum-Magnesium Alloys from emf,Vapor Pressures,and Calorimetric Studies

Experimental thermodynamic studies of liquid Al-Mg alloys have been performed by several methods resulting in: (1) Mg activities from galvanic cells with liquid electrolytes at temperatures from 910 to 1070 K, at X_Mg = 0.1 to 0.7 and for the dilute range when X_Mg = 0.0126 to 0.1430 at 927 K; (2) Mg activities from the emf method with solid CaF2 electrolyte at temperatures 921 to 1093 K, with concentrations XMg = 0.05 to 0.9; (3) Mg activities from vapor pressure measurements (Knudsen effusion method) at temperatures ranging from 722 to 1188 K, at X_Mg = 0.0424 to 0.8885. Vapor pressures of pure solid Mg at temperatures 674 to 851 K. In addition, liquidus temperatures for Mg- and Al-rich alloys were obtained; and (4) Partial and integral enthalpies from reaction calorimetry at 1023 K, starting from pure Mg bath at concentrations, X_Al = 0.066 to 0.499, and starting from pure Al bath at X_Mg = 0.522 to 0.906. The mutual consistency of these four sets of data was analyzed. New results together with the selected thermodynamic information reported in literature were optimized to describe the liquid phase with the Redlich-Kister equation, as a preliminary step for phase diagram calculations of the Al-Mg system.     

Nucleotide sequences and characterization of genes encoding naphthalene upper pathway of pseudomonas aeruginosa PaK1 and Pseudomonas putida OUS82

A 12,808-nucleotide containing DNA fragment cloned from naphthalene-utilizing (Nah+) Pseudomonas aeruginosa PaK1 was analyzed and compared with the genes (pah(OUS)) of a 14,462-nucleotide DNA fragment from Pseudomonas putida OUS82. The DNA sequence analyses demonstrated that the naphthalene upper-pathway genes and their deduced enzymes were very similar between the two bacteria: nucleotide similarities, 83-93%; amino acid similarities, 79-95%. These genes were also similar to those of the nah operon of plasmid NAH7; in particular, the OUS82 genes were similar to the nah genes, whereas the PaK1 genes were almost identical to the dox genes of Pseudomonas sp. C18. A region homologous with the 84-bp repeated sequence that Eaton (J. Bacteriol., 176, 7757-7762, 1994) has found at a site upstream of he nah operon was found only in a region downstream of the pah(PaK) gene cluster in PaK1 and on both sides of the pah(OUS) gene cluster in OUS82. A PaK1 gene, corresponding to an unknown gene (nahQ) in the nah operon, is located between the 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene dioxygenase gene and the trans-o-hydroxybenzylindenepyruvate (tHBP A) hydratase-aldolase gene (nahE), and was suggested to be involved in the conversion of naphthalene to salicylate. Just downstream of the pah(PaK) gene cluster, a portion of a region was identical to one-third of the transposase gene (tnpA) in a phenol-catabolic plasmid pEST1226.