Medical catheters thermally manipulated by fiber optic bundles

DOEpatents

Chastagner, Philippe

1992-01-01

A maneuverable medical catheter comprising a flexible tube having a functional tip. The catheter is connected to a control source. The functional tip of the catheter carries a plurality of temperature activated elements arranged in parallel and disposed about the functional tip and held in spaced relation at each end. These elements expand when they are heated. A plurality of fiber optic bundles, each bundle having a proximal end attached to the control source and a distal end attached to one of the elements carry light into the elements where the light is absorbed as heat. By varying the optic fiber that is carrying the light and the intensity of the light, the bending of the elements can be controlled and thus the catheter steered. In an alternate embodiment, the catheter carries a medical instrument for gathering a sample of tissue. The instrument may also be deployed and operated by thermal expansion and contraction of its moving parts.

Electro-optic device with gap-coupled electrode

DOEpatents

Deri, Robert J.; Rhodes, Mark A.; Bayramian, Andrew J.; Caird, John A.; Henesian, Mark A.; Ebbers, Christopher A.

2013-08-20

An electro-optic device includes an electro-optic crystal having a predetermined thickness, a first face and a second face. The electro-optic device also includes a first electrode substrate disposed opposing the first face. The first electrode substrate includes a first substrate material having a first thickness and a first electrode coating coupled to the first substrate material. The electro-optic device further includes a second electrode substrate disposed opposing the second face. The second electrode substrate includes a second substrate material having a second thickness and a second electrode coating coupled to the second substrate material. The electro-optic device additionally includes a voltage source electrically coupled to the first electrode coating and the second electrode coating.

Nonimaging light concentrator with uniform irradiance

DOEpatents

Winston, Roland; Gee, Randy C.

2003-04-01

A nonimaging light concentrator system including a primary collector of light, an optical mixer disposed near the focal zone for collecting light from the primary collector, the optical mixer having a transparent entrance aperture, an internally reflective housing for substantially total internal reflection of light, a transparent exit aperture and an array of photovoltaic cells disposed near the transparent exit aperture.

Optical multi-species gas monitoring sensor and system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korman, Valentin (Inventor); Polzin, Kurt A. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

The system includes at least one light source generating light energy having a corresponding wavelength. The system's sensor is based on an optical interferometer that receives light energy from each light source. The interferometer includes a free-space optical path disposed in an environment of interest. The system's sensor includes an optical device disposed in the optical path that causes light energy of a first selected wavelength to continue traversing the optical path whereas light energy of at least one second selected wavelength is directed away from the optical path. The interferometer generates an interference between the light energy of the first selected wavelength so-traversing the optical path with the light energy at the corresponding wavelength incident on the optical interferometer. A first optical detector detects the interference. At least one second detector detects the light energy at the at least one second selected wavelength directed away from the optical path.

Microminiaturized minimally invasive intravascular micro-mechanical systems powered and controlled via fiber-optic cable

DOEpatents

Fitch, J.P.; Hagans, K.; Clough, R.; Matthews, D.L.; Lee, A.P.; Krulevitch, P.A.; Benett, W.J.; Silva, L. Da; Celliers, P.M.

1998-03-03

A micro-mechanical system for medical procedures is constructed in the basic form of a catheter having a distal end for insertion into and manipulation within a body and a near end providing for a user to control the manipulation of the distal end within the body. A fiber-optic cable is disposed within the catheter and having a distal end proximate to the distal end of the catheter and a near end for external coupling of laser light energy. A microgripper is attached to the distal end of the catheter and providing for the gripping or releasing of an object within the body. A laser-light-to-mechanical-power converter is connected to receive laser light from the distal end of the fiber-optic cable and connected to mechanically actuate the microgripper. 22 figs.

Medical catheters thermally manipulated by fiber optic bundles

DOEpatents

Chastagner, P.

1992-10-06

A maneuverable medical catheter comprising a flexible tube having a functional tip is described. The catheter is connected to a control source. The functional tip of the catheter carries a plurality of temperature activated elements arranged in parallel and disposed about the functional tip and held in spaced relation at each end. These elements expand when they are heated. A plurality of fiber optic bundles, each bundle having a proximal end attached to the control source and a distal end attached to one of the elements carry light into the elements where the light is absorbed as heat. By varying the optic fiber that is carrying the light and the intensity of the light, the bending of the elements can be controlled and thus the catheter steered. In an alternate embodiment, the catheter carries a medical instrument for gathering a sample of tissue. The instrument may also be deployed and operated by thermal expansion and contraction of its moving parts. 10 figs.

Stability of safety glasses during sterilization and disinfection.

PubMed

Gleason, M J; Molinari, J A

1987-07-01

Awareness of the necessity for physical barriers as essential components of an infection control program for dental practice has led to increased use of gloves, masks, and protective eyewear. Because eyewear is not disposable, it could serve as a source of cross-contamination and should be disinfected between patients. This study investigates the optical stability of two types of safety glasses after various sterilization/disinfection procedures.

Optical ordnance system for use in explosive ordnance disposal activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merson, J. A.; Salas, F. J.; Helsel, F.M.

1994-01-01

A portable hand-held solid state rod laser system and an optically-ignited detonator have been developed for use in explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) activities. Laser prototypes from Whittaker Ordnance and Universal Propulsion have been tested and evaluated. The optical detonator contains 2-(5 cyanotetrazolato) pentaamine cobalt(III) perchlorate (CP) as the DDT column and the explosive Octahydro- 1,3,5,7 - tetrazocine (HMX) as the output charge. The laser is designed to have an output of 150 mJ in a 500 microsecond pulse. This output allows firing through 2000 meters of optical fiber. The detonator can also be ignited with a portable laser diode source through a shorter length of fiber.

Fiber optic hydrophone

DOEpatents

Kuzmenko, Paul J.; Davis, Donald T.

1994-01-01

A miniature fiber optic hydrophone based on the principles of a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The hydrophone, in one embodiment, includes a body having a shaped flexible bladder at one end which defines a volume containing air or suitable gas, and including a membrane disposed adjacent a vent. An optic fiber extends into the body with one end terminating in spaced relation to the membrane. Acoustic waves in the water that impinge on the bladder cause the pressure of the volume therein to vary causing the membrane to deflect and modulate the reflectivity of the Fabry-Perot cavity formed by the membrane surface and the cleaved end of the optical fiber disposed adjacent to the membrane. When the light is transmitted down the optical fiber, the reflected signal is amplitude modulated by the incident acoustic wave. Another embodiment utilizes a fluid filled volume within which the fiber optic extends.

Method and system for homogenizing diode laser pump arrays

DOEpatents

Bayramian, Andrew James

2016-05-03

An optical amplifier system includes a diode pump array including a plurality of semiconductor diode laser bars disposed in an array configuration and characterized by a periodic distance between adjacent semiconductor diode laser bars. The periodic distance is measured in a first direction perpendicular to each of the plurality of semiconductor diode laser bars. The diode pump array provides a pump output propagating along an optical path and characterized by a first intensity profile measured as a function of the first direction and having a variation greater than 10%. The optical amplifier system also includes a diffractive optic disposed along the optical path. The diffractive optic includes a photo-thermo-refractive glass member. The optical amplifier system further includes an amplifier slab having an input face and position along the optical path and separated from the diffractive optic by a predetermined distance. A second intensity profile measured at the input face of the amplifier slab as a function of the first direction has a variation less than 10%.

Method and system for homogenizing diode laser pump arrays

DOEpatents

Bayramian, Andy J

2013-10-01

An optical amplifier system includes a diode pump array including a plurality of semiconductor diode laser bars disposed in an array configuration and characterized by a periodic distance between adjacent semiconductor diode laser bars. The periodic distance is measured in a first direction perpendicular to each of the plurality of semiconductor diode laser bars. The diode pump array provides a pump output propagating along an optical path and characterized by a first intensity profile measured as a function of the first direction and having a variation greater than 10%. The optical amplifier system also includes a diffractive optic disposed along the optical path. The diffractive optic includes a photo-thermo-refractive glass member. The optical amplifier system further includes an amplifier slab having an input face and position along the optical path and separated from the diffractive optic by a predetermined distance. A second intensity profile measured at the input face of the amplifier slab as a function of the first direction has a variation less than 10%.

Fiber optic hydrophone

DOEpatents

Kuzmenko, P.J.; Davis, D.T.

1994-05-10

A miniature fiber optic hydrophone based on the principles of a Fabry-Perot interferometer is disclosed. The hydrophone, in one embodiment, includes a body having a shaped flexible bladder at one end which defines a volume containing air or suitable gas, and including a membrane disposed adjacent a vent. An optical fiber extends into the body with one end terminating in spaced relation to the membrane. Acoustic waves in the water that impinge on the bladder cause the pressure of the volume therein to vary causing the membrane to deflect and modulate the reflectivity of the Fabry-Perot cavity formed by the membrane surface and the cleaved end of the optical fiber disposed adjacent to the membrane. When the light is transmitted down the optical fiber, the reflected signal is amplitude modulated by the incident acoustic wave. Another embodiment utilizes a fluid filled volume within which the fiber optic extends. 2 figures.

Diode end pumped laser and harmonic generator using same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byer, Robert L. (Inventor); Dixon, George J. (Inventor); Kane, Thomas J. (Inventor)

1988-01-01

A second harmonic, optical generator is disclosed in which a laser diode produces an output pumping beam which is focused by means of a graded, refractive index rod lens into a rod of lasant material, such as Nd:YAG, disposed within an optical resonator to pump the lasant material and to excite the optical resonator at a fundamental wavelength. A non-linear electro-optic material such as MgO:LiNbO.sub.3 is coupled to the excited, fundamental mode of the optical resonator to produce a non-linear interaction with the fundamental wavelength producing a harmonic. In one embodiment, the gain medium and the non-linear material are disposed within an optical resonator defined by a pair of reflectors, one of which is formed on a face of the gain medium and the second of which is formed on a face of the non-linear medium. In another embodiment, the non-linear, electro-optic material is doped with the lasant ion such that the gain medium and the non-linear doubling material are co-extensive in volume. In another embodiment, a non-linear, doubling material is disposed in an optical resonator external of the laser gai medium for improved stability of the second harmonic generation process. In another embodiment, the laser gain medium andthe non-linear material are bonded together by means of an optically transparent cement to form a mechanically stable, monolithic structure. In another embodiment, the non-linear material has reflective faces formed thereon to define a ring resonator to decouple reflections from the non-linear medium back to the gain medium for improved stability.

Directional spectral emissivity measurement system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halyo, Nesim (Inventor); Pandey, Dhirendra K. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

Apparatus and process for determining the emissivity of a test specimen including an integrated sphere having two concentric walls with a coolant circulating therebetween, and disposed within a chamber which may be under ambient, vacuum or inert gas conditions. A reference sample is disposed within the sphere with a monochromatic light source in optical alignment therewith. A pyrometer is in optical alignment with the test sample for obtaining continuous test sample temperature measurements during a test. An arcuate slit port is provided through the spaced concentric walls of the integrating sphere with a movable monochromatic light source extending through and movable along the arcuate slit port. A detector system extends through the integrating sphere for continuously detecting an integrated signal indicative of all radiation within its field of view, as a function of the emissivity of the test specimen at various temperatures and various angle position of the monochromatic light source. A furnace for heating the test sample to approximately 3000 K. and control mechanism for transferring the heated sample from the furnace to the test sample port in the integrating sphere is also contained within the chamber.

HIGH SPEED KERR CELL FRAMING CAMERA

DOEpatents

Goss, W.C.; Gilley, L.F.

1964-01-01

The present invention relates to a high speed camera utilizing a Kerr cell shutter and a novel optical delay system having no moving parts. The camera can selectively photograph at least 6 frames within 9 x 10/sup -8/ seconds during any such time interval of an occurring event. The invention utilizes particularly an optical system which views and transmits 6 images of an event to a multi-channeled optical delay relay system. The delay relay system has optical paths of successively increased length in whole multiples of the first channel optical path length, into which optical paths the 6 images are transmitted. The successively delayed images are accepted from the exit of the delay relay system by an optical image focusing means, which in turn directs the images into a Kerr cell shutter disposed to intercept the image paths. A camera is disposed to simultaneously view and record the 6 images during a single exposure of the Kerr cell shutter. (AEC)

Optical system and method for gas detection and monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polzin, Kurt A. (Inventor); Sinko, John Elihu (Inventor); Korman, Valentin (Inventor); Witherow, William K. (Inventor); Hendrickson, Adam Gail (Inventor)

2011-01-01

A free-space optical path of an optical interferometer is disposed in an environment of interest. A light beam is guided to the optical interferometer using a single-mode optical fiber. The light beam traverses the interferometer's optical path. The light beam guided to the optical path is combined with the light beam at the end of the optical path to define an output light. A temporal history of the output light is recorded.

Birefringence insensitive optical coherence domain reflectometry system

DOEpatents

Everett, Matthew J.; Davis, Joseph G.

2002-01-01

A birefringence insensitive fiber optic optical coherence domain reflectometry (OCDR) system is provided containing non-polarization maintaining (non-PM) fiber in the sample arm and the reference arm without suffering from signal degradation caused by birefringence. The use of non-PM fiber significantly reduces the cost of the OCDR system and provides a disposable or multiplexed section of the sample arm. The dispersion in the reference arm and sample arm of the OCDR system are matched to achieve high resolution imaging. This system is useful in medical applications or for non-medical in situ probes. The disposable section of non-PM fiber in the sample arm can be conveniently replaced when contaminated by a sample or a patient.

Apodization of beams in an optical interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ames, Lawrence L. (Inventor); Dutta, Kalyan (Inventor)

2006-01-01

An interferometry apparatus comprises one or more beam generators, a detector, and a plurality of optical paths along which one or more beams of light propagate. Disposed along at least one of the optical paths is an apodization mask to shape one of the beams.

Optical pumping in a whispering mode optical waveguide

DOEpatents

Kurnit, Norman A.

1984-01-01

A device and method for optical pumping in a whispering mode optical waveguide. Both a helical ribbon and cylinder are disclosed which incorporate an additional curvature for confining the beam to increase intensity. An optical pumping medium is disposed in the optical path of the beam as it propagates along the waveguide. Optical pumping is enhanced by the high intensities of the beam and long interaction pathlengths which are achieved in a small volume.

Wearable light management system for light stimulated healing of large area chronic wounds (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallweit, David; Mayer, Jan; Fricke, Sören; Schnieper, Marc; Ferrini, Rolando

2016-03-01

Chronic wounds represent a significant burden to patients, health care professionals, and health care systems, affecting over 40 million patients and creating costs of approximately 40 billion € annually. We will present a medical device for photo-stimulated wound care based on a wearable large area flexible and disposable light management system consisting of a waveguide with incorporated micro- and nanometer scale optical structures for efficient light in-coupling, waveguiding and homogeneous illumination of large area wounds. The working principle of this innovative device is based on the therapeutic effects of visible light to facilitate the self-healing process of chronic wounds. On the one hand, light exposure in the red (656nm) induces growth of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in deeper layers of the skin. On the other hand, blue light (453nm) is known to have antibacterial effects predominately at the surface layers of the skin. In order to be compliant with medical requirements the system will consist of two elements: a disposable wound dressing with embedded flexible optical waveguides for the light management and illumination of the wound area, and a non-disposable compact module containing the light sources, a controller, a rechargeable battery, and a data transmission unit. In particular, we will report on the developed light management system. Finally, as a proof-of-concept, a demonstrator will be presented and its performances will be reported to demonstrate the potential of this innovative device.

Crossed beam roof target for motion tracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olczak, Eugene (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A system for detecting motion between a first body and a second body includes first and second detector-emitter pairs, disposed on the first body, and configured to transmit and receive first and second optical beams, respectively. At least a first optical rotator is disposed on the second body and configured to receive and reflect at least one of the first and second optical beams. First and second detectors of the detector-emitter pairs are configured to detect the first and second optical beams, respectively. Each of the first and second detectors is configured to detect motion between the first and second bodies in multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs). The first optical rotator includes a V-notch oriented to form an apex of an isosceles triangle with respect to a base of the isosceles triangle formed by the first and second detector-emitter pairs. The V-notch is configured to receive the first optical beam and reflect the first optical beam to both the first and second detectors. The V-notch is also configured to receive the second optical beam and reflect the second optical beam to both the first and second detectors.

Electric Propulsion Apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, Michael J. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

An electric propulsion machine includes an ion thruster having an annular discharge chamber housing an anode having a large surface area. The ion thruster includes flat annular ion optics with a small span to gap ratio. Optionally, a second electric propulsion thruster may be disposed in a cylindrical space disposed within an interior of the annulus.

Fiber optical asssembly for fluorescence spectrometry

DOEpatents

Piltch, Martin S.; Gray, Perry Clayton; Rubenstein, Richard

2015-08-18

System is provided for detecting the presence of an analyte of interest in a sample, said system comprising an elongated, transparent container for a sample; an excitation source in optical communication with the sample, wherein radiation from the excitation source is directed along the length of the sample, and wherein the radiation induces a signal which is emitted from the sample; and, at least two linear arrays disposed about the sample holder, each linear array comprising a plurality of optical fibers having a first end and a second end, wherein the first ends of the fibers are disposed along the length of the container and in proximity thereto; the second ends of the fibers of each array are bundled together to form a single end port.

Optical pumping in a whispering-mode optical waveguide

DOEpatents

Kurnit, N.A.

1981-08-11

A device and method for optical pumping in a whispering mode optical waveguide are described. Both a helical ribbon and cylinder are disclosed which incorporate an additional curvature for confining the beam to increase intensity. An optical pumping medium is disposed in the optical path of the beam as it propagates along the waveguide. Optical pumping is enhanced by the high intensities of the beam and long interaction path lengths which are achieved in a small volume.

Disposable Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-Coated Fused Silica Optical Fibers for Sampling Pheromones of Moths.

PubMed

Lievers, Rik; Groot, Astrid T

2016-01-01

In the past decades, the sex pheromone composition in female moths has been analyzed by different methods, ranging from volatile collections to gland extractions, which all have some disadvantage: volatile collections can generally only be conducted on (small) groups of females to detect the minor pheromone compounds, whereas gland extractions are destructive. Direct-contact SPME overcomes some of these disadvantages, but is expensive, the SPME fiber coating can be damaged due to repeated usage, and samples need to be analyzed relatively quickly after sampling. In this study, we assessed the suitability of cheap and disposable fused silica optical fibers coated with 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by sampling the pheromone of two noctuid moths, Heliothis virescens and Heliothis subflexa. By rubbing the disposable PDMS fibers over the pheromone glands of females that had called for at least 15 minutes and subsequently extracting the PDMS fibers in hexane, we collected all known pheromone compounds, and we found a strong positive correlation for most pheromone compounds between the disposable PDMS fiber rubs and the corresponding gland extracts of the same females. When comparing this method to volatile collections and the corresponding gland extracts, we generally found comparable percentages between the three techniques, with some differences that likely stem from the chemical properties of the individual pheromone compounds. Hexane extraction of cheap, disposable, PDMS coated fused silica optical fibers allows for sampling large quantities of individual females in a short time, eliminates the need for immediate sample analysis, and enables to use the same sample for multiple chemical analyses.

Disposable Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-Coated Fused Silica Optical Fibers for Sampling Pheromones of Moths

PubMed Central

Lievers, Rik; Groot, Astrid T.

2016-01-01

In the past decades, the sex pheromone composition in female moths has been analyzed by different methods, ranging from volatile collections to gland extractions, which all have some disadvantage: volatile collections can generally only be conducted on (small) groups of females to detect the minor pheromone compounds, whereas gland extractions are destructive. Direct-contact SPME overcomes some of these disadvantages, but is expensive, the SPME fiber coating can be damaged due to repeated usage, and samples need to be analyzed relatively quickly after sampling. In this study, we assessed the suitability of cheap and disposable fused silica optical fibers coated with 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by sampling the pheromone of two noctuid moths, Heliothis virescens and Heliothis subflexa. By rubbing the disposable PDMS fibers over the pheromone glands of females that had called for at least 15 minutes and subsequently extracting the PDMS fibers in hexane, we collected all known pheromone compounds, and we found a strong positive correlation for most pheromone compounds between the disposable PDMS fiber rubs and the corresponding gland extracts of the same females. When comparing this method to volatile collections and the corresponding gland extracts, we generally found comparable percentages between the three techniques, with some differences that likely stem from the chemical properties of the individual pheromone compounds. Hexane extraction of cheap, disposable, PDMS coated fused silica optical fibers allows for sampling large quantities of individual females in a short time, eliminates the need for immediate sample analysis, and enables to use the same sample for multiple chemical analyses. PMID:27533064

3D printed disposable optics and lab-on-a-chip devices for chemical sensing with cell phones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comina, G.; Suska, A.; Filippini, D.

2017-02-01

Digital manufacturing (DM) offers fast prototyping capabilities and great versatility to configure countless architectures at affordable development costs. Autonomous lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices, conceived as only disposable accessory to interface chemical sensing to cell phones, require specific features that can be achieved using DM techniques. Here we describe stereo-lithography 3D printing (SLA) of optical components and unibody-LOC (ULOC) devices using consumer grade printers. ULOC devices integrate actuation in the form of check-valves and finger pumps, as well as the calibration range required for quantitative detection. Coupling to phone camera readout depends on the detection approach, and includes different types of optical components. Optical surfaces can be locally configured with a simple polishing-free post-processing step, and the representative costs are 0.5 US$/device, same as ULOC devices, both involving fabrication times of about 20 min.

Objective lens simultaneously optimized for pupil ghosting, wavefront delivery and pupil imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olczak, Eugene G (Inventor)

2011-01-01

An objective lens includes multiple optical elements disposed between a first end and a second end, each optical element oriented along an optical axis. Each optical surface of the multiple optical elements provides an angle of incidence to a marginal ray that is above a minimum threshold angle. This threshold angle minimizes pupil ghosts that may enter an interferometer. The objective lens also optimizes wavefront delivery and pupil imaging onto an optical surface under test.

Disposable telemetry cable deployment system

DOEpatents

Holcomb, David Joseph

2000-01-01

A disposable telemetry cable deployment system for facilitating information retrieval while drilling a well includes a cable spool adapted for insertion into a drill string and an unarmored fiber optic cable spooled onto the spool cable and having a downhole end and a stinger end. Connected to the cable spool is a rigid stinger which extends through a kelly of the drilling apparatus. A data transmission device for transmitting data to a data acquisition system is disposed either within or on the upper end of the rigid stinger.

Enclosed, off-axis solar concentrator

DOEpatents

Benitez, Pablo; Grip, Robert E; Minano, Juan C; Narayanan, Authi A; Plesniak, Adam; Schwartz, Joel A

2013-11-26

A solar concentrator including a housing having receiving wall, a reflecting wall and at least two end walls, the receiving, reflecting and end walls defining a three-dimensional volume having an inlet, wherein a vertical axis of the housing is generally perpendicular to the inlet, a receiver mounted on the receiving wall of the housing, the receiver including at least one photovoltaic cell, wherein a vertical axis of the receiver is disposed at a non-zero angle relative to the vertical axis of the housing, at least one clip disposed on the reflecting wall an optical element received within the three-dimensional volume, the optical element including at least one tab, the tab being engaged by the clip to align the optical element with the receiver, and a window received over the inlet to enclose the housing.

Optical cloud detection from a disposable airborne sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicoll, Keri; Harrison, R. Giles; Brus, David

2016-04-01

In-situ measurement of cloud droplet microphysical properties is most commonly made from manned aircraft platforms due to the size and weight of the instrumentation, which is both costly and typically limited to sampling only a few clouds. This work describes the development of a small, lightweight (<200g), disposable, optical cloud sensor which is designed for use on routine radiosonde balloon flights and also small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms. The sensor employs the backscatter principle, using an ultra-bright LED as the illumination source, with a photodiode detector. Scattering of the LED light by cloud droplets generates a small optical signal which is separated from background light fluctuations using a lock-in technique. The signal to noise obtained permits cloud detection using the scattered LED light, even in daytime. During recent field tests in Pallas, Finland, the retrieved optical sensor signal has been compared with the DMT Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS) which measures cloud droplets in the size range from 0.5 to 50 microns. Both sensors were installed at the hill top observatory of Sammaltunturi during a field campaign in October and November 2015, which experienced long periods of immersion inside cloud. Preliminary analysis shows very good agreement between the CAPS and the disposable cloud sensor for cloud droplets >5micron effective diameter. Such data and calibration of the sensor will be discussed here, as will simultaneous balloon launches of the optical cloud sensor through the same cloud layers.

Optical detector calibrator system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strobel, James P. (Inventor); Moerk, John S. (Inventor); Youngquist, Robert C. (Inventor)

1996-01-01

An optical detector calibrator system simulates a source of optical radiation to which a detector to be calibrated is responsive. A light source selected to emit radiation in a range of wavelengths corresponding to the spectral signature of the source is disposed within a housing containing a microprocessor for controlling the light source and other system elements. An adjustable iris and a multiple aperture filter wheel are provided for controlling the intensity of radiation emitted from the housing by the light source to adjust the simulated distance between the light source and the detector to be calibrated. The geared iris has an aperture whose size is adjustable by means of a first stepper motor controlled by the microprocessor. The multiple aperture filter wheel contains neutral density filters of different attenuation levels which are selectively positioned in the path of the emitted radiation by a second stepper motor that is also controlled by the microprocessor. An operator can select a number of detector tests including range, maximum and minimum sensitivity, and basic functionality. During the range test, the geared iris and filter wheel are repeatedly adjusted by the microprocessor as necessary to simulate an incrementally increasing simulated source distance. A light source calibration subsystem is incorporated in the system which insures that the intensity of the light source is maintained at a constant level over time.

A minimally invasive chip based near infrared sensor for continuous glucose monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben Mohammadi, L.; Sigloch, S.; Frese, I.; Stein, V.; Welzel, K.; Schmitz, F.; Klotzbücher, T.

2012-06-01

Assessment of glycaemia in diabetes is crucially important for prevention of both, acute and long term complications. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is certainly the most appropriate way for optimizing the glycaemic control, since it prevents or delays the progression of complications associated with hypo- or hyperglycaemic events, reducing morbidity, mortality, and overall costs in health care systems. In this paper we describe the concept and first in vitro results of a minimally invasive, chip-based NIR-Sensor for continuous glucose monitoring. The sensor concept is based on difference infrared absorption spectroscopy, which was evaluated within laboratory measurements of D+-Glucose dissolved in water. The laboratory measurements revealed a linear relationship between glucose concentration and the integrated difference spectroscopy signal with a coefficient of determination of 99.6% in the concentration range of 0- 500 mg/dL. Suitable wavelength bands were identified in which the correlation is preserved and commercial light sources are available for realisation of a spectrometer-less, integrated NIR-sensor. In the designed sensor the component area (non-disposable) is separated from the detection area (disposable, low-cost). The disposable part of the sensor is fluidically connected to a micro-dialyses needle, accessing glucose subcutaneously via the ISF (interstitial fluid) or intravascularly. The non-disposable part contains all the optical elements, like LED's and photo-detectors. The in- and out-coupling of the optical signal is achieved across the plane of the chip by using total internal reflection on mirrors integrated into the fluidic chip. The glucose is continuously measured by considering the difference signals of light at the corresponding wavelengths, as a function of time or in defined intervals if the light sources are modulated. The in-vitro measurements show an absolute error of about 5 mg/dL with a relative error of 5% for glucose concentrations larger than 50 mg/dL and about 12 % in the hypoglycemic range (<50 mg /dL).

Electro-Optic Analog/Digital Converter.

DTIC Science & Technology

electro - optic material and a source of linearly polarized light is arranged to transmit its light energy along each of the optical waveguides. Electrodes are disposed contiguous to the optical waveguides for impressing electric fields thereacross. An input signal potential is applied to the electrodes to produce electric fields of intensity relative to each of the waveguides such that causes phase shift and resultant change of polarization which can be detected as representative of a binary ’one’ or binary ’zero’ for each of the channel optical

Ultra Low Loss Optical Fiber Cable Assemblies. Volume 2.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-07

Bell Jar Vacuum Chamber 3.2.4 Contact Epoxying Fixture with Heat Controller (Hughes #I143690S or equivalent ) 3.2.5 VA 211,606-2, 10 cc Disposable...2.2 1,L2111111. ’A 0 I2 11ll11.25 111111.4 111.6 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART NA?,ONAL BUREAU OF STANDaOS-I96S-A I RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT...and uncouple, be coated with a non -reflective finish which is environment resistant, and sealed so that it will not allow water to enter the connector

Optical instrument employing reticle having preselected visual response pattern formed thereon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haines, R. F. (Inventor)

1977-01-01

An optical instrument for use in locating indicator lights or the like on a work surface is described. It comprises a tubular housing, a lens mounted within the housing and including an inner surface coated with a dichroic material that is capable of reflecting a portion of the light incident thereon, a plate mounted within the housing opposite the lens and having a central aperture, a transparent substrate disposed within the housing intermediate the lens and the plate, the substrate including a first surface disposed in a facing relationship to the dichroic material, and a reticle formed on the first surface and comprised of a material capable of reflecting light.

Electrochemical apparatus comprising modified disposable rectangular cuvette

DOEpatents

Dattelbaum, Andrew M; Gupta, Gautam; Morris, David E

2013-09-10

Electrochemical apparatus includes a disposable rectangular cuvette modified with at least one hole through a side and/or the bottom. Apparatus may include more than one cuvette, which in practice is a disposable rectangular glass or plastic cuvette modified by drilling the hole(s) through. The apparatus include two plates and some means of fastening one plate to the other. The apparatus may be interfaced with a fiber optic or microscope objective, and a spectrometer for spectroscopic studies. The apparatus are suitable for a variety of electrochemical experiments, including surface electrochemistry, bulk electrolysis, and flow cell experiments.

Disposable Plasmonics: Plastic Templated Plasmonic Metamaterials with Tunable Chirality.

PubMed

Karimullah, Affar S; Jack, Calum; Tullius, Ryan; Rotello, Vincent M; Cooke, Graeme; Gadegaard, Nikolaj; Barron, Laurence D; Kadodwala, Malcolm

2015-10-07

Development of low-cost disposable plasmonic substrates is vital for the applicability of plasmonic sensing. Such devices can be made using injection-molded templates to create plasmonic films. The elements of these plasmonic films are hybrid nanostructures composed of inverse and solid structures. Tuning the modal coupling between the two allows optimization of the optical properties for nanophotonic applications. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Heat rejection sublimator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dingell, Charles W. (Inventor); Quintana, Clemente E. (Inventor); Le, Suy (Inventor); Clark, Michael R. (Inventor); Cloutier, Robert E. (Inventor); Hafermalz, David Scott (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A sublimator includes a sublimation plate having a thermal element disposed adjacent to a feed water channel and a control point disposed between at least a portion of the thermal element and a large pore substrate. The control point includes a sintered metal material. A method of dissipating heat using a sublimator includes a sublimation plate having a thermal element and a control point. The thermal element is disposed adjacent to a feed water channel and the control point is disposed between at least a portion of the thermal element and a large pore substrate. The method includes controlling a flow rate of feed water to the large pore substrate at the control point and supplying heated coolant to the thermal element. Sublimation occurs in the large pore substrate and the controlling of the flow rate of feed water is independent of time. A sublimator includes a sublimation plate having a thermal element disposed adjacent to a feed water channel and a control point disposed between at least a portion of the thermal element and a large pore substrate. The control point restricts a flow rate of feed water from the feed water channel to the large pore substrate independent of time.

Angle amplifying optics using plane and ellipsoidal reflectors

DOEpatents

Glass, Alexander J.

1977-01-01

An optical system for providing a wide angle input beam into ellipsoidal laser fusion target illumination systems. The optical system comprises one or more pairs of centrally apertured plane and ellipsoidal mirrors disposed to accept the light input from a conventional lens of modest focal length and thickness, to increase the angular divergence thereof to a value equivalent to that of fast lenses, and to direct the light into the ellipsoidal target illumination system.

Whispering Gallery Optical Resonator Spectroscopic Probe and Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Mark S. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

Disclosed herein is a spectroscopic probe comprising at least one whispering gallery mode optical resonator disposed on a support, the whispering gallery mode optical resonator comprising a continuous outer surface having a cross section comprising a first diameter and a second diameter, wherein the first diameter is greater than the second diameter. A method of measuring a Raman spectrum and an Infra-red spectrum of an analyte using the spectroscopic probe is also disclosed.

Paper-Plastic Hybrid Microfluidic Device for Smartphone-Based Colorimetric Analysis of Urine.

PubMed

Jalal, Uddin M; Jin, Gyeong Jun; Shim, Joon S

2017-12-19

In this work, a disposable paper-plastic hybrid microfluidic lab-on-a-chip (LOC) has been developed and successfully applied for the colorimetric measurement of urine by the smartphone-based optical platform using a "UrineAnalysis" Android app. The developed device was cost-effectively implemented as a stand-alone hybrid LOC by incorporating the paper-based conventional reagent test strip inside the plastic-based LOC microchannel. The LOC device quantitatively investigated the small volume (40 μL) of urine analytes for the colorimetric reaction of glucose, protein, pH, and red blood cell (RBC) in integration with the finger-actuating micropump. On the basis of our experiments, the conventional urine strip showed large deviation as the reaction time goes by, because dipping the strip sensor in a bottle of urine could not control the reaction volume. By integrating the strip sensor in the LOC device for urine analysis, our device significantly improves the time-dependent inconstancy of the conventional dipstick-based urine strip, and the smartphone app used for image analysis enhances the visual assessment of the test strip, which is a major user concern for the colorimetric analysis in point-of-care (POC) applications. As a result, the user-friendly LOC, which is successfully implemented in a disposable format with the smartphone-based optical platform, may be applicable as an effective tool for rapid and qualitative POC urinalysis.

41 CFR 102-36.430 - May we dispose of excess Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)? 102-36.430 Section 102-36.430 Public... Disposal Requires Special Handling Munitions List Items/commerce Control List Items (mlis/cclis) § 102-36.430 May we dispose of excess Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)? You may...

41 CFR 102-36.430 - May we dispose of excess Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)? 102-36.430 Section 102-36.430 Public... Disposal Requires Special Handling Munitions List Items/commerce Control List Items (mlis/cclis) § 102-36.430 May we dispose of excess Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)? You may...

41 CFR 102-36.430 - May we dispose of excess Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)? 102-36.430 Section 102-36.430 Public... Disposal Requires Special Handling Munitions List Items/commerce Control List Items (mlis/cclis) § 102-36.430 May we dispose of excess Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)? You may...

41 CFR 102-36.430 - May we dispose of excess Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)? 102-36.430 Section 102-36.430 Public... Disposal Requires Special Handling Munitions List Items/commerce Control List Items (mlis/cclis) § 102-36.430 May we dispose of excess Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)? You may...

41 CFR 102-36.430 - May we dispose of excess Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)? 102-36.430 Section 102-36.430 Public... Disposal Requires Special Handling Munitions List Items/commerce Control List Items (mlis/cclis) § 102-36.430 May we dispose of excess Munitions List Items (MLIs)/Commerce Control List Items (CCLIs)? You may...

Micro-Fresnel Zone Plate Optical Devices Using Densely Accumulated Ray Points

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sang H. (Inventor); Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); King, Glen C. (Inventor); Elliott, James R. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

An embodiment generally relates to an optical device suitable for use with an optical medium for the storage and retrieval of data. The optical device includes an illumination means for providing a beam of optical radiation of wavelength .lamda. and an optical path that the beam of optical radiation follows. The optical device also includes a diffractive optical element defined by a plurality of annular sections. The plurality of annular sections having a first material alternately disposed with a plurality of annular sections comprising a second material. The diffractive optical element generates a plurality of focal points and densely accumulated ray points with phase contrast phenomena and the optical medium is positioned at a selected focal point or ray point of the diffractive optical element.

Fiber optic spectroscopic digital imaging sensor and method for flame properties monitoring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zelepouga, Serguei A; Rue, David M; Saveliev, Alexei V

2011-03-15

A system for real-time monitoring of flame properties in combustors and gasifiers which includes an imaging fiber optic bundle having a light receiving end and a light output end and a spectroscopic imaging system operably connected with the light output end of the imaging fiber optic bundle. Focusing of the light received by the light receiving end of the imaging fiber optic bundle by a wall disposed between the light receiving end of the fiber optic bundle and a light source, which wall forms a pinhole opening aligned with the light receiving end.

Method and apparatus for passive optical dosimeter comprising caged dye molecules

DOEpatents

Sandison, David R.

2001-07-03

A new class of ultraviolet dosimeters is made possible by exposing caged dye molecules, which generate a dye molecule on exposure to ultraviolet radiation, to an exterior environment. Applications include sunburn monitors, characterizing the UV exposure history of UV-sensitive materials, especially including structural plastics, and use in disposable `one-use` optical equipment, especially medical devices.

Multi-function diamond film fiber optic probe and measuring system employing same

DOEpatents

Young, J.P.

1998-11-24

A fused fiber optic probe having a protective cover, a fiber optic probe system, and embodiments thereof for conducting electromagnetic spectral measurements are disclosed. The fused fiber optic probe comprises a probe tip having a specific geometrical configuration, an exciting optical fiber and at least one collection optical fiber fused within a housing, preferably silica, with a protective cover disposed over at least a portion of the probe tip. The specific geometrical configurations in which the probe tip can be shaped include a slanted probe tip with an angle greater than 0{degree}, an inverted cone-shaped probe tip, and a lens head. 9 figs.

Dynamic frequency tuning of electric and magnetic metamaterial response

DOEpatents

O'Hara, John F; Averitt, Richard; Padilla, Willie; Chen, Hou-Tong

2014-09-16

A geometrically modifiable resonator is comprised of a resonator disposed on a substrate, and a means for geometrically modifying the resonator. The geometrically modifiable resonator can achieve active optical and/or electronic control of the frequency response in metamaterials and/or frequency selective surfaces, potentially with sub-picosecond response times. Additionally, the methods taught here can be applied to discrete geometrically modifiable circuit components such as inductors and capacitors. Principally, controlled conductivity regions, using either reversible photodoping or voltage induced depletion activation, are used to modify the geometries of circuit components, thus allowing frequency tuning of resonators without otherwise affecting the bulk substrate electrical properties. The concept is valid over any frequency range in which metamaterials are designed to operate.

Raman scattering in a whispering mode optical waveguide

DOEpatents

Kurnit, Norman A.

1982-01-01

A device and method for Raman scattering in a whispering mode optical waveguide. Both a helical ribbon and cylinder are disclosed which incorporate an additional curvature .rho. p for confining the beam to increase intensity. A Raman scattering medium is disposed in the optical path of the beam as it propagates along the waveguide. Raman scattering is enhanced by the high intensities of the beam and long interaction path lengths which are achieved in a small volume.

High Optical Access Trap 2.0.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maunz, Peter Lukas Wilhelm

2016-01-26

The High Optical Access (HOA) trap was designed in collaboration with the Modular Universal Scalable Ion-trap Quantum Computer (MUSIQC) team, funded along with Sandia National Laboratories through IARPA's Multi Qubit Coherent Operations (MQCO) program. The design of version 1 of the HOA trap was completed in September 2012 and initial devices were completed and packaged in February 2013. The second version of the High Optical Access Trap (HOA-2) was completed in September 2014 and is available at IARPA's disposal.

Single-Mode, Distributed Feedback Interband Cascade Lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frez, Clifford F. (Inventor); Borgentun, Carl E. (Inventor); Briggs, Ryan M. (Inventor); Bagheri, Mahmood (Inventor); Forouhar, Siamak (Inventor)

2016-01-01

Single-mode, distributed feedback interband cascade lasers (ICLs) using distributed-feedback gratings (e.g., lateral Bragg gratings) and methods of fabricating such ICLs are provided. The ICLs incorporate distributed-feedback gratings that are formed above the laser active region and adjacent the ridge waveguide (RWG) of the ICL. The ICLs may incorporate a double-ridge system comprising an optical confinement structure (e.g., a RWG) disposed above the laser active region that comprises the first ridge of the double ridge system, a DFB grating (e.g., lateral Bragg grating) disposed above the laser active region and adjacent the optical confinement structure, and an electric confinement structure that passes at least partially through the laser active region and that defines the boundary of the second ridge comprises and the termination of the DFB grating.

Scanned Image Projection System Employing Intermediate Image Plane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeJong, Christian Dean (Inventor); Hudman, Joshua M. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

In imaging system, a spatial light modulator is configured to produce images by scanning a plurality light beams. A first optical element is configured to cause the plurality of light beams to converge along an optical path defined between the first optical element and the spatial light modulator. A second optical element is disposed between the spatial light modulator and a waveguide. The first optical element and the spatial light modulator are arranged such that an image plane is created between the spatial light modulator and the second optical element. The second optical element is configured to collect the diverging light from the image plane and collimate it. The second optical element then delivers the collimated light to a pupil at an input of the waveguide.

Coagulation measurement from whole blood using vibrating optical fiber in a disposable cartridge.

PubMed

Yaraş, Yusuf Samet; Gündüz, Ali Bars; Sağlam, Gökhan; Ölçer, Selim; Civitçi, Fehmi; Baris, İbrahim; Yaralioğlu, Göksenin; Urey, Hakan

2017-11-01

In clinics, blood coagulation time measurements are performed using mechanical measurements with blood plasma. Such measurements are challenging to do in a lab-on-a-chip (LoC) system using a small volume of whole blood. Existing LoC systems use indirect measurement principles employing optical or electrochemical methods. We developed an LoC system using mechanical measurements with a small volume of whole blood without requiring sample preparation. The measurement is performed in a microfluidic channel where two fibers are placed inline with a small gap in between. The first fiber operates near its mechanical resonance using remote magnetic actuation and immersed in the sample. The second fiber is a pick-up fiber acting as an optical sensor. The microfluidic channel is engineered innovatively such that the blood does not block the gap between the vibrating fiber and the pick-up fiber, resulting in high signal-to-noise ratio optical output. The control plasma test results matched well with the plasma manufacturer's datasheet. Activated-partial-thromboplastin-time tests were successfully performed also with human whole blood samples, and the method is proven to be effective. Simplicity of the cartridge design and cost of readily available materials enable a low-cost point-of-care device for blood coagulation measurements. (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chilese, Francis C.; Torczynski, John R.; Garcia, Rudy

An apparatus for use with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light comprising A) a duct having a first end opening, a second end opening and an intermediate opening intermediate the first end opening the second end opening, B) an optical component disposed to receive EUV light from the second end opening or to send light through the second end opening, and C) a source of low pressure gas at a first pressure to flow through the duct, the gas having a high transmission of EUV light, fluidly coupled to the intermediate opening. In addition to or rather than gas flow the apparatusmore » may have A) a low pressure gas with a heat control unit thermally coupled to at least one of the duct and the optical component and/or B) a voltage device to generate voltage between a first portion and a second portion of the duet with a grounded insulative portion therebetween.« less

Fiber fed x-ray/gamma ray imaging apparatus

DOEpatents

Hailey, C.J.; Ziock, K.P.

1992-06-02

X-ray/gamma ray imaging apparatus is disclosed for detecting the position, energy, and intensity of x-ray/gamma ray radiation comprising scintillation means disposed in the path of such radiation and capable of generating photons in response to such radiation; first photodetection means optically bonded to the scintillation means and capable of generating an electrical signal indicative of the intensity, and energy of the radiation detected by the scintillation means; second photodetection means capable of generating an electrical signal indicative of the position of the radiation in the radiation pattern; and means for optically coupling the scintillation means to the second photodetection means. The photodetection means are electrically connected to control and storage means which may also be used to screen out noise by rejecting a signal from one photodetection means not synchronized to a signal from the other photodetection means; and also to screen out signals from scattered radiation. 6 figs.

Laser microphone

DOEpatents

Veligdan, James T.

2000-11-14

A microphone for detecting sound pressure waves includes a laser resonator having a laser gain material aligned coaxially between a pair of first and second mirrors for producing a laser beam. A reference cell is disposed between the laser material and one of the mirrors for transmitting a reference portion of the laser beam between the mirrors. A sensing cell is disposed between the laser material and one of the mirrors, and is laterally displaced from the reference cell for transmitting a signal portion of the laser beam, with the sensing cell being open for receiving the sound waves. A photodetector is disposed in optical communication with the first mirror for receiving the laser beam, and produces an acoustic signal therefrom for the sound waves.

Medical devices utilizing optical fibers for simultaneous power, communications and control

DOEpatents

Fitch, Joseph P.; Matthews, Dennis L.; Hagans, Karla G.; Lee, Abraham P.; Krulevitch, Peter; Benett, William J.; Clough, Robert E.; DaSilva, Luiz B.; Celliers, Peter M.

2003-06-10

A medical device is constructed in the basic form of a catheter having a distal end for insertion into and manipulation within a body and a proximal end providing for a user to control the manipulation of the distal end within the body. A fiberoptic cable is disposed within the catheter and having a distal end proximate to the distal end of the catheter and a proximal end for external coupling of laser light energy. A laser-light-to-mechanical-power converter is connected to receive light from the distal end of the fiber optic cable and may include a photo-voltaic cell and an electromechanical motor or a heat-sensitive photo-thermal material. An electronic sensor is connected to receive electrical power from said distal end of the fiberoptic cable and is connected to provide signal information about a particular physical environment and communicated externally through the fiberoptic cable to the proximal end thereof. A mechanical sensor is attached to the distal end of the fiberoptic cable and connected to provide light signal information about a particular physical environment and communicated externally through the fiberoptic cable.

Method of making a small inlet optical panel

DOEpatents

Veligdan, James T.; Slobodin, David E.

2004-02-03

An optical panel having a small inlet, and a method of making a small inlet optical panel, are disclosed, which optical panel includes a individually coating, stacking, and cutting a first plurality of stacked optical waveguides to form an outlet face body with an outlet face, individually coating, stacking, and cutting a second plurality of stacked optical waveguides to form an inlet face body with an inlet face, and connecting an optical coupling element to the first plurality and second plurality of stacked optical waveguides, wherein the optical coupling element redirects light along a parallel axis of the inlet face to a parallel axis of the outlet face. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inlet face is disposed obliquely with and askew from the outlet face.

Small inlet optical panel and a method of making a small inlet optical panel

DOEpatents

Veligdan, James T.; Slobodin, David

2001-01-01

An optical panel having a small inlet, and a method of making a small inlet optical panel, are disclosed, which optical panel includes a individually coating, stacking, and cutting a first plurality of stacked optical waveguides to form an outlet face body with an outlet face, individually coating, stacking, and cutting a second plurality of stacked optical waveguides to form an inlet face body with an inlet face, and connecting an optical coupling element to the first plurality and to the second plurality, wherein the optical coupling element redirects light along a parallel axis of the inlet face to a parallel axis of the outlet face. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inlet face is disposed obliquely with and askew from the outlet face.

Micro electro mechanical system optical switching

DOEpatents

Thorson, Kevin J; Stevens, Rick C; Kryzak, Charles J; Leininger, Brian S; Kornrumpf, William P; Forman, Glenn A; Iannotti, Joseph A; Spahn, Olga B; Cowan, William D; Dagel, Daryl J

2013-12-17

The present disclosure includes apparatus, system, and method embodiments that provide micro electo mechanical system optical switching and methods of manufacturing switches. For example, one optical switch embodiment includes at least one micro electro mechanical system type pivot mirror structure disposed along a path of an optical signal, the structure having a mirror and an actuator, and the mirror having a pivot axis along a first edge and having a second edge rotatable with respect to the pivot axis, the mirror being capable of and arranged to be actuated to pivot betweeen a position parallel to a plane of an optical signal and a position substantially normal to the plane of the optical signal.

The safe and responsible disposal of unused controlled drugs.

PubMed

Ahmed, Iftikhar; Majeed, Amer

There are well-defined legal requirements for the safe storage, handling and disposal of controlled drugs (CDs): The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and Safer Management of Controlled Drugs (Department of Health, 2007). Clinical staff involved in the prescription and administration of CDs to patients are responsible and accountable for the appropriate disposal of these drugs because of the risk of substance abuse. A review of current practice, as followed by staff involved in the use and disposal of CDs, has been evaluated in a multi-centre audit. This audit showed that a wide variation in attitude towards disposal of CDs exists among medical and non-medical staff, and that the sample hospitals are falling short of meeting proposed standards.

Circular free-electron laser

DOEpatents

Brau, Charles A.; Kurnit, Norman A.; Cooper, Richard K.

1984-01-01

A high efficiency, free electron laser utilizing a circular relativistic electron beam accelerator and a circular whispering mode optical waveguide for guiding optical energy in a circular path in the circular relativistic electron beam accelerator such that the circular relativistic electron beam and the optical energy are spatially contiguous in a resonant condition for free electron laser operation. Both a betatron and synchrotron are disclosed for use in the present invention. A free electron laser wiggler is disposed around the circular relativistic electron beam accelerator for generating a periodic magnetic field to transform energy from the circular relativistic electron beam to optical energy.

In vitro power profiles of daily disposable contact lenses.

PubMed

Belda-Salmerón, Lurdes; Madrid-Costa, David; Ferrer-Blasco, Teresa; García-Lázaro, Santiago; Montés-Micó, Robert

2013-10-01

To evaluate and compare the distribution of refractive power within the optic zone of different soft contact lenses and to investigate the effect of lens decentration on the power profiles. The Nimo TR1504 instrument was used to measure the optical power across different aperture diameters (from 1.5mm to 5.5mm in steps of 0.5mm) of four daily disposable contact lenses: DAILIES TOTAL1, Proclear 1-Day, SofLens daily disposable and 1-DAY ACUVUE MOIST. Measurements were performed using a wet cell. Power data were evaluated when contact lenses were in its centered position and after inducing different amounts of lens decentration (from 0.2mm to 1.0mm in steps of 0.2mm). All contact lenses showed an increase - more negative - in lens power with distance from the lens center. The amount of change varied depending on the lens. It was about 10% of lens power for DAILIES TOTAL1 (-0.29diopters (D)), SofLens daily disposable (-0.36D), and Proclear 1-Day (-0.32D) whereas 1-DAY ACUVUE MOIST showed a percentage variation of 3.3% (-0.10D). After inducing a lens decentration up to 1mm, the power curves were shifted in the negative direction. However, the change obtained in lens power compared with well-centered position was always lower than a quarter of diopter both for all the lenses and aperture diameters. Our results showed a variation of the refractive power from the lens center, becoming more negative toward the periphery, with a negligible effect of the decentration for all disposable contact lenses studied. Copyright © 2013 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optically transduced MEMS magnetometer

DOEpatents

Nielson, Gregory N; Langlois, Eric

2014-03-18

MEMS magnetometers with optically transduced resonator displacement are described herein. Improved sensitivity, crosstalk reduction, and extended dynamic range may be achieved with devices including a deflectable resonator suspended from the support, a first grating extending from the support and disposed over the resonator, a pair of drive electrodes to drive an alternating current through the resonator, and a second grating in the resonator overlapping the first grating to form a multi-layer grating having apertures that vary dimensionally in response to deflection occurring as the resonator mechanically resonates in a plane parallel to the first grating in the presence of a magnetic field as a function of the Lorentz force resulting from the alternating current. A plurality of such multi-layer gratings may be disposed across a length of the resonator to provide greater dynamic range and/or accommodate fabrication tolerances.

Multi-angle nuclear imaging apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Anger, Hal O. [Berkeley, CA

1980-04-08

Nuclear imaging apparatus for obtaining multi-plane readouts of radioactive material in a human or animal subject. A probe disposed in the vicinity of the subject is provided for receiving radiation from radiating sources in the subject and for forming a probe radiation image. The probe has a collimator with different portions thereof having holes disposed at different angles. A single scintillation crystal overlies the collimator for receiving radiation passing through the collimator and producing scintillations to provide the probe image. An array of photomultiplier tubes overlie the single crystal for observing the probe image and providing electrical outputs. Conversion apparatus is provided for converting the electrical outputs representing the probe image into optical images displayed on the screen of a cathode ray tube. Divider apparatus is provided for dividing the probe radiation image into a plurality of areas with the areas corresponding to different portions of the collimator having holes disposed at different angles. A light sensitive medium is provided for receiving optical images. Apparatus is provided for causing relative movement between the probe and the subject. Apparatus is also provided for causing relative movement between the optical image on the screen and the light sensitive medium which corresponds to the relative movement between the probe and the subject whereby there is produced on the light sensitive medium a plurality of images that portray the subject as seen from different angles corresponding to the portions of the collimator having holes at different angles.

Multi-angle nuclear imaging apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Anger, H.O.

1980-04-08

A nuclear imaging apparatus is described for obtaining multi-plane readouts of radioactive material in a human or animal subject. A probe disposed in the vicinity of the subject is provided for receiving radiation from radiating sources in the subject and for forming a probe radiation image. The probe has a collimator with different portions having holes disposed at different angles. A single scintillation crystal overlies the collimator for receiving radiation passing through the collimator and producing scintillations to provide the probe image. An array of photomultiplier tubes overlie the single crystal for observing the probe image and providing electrical outputs. Conversion apparatus is provided for converting the electrical outputs representing the probe image into optical images displayed on the screen of a cathode ray tube. Divider apparatus is provided for dividing the probe radiation image into a plurality of areas with the areas corresponding to different portions of the collimator having holes disposed at different angles. A light sensitive medium is provided for receiving optical images. Apparatus is provided for causing relative movement between the probe and the subject. Apparatus is also provided for causing relative movement between the optical image on the screen and the light sensitive medium which corresponds to the relative movement between the probe and the subject whereby there is produced on the light sensitive medium a plurality of images that portray the subject as seen from different angles corresponding to the portions of the collimator having holes at different angles. 11 figs.

Technology development of the Space Transportation System mission and terrestrial applications of satellite technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The Space Transportation System (STS) is discussed, including the launch processing system, the thermal protection subsystem, meteorological research, sound supression water system, rotating service structure, improved hypergol or removal systems, fiber optics research, precision positioning, remote controlled solid rocket booster nozzle plugs, ground operations for Centaur orbital transfer vehicle, parachute drying, STS hazardous waste disposal and recycle, toxic waste technology and control concepts, fast analytical densitometry study, shuttle inventory management system, operational intercommunications system improvement, and protective garment ensemble. Terrestrial applications are also covered, including LANDSAT applications to water resources, satellite freeze forecast system, application of ground penetrating radar to soil survey, turtle tracking, evaluating computer drawn ground cover maps, sparkless load pulsar, and coupling a microcomputer and computing integrator with a gas chromatograph.

On-eye optical quality of daily disposable contact lenses for different wearing times.

PubMed

Montés-Micó, Robert; Belda-Salmerón, Lurdes; Ferrer-Blasco, Teresa; Albarrán-Diego, César; García-Lázaro, Santiago

2013-09-01

To quantify the optical quality of various daily disposable contact lenses in vivo and to ascertain its variation in terms of wearing time by means of objective non-invasive determination of wavefront patterns. The crx1 adaptive-optics system was used to measure the wavefront aberrations in 15 myopic eyes before and at 2-h intervals after contact lens fitting, over a 12-h wearing period. Seven types of contact lenses having different material, water content and lens design were evaluated in this study: Dailies Total1, Dailies AquaComfort Plus, Proclear 1 Day, 1-Day Acuvue TruEye, 1-Day Acuvue moist, SofLens daily disposable and Clariti 1-Day. The aberration data were analysed by fitting Zernike polynomials up to the 5th-order for 3 and 5-mm pupils. The optical quality under each condition and at each point in time was described by means of the Root-Mean-Square (RMS) value of wavefront aberration, Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), Point Spread Function and cut-off spatial frequency. A RMS increase was observed after contact lens fitting as well as over time, both for a 3-mm and a 5-mm pupil. Each type of lens induced a different amount of wavefront aberrations, which vary over time also in a different manner. Dailies Total1 showed the lowest RMS values both at baseline and at the end of the day. In addition, Dailies Total1 provided the best MTF out of all the contact lenses that were assessed. These observations were reflected in higher cut-off spatial frequencies and visual resolution both at baseline and after 12 h of wearing time. Aberrometry makes it possible to analyse accurately and in vivo the optical quality of contact lenses and to assess how lenses having different characteristics - such as material or water content - behave for different wearing times. These variations across contact lenses may result in differences in visual performance. © 2013 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2013 The College of Optometrists.

New DEA rules expand options for controlled substance disposal.

PubMed

Peterson, David M

2015-03-01

Prescription drug abuse and overdose are rapidly growing problems in the United States. The United States federal Disposal of Controlled Substances Rule became effective 9 October 2014, implementing the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 (Disposal Act). These regulations target escalating prescription drug misuse by reducing accumulation of unused controlled substances that may be abused, diverted or accidentally ingested. Clinical areas that can now participate in collecting unused controlled substances include retail pharmacies, hospitals or clinics with an onsite pharmacy, and narcotic treatment programs. Collection methods include placing a controlled substance collection receptacle or instituting a mail-back program. Because prompt onsite destruction of collected items is required of mail-back programs, collection receptacles are more likely to be used in clinical areas. Retail pharmacies and hospitals or clinics with an onsite pharmacy may also place and maintain collection receptacles at long-term care facilities. The Act and Rule are intended to increase controlled substance disposal methods and expand local involvement in collection of unused controlled substances. Potential barriers to participating in controlled substance collection include acquisition of suitable collection receptacles and liners, lack of available space meeting the necessary criteria, lack of employee time for verification and inventory requirements, and program costs.

Method and apparatus for monitoring the flow of mercury in a system

DOEpatents

Grossman, Mark W.

1987-01-01

An apparatus and method for monitoring the flow of mercury in a system. The equipment enables the entrainment of the mercury in a carrier gas e.g., an inert gas, which passes as mercury vapor between a pair of optically transparent windows. The attenuation of the emission is indicative of the quantity of mercury (and its isotopes) in the system. A 253.7 nm light is shone through one of the windows and the unabsorbed light is detected through the other window. The absorption of the 253.7 nm light is thereby measured whereby the quantity of mercury passing between the windows can be determined. The apparatus includes an in-line sensor for measuring the quantity of mercury. It includes a conduit together with a pair of apertures disposed in a face to face relationship and arranged on opposite sides of the conduit. A pair of optically transparent windows are disposed upon a pair of viewing tubes. A portion of each of the tubes is disposed inside of the conduit and within each of the apertures. The two windows are disposed in a face to face relationship on the ends of the viewing tubes and the entire assembly is hermetically sealed from the atmosphere whereby when 253.7 nm ultraviolet light is shone through one of the windows and detected through the other, the quantity of mercury which is passing by can be continuously monitored due to absorption which is indicated by attenuation of the amplitude of the observed emission.

Nuclear reactor control

DOEpatents

Cawley, William E.; Warnick, Robert F.

1982-01-01

1. In a nuclear reactor incorporating a plurality of columns of tubular fuel elements disposed in horizontal tubes in a mass of graphite wherein water flows through the tubes to cool the fuel elements, the improvement comprising at least one control column disposed in a horizontal tube including fewer fuel elements than in a normal column of fuel elements and tubular control elements disposed at both ends of said control column, and means for varying the horizontal displacement of the control column comprising a winch at the upstream end of the control column and a cable extending through the fuel and control elements and attached to the element at the downstream end of the column.

Bragg gratings: Optical microchip sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watts, Sam

2010-07-01

A direct UV writing technique that can create multiple Bragg gratings and waveguides in a planar silica-on-silicon chip is enabling sensing applications ranging from individual disposable sensors for biotechnology through to multiplexed sensor networks in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Energy harvesting devices for harvesting energy from terahertz electromagnetic radiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Novack, Steven D.; Kotter, Dale K.; Pinhero, Patrick J.

2012-10-09

Methods, devices and systems for harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation are provided including harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation. In one embodiment, a device includes a substrate and one or more resonance elements disposed in or on the substrate. The resonance elements are configured to have a resonant frequency, for example, in at least one of the infrared, near-infrared and visible light spectra. A layer of conductive material may be disposed over a portion of the substrate to form a ground plane. An optical resonance gap or stand-off layer may be formed between the resonance elements and the ground plane. Themore » optical resonance gap extends a distance between the resonance elements and the layer of conductive material approximately one-quarter wavelength of a wavelength of the at least one resonance element's resonant frequency. At least one energy transfer element may be associated with the at least one resonance element.« less

Energy harvesting devices for harvesting energy from terahertz electromagnetic radiation

DOEpatents

Novack, Steven D.; Kotter, Dale K.; Pinhero, Patrick J.

2012-10-09

Methods, devices and systems for harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation are provided including harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation. In one embodiment, a device includes a substrate and one or more resonance elements disposed in or on the substrate. The resonance elements are configured to have a resonant frequency, for example, in at least one of the infrared, near-infrared and visible light spectra. A layer of conductive material may be disposed over a portion of the substrate to form a ground plane. An optical resonance gap or stand-off layer may be formed between the resonance elements and the ground plane. The optical resonance gap extends a distance between the resonance elements and the layer of conductive material approximately one-quarter wavelength of a wavelength of the at least one resonance element's resonant frequency. At least one energy transfer element may be associated with the at least one resonance element.

Structures, systems and methods for harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation

DOEpatents

Novack, Steven D [Idaho Falls, ID; Kotter, Dale K [Shelley, ID; Pinhero, Patrick J [Columbia, MO

2011-12-06

Methods, devices and systems for harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation are provided including harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation. In one embodiment, a device includes a substrate and one or more resonance elements disposed in or on the substrate. The resonance elements are configured to have a resonant frequency, for example, in at least one of the infrared, near-infrared and visible light spectra. A layer of conductive material may be disposed over a portion of the substrate to form a ground plane. An optical resonance gap or stand-off layer may be formed between the resonance elements and the ground plane. The optical resonance gap extends a distance between the resonance elements and the layer of conductive material approximately one-quarter wavelength of a wavelength of the at least one resonance element's resonant frequency. At least one energy transfer element may be associated with the at least one resonance element.

Optical resonator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taghavi-Larigani, Shervin (Inventor); Vanzyl, Jakob J. (Inventor); Yariv, Amnon (Inventor)

2006-01-01

The invention discloses a semi-ring Fabry-Perot (SRFP) optical resonator structure comprising a medium including an edge forming a reflective facet and a waveguide within the medium, the waveguide having opposing ends formed by the reflective facet. The performance of the SRFP resonator can be further enhanced by including a Mach-Zehnder interferometer in the waveguide on one side of the gain medium. The optical resonator can be employed in a variety of optical devices. Laser structures using at least one SRFP resonator are disclosed where the resonators are disposed on opposite sides of a gain medium. Other laser structures employing one or more resonators on one side of a gain region are also disclosed.

Interactive optical panel

DOEpatents

Veligdan, J.T.

1995-10-03

An interactive optical panel assembly includes an optical panel having a plurality of ribbon optical waveguides stacked together with opposite ends thereof defining panel first and second faces. A light source provides an image beam to the panel first face for being channeled through the waveguides and emitted from the panel second face in the form of a viewable light image. A remote device produces a response beam over a discrete selection area of the panel second face for being channeled through at least one of the waveguides toward the panel first face. A light sensor is disposed across a plurality of the waveguides for detecting the response beam therein for providing interactive capability. 10 figs.

U.S. Department of Energy Implementation of Chemical Evaluation Requirements for Transuranic Waste Disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moon, Alison; Barkley, Michelle; Poppiti, James

This report summarizes new controls designed to ensure that transuranic waste disposed at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) does not contain incompatible chemicals. These new controls include a Chemical Compatibility Evaluation, an evaluation of oxidizing chemicals, and a waste container assessment to ensure that waste is safe for disposal. These controls are included in the Chapter 18 of the Documented Safety Analysis for WIPP (1).

Coagulation measurement from whole blood using vibrating optical fiber in a disposable cartridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaraş, Yusuf Samet; Gündüz, Ali Bars; Saǧlam, Gökhan; Ölçer, Selim; Civitçi, Fehmi; Baris, İbrahim; Yaralioǧlu, Göksenin; Urey, Hakan

2017-11-01

In clinics, blood coagulation time measurements are performed using mechanical measurements with blood plasma. Such measurements are challenging to do in a lab-on-a-chip (LoC) system using a small volume of whole blood. Existing LoC systems use indirect measurement principles employing optical or electrochemical methods. We developed an LoC system using mechanical measurements with a small volume of whole blood without requiring sample preparation. The measurement is performed in a microfluidic channel where two fibers are placed inline with a small gap in between. The first fiber operates near its mechanical resonance using remote magnetic actuation and immersed in the sample. The second fiber is a pick-up fiber acting as an optical sensor. The microfluidic channel is engineered innovatively such that the blood does not block the gap between the vibrating fiber and the pick-up fiber, resulting in high signal-to-noise ratio optical output. The control plasma test results matched well with the plasma manufacturer's datasheet. Activated-partial-thromboplastin-time tests were successfully performed also with human whole blood samples, and the method is proven to be effective. Simplicity of the cartridge design and cost of readily available materials enable a low-cost point-of-care device for blood coagulation measurements.

Microminiaturized minimally invasive intravascular micro-mechanical systems powered and controlled via fiber-optic cable

DOEpatents

Fitch, Joseph P.; Hagans, Karla; Clough, Robert; Matthews, Dennis L.; Lee, Abraham P.; Krulevitch, Peter A.; Benett, William J.; Da Silva, Luiz; Celliers, Peter M.

1998-01-01

A micro-mechanical system for medical procedures is constructed in the basic form of a catheter having a distal end for insertion into and manipulation within a body and a near end providing for a user to control the manipulation of the distal end within the body. A fiberoptic cable is disposed within the catheter and having a distal end proximate to the distal end of the catheter and a near end for external coupling of laser light energy. A microgripper is attached to the distal end of the catheter and providing for the gripping or releasing of an object within the body. A laser-light-to-mechanical-power converter is connected to receive laser light from the distal end of the fiberoptic cable and connected to mechanically actuate the microgripper.

Low-temperature hermetic sealing of optical fiber components

DOEpatents

Kramer, D.P.

1996-10-22

A method for manufacturing low-temperature hermetically sealed optical fiber components is provided. The method comprises the steps of: inserting an optical fiber into a housing, the optical fiber having a glass core, a glass cladding and a protective buffer layer disposed around the core and cladding; heating the housing to a predetermined temperature, the predetermined temperature being below a melting point for the protective buffer layer and above a melting point of a solder; placing the solder in communication with the heated housing to allow the solder to form an eutectic and thereby fill a gap between the interior of the housing and the optical fiber; and cooling the housing to allow the solder to form a hermetic compression seal between the housing and the optical fiber. 5 figs.

Low-temperature hermetic sealing of optical fiber components

DOEpatents

Kramer, Daniel P.

1996-10-22

A method for manufacturing low-temperature hermetically sealed optical fi components is provided. The method comprises the steps of: inserting an optical fiber into a housing, the optical fiber having a glass core, a glass cladding and a protective buffer layer disposed around the core and cladding; heating the housing to a predetermined temperature, the predetermined temperature being below a melting point for the protective buffer layer and above a melting point of a solder; placing the solder in communication with the heated housing to allow the solder to form an eutectic and thereby fill a gap between the interior of the housing and the optical fiber; and cooling the housing to allow the solder to form a hermetic compression seal between the housing and the optical fiber.

Scanning optical microscope with long working distance objective

DOEpatents

Cloutier, Sylvain G.

2010-10-19

A scanning optical microscope, including: a light source to generate a beam of probe light; collimation optics to substantially collimate the probe beam; a probe-result beamsplitter; a long working-distance, infinity-corrected objective; scanning means to scan a beam spot of the focused probe beam on or within a sample; relay optics; and a detector. The collimation optics are disposed in the probe beam. The probe-result beamsplitter is arranged in the optical paths of the probe beam and the resultant light from the sample. The beamsplitter reflects the probe beam into the objective and transmits resultant light. The long working-distance, infinity-corrected objective is also arranged in the optical paths of the probe beam and the resultant light. It focuses the reflected probe beam onto the sample, and collects and substantially collimates the resultant light. The relay optics are arranged to relay the transmitted resultant light from the beamsplitter to the detector.

Dielectric waveguide gas-filled stark shift modulator

DOEpatents

Hutchinson, Donald P.; Richards, Roger K.

2003-07-22

An optical modulator includes a dielectric waveguide for receiving an optical beam and coupling energy of the optical beam into the waveguide. At least one Stark material is provided in the waveguide. A bias circuit generates a bias signal to produce an electrical field across the Stark material to shift at least one of the Stark absorption frequencies towards the frequency of the optical beam. A circuit for producing a time varying electric field across the Stark material modulates the optical beam. At least a portion of the bias field can be generated by an alternating bias signal, such as a square wave. A method of modulating optical signals includes the steps of providing a dielectric waveguide for receiving an optical beam and coupling energy of the optical beam into the waveguide, the waveguide having at least one Stark material disposed therein, and varying an electric field imposed across the Stark material.

Disposable pen-shaped capillary gel electrophoresis cartridge for fluorescence detection of bio-molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amirkhanian, Varoujan; Tsai, Shou-Kuan

2014-03-01

We introduce a novel and cost-effective capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) system utilizing disposable pen-shaped gelcartridges for highly efficient, high speed, high throughput fluorescence detection of bio-molecules. The CGE system has been integrated with dual excitation and emission optical-fibers with micro-ball end design for fluorescence detection of bio-molecules separated and detected in a disposable pen-shaped capillary gel electrophoresis cartridge. The high-performance capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) analyzer has been optimized for glycoprotein analysis type applications. Using commercially available labeling agent such as ANTS (8-aminonapthalene-1,3,6- trisulfonate) as an indicator, the capillary gel electrophoresis-based glycan analyzer provides high detection sensitivity and high resolving power in 2-5 minutes of separations. The system can hold total of 96 samples, which can be automatically analyzed within 4-5 hours. This affordable fiber optic based fluorescence detection system provides fast run times (4 minutes vs. 20 minutes with other CE systems), provides improved peak resolution, good linear dynamic range and reproducible migration times, that can be used in laboratories for high speed glycan (N-glycan) profiling applications. The CGE-based glycan analyzer will significantly increase the pace at which glycoprotein research is performed in the labs, saving hours of preparation time and assuring accurate, consistent and economical results.

Method and apparatus for monitoring the flow of mercury in a system

DOEpatents

Grossman, M.W.

1987-12-15

An apparatus and method for monitoring the flow of mercury in a system are disclosed. The equipment enables the entrainment of the mercury in a carrier gas e.g., an inert gas, which passes as mercury vapor between a pair of optically transparent windows. The attenuation of the emission is indicative of the quantity of mercury (and its isotopes) in the system. A 253.7 nm light is shone through one of the windows and the unabsorbed light is detected through the other window. The absorption of the 253.7 nm light is thereby measured whereby the quantity of mercury passing between the windows can be determined. The apparatus includes an in-line sensor for measuring the quantity of mercury. It includes a conduit together with a pair of apertures disposed in a face to face relationship and arranged on opposite sides of the conduit. A pair of optically transparent windows are disposed upon a pair of viewing tubes. A portion of each of the tubes is disposed inside of the conduit and within each of the apertures. The two windows are disposed in a face to face relationship on the ends of the viewing tubes and the entire assembly is hermetically sealed from the atmosphere whereby when 253.7 nm ultraviolet light is shone through one of the windows and detected through the other, the quantity of mercury which is passing by can be continuously monitored due to absorption which is indicated by attenuation of the amplitude of the observed emission. 4 figs.

Drug Enforcement Administration

MedlinePlus

... Cannabis Plant Counterfeit Prescription Pills Containing Fentanyls: A Global Threat Public Drug Disposal: Search for an Authorized Drug Disposal Location RESOURCE CENTER Controlled Substances Act DEA Museum and Visitors Center Doing Business with DEA Drug Disposal Employee Assistance Program For ...

PMMA/PDMS valves and pumps for disposable microfluidics.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenhua; Lin, Shuichao; Wang, Chunming; Hu, Jia; Li, Cong; Zhuang, Zhixia; Zhou, Yongliang; Mathies, Richard A; Yang, Chaoyong James

2009-11-07

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is gaining in popularity in microfluidic devices because of its low cost, excellent optical transparency, attractive mechanical/chemical properties, and simple fabrication procedures. It has been used to fabricate micromixers, PCR reactors, CE and many other microdevices. Here we present the design, fabrication, characterization and application of pneumatic microvalves and micropumps based on PMMA. Valves and pumps are fabricated by sandwiching a PDMS membrane between PMMA fluidic channel and manifold wafers. Valve closing or opening can be controlled by adjusting the pressure in a displacement chamber on the pneumatic layer via a computer regulated solenoid. The valve provides up to 15.4 microL s(-1) at 60 kPa fluid pressure and seals reliably against forward fluid pressure as high as 60 kPa. A PMMA diaphragm pump can be assembled by simply connecting three valves in series. By varying valve volume or opening time, pumping rates ranging from nL to microL per second can be accurately achieved. The PMMA based valves and pumps were further tested in a disposable automatic nucleic acid extraction microchip to extract DNA from human whole blood. The DNA extraction efficiency was about 25% and the 260 nm/280 nm UV absorption ratio for extracted DNA was 1.72. Because of its advantages of inexpensive, facile fabrication, robust and easy integration, the PMMA valve and pump will find their wide application for fluidic manipulation in portable and disposable microfluidic devices.

Fibre optic system for biochemical and microbiological sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penwill, L. A.; Slater, J. H.; Hayes, N. W.; Tremlett, C. J.

2007-07-01

This poster will discuss state-of-the-art fibre optic sensors based on evanescent wave technology emphasising chemophotonic sensors for biochemical reactions and microbe detection. Devices based on antibody specificity and unique DNA sequences will be described. The development of simple sensor devices with disposable single use sensor probes will be illustrated with a view to providing cost effective field based or point of care analysis of major themes such as hospital acquired infections or bioterrorism events. This presentation will discuss the nature and detection thresholds required, the optical detection techniques investigated, results of sensor trials and the potential for wider commercial application.

Multiple-wavelength tunable laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, Norman P. (Inventor); Walsh, Brian M. (Inventor); Reichle, Donald J. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A tunable laser includes dispersion optics for separating generated laser pulses into first and second wavelength pulses directed along first and second optical paths. First and second reflective mirrors are disposed in the first and second optical paths, respectively. The laser's output mirror is partially reflective and partially transmissive with respect to the first wavelength and the second wavelength in accordance with provided criteria. A first resonator length is defined between the output mirror and the first mirror, while a second resonator length is defined between the output mirror and the second mirror. The second resonator length is a function of the first resonator length.

Fiber optic medical pressure-sensing system employing intelligent self-calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Gang

1996-01-01

In this article, we describe a fiber-optic catheter-type pressure-sensing system that has been successfully introduced for medical diagnostic applications. We present overall sensors and optoelectronics designs, and highlight product development efforts that lead to a reliable and accurate disposable pressure-sensing system. In particular, the incorporation of an intelligent on-site self-calibration approach allows limited sensor reuses for reducing end-user costs and for system adaptation to wide sensor variabilities associated with low-cost manufacturing processes. We demonstrate that fiber-optic sensors can be cost-effectively produced to satisfy needs of certain medical market segments.

Radiocarbon signal of a low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal facility in nearby trees.

PubMed

Janovics, R; Kelemen, D I; Kern, Z; Kapitány, S; Veres, M; Jull, A J T; Molnár, M

2016-03-01

Tree ring series were collected from the vicinity of a Hungarian radioactive waste treatment and disposal facility and from a distant control background site, which is not influenced by the radiocarbon discharge of the disposal facility but it represents the natural regional (14)C level. The (14)C concentration of the cellulose content of tree rings was measured by AMS. Data of the tree ring series from the disposal facility was compared to the control site for each year. The results were also compared to the (14)C data of the atmospheric (14)C monitoring stations at the disposal facility and to international background measurements. On the basis of the results, the excess radiocarbon of the disposal facility can unambiguously be detected in the tree from the repository site. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optical resonator and laser applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taghavi-Larigani, Shervin (Inventor); Vanzyl, Jakob J. (Inventor); Yariv, Amnon (Inventor)

2006-01-01

The invention discloses a semi-ring Fabry-Perot (SRFP) optical resonator structure comprising a medium including an edge forming a reflective facet and a waveguide within the medium, the waveguide having opposing ends formed by the reflective facet. The performance of the SRFP resonator can be further enhanced by including a Mach-Zehnder interferometer in the waveguide on one side of the gain medium. The optical resonator can be employed in a variety of optical devices. Laser structures using at least one SRFP resonator are disclosed where the resonators are disposed on opposite sides of a gain medium. Other laser structures employing one or more resonators on one side of a gain region are also disclosed.

10 CFR 61.52 - Land disposal facility operation and disposal site closure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... meters below the top surface of the cover or must be disposed of with intruder barriers that are designed... mapped by means of a land survey. Near-surface disposal units must be marked in such a way that the boundaries of each unit can be easily defined. Three permanent survey marker control points, referenced to...

10 CFR 61.52 - Land disposal facility operation and disposal site closure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... meters below the top surface of the cover or must be disposed of with intruder barriers that are designed... mapped by means of a land survey. Near-surface disposal units must be marked in such a way that the boundaries of each unit can be easily defined. Three permanent survey marker control points, referenced to...

10 CFR 61.52 - Land disposal facility operation and disposal site closure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... meters below the top surface of the cover or must be disposed of with intruder barriers that are designed... mapped by means of a land survey. Near-surface disposal units must be marked in such a way that the boundaries of each unit can be easily defined. Three permanent survey marker control points, referenced to...

10 CFR 61.52 - Land disposal facility operation and disposal site closure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... meters below the top surface of the cover or must be disposed of with intruder barriers that are designed... mapped by means of a land survey. Near-surface disposal units must be marked in such a way that the boundaries of each unit can be easily defined. Three permanent survey marker control points, referenced to...

10 CFR 61.52 - Land disposal facility operation and disposal site closure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... meters below the top surface of the cover or must be disposed of with intruder barriers that are designed... mapped by means of a land survey. Near-surface disposal units must be marked in such a way that the boundaries of each unit can be easily defined. Three permanent survey marker control points, referenced to...

Effect of internal lubricating agents of disposable soft contact lenses on higher-order aberrations after blinking.

PubMed

Koh, Shizuka; Maeda, Naoyuki; Hamano, Takashi; Hirohara, Yoko; Mihashi, Toshifumi; Hori, Yuichi; Hosohata, Jun; Fujikado, Takashi; Tano, Yasuo

2008-03-01

To investigate whether the polymer composition of disposable soft contact lenses affects sequential changes in higher-order aberrations (HOAs). Fifteen subjects who wore disposable soft contact lenses with dryness-related symptoms and 15 non-contact lens wearers were enrolled in this study. Ocular HOAs were measured for 60 seconds in each subject wearing a disposable etafilcon A lens (conventional lens) or a disposable etafilcon A lens with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) (lens with PVP) after 1 hour of contact lens wear. During the measurement, subjects were forced to blink every 10 seconds. The aberration data were analyzed in the central 4-mm diameter up to the sixth-order Zernike polynomials. Total HOAs, the fluctuation index (FI), and the stability index (SI) of the total HOAs over time were compared between the two groups. The subjective ocular dryness also was scored. In symptomatic wearers of disposable soft contact lenses, the total HOAs, the FI, and the SI with the lens with PVP were significantly (P=0.013, P=0.014, P=0.019, respectively) lower than with the conventional lens, whereas a significant (P=0.018) difference between the two lenses was observed only in the FI in non-contact lens wearers. Subjective ocular dryness with the lens with PVP significantly decreased compared with the conventional lens in both groups. Sequential measurement of HOAs may be a useful objective method to evaluate the effect of internal lubricating agents of disposable soft contact lenses on optical quality.

Concentric core optical fiber with multiple-mode signal transmission

DOEpatents

Muhs, J.D.

1997-05-06

A concentric core optical fiber provides for the simultaneous but independent transmission of signals over a single optical fiber. The concentric optical fiber is constructed of a single-mode or multimode inner optical fiber defined by a core and a cladding of a lower index of refraction than the core and an outer optical fiber defined by additional cladding concentrically disposed around the cladding and of an index of refraction lower than the first mentioned cladding whereby the latter functions as the core of the outer optical fiber. By employing such an optical fiber construction with a single-mode inner core or optical fiber, highly sensitive interferometric and stable less sensitive amplitude based sensors can be placed along the same length of a concentric core optical fiber. Also, by employing the concentric core optical fiber secure telecommunications can be achieved via the inner optical fiber since an intrusion of the concentric optical fiber will first cause a variation in the light being transmitted through the outer optical fiber and this variation of light being used to trigger a suitable alarm indicative of the intrusion. 3 figs.

Concentric core optical fiber with multiple-mode signal transmission

DOEpatents

Muhs, Jeffrey D.

1997-01-01

A concentric core optical fiber provides for the simultaneous but independent transmission of signals over a single optical fiber. The concentric optical fiber is constructed of a single-mode or multimode inner optical fiber defined by a core and a cladding of a lower index of refraction than the core and an outer optical fiber defined by additional cladding concentrically disposed around the cladding and of an index of refraction lower than the first mentioned cladding whereby the latter functions as the core of the outer optical fiber. By employing such an optical fiber construction with a single-mode inner core or optical fiber, highly sensitive interferometric and stable less sensitive amplitude based sensors can be placed along the same length of a concentric core optical fiber. Also, by employing the concentric core optical fiber secure telecommunications can be achieved via the inner optical fiber since an intrusion of the concentric optical fiber will first cause a variation in the light being transmitted through the outer optical fiber and this variation of light being used to trigger a suitable alarm indicative of the intrusion.

Solid Waste Management with Emphasis on Environmental Aspect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinha, Navin Kr.; Choudhary, Binod Kumar; Shree, Shalini

2011-12-01

In this paper focus on Solid waste management. Its comprises of purposeful and systematic control of generation, storage, collection, transport, separations, processing, recycling, recovery and disposal of solid waste. Awareness of Four R's management & EMS support also for management Solid waste. Basel convention on the Control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their Disposal usually known simply as the Basel Convention, is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs). it came into force 5 May 1992. According to this "Substances or objects which are disposed of or are intended to be disposed of or are required to be disposed of by the provisions of national law"(UNEP).

Control valve and control valve system for controlling solids flow, methods of manufacture thereof and articles comprising the same

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jukkola, Glen D.; Teigen, Bard C.

Disclosed herein is a solids flow control valve comprising a standpipe; a shoe; and a transport pipe; wherein the standpipe is in operative communication with the shoe and lies upstream of the shoe; the standpipe comprising a first end and a second end, where the first end is in contact with a source that contains disposable solids and the second end is in fluid contact with the shoe; the shoe being operative to restrict the flow of the disposable solids; the transport pipe being disposed downstream of the shoe to receive and transport the solids from the shoe.

Fiber optical assembly for fluorescence spectrometry

DOEpatents

Carpenter, II, Robert W.; Rubenstein, Richard; Piltch, Martin; Gray, Perry

2010-12-07

A system for analyzing a sample for the presence of an analyte in a sample. The system includes a sample holder for containing the sample; an excitation source, such as a laser, and at least one linear array radially disposed about the sample holder. Radiation from the excitation source is directed to the sample, and the radiation induces fluorescent light in the sample. Each linear array includes a plurality of fused silica optical fibers that receive the fluorescent light and transmits a fluorescent light signal from the first end to an optical end port of the linear array. An end port assembly having a photo-detector is optically coupled to the optical end port. The photo-detector detects the fluorescent light signal and converts the fluorescent light signal into an electrical signal.

9 CFR 331.4 - Control and disposal of non-federally-inspected products in States designated under paragraph 301...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... TERMINOLOGY; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION AND VOLUNTARY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION SPECIAL... HEALTH AND FOR SUCH DESIGNATED ESTABLISHMENTS § 331.4 Control and disposal of non-federally-inspected...

Multi-Thruster Propulsion Apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, Michael J. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

An electric propulsion machine includes an ion thruster having a discharge chamber housing a large surface area anode. The ion thruster includes flat annular ion optics with a small span to gap ratio. Optionally, at least a second thruster may be disposed radially offset from the ion thruster.

Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program. Chemical Agent and Munition Disposal. Summary of the U.S. Army’s Experience

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-21

a difficult process to control; continuous generation of acidic products results in the possibility of side reactions and in gaseous by- products . Ion...dissolved in hydrochlorlo acid. The acid chlorination forms non-toxic reaction products as per Figure 3-3. (2) To initiate the neutralization process ...et al, "Emission and Control of By- Products From Hazarduus Waste Combustion Processes ", Land Disposal, Remedial Action, Incineration and Treatment

Risk factors and causative organisms in microbial keratitis in daily disposable contact lens wear.

PubMed

Stapleton, Fiona; Naduvilath, Thomas; Keay, Lisa; Radford, Cherry; Dart, John; Edwards, Katie; Carnt, Nicole; Minassian, Darwin; Holden, Brien

2017-01-01

This study investigated independent risk factors and causative organisms in microbial keratitis in daily disposable contact lens (CL)-wearers. A multisite prospective case-control study was undertaken. Cases were daily disposable CL-wearers attending Moorfields Eye Hospital with microbial keratitis and those reported through a one-year surveillance study in Australia and in New Zealand. A population-based telephone survey identified daily disposable CL-wearing controls. Subjects completed a questionnaire describing CL-wear history, hygiene and demographics. The sample used for risk factor analysis was weighted in proportion to the CL-wearing population at each location. Corneal scrape results were accessed. Independent risk factors were determined using multiple binary logistic regression. Causative organisms in different CL-wear modalities were compared using a chi-squared test. 963 daily disposable CL-wearers were identified, from which 67 cases and 374 controls were sampled. Independent risk factors were; wearing CLs every day compared with less frequent use (OR 10.4x; 95% CI 2.9-56.4), any overnight wear (OR 1.8x; 95% CI 1.6-2.1), less frequent hand washing (OR 1.8x; 95% CI 1.6-2.0), and smoking (OR 1.3x; 95% CI 1.1-1.6). Certain daily disposable CLs (OR 0.2x; 95% CI 0.1-0.2) had protective effects. Environmental organisms were less frequently recovered with daily disposable CLs (20%), compared with other modalities (36%; p<0.02). Overnight wear, increased exposure in daily wear, smoking and poor hand hygiene are significant risk factors for microbial keratitis with daily disposable CLs. Risk varied with daily disposable CL type. The profile of causative organisms is consistent with less severe disease.

Nonimaging Optical Illumination System

DOEpatents

Winston, Roland

1994-08-02

A nonimaging illumination optical device for producing selected intensity output over an angular range. The device includes a light reflecting surface (24, 26) around a light source (22) which is disposed opposite the aperture opening of the light reflecting surface (24, 26). The light source (22) has a characteristic dimension which is small relative to one or more of the distance from the light source (22) to the light reflecting surface (24, 26) or the angle subtended by the light source (22) at the light reflecting surface (24, 26).

Contrast enhancing solution for use in confocal microscopy

DOEpatents

Tannous, Zeina; Torres, Abel; Gonzalez, Salvador

2006-10-31

A method of optically detecting a tumor during surgery. The method includes imaging at least one test point defined on the tumor using a first optical imaging system to provide a first tumor image. The method further includes excising a first predetermined layer of the tumor for forming an in-vivo defect area. A predetermined contrast enhancing solution is disposed on the in-vivo defect area, which is adapted to interact with at least one cell anomaly, such as basal cell carcinoma, located on the in-vivo defect area for optically enhancing the cell anomaly. Thereafter the defect area can be optically imaged to provide a clear and bright representation of the cell anomaly to aid a surgeon while surgically removing the cell anomaly.

Optical method for the characterization of laterally-patterned samples in integrated circuits

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J.

2001-01-01

Disclosed is a method for characterizing a sample having a structure disposed on or within the sample, comprising the steps of applying a first pulse of light to a surface of the sample for creating a propagating strain pulse in the sample, applying a second pulse of light to the surface so that the second pulse of light interacts with the propagating strain pulse in the sample, sensing from a reflection of the second pulse a change in optical response of the sample, and relating a time of occurrence of the change in optical response to at least one dimension of the structure.

Optical method and system for the characterization of laterally-patterned samples in integrated circuits

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J.

2008-03-04

Disclosed is a method for characterizing a sample having a structure disposed on or within the sample, comprising the steps of applying a first pulse of light to a surface of the sample for creating a propagating strain pulse in the sample, applying a second pulse of light to the surface so that the second pulse of light interacts with the propagating strain pulse in the sample, sensing from a reflection of the second pulse a change in optical response of the sample, and relating a time of occurrence of the change in optical response to at least one dimension of the structure.

Optical method for the characterization of laterally-patterned samples in integrated circuits

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J.

2010-08-24

Disclosed is a method for characterizing a sample having a structure disposed on or within the sample, comprising the steps of applying a first pulse of light to a surface of the sample for creating a propagating strain pulse in the sample, applying a second pulse of light to the surface so that the second pulse of light interacts with the propagating strain pulse in the sample, sensing from a reflection of the second pulse a change in optical response of the sample, and relating a time of occurrence of the change in optical response to at least one dimension of the structure.

Optical method for the characterization of laterally patterned samples in integrated circuits

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J [Barrington, RI

2009-03-17

Disclosed is a method for characterizing a sample having a structure disposed on or within the sample, comprising the steps of applying a first pulse of light to a surface of the sample for creating a propagating strain pulse in the sample, applying a second pulse of light to the surface so that the second pulse of light interacts with the propagating strain pulse in the sample, sensing from a reflection of the second pulse a change in optical response of the sample, and relating a time of occurrence of the change in optical response to at least one dimension of the structure.

Optical method and system for the characterization of laterally-patterned samples in integrated circuits

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J [Barrington, RI

2011-02-22

Disclosed is a method for characterizing a sample having a structure disposed on or within the sample, comprising the steps of applying a first pulse of light to a surface of the sample for creating a propagating strain pulse in the sample, applying a second pulse of light to the surface so that the second pulse of light interacts with the propagating strain pulse in the sample, sensing from a reflection of the second pulse a change in optical response of the sample, and relating a time of occurrence of the change in optical response to at least one dimension of the structure.

Percutaneous fiber-optic sensor for the detection of chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in vivo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Kelly, James; Liao, Kuo-Chih; Clifton, William; Lu, Daning; Koeffler, Phillip; Loeb, Gerald

2010-02-01

Early imaging of tumor response to chemotherapy has the potential for significant clinical benefits. We are developing a family of fiber-optic sensors called SencilsTM (sensory cilia), which are disposable, minimally invasive, and can provide in vivo monitoring of various analytes for several weeks. The objective of this study was to develop and test our sensor to image the labeling of phosphatidylserine by apoptotic cells in response to chemotherapeutic drugs. FM1-43 was a better fluorescent marker for detecting phosphatidylserine expression than Annexin V-FITC; both the proportion of labeled cells (Annexin V, 15%; FM1-43, 58%) and the relative fluorescent increase (Annexin V-FITC, 1.5-fold; FM1-43, 4.5-fold) was greater when FM1-43 was used to detect apoptosis. Initial testing of the optical sensing technology using Taxol-treated MCF-7 cells demonstrated that injection of FM1-43 resulted in a rapid, transient increase in fluorescence that was greater in apoptotic cells compared to control cells (apoptotic cells, 4-fold increase; control cells, 2-fold increase). Using an established animal model, mice were injected with cyclophosphamide and hepatic apoptosis was assessed by imaging of PS expression. Both the amplitude of fluorescence increase and the time taken for the amplitude to decay to half of its peak were increased in livers from animals treated with cyclophosphamide. Our optical sensing technology can be used to detect the early apoptotic response of cells to chemotherapeutic drugs both in vitro and in vivo. This novel technology represents a unique option for the imaging of tumor responses in vivo, and provides an inexpensive, specific system for the detection of early-stage apoptosis.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING REACTIONS

DOEpatents

Nordheim, L.W.; Wigner, E.P.

1961-06-27

The patented means is described for controlling a nuclear reactor which comprises a tank containing a dispersion of a thermally fissionable material in a liquid moderator and a material convertible to a thermally fissionable material in a container disposed about the tank. The control means comprises a control rod chamber, containing only a liquid moderator, disposed within the container and adjacent to the tank and a control rod designed to be inserted into the chamber.

A Guide for Environmental Health Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Gene M.

1972-01-01

Outlines objectives and resources to be assessed in a community environmental health plan. Considers: water; liquid waste disposal; housing maintenance; solid waste disposal; air pollution; food and food protection; rodent control; insect control; migrant labor camps; recreation sites; mobile homes - trailer parks; schools, institutions - public…

Optical path switching based differential absorption radiometry for substance detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sachse, Glen W. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

An optical path switch divides sample path radiation into a time series of alternating first polarized components and second polarized components. The first polarized components are transmitted along a first optical path and the second polarized components along a second optical path. A first gasless optical filter train filters the first polarized components to isolate at least a first wavelength band thereby generating first filtered radiation. A second gasless optical filter train filters the second polarized components to isolate at least a second wavelength band thereby generating second filtered radiation. A beam combiner combines the first and second filtered radiation to form a combined beam of radiation. A detector is disposed to monitor magnitude of at least a portion of the combined beam alternately at the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band as an indication of the concentration of the substance in the sample path.

Optical path switching based differential absorption radiometry for substance detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sachse, Glen W. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

An optical path switch divides sample path radiation into a time series of alternating first polarized components and second polarized components. The first polarized components are transmitted along a first optical path and the second polarized components along a second optical path. A first gasless optical filter train filters the first polarized components to isolate at least a first wavelength band thereby generating first filtered radiation. A second gasless optical filter train filters the second polarized components to isolate at least a second wavelength band thereby generating second filtered radiation. A beam combiner combines the first and second filtered radiation to form a combined beam of radiation. A detector is disposed to monitor magnitude of at least a portion of the combined beam alternately at the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band as an indication of the concentration of the substance in the sample path.

27 CFR 70.450 - Seizure and forfeiture of personal property.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ammunition seized under Title I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended. For disposal of firearms under... I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, see 18 U.S.C. 924(d). For disposal of explosives under Title XI of Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, see 18 U.S.C. 844(c). Possessions ...

27 CFR 70.450 - Seizure and forfeiture of personal property.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... ammunition seized under Title I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended. For disposal of firearms under... I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, see 18 U.S.C. 924(d). For disposal of explosives under Title XI of Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, see 18 U.S.C. 844(c). Possessions ...

27 CFR 70.450 - Seizure and forfeiture of personal property.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ammunition seized under Title I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended. For disposal of firearms under... I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, see 18 U.S.C. 924(d). For disposal of explosives under Title XI of Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, see 18 U.S.C. 844(c). Possessions ...

27 CFR 70.450 - Seizure and forfeiture of personal property.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ammunition seized under Title I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended. For disposal of firearms under... I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, see 18 U.S.C. 924(d). For disposal of explosives under Title XI of Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, see 18 U.S.C. 844(c). Possessions ...

27 CFR 70.450 - Seizure and forfeiture of personal property.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ammunition seized under Title I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended. For disposal of firearms under... I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, see 18 U.S.C. 924(d). For disposal of explosives under Title XI of Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, see 18 U.S.C. 844(c). Possessions ...

Earth to Moon Transfers - Direct vs Via Libration Points (L1, L2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Condon, Gerald L.; Wilson, Sam

2002-01-01

Recommend Direct Remote Ocean Area impact disposal for caseswithout hazardous (e.g., radioactive) material on LTV kickstage Controlled Earth contact. Relatively small disposal AV. Avoids close encounter with Moon. Trajectories can be very sensitive to initial conditions (at disposalmaneuver).V to correct for errors is small. Recommend Heliocentric Orbit disposal for cases with hazardousmaterial on LTV kickstage. No Earth or Lunar disposal issues (e.g.. impact location, debris footprint,litter). Relatively low disposal AV cost. Further study required to determine possibility of re-contact with Earth.

75 FR 74000 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-30

... 306C Water & Waste Disposal (WWD) Loans & Grants. OMB Control Number: 0572-0109. Summary of Collection... access to or are not served by adequate affordable water supply systems or waste disposal facilities. The loans and grants will be available to provide water and waste disposal facilities and services to these...

Plant uptake of 238U, 235U, 232Th, 226Ra, 210Pb and 40K from a coal ash and slag disposal site and control soil under field conditions: A preliminary study.

PubMed

Skoko, Božena; Marović, Gordana; Babić, Dinko; Šoštarić, Marko; Jukić, Mirela

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the uptake of 238 U, 235 U, 232 Th, 226 Ra, 210 Pb and 40 K by plants that grow on a coal ash and slag disposal site known for its higher content of naturally occurring radionuclides. Plant species that were sampled are common for the Mediterranean flora and can be divided as follows: grasses & herbs, shrubs and trees. To compare the activity concentrations and the resultant concentration ratios of the disposal site with those in natural conditions, we used control data specific for the research area, obtained for plants growing on untreated natural soil. Radionuclide activity concentrations were determined by high resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. Media parameters (pH, electrical conductivity and organic matter content) were also analysed. We confirmed significantly higher activity concentrations of 238 U, 235 U, 226 Ra and 210 Pb in ash and slag compared to control soil. However, a significant increase in the radionuclide activity concentration in the disposal site's vegetation was observed only for 226 Ra. On the contrary, a significantly smaller activity concentration of 40 K in ash and slag had no impact on its activity concentration in plant samples. The calculated plant uptake of 238 U, 235 U, 226 Ra and 210 Pb is significantly smaller in comparison with the uptake at the control site, while it is vice versa for 40 K. No significant difference was observed between the disposal site and the control site's plant uptake of 232 Th. These results can be the foundation for further radioecological assessment of this disposal site but also, globally, they can contribute to a better understanding of nature and long-term management of such disposal sites. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overview of paint removal methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, Terry

1995-04-01

With the introduction of strict environmental regulations governing the use and disposal of methylene chloride and phenols, major components of chemical paint strippers, there have been many new environmentally safe and effective methods of paint removal developed. The new methods developed for removing coatings from aircraft and aircraft components include: mechanical methods using abrasive media such as plastic, wheat starch, walnut shells, ice and dry ice, environmentally safe chemical strippers and paint softeners, and optical methods such as lasers and flash lamps. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, and some have unique applications. For example, mechanical and abrasive methods can damage sensitive surfaces such as composite materials and strict control of blast parameters and conditions are required. Optical methods can be slow, leaving paint residues, and chemical methods may not remove all of the coating or require special coating formulations to be effective. As an introduction to environmentally safe and effective methods of paint removal, this paper is an overview of the various methods available. The purpose of this overview is to introduce the various paint removal methods available.

40 CFR 194.43 - Passive institutional controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., design, and contents of the disposal system. Such measures shall include: (1) Identification of the controlled area by markers that have been designed and will be fabricated and emplaced to be as permanent as... system; (ii) The design of the disposal system; (iii) The nature and hazard of the waste; (iv) Geologic...

40 CFR 194.43 - Passive institutional controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., design, and contents of the disposal system. Such measures shall include: (1) Identification of the controlled area by markers that have been designed and will be fabricated and emplaced to be as permanent as... system; (ii) The design of the disposal system; (iii) The nature and hazard of the waste; (iv) Geologic...

50 CFR 31.2 - Methods of surplus wildlife population control and disposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Methods of surplus wildlife population control and disposal. 31.2 Section 31.2 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM WILDLIFE SPECIES MANAGEMENT...

50 CFR 31.2 - Methods of surplus wildlife population control and disposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Methods of surplus wildlife population control and disposal. 31.2 Section 31.2 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM WILDLIFE SPECIES MANAGEMENT...

50 CFR 31.2 - Methods of surplus wildlife population control and disposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Methods of surplus wildlife population control and disposal. 31.2 Section 31.2 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM WILDLIFE SPECIES MANAGEMENT...

50 CFR 31.2 - Methods of surplus wildlife population control and disposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Methods of surplus wildlife population control and disposal. 31.2 Section 31.2 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM WILDLIFE SPECIES MANAGEMENT...

50 CFR 31.2 - Methods of surplus wildlife population control and disposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Methods of surplus wildlife population control and disposal. 31.2 Section 31.2 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM WILDLIFE SPECIES MANAGEMENT...

Optical biosensor system with integrated microfluidic sample preparation and TIRF based detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilli, Eduard; Scheicher, Sylvia R.; Suppan, Michael; Pichler, Heinz; Rumpler, Markus; Satzinger, Valentin; Palfinger, Christian; Reil, Frank; Hajnsek, Martin; Köstler, Stefan

2013-05-01

There is a steadily growing demand for miniaturized bioanalytical devices allowing for on-site or point-of-care detection of biomolecules or pathogens in applications like diagnostics, food testing, or environmental monitoring. These, so called labs-on-a-chip or micro-total analysis systems (μ-TAS) should ideally enable convenient sample-in - result-out type operation. Therefore, the entire process from sample preparation, metering, reagent incubation, etc. to detection should be performed on a single disposable device (on-chip). In the early days such devices were mainly fabricated using glass or silicon substrates and adapting established fabrication technologies from the electronics and semiconductor industry. More recently, the development focuses on the use of thermoplastic polymers as they allow for low-cost high volume fabrication of disposables. One of the most promising materials for the development of plastic based lab-on-achip systems are cyclic olefin polymers and copolymers (COP/COC) due to their excellent optical properties (high transparency and low autofluorescence) and ease of processing. We present a bioanalytical system for whole blood samples comprising a disposable plastic chip based on TIRF (total internal reflection fluorescence) optical detection. The chips were fabricated by compression moulding of COP and microfluidic channels were structured by hot embossing. These microfluidic structures integrate several sample pretreatment steps. These are the separation of erythrocytes, metering of sample volume using passive valves, and reagent incubation for competitive bioassays. The surface of the following optical detection zone is functionalized with specific capture probes in an array format. The plastic chips comprise dedicated structures for simple and effective coupling of excitation light from low-cost laser diodes. This enables TIRF excitation of fluorescently labeled probes selectively bound to detection spots at the microchannel surface. The fluorescence of these detection arrays is imaged using a simple set-up based on a digital consumer camera. Image processing for spot detection and intensity calculation is accomplished using customized software. Using this combined TIRF excitation and imaging based detection approach allowes for effective suppression of background fluorescence from the sample, multiplexed detection in an array format, as well as internal calibration and background correction.

Interactive optical panel

DOEpatents

Veligdan, James T.

1995-10-03

An interactive optical panel assembly 34 includes an optical panel 10 having a plurality of ribbon optical waveguides 12 stacked together with opposite ends thereof defining panel first and second faces 16, 18. A light source 20 provides an image beam 22 to the panel first face 16 for being channeled through the waveguides 12 and emitted from the panel second face 18 in the form of a viewable light image 24a. A remote device 38 produces a response beam 40 over a discrete selection area 36 of the panel second face 18 for being channeled through at least one of the waveguides 12 toward the panel first face 16. A light sensor 42,50 is disposed across a plurality of the waveguides 12 for detecting the response beam 40 therein for providing interactive capability.

Thermionic converter temperature controller

DOEpatents

Shaner, Benjamin J [McMurray, PA; Wolf, Joseph H [Pittsburgh, PA; Johnson, Robert G. R. [Trafford, PA

2001-04-24

A method and apparatus for controlling the temperature of a thermionic reactor over a wide range of operating power, including a thermionic reactor having a plurality of integral cesium reservoirs, a honeycomb material disposed about the reactor which has a plurality of separated cavities, a solid sheath disposed about the honeycomb material and having an opening therein communicating with the honeycomb material and cavities thereof, and a shell disposed about the sheath for creating a coolant annulus therewith so that the coolant in the annulus may fill the cavities and permit nucleate boiling during the operation of the reactor.

Prediction of pharmacist intention to provide medication disposal education using the theory of planned behaviour.

PubMed

Tai, Bik-Wai Bilvick; Hata, Micah; Wu, Stephanie; Frausto, Sonya; Law, Anandi V

2016-10-01

Lack of familiarity with proper medication disposal options among patients can lead to personal and environmental safety concerns, besides signalling non-adherence. Given that community pharmacists are in a position to educate patients, this study assessed community pharmacists' knowledge on medication disposal and examined the utility of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in predicting their intention to provide medication disposal education to their patients. A cross-sectional, self-administered survey was distributed to community pharmacists in California. Descriptive statistics were reported for all survey items. Cronbach's alpha and Pearson correlation were used to determine the reliability for the four TPB constructs (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and intention). Multiple linear regressions were performed to predict intent using the other three TPB constructs. Pharmacists (n = 142) demonstrated a positive intention to provide education (mean = 5.91 ± 1.22; range: 2 to 8), but most (67.9%) provided this information once a month or less. Attitude (β = 0.266, P = 0.001), subjective norm (β = 0.333, P < 0.001) and perceived behavioural control (β = 0.211, P = 0.009) were significant predictors of intention, accounting for 40.8% of the variance in intention to provide disposal education. Scale reliability ranged from 0.596 to 0.619 for the four constructs. Few pharmacists accurately selected all of the appropriate recommendations of disposal for non-controlled and controlled substances (15.9% and 10.1%, respectively). Pharmacists showed favourable attitude, subjective norm, perceived behaviour control and intention in providing such education. However, their knowledge in this area may be lacking and they are not consistently providing this information to their patients. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

End of Life Decisions for Sealed Radioactive Sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pryor, Kathryn H.

Sealed radioactive sources are encountered in a wide variety of settings – from household smoke detectors and instrument check sources, through fixed industrial gauges, industrial radiography and well logging sources, to irradiators and medical teletherapy devices. In general, the higher the level of activity in the sealed source, the stricter the regulatory control that is applied to its use, control and ultimate disposition. Lower levels of attention and oversight can and do lead to sources ending up in the wrong place – as orphan sources in uncontrolled storage, disposed in a sanitary landfill, melted down in metal recycling operations andmore » incorporated into consumer products, or handled by an unsuspecting member of the public. There are a range of issues that contribute to the problem of improper disposal of sealed sources, and, in particular, to disused source disposal. General licensed sources and devices are particularly at risk of being disposed incorrectly. Higher activity general licensed sources, although required to be registered with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or Agreement State, receive limited regulatory oversight and are not tracked on a national scale. Users frequently do not consider the full life-cycle costs when procuring sources or devices and discover that they cannot afford to package, transport and dispose of their sources properly. The NRC requirements for decommissioning funding plans and financial assurance are not adequate to cover sealed source transport and disposal costs fully. While there are regulatory limits for storage of disused sources, enforcement is limited and there is no financial incentive for owners to dispose of the sources. In some cases, the lack of availability of approved Department of Transportation (DOT) Type B shipping casks also presents a barrier to sealed source disposal. The report of the Disused Sources Working Group does an excellent job of framing these issues. This article reviews both the issues and the report’s recommendations, which are designed to improve sealed source control and encourage proper disposal of disused sources.« less

Concentration of sunlight to solar-surface levels using non-imaging optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleckman, Philip; O'Gallagher, Joseph; Winston, Roland

1989-05-01

An account is given of the design and operational principles of a solar concentrator that employs nonimaging optics to achieve a solar flux equal to 56,000 times that of ambient sunlight, yielding temperatures comparable to, and with further development of the device, exceeding those of the solar surface. In this scheme, a parabolic mirror primary concentrator is followed by a secondary concentrator, designed according to the edge-ray method, which is filled with a transparent oil. The device may be used in materials-processing, waste-disposal, and solar-pumped laser applications.

The effect of infection-control barriers on the light intensity of light-cure units and depth of cure of composite.

PubMed

Hodson, Nicholas A; Dunne, Stephen M; Pankhurst, Caroline L

2005-04-01

Dental curing lights are vulnerable to contamination with oral fluids during routine intra-oral use. This controlled study aimed to evaluate whether or not disposable transparent barriers placed over the light-guide tip would affect light output intensity or the subsequent depth of cure of a composite restoration. The impact on light intensity emitted from high-, medium- and low-output light-cure units in the presence of two commercially available disposable infection-control barriers was evaluated against a no-barrier control. Power density measurements from the three intensity light-cure units were recorded with a radiometer, then converted to a digital image using an intra-oral camera and values determined using a commercial computer program. For each curing unit, the measurements were repeated on ten separate occasions with each barrier and the control. Depth of cure was evaluated using a scrape test in a natural tooth model. At each level of light output, the two disposable barriers produced a significant reduction in the mean power density readings compared to the no-barrier control (P<0.005). The cure sleeve inhibited light output to a greater extent than either the cling film or the control (P<0.005). Only composite restorations light-activated by the high level unit demonstrated a small but significant decrease in the depth of cure compared to the control (P<0.05). Placing disposable barriers over the light-guide tip reduced the light intensity from all three curing lights. There was no impact on depth of cure except for the high-output light, where a small decrease in cure depth was noted but this was not considered clinically significant. Disposable barriers can be recommended for use with light-cure lights.

[Analysis on relationship between regional economic development and sewage disposal].

PubMed

Wang, La-Chun; Huo, Yu; Zhu, Ji-Ye; Li, Sheng-Feng; Gao, Chao

2008-03-01

Based on the relationship between district GDP and sewage disposal, the water environment protection effect in 3 cities, Suzhou, Nanjing and Xuzhou, with different economic development degrees in Jiangsu Province was dynamically analyzed. The economy in Suzhou was well developed, where the foreign capital proportion was in a high level. Its GDP per capita was 53,800 yuan in 2005 and the sewage disposal grew linearly when its GDP increased in the study time period. Nanjing was less developed than Suzhou, and the state-owned enterprises in large and medium sizes were in a high percentage. Its GDP per capita was 37,100 yuan in 2005, while the sewage disposal reduced linearly when its GDP increased in the study time period. The economy in Xuzhou is under-developed, where coal-based heavy industry was the most important one. The GDP per capita in this city was 13,200 yuan in 2005 and the sewage disposal fluctuated when its GDP increased in the study time period. According to the relationship between economic development and sewage disposal in different cities, we suggested that the water environment protection in Suzhou should focus on the control of both water pollutant total emission and emission concentration, the major work in Nanjing should focus on adjusting the industrial structure and meanwhile controlling the total emission of water pollutants, while in Xuzhou the water pollutant emission concentration should be firstly controlled.

Effect of disposable infection control barriers on light output from dental curing lights.

PubMed

Scott, Barbara A; Felix, Corey A; Price, Richard B T

2004-02-01

To prevent contamination of the light guide on a dental curing light, barriers such as disposable plastic wrap or covers may be used. This study compared the effect of 3 disposable barriers on the spectral output and power density from a curing light. The hypothesis was that none of the barriers would have a significant clinical effect on the spectral output or the power density from the curing light. Three disposable barriers were tested against a control (no barrier). The spectra and power from the curing light were measured with a spectrometer attached to an integrating sphere. The measurements were repeated on 10 separate occasions in a random sequence for each barrier. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Fisher's protected least significant difference test showed that the power density was significantly less than control (by 2.4% to 6.1%) when 2 commercially available disposable barriers were used (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the power density when general-purpose plastic wrap was used (p > 0.05). The effect of each of the barriers on the power output was small and probably clinically insignificant. ANOVA comparisons of mean peak wavelength values indicated that none of the barriers produced a significant shift in the spectral output relative to the control ( p > 0.05). Two of the 3 disposable barriers produced a significant reduction in power density from the curing light. This drop in power was small and would probably not adversely affect the curing of composite resin. None of the barriers acted as light filters.

Brazilian policy on battery disposal and its practical effects on battery recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crocce Romano Espinosa, Denise; Moura Bernardes, Andréa; Alberto Soares Tenório, Jorge

The disposal of batteries is a problem that has grown in the last few years, due to the increase in the use of portable devices. Batteries may contain toxic metals such as cadmium, mercury and lead, so their disposal must be controlled. Brazil was the first country in Latin America to regulate the disposal and treatment of batteries. Limits were established on the concentration of heavy metals within batteries, so that they could be disposed along with domestic waste. Since batteries are products used broadly, it is very difficult to control their disposal. In order to have an efficient collection, the population must be engaged, and that can only happen if they are informed about the laws and regulations regarding the subject, as well as the importance of disposing of batteries with higher concentrations of heavy metals or toxic substances separately from domestic garbage. Around the world, there are some long-established recycling processes for batteries. In Brazil, automotive (lead-acid) batteries have been recycled for several years, whereas the recycling of other types of batteries is just starting. This work does an analysis of the Brazilian law for battery recycling and presents some suggestions and examples of the initiatives of other countries, in order to manage of this kind of dangerous waste.

Wafer-level fabrication of arrays of glass lens doublets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passilly, Nicolas; Perrin, Stéphane; Albero, Jorge; Krauter, Johann; Gaiffe, Olivier; Gauthier-Manuel, Ludovic; Froehly, Luc; Lullin, Justine; Bargiel, Sylwester; Osten, Wolfgang; Gorecki, Christophe

2016-04-01

Systems for imaging require to employ high quality optical components in order to dispose of optical aberrations and thus reach sufficient resolution. However, well-known methods to get rid of optical aberrations, such as aspherical profiles or diffractive corrections are not easy to apply to micro-optics. In particular, some of these methods rely on polymers which cannot be associated when such lenses are to be used in integrated devices requiring high temperature process for their further assembly and separation. Among the different approaches, the most common is the lens splitting that consists in dividing the focusing power between two or more optical components. In here, we propose to take advantage of a wafer-level technique, devoted to the generation of glass lenses, which involves thermal reflow in silicon cavities to generate lens doublets. After the convex lens sides are generated, grinding and polishing of both stack sides allow, on the first hand, to form the planar lens backside and, on the other hand, to open the silicon cavity. Nevertheless, silicon frames are then kept and thinned down to form well-controlled and auto-aligned spacers between the lenses. Subsequent accurate vertical assembly of the glass lens arrays is performed by anodic bonding. The latter ensures a high level of alignment both laterally and axially since no additional material is required. Thanks to polishing, the generated lens doublets are then as thin as several hundreds of microns and compatible with micro-opto-electro-systems (MOEMS) technologies since they are only made of glass and silicon. The generated optical module is then robust and provide improved optical performances. Indeed, theoretically, two stacked lenses with similar features and spherical profiles can be almost diffraction limited whereas a single lens characterized by the same numerical aperture than the doublet presents five times higher wavefront error. To demonstrate such assumption, we fabricated glass lens doublets and compared them to single lenses of equivalent focusing power. For similar illumination, the optical aberrations are significantly reduced.

40 CFR Appendix D to Subpart E of... - Transport and Disposal of Asbestos Waste

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Transport and Disposal of Asbestos... (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT ASBESTOS Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools Pt. 763, Subpt. E, App. D Appendix D to Subpart E of Part 763—Transport and Disposal of Asbestos Waste For the purposes...

40 CFR Appendix D to Subpart E of... - Transport and Disposal of Asbestos Waste

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Transport and Disposal of Asbestos... (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT ASBESTOS Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools Pt. 763, Subpt. E, App. D Appendix D to Subpart E of Part 763—Transport and Disposal of Asbestos Waste For the purposes...

40 CFR Appendix D to Subpart E of... - Transport and Disposal of Asbestos Waste

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Transport and Disposal of Asbestos... (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT ASBESTOS Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools Pt. 763, Subpt. E, App. D Appendix D to Subpart E of Part 763—Transport and Disposal of Asbestos Waste For the purposes...

40 CFR Appendix D to Subpart E of... - Transport and Disposal of Asbestos Waste

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Transport and Disposal of Asbestos... (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT ASBESTOS Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools Pt. 763, Subpt. E, App. D Appendix D to Subpart E of Part 763—Transport and Disposal of Asbestos Waste For the purposes...

41 CFR 102-78.65 - What are Federal agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property under their control? 102... real property under their control? Federal agencies must— (a) To the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive use, that are not needed for current or...

41 CFR 102-78.65 - What are Federal agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property under their control? 102... real property under their control? Federal agencies must— (a) To the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive use, that are not needed for current or...

41 CFR 102-78.65 - What are Federal agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property under their control? 102... real property under their control? Federal agencies must— (a) To the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive use, that are not needed for current or...

41 CFR 102-78.65 - What are Federal agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property under their control? 102... real property under their control? Federal agencies must— (a) To the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive use, that are not needed for current or...

41 CFR 102-78.65 - What are Federal agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property under their control? 102... real property under their control? Federal agencies must— (a) To the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive use, that are not needed for current or...

Control technology assessment of hazardous waste disposal operations in chemicals manufacturing: walk-through survey report of Olin Chemicals Group, Charleston, Tennessee

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crandall, M.S.

1983-08-01

A walk through survey was conducted to assess control technology for hazardous wastes disposal operations at Olin Chemicals Group (SIC-2800, SIC-2812, SIC-2819), Charleston, Tennessee in May 1982. Hazardous wastes generated at the facility included brine sludge, thick mercury (7439954) (Hg) butter, and calcium-hypochlorite (7778543). An estimated 8500 tons of waste were disposed of annually. The Hg waste underwent a retorting process that recycled the Hg. The final detoxified waste was land filled. Brine sludge and calcium-hypochlorite were also land filled. No controls beyond those normally used at such sites were found at the landfills. Periodic monitoring of Hg vapor concentrationsmore » was conducted by the company. Medical monitoring of urine for Hg exposure was conducted. Specific limits were set for urinary Hg concentrations. When these limits were exceeded the workers were removed from exposure. Personal protective equipment consisted of hard hats, safety glasses, and spirators specially designed for Hg exposure. The author concludes that the hazardous waste disposal and treatment operations at the facility are well controlled.« less

Manual tube-to-tubesheet welding torch

DOEpatents

Kiefer, Joseph H.; Smith, Danny J.

1982-01-01

A welding torch made of a high temperature plastic which fits over a tube intermediate the ends thereof for welding the juncture between the tube and the back side of a tube plate and has a ballooned end in which an electrode, filler wire guide, fiber optic bundle, and blanketing gas duct are disposed.

High efficiency organic photovoltaic cells employing hybridized mixed-planar heterojunctions

DOEpatents

Xue, Jiangeng; Uchida, Soichi; Rand, Barry P.; Forrest, Stephen

2015-08-18

A device is provided, having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a photoactive region disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The photoactive region includes a first photoactive organic layer that is a mixture of an organic acceptor material and an organic donor material, wherein the first photoactive organic layer has a thickness not greater than 0.8 characteristic charge transport lengths; a second photoactive organic layer in direct contact with the first organic layer, wherein the second photoactive organic layer is an unmixed layer of the organic acceptor material of the first photoactive organic layer, and the second photoactive organic layer has a thickness not less than about 0.1 optical absorption lengths; and a third photoactive organic layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and in direct contact with the first photoactive organic layer. The third photoactive organic layer is an unmixed layer of the organic donor layer of the first photoactive organic layer and has a thickness not less than about 0.1 optical absorption lengths.

Haptics-based immersive telerobotic system for improvised explosive device disposal: Are two hands better than one?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, David; Lacheray, Hervé; Lambert, Jason Michel; Mantegh, Iraj; Crymble, Derry; Daly, John; Zhao, Yan

2012-06-01

State-of-the-art robotic explosive ordnance disposal robotics have not, in general, adopted recent advances in control technology and man-machine interfaces and lag many years behind academia. This paper describes the Haptics-based Immersive Telerobotic System project investigating an immersive telepresence envrionment incorporating advanced vehicle control systems, Augmented immersive sensory feedback, dynamic 3D visual information, and haptic feedback for explosive ordnance disposal operators. The project aim is to provide operatiors a more sophisticated interface and expand sensory input to perform complex tasks to defeat improvised explosive devices successfully. The introduction of haptics and immersive teleprescence has the potential to shift the way teleprescence systems work for explosive ordnance disposal tasks or more widely for first responders scenarios involving remote unmanned ground vehicles.

Siting, design and operational controls for snow disposal sites.

PubMed

Wheaton, S R; Rice, W J

2003-01-01

The Municipality of Anchorage (MOA), at 61 degrees north latitude, ploughs and hauls snow from urban streets throughout the winter, incorporating grit and chloride applied to street surfaces for traffic safety. Hauled snow is stored at snow disposal facilities, where it melts at ambient spring temperatures. MOA studies performed from 1998 through 2001 show that disposal site melt processes can be manipulated, through site design and operation practices, to control chloride and turbidity in meltwater. An experimental passive "V-swale" pad configuration tested by MOA investigators reduced site meltwater turbidity by an order of magnitude (to about 50 NTU from the 500 NTU typical of more conventional planar pad geometry). The MOA has developed new siting, design and operational criteria for snow disposal facilities to conform to the tested V-swale pad configuration.

A micromachined electrochemical sensor for free chlorine monitoring in drinking water.

PubMed

Mehta, A; Shekhar, H; Hyun, S H; Hong, S; Cho, H J

2006-01-01

In this work, we designed, fabricated and tested a disposable, flow-through amperometric sensor for free chlorine determination in water. The sensor is based on the principle of an electrochemical cell. The substrate, as well as the top microfluidic layer, is made up of a polymer material. The advantages include; (a) disposability from low cost; (b) stable operation range from three-electrode design; (c) fluidic interconnections that provide on line testing capabilities; and (d) transparent substrate which provides for future integration of on-chip optics. The sensor showed a good response and linearity in the chlorine concentration ranging from 0.3 to 1.6 ppm, which applies to common chlorination process for drinking water purification.

X-ray shearing interferometer

DOEpatents

Koch, Jeffrey A [Livermore, CA

2003-07-08

An x-ray interferometer for analyzing high density plasmas and optically opaque materials includes a point-like x-ray source for providing a broadband x-ray source. The x-rays are directed through a target material and then are reflected by a high-quality ellipsoidally-bent imaging crystal to a diffraction grating disposed at 1.times. magnification. A spherically-bent imaging crystal is employed when the x-rays that are incident on the crystal surface are normal to that surface. The diffraction grating produces multiple beams which interfere with one another to produce an interference pattern which contains information about the target. A detector is disposed at the position of the image of the target produced by the interfering beams.

Systematic review of evidence on the effectiveness of safe child faeces disposal interventions.

PubMed

Morita, Tomohiko; Godfrey, Samuel; George, Christine Marie

2016-11-01

To review and synthesise the available evidence on the effectiveness of interventions targeting unsafe child faeces disposal in reducing this behaviour and improving child health in low- and middle-income countries. PubMed and EMBASE were systematically searched. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were reviewed and key information on study methodologies and outcomes were extracted. A total of 1048 articles were screened, and eight studies representing five countries were included for the review. Three were randomised controlled trials, and five were prospective cohort studies. There was wide variability across studies in the definition of 'safe disposal' of child faeces. Six studies reported the change in child faeces disposal practices associated with safe child faeces disposal interventions. However, only one study found a significant improvement in this behaviour. Two of the six studies that evaluated the health impact of delivered interventions found significant reductions in childhood diarrhoea associated with safe faeces disposal practices, and one study reported a positive effect on child growth and ascariasis. Only one study was identified that delivered a single intervention solely focused on safe child faeces disposal. Unfortunately, this study did not investigate the impact of this intervention on child health. There are major methodological limitations in studies that assessed the impact of safe child faeces disposal interventions. The health impact of these interventions is inconclusive because the quality of the current evidence is poor. Randomised controlled trials are urgently needed to assess the impact of safe faeces disposal interventions on child health. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

New design deforming controlling system of the active stressed lap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ying, Li; Wang, Daxing

2008-07-01

A 450mm diameter active stressed lap has been developed in NIAOT by 2003. We design a new lap in 2007. This paper puts on emphases on introducing the new deforming control system of the lap. Aiming at the control characteristic of the lap, a new kind of digital deforming controller is designed. The controller consists of 3 parts: computer signal disposing, motor driving and force sensor signal disposing. Intelligent numeral PID method is applied in the controller instead of traditional PID. In the end, the result of new deformation are given.

Assessment of alternative disposal methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste in India.

PubMed

Yedla, Sudhakar; Sindhu, N T

2016-06-01

Open dumping, the most commonly practiced method of solid waste disposal in Indian cities, creates serious environment and economic challenges, and also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The present article attempts to analyse and identify economically effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste. The article looks at the selection of appropriate methods for the control of methane emissions. Multivariate functional models are presented, based on theoretical considerations as well as the field measurements to forecast the greenhouse gas mitigation potential for all the methodologies under consideration. Economic feasibility is tested by calculating the unit cost of waste disposal for the respective disposal process. The purpose-built landfill system proposed by Yedla and Parikh has shown promise in controlling greenhouse gas and saving land. However, these studies show that aerobic composting offers the optimal method, both in terms of controlling greenhouse gas emissions and reducing costs, mainly by requiring less land than other methods. © The Author(s) 2016.

Method for morphological control and encapsulation of materials for electronics and energy applications

DOEpatents

Ivanov, Ilia N.; Simpson, John T.

2013-06-11

An electronic device comprises a drawn glass tube having opposing ends, a semiconductive material disposed inside of the drawn glass tube, and a first electrode and a second electrode disposed at the opposing ends of the drawn glass tube. A method of making an electrical device comprises disposing a semiconductive material inside of a glass tube, and drawing the glass tube with the semiconductive material disposed therein to form a drawn glass tube. The method of making an electrical device also comprises disposing a first electrode and a second electrode on the opposing ends of the drawn glass tube to form an electric device.

Design, assembly, and optical bench testing of a high-numerical-aperture miniature injection-molded objective for fiber-optic confocal reflectance microscopy.

PubMed

Chidley, Matthew D; Carlson, Kristen D; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R; Descour, Michael R

2006-04-10

The design, analysis, assembly methods, and optical-bench test results for a miniature injection-molded plastic objective lens used in a fiber-optic confocal reflectance microscope are presented. The five-lens plastic objective was tested as a stand-alone optical system before its integration into a confocal microscope for in vivo imaging of cells and tissue. Changing the spacing and rotation of the individual optical elements can compensate for fabrication inaccuracies and improve performance. The system performance of the miniature objective lens is measured by use of an industry-accepted slanted-edge modulation transfer function (MTF) metric. An estimated Strehl ratio of 0.61 and a MTF value of 0.66 at the fiber-optic bundle Nyquist frequency have been obtained. The optical bench testing system is configured to permit interactive optical alignment during testing to optimize performance. These results are part of an effort to demonstrate the manufacturability of low-cost, high-performance biomedical optics for high-resolution in vivo imaging. Disposable endoscopic microscope objectives could help in vivo confocal microscopy technology mature to permit wide-scale clinical screening and detection of early cancers and precancerous lesions.

Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Project. Summary Report. Metro Toxicant Program Report No. 1A.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ridgley, Susan M.; Galvin, David V.

The Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Project was established as an interagency effort to reduce the level of toxicants entering the environment by developing a control plan for the safe disposal of small quantities of household chemicals. This summary report provides an overview of the aspects of this problem that were examined, and the steps…

Optical fiber sensors for harsh environments

DOEpatents

Xu, Juncheng; Wang, Anbo

2007-02-06

A diaphragm optic sensor comprises a ferrule including a bore having an optical fiber disposed therein and a diaphragm attached to the ferrule, the diaphragm being spaced apart from the ferrule to form a Fabry-Perot cavity. The cavity is formed by creating a pit in the ferrule or in the diaphragm. The components of the sensor are preferably welded together, preferably by laser welding. In some embodiments, the entire ferrule is bonded to the fiber along the entire length of the fiber within the ferrule; in other embodiments, only a portion of the ferrule is welded to the fiber. A partial vacuum is preferably formed in the pit. A small piece of optical fiber with a coefficient of thermal expansion chosen to compensate for mismatches between the main fiber and ferrule may be spliced to the end of the fiber.

Effectiveness of short-term, enhanced, infection control support in improving compliance with infection control guidelines and practice in nursing homes: a cluster randomized trial.

PubMed

Gopal Rao, G; Jeanes, A; Russell, H; Wilson, D; Atere-Roberts, E; O'Sullivan, D; Donaldson, N

2009-10-01

In this prospective cluster randomized controlled trial we evaluated the impact of short-term provision of enhanced infection control support on infection control practice in nursing homes in South London. Twelve nursing homes were recruited, six each in intervention (300 residents) and control (265 residents) groups. Baseline observations of hand hygiene facilities, environmental cleanliness and safe disposal of clinical waste showed poor compliance in both groups. Post-intervention observations showed improvement in both groups. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the compliance for hand hygiene facilities (P=0.69); environmental cleanliness (P=0.43) and safe disposal of clinical waste (P=0.96). In both groups, greatest improvement was in compliance with safe disposal of clinical waste and the least improvement was in hand hygiene facilities. Since infection control practice improved in intervention and control groups, we could not demonstrate that provision of short-term, enhanced, infection control support in nursing homes had a significant impact in infection control practice.

An Electronic Patch for wearable health monitoring by reflectance pulse oximetry.

PubMed

Haahr, Rasmus G; Duun, Sune B; Toft, Mette H; Belhage, Bo; Larsen, Jan; Birkelund, Karen; Thomsen, Erik V

2012-02-01

We report the development of an Electronic Patch for wearable health monitoring. The Electronic Patch is a new health monitoring system incorporating biomedical sensors, microelectronics, radio frequency (RF) communication, and a battery embedded in a 3-dimensional hydrocolloid polymer. In this paper the Electronic Patch is demonstrated with a new optical biomedical sensor for reflectance pulse oximetry so that the Electronic Patch in this case can measure the pulse and the oxygen saturation. The reflectance pulse oximetry solution is based on a recently developed annular backside silicon photodiode to enable low power consumption by the light emitting components. The Electronic Patch has a disposable part of soft adhesive hydrocolloid polymer and a reusable part of hard polylaurinlactam. The disposable part contains the battery. The reusable part contains the reflectance pulse oximetry sensor and microelectronics. The reusable part is 'clicked' into the disposable part when the patch is prepared for use. The patch has a size of 88 mm by 60 mm and a thickness of 5 mm.

Design and evaluation of an intraocular B-scan OCT-guided 36-gauge needle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Jin H.; Joos, Karen M.

2015-03-01

Optical coherence tomography imaging is widely used in ophthalmology and optometry clinics for diagnosing retinal disorders. External microscope-mounted OCT operating room systems have imaged retinal changes immediately following surgical manipulations. However, the goal is to image critical surgical maneuvers in real time. External microscope-mounted OCT systems have some limitations with problems tracking constantly moving intraocular surgical instruments, and formation of absolute shadows by the metallic surgical instruments upon the underlying tissues of interest. An intraocular OCT-imaging probe was developed to resolve these problems. A disposable 25-gauge probe tip extended beyond the handpiece, with a 36-gauge needle welded to a disposable tip with its end extending an additional 3.5 mm. A sealed 0.35 mm diameter GRIN lens protected the fiber scanner and focused the scanning beam at a 3 to 4 mm distance. The OCT engine was a very high-resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) system (870 nm, Bioptigen, Inc. Durham, NC) which produced 2000 A-scan lines per B-scan image at a frequency of 5 Hz with the fiber optic oscillations matched to this frequency. Real-time imaging of the needle tip as it touched infrared paper was performed. The B-scan OCT-needle was capable of real-time performance and imaging of the phantom material. In the future, the B-scan OCT-guided needle will be used to perform sub-retinal injections.

Use of disposable reactors to generate inoculum cultures for E. coli production fermentations.

PubMed

Mahajan, Ekta; Matthews, Timothy; Hamilton, Ryan; Laird, Michael W

2010-01-01

Disposable technology is being used more each year in the biotechnology industry. Disposable bioreactors allow one to avoid expenses associated with cleaning, assembly and operations, as well as equipment validation. The WAVE bioreactor is well established for Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) production, however, it has not yet been thoroughly tested for E. coli production because of the high oxygen demand and temperature maintenance requirements of that platform. The objective of this study is to establish a robust process to generate inoculum for E. coli production fermentations in a WAVE bioreactor. We opted not to evaluate the WAVE system for production cultures because of the high cell densities required in our current E. coli production processes. Instead, the WAVE bioreactor 20/50 system was evaluated at laboratory scale (10-L) to generate inoculum with target optical densities (OD(550)) of 15 within 7-9 h (pre-established target for stainless steel fermentors). The maximum settings for rock rate (40 rpm) and angle (10.5) were used to maximize mass transfer. The gas feed was also supplemented with additional oxygen to meet the high respiratory demand of the culture. The results showed that the growth profiles for the inoculum cultures were similar to those obtained from conventional stainless steel fermentors. These inoculum cultures were subsequently inoculated into 10-L working volume stainless steel fermentors to evaluate the inocula performance of two different production systems during recombinant protein production. The results of these production cultures using WAVE inocula showed that the growth and recombinant protein production was comparable to the control data set. Furthermore, an economic analysis showed that the WAVE system would require less capital investment for installation and operating expenses would be less than traditional stainless steel systems. (c) 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Fully Disposable Manufacturing Concepts for Clinical and Commercial Manufacturing and Ballroom Concepts.

PubMed

Boedeker, Berthold; Goldstein, Adam; Mahajan, Ekta

2017-11-04

The availability and use of pre-sterilized disposables has greatly changed the methods used in biopharmaceuticals development and production, particularly from mammalian cell culture. Nowadays, almost all process steps from cell expansion, fermentation, cell removal, and purification to formulation and storage of drug substances can be carried out in disposables, although there are still limitations with single-use technologies, particularly in the areas of pretesting and quality control of disposables, bag and connections standardization and qualification, extractables and leachables (E/L) validation, and dependency on individual vendors. The current status of single-use technologies is summarized for all process unit operations using a standard mAb process as an example. In addition, current pros and cons of using disposables are addressed in a comparative way, including quality control and E/L validation.The continuing progress in developing single-use technologies has an important impact on manufacturing facilities, resulting in much faster, less expensive and simpler plant design, start-up, and operation, because cell culture process steps are no longer performed in hard-piped unit operations. This leads to simpler operations in a lab-like environment. Overall it enriches the current landscape of available facilities from standard hard-piped to hard-piped/disposables hybrid to completely single-use-based production plants using the current segregation and containment concept. At the top, disposables in combination with completely and functionally closed systems facilitate a new, revolutionary design of ballroom facilities without or with much less segregation, which enables us to perform good manufacturing practice manufacturing of different products simultaneously in unclassified but controlled areas.Finally, single-use processing in lab-like shell facilities is a big enabler of transferring and establishing production in emergent countries, and this is described in more detail in 7. Graphical Abstract.

Health and environmental impacts of increased generation of coal ash and FGD sludges. Report to the Committee on Health and Ecological Effects of Increased Coal Utilization.

PubMed Central

Santhanam, C J; Lunt, R R; Johnson, S L; Cooper, C B; Thayer, P S; Jones, J W

1979-01-01

This paper focuses on the incremental impacts of coal ash and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastes associated with increased coal usage by utilities and industry under the National Energy Plan (NEP). In the paper, 1985 and 2000 are the assessment points using the baseline data taken from the Annual Environmental Analysis Report (AEAR, September 1977). In each EPA region, the potential mix of disposal options has been broadly estimated and impacts assessed therefrom. In addition, future use of advanced combustion techniques has been taken into account. The quantities of coal ash and FGD wastes depend on ash and sulfur content of the coal, emission regulations, the types of ash collection and FGD systems, and operating conditions of the systems and boiler. The disposal of these wastes is (or will be) subject to Federal and State regulations. The one key legal framework concerning environmental impact on land is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA and related Federal and State laws provide a sufficient statutory basis for preventing significant adverse health and environmental impacts from coal ash and FGD waste disposal. However, much of the development and implementation of specific regulations lie ahead. FGD wastes and coal ash and FGD wastes are currently disposed of exclusively on land. The most common land disposal methods are inpoundments (ponds) and landfills, although some mine disposal is also practiced. The potential environmental impacts of this disposal are dependent on the characteristics of the disposal site, characteristics of the coal ash and FGD wastes, control method and the degree of control employed. In general, the major potential impacts are ground and surface water contamination and the "degradation" of large quantities of land. However, assuming land is available for disposal of these wastes, control technology exists for environmentally sound disposal. Because of existing increases in coal use, the possibility of significant environmental impacts, both regionally and nationally, exists regardless of whether the NEP scenario develops or not. Existing baseline data indicate that with sound control technology and successful development and implementation of existing regulatory framework, regional scale impacts are likely to be small; however, site-specific impacts could be significant and need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Both Federal and privately-funded programs are developing additional data and information on disposal of FGD sludges and coal ash. Continuation of these programs will provide additional vital information in the future. However, further information in several areas if desirable: further data on levels of radionuclides and trace metals in these wastes: studies on biological impacts of trace metals; and completion of current and planned studies on disposal problems associated with advanced combustion techniques like fluid bed combustion. PMID:540614

Nonimaging Optical Illumination System

DOEpatents

Winston, Roland

1994-02-22

A nonimaging illumination or concentration optical device. An optical device is provided having a light source, a light reflecting surface with an opening and positioned partially around the light source which is opposite the opening of the light reflecting surface. The light reflecting surface is disposed to produce a substantially uniform intensity output with the reflecting surface defined in terms of a radius vector R.sub.i in conjunction with an angle .phi..sub.i between R.sub.i, a direction from the source and an angle .theta..sub.i between direct forward illumination and the light ray reflected once from the reflecting surface. R.sub.i varies as the exponential of tan (.phi..sub.i -.theta..sub.i)/2 integrated over .phi..sub.i.

Macrobenthic succession following the cessation of sewage sludge disposal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birchenough, Silvana N. R.; Frid, Chris L. J.

2009-11-01

Half a million tonnes of sewage sludge was disposed annually over an 18-yr period at a licensed area off the Northumberland coast, UK. The disposal operation ceased in December 1998, providing the ecological opportunity to study macrobenthic changes in relation to theoretical succession models. A transect from the centre of the disposal site to a control station was monitored three times a year (i.e. March, August and December). This study provides a description of the changes in the macrobenthos and physical environment in the initial '3 years' (i.e. 1999 - 2001). During the period of sewage sludge disposal there were indications of an impact on the macrobenthic community with a high total abundance of individuals ( N) and high total number of species ( S) at the stations located in the centre of the disposal ground. During the immediate post-disposal phase the site continued to show a localised increased of individuals and species in the disposal area. Over time the communities showed signs of successional changes when the reduction of organic matter source was eliminated from the natural system. Multivariate analysis demonstrated a clear gradient of change in the community composition between impacted and control stations. While most benthic studies assess re-colonisation and succession stages of macrobenthos by using manipulative field experiments, this study provides an in situ long-term assessment in the offshore environment. This study contributes with information on: i) initial colonization and succession of macrobenthic communities over a large scale and real world data; ii) macrobenthic data into existing successional models and iii) resilience of benthic communities following the cessation of sewage sludge disposal. This information has the potential to contribute to an effective management of the marine communities in the North Sea.

Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 139: Waste Disposal Sites, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NSTec Environmental Restoration

2009-07-31

Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 139 is identified in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) as 'Waste Disposal Sites' and consists of the following seven Corrective Action Sites (CASs), located in Areas 3, 4, 6, and 9 of the Nevada Test Site: CAS 03-35-01, Burn Pit; CAS 04-08-02, Waste Disposal Site; CAS 04-99-01, Contaminated Surface Debris; CAS 06-19-02, Waste Disposal Site/Burn Pit; CAS 06-19-03, Waste Disposal Trenches; CAS 09-23-01, Area 9 Gravel Gertie; and CAS 09-34-01, Underground Detection Station. Closure activities were conducted from December 2008 to April 2009 according to the FFACO (1996, as amended February 2008) andmore » the Corrective Action Plan for CAU 139 (U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office, 2007b). The corrective action alternatives included No Further Action, Clean Closure, and Closure in Place with Administrative Controls. Closure activities are summarized. CAU 139, 'Waste Disposal Sites,' consists of seven CASs in Areas 3, 4, 6, and 9 of the NTS. The closure alternatives included No Further Action, Clean Closure, and Closure in Place with Administrative Controls. This CR provides a summary of completed closure activities, documentation of waste disposal, and confirmation that remediation goals were met. The following site closure activities were performed at CAU 139 as documented in this CR: (1) At CAS 03-35-01, Burn Pit, soil and debris were removed and disposed as LLW, and debris was removed and disposed as sanitary waste. (2) At CAS 04-08-02, Waste Disposal Site, an administrative UR was implemented. No postings or post-closure monitoring are required. (3) At CAS 04-99-01, Contaminated Surface Debris, soil and debris were removed and disposed as LLW, and debris was removed and disposed as sanitary waste. (4) At CAS 06-19-02, Waste Disposal Site/Burn Pit, no work was performed. (5) At CAS 06-19-03, Waste Disposal Trenches, a native soil cover was installed, and a UR was implemented. (6) At CAS 09-23-01, Area 9 Gravel Gertie, a UR was implemented. (7) At CAS 09-34-01, Underground Detection Station, no work was performed.« less

Process For Controlling Flow Rate Of Viscous Materials Including Use Of Nozzle With Changeable Openings

DOEpatents

Ellingson, William A.; Forster, George A.

1999-11-02

Apparatus and a method for controlling the flow rate of viscous materials through a nozzle includes an apertured main body and an apertured end cap coupled together and having an elongated, linear flow channel extending the length thereof. An end of the main body is disposed within the end cap and includes a plurality of elongated slots concentrically disposed about and aligned with the flow channel. A generally flat cam plate having a center aperture is disposed between the main body and end cap and is rotatable about the flow channel. A plurality of flow control vane assemblies are concentrically disposed about the flow channel and are coupled to the cam plate. Each vane assembly includes a vane element disposed adjacent the end of the flow channel. Rotation of the cam plate in a first direction causes a corresponding rotation of each of the vane elements for positioning the individual vane elements over the aperture in the end cap blocking flow through the flow channel, while rotation in an opposite direction removes the vane elements from the aperture and positions them about the flow channel in a nested configuration in the full open position, with a continuous range of vane element positions available between the full open and closed positions.

Status of the waste assay for nonradioactive disposal (WAND) project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnone, Gaetano L.; Foster, Lynn A.; Foxx, Charles L.; Hagan, Roland C.; Martin, E. R.; Myers, Steven C.; Parker, Jack L.

1999-01-01

The WAND (Waste Assay for Nonradioactive Disposal) system scans thought-to-be-clean, low-density waste (mostly paper and plastics) to verify the absence of radioactive contaminants at very low-levels. Much of the low-density waste generated in radiologically controlled areas, formally considered `suspect' radioactive, is now disposed more cheaply at the Los Alamos County Landfill as opposed to the LANL Radioactive Waste Landfill.

Multi-function diamond film fiberoptic probe and measuring system employing same

DOEpatents

Young, Jack P.

1998-01-01

A fused fiberoptic probe having a protective cover, a fiberoptic probe system, and embodiments thereof for conducting electromagnetic spectral measurements are disclosed. The fused fiberoptic probe comprises a probe tip having a specific geometrical configuration, an exciting optical fiber and at least one collection optical fiber fused within a housing, preferrably silica, with a protective cover disposed over at least a portion of the probe tip. The specific geometrical configurations in which the probe tip can be shaped include a slanted probe tip with an angle greater than 0.degree., an inverted cone-shaped probe tip, and a lens head.

Compact surface plasmon resonance biosensor utilizing an injection-molded prism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, How-Foo; Chen, Chih-Han; Chang, Yun-Hsiang; Chuang, Hsin-Yuan

2016-05-01

Targeting at a low cost and accessible diagnostic device in clinical practice, a compact surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor with a large dynamic range in high sensitivity is designed to satisfy commercial needs in food safety, environmental bio-pollution monitoring, and fast clinical diagnosis. The core component integrates an optical coupler, a sample-loading plate, and angle-tuning reflectors is injection-molded as a free-from prism made of plastic optics. This design makes a matching-oil-free operation during operation. The disposability of this low-cost component ensures testing or diagnosis without cross contamination in bio-samples.

Study for identification of beneficial uses of Space, phase 1. Volume 2, book 2: Technical report: results, conclusions and recommendations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

A variety of technologies were investigated to determine the benefits to be derived from space activities. The subjects accepted for product development are: (1) eutectics for cold cathodes, (2) higher putiry fiber optics, (3) fluidic wafers, (4) large germanium wafers for gamma ray camera, (5) improved batteries and capacitors, (6) optical filters, (7) corrosion resistant electrodes, (8) high strength carbon-based filaments for plastic reinforcement, and (9) new antibiotics. In addition, three ideas for services, involving disposal of radioactive wastes, blood analysis, and enhanced solar insolation were proposed.

Wedge filter imaging spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sémery, Alain; Réess, Jean-Michel; Lemarquis, Frédéric; Drossart, Pierre; Laubier, David; Bernardi, Pernelle

2017-11-01

The development of the planetary exploration for landers makes it more and more necessary to have at our disposal small and light instruments. This is why we are developing in our laboratory a light imaging spectrometer with a wedge filter making the spectral splitting. This design already developed in other laboratories has the great advantage to need a limited number of optical components. However its drawback is that at a given instant the different spectral pixels don't see the same spot in the field. We propose a new design to remedy this drawback by the adjunction of a dispersive system in the fore-optics.

Miniature real-time intraoperative forward-imaging optical coherence tomography probe

PubMed Central

Joos, Karen M.; Shen, Jin-Hui

2013-01-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has a tremendous global impact upon the ability to diagnose, treat, and monitor eye diseases. A miniature 25-gauge forward-imaging OCT probe with a disposable tip was developed for real-time intraoperative ocular imaging of posterior pole and peripheral structures to improve vitreoretinal surgery. The scanning range was 2 mm when the probe tip was held 3-4 mm from the tissue surface. The axial resolution was 4-6 µm and the lateral resolution was 25-35 µm. The probe was used to image cellophane tape and multiple ocular structures. PMID:24009997

Control technology assessment of hazardous waste disposal operations in chemicals manufacturing: walk-through survey report of E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company, Chambers Works, Deepwater, New Jersey

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anastas, M.

1984-01-01

A walk through survey was conducted to assess control technology for hazardous wastes disposal operations at du Pont de Nemours and Company (SIC-2800), Deepwater, New Jersey in November 1981. Hazardous wastes generated at the facility were disposed of by incineration, wastewater and thermal treatment, and landfilling. Engineering controls for the incineration process and at the landfill were noted. At the landfill, water from a tank trailer was sprayed periodically to suppress dust generation. Vapor control devices, such as spot scrubbers, were used during transfer of organic wastes from trailers and drums to storage prior to incineration. Wastes were also recirculatedmore » to prevent build up of grit in the strainers. The company conducted area monitoring for nitrobenzene (98953) and amines at the landfill and personal monitoring for chloramines at the incinerator. Half mask dust respirators were worn by landfill operators. Operators who unloaded and emptied drums at the incinerator were required to wear face masks, rubber gloves, and boots. The author concludes that disposal of hazardous wastes at the facility is state of the art. An in depth survey is recommended.« less

Unused opioid analgesics and drug disposal following outpatient dental surgery: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Maughan, Brandon C; Hersh, Elliot V; Shofer, Frances S; Wanner, Kathryn J; Archer, Elizabeth; Carrasco, Lee R; Rhodes, Karin V

2016-11-01

Individuals who abuse prescription opioids often use leftover pills that were prescribed for friends or family members. Dental surgery has been identified as a common source of opioid prescriptions. We measured rates of used and unused opioids after dental surgery for a pilot program to promote safe drug disposal. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of opioid use patterns among patients undergoing surgical tooth extraction at a university-affiliated oral surgery practice. The primary objective was to describe opioid prescribing and consumption patterns, with the number of unused opioid pills remaining on postoperative day 21 serving as the primary outcome. The secondary aim was to measure the effect of a behavioral intervention (informing patients of a pharmacy-based opioid disposal program) on the proportion of patients who disposed or reported intent to dispose of unused opioids. (NCT02814305) Results: We enrolled 79 patients, of whom 72 filled opioid prescriptions. On average, patients received 28 opioid pills and had 15 pills (54%) left over, for a total of 1010 unused pills among the cohort. The behavioral intervention was associated with a 22% absolute increase in the proportion of patients who disposed or reported intent to dispose of unused opioids (Fisher's exact p=0.11). Fifty-four percent of opioids prescribed in this pilot study were not used. The pharmacy-based drug disposal intervention showed a robust effect size but did not achieve statistical significance. Dentists and oral surgeons could potentially reduce opioid diversion by moderately reducing the quantity of opioid analgesics prescribed after surgery. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Disposable Versus Reusable Absorbent Underpads for Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis and Pressure Injuries.

PubMed

Francis, Kathleen; Pang, Sau Man; Cohen, Brenda; Salter, Helene; Homel, Peter

The primary purpose of our study was to determine if there is a difference in the occurrence of hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) and incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) in incontinent adults using a disposable versus reusable absorptive underpads. We also compared hospital length of stay in the 2 groups. Randomized controlled trial using cluster randomization based on inpatient care unit. Four hundred sixty-two patients admitted to 4 medical-surgical study units participated in the study; 252 used reusable underpads (control group) and 210 subjects used disposable underpads (intervention group). The study setting was a 711-bed acute care hospital located in Brooklyn, New York. Two units were randomly allocated to use disposable incontinence pads, and the remaining 2 units used standard, reusable incontinence pads. Data for PI and IAD occurrences were collected weekly by specially trained RNs (skin care champions) on the assigned units. A 2-level hierarchical linear model was used to analyze the effects of the intervention on primary and secondary outcomes separately from any effects of the unit of randomization. HAPIs were significantly lower in the disposable underpads group: 5% versus 12% (P = .02). Rates of hospital IAD were not significantly different between the groups (P = .22). Analysis of a secondary outcome, hospital length of stay, was also lower in patients who used disposable underpads (6 days vs 8 days; P = .02). Findings suggest that use of disposable incontinence pads reduces HAPI but not IAD occurrences. The effect of disposable, absorbent incontinence pads should be considered when initiating a hospital-wide skin and PI prevention and treatment plan.

High speed shutter. [electrically actuated ribbon loop for shuttering optical or fluid passageways

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcclenahan, J. O. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

A shutter element is described which is formed by a loop of an electrically conductive ribbon disposed adjacent to the end of a passageway to be shuttered. The shuttered end of the passageway is cut at an acute angle. The two leg portions of the ribbon loop are closely spaced to each other and disposed in a plane parallel to the axis of the passageway. A pulse of high current is switched through the loop to cause the current flowing in opposite directions through adjacent leg portions of the ribbon. This produces a magnetically induced pressure on one of the legs of the ribbon forcing the leg over the end of the passageway in gas tight sealing engagement, and thereby blocking passageway.

Electrochemical detection for microscale analytical systems: a review.

PubMed

Wang, Joseph

2002-02-11

As the field of chip-based microscale systems continues its rapid growth, there are urgent needs for developing compatible detection modes. Electrochemistry detection offers considerable promise for such microfluidic systems, with features that include remarkable sensitivity, inherent miniaturization and portability, independence of optical path length or sample turbidity, low cost, low-power requirements and high compatibility with advanced micromachining and microfabrication technologies. This paper highlights recent advances, directions and key strategies in controlled-potential electrochemical detectors for miniaturized analytical systems. Subjects covered include the design and integration of the electrochemical detection system, its requirements and operational principles, common electrode materials, derivatization reactions, electrical-field decouplers, typical applications and future prospects. It is expected that electrochemical detection will become a powerful tool for microscale analytical systems and will facilitate the creation of truly portable (and possibly disposable) devices.

MEDICATION DISPOSAL AS A SOURCE FOR DRUGS AS ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The major routes by which pharmaceuticals enter the environment are excretion, bathing, anddisposal of leftover, unwanted medications. Pharmaceuticals designed for humans and animalsoften remain unused. Leftover, accumulated drugs represent potentially environmentallyunsound disposal and suboptimal delivery of health care. They also can pose acute exposurerisks for humans and wildlife. Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) directly enter theenvironment primarily via sewage. Among the three routes of entry, the relative contributions ofeach are poorly understood. In contrast to excretion, which as a source comprises continual lowlevelcontributions from multitudes of people, drug disposal comprises acute but transient andepisodic contributions from fewer people. The only route that is subject most easily to pollutionprevention or source control measures is disposal.A major unknown with respect to drugs as pollutants is what fractions of drug residues occurringin the ambient environment result from discarding leftover drugs. No studies exist that provideobjective data from well-defined populations to support any type of conclusion. Given theimportance of environmental stewardship to sustainability, a means for assessing the relativecontributions of APIs resulting from disposal would be useful in justifying the resources thatmight be devoted to controlling this source - - for example, by way of consumer

Integrated optical interrogation of micro-structures

DOEpatents

Evans, III, Boyd M.; Datskos, Panagiotis G.; Rajic, Slobodan

2003-01-01

The invention is an integrated optical sensing element for detecting and measuring changes in position or deflection. A deflectable member, such as a microcantilever, is configured to receive a light beam. A waveguide, such as an optical waveguide or an optical fiber, is positioned to redirect light towards the deflectable member. The waveguide can be incorporated into the deflectable member or disposed adjacent to the deflectable member. Means for measuring the extent of position change or deflection of the deflectable member by receiving the light beam from the deflectable member, such as a photodetector or interferometer, receives the reflected light beam from the deflectable member. Changes in the light beam are correlated to the changes in position or deflection of the deflectable member. A plurality of deflectable members can be arranged in a matrix or an array to provide one or two-dimensional imaging or sensing capabilities.

On-chip polarimetry for high-throughput screening of nanoliter and smaller sample volumes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bachmann, Brian O. (Inventor); Bornhop, Darryl J. (Inventor); Dotson, Stephen (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A polarimetry technique for measuring optical activity that is particularly suited for high throughput screening employs a chip or substrate (22) having one or more microfluidic channels (26) formed therein. A polarized laser beam (14) is directed onto optically active samples that are disposed in the channels. The incident laser beam interacts with the optically active molecules in the sample, which slightly alter the polarization of the laser beam as it passes multiple times through the sample. Interference fringe patterns (28) are generated by the interaction of the laser beam with the sample and the channel walls. A photodetector (34) is positioned to receive the interference fringe patterns and generate an output signal that is input to a computer or other analyzer (38) for analyzing the signal and determining the rotation of plane polarized light by optically active material in the channel from polarization rotation calculations.

Heavy metal multilayers for switching of magnetic unit via electrical current without magnetic field, method and applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ma, Qinli; Li, Yufan; Chien, Chia-ling

Provided is an electric-current-controllable magnetic unit, including: a substrate, an electric-current channel disposed on the substrate, the electric-current channel including a composite heavy-metal multilayer comprising at least one heavy-metal; a capping layer disposed over the electric-current channel; and at least one ferromagnetic layer disposed between the electric-current channel and the capping layer.

Disposable contact lens use as a risk factor for microbial keratitis

PubMed Central

Radford, C.; Minassian, D.; Dart, J.

1998-01-01

AIMS—A case-control study was performed to evaluate soft contact lens (SCL) wear modality as a risk factor for microbial keratitis.
METHODS—Contact lens wearers presenting as new patients to Moorfields Eye Hospital accident and emergency department during a 12 month period completed a self administered questionnaire detailing demographic data and contact lens use habits. Cases were patients with a clinical diagnosis of SCL related microbial keratitis. Controls were SCL users attending with disorders unrelated to contact lens wear. Odds ratios (estimates of relative risks) and 95% confidence limits (CL) were calculated through multivariable logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS—There were 89 cases and 566 controls. A substantially increased risk with 1-4 weekly disposable SCL compared with non-disposable SCL was identified among both daily wear (DW) (odds ratio =3.51, 95% CL 1.60-7.66, p=0.002) and extended wear (odds ratio 4.76, 95% CL 1.52-14.87, p=0.007) users after adjustment for demographic, lens use and hygiene variables. Other significant factors among DW users were "occasional" overnight use, use of chlorine based (as opposed to other chemical) systems in combination with poor storage case hygiene, and irregular disinfection.
CONCLUSION—Properties of some disposable SCL may be partly responsible for these excess risks. It is also possible, however, that this finding is largely a reflection of widespread complacency among patients and practitioners with respect to disposable SCL fitting and use.

 Keywords: microbial keratitis; disposable contact lenses PMID:9924331

Radioactive waste management complex low-level waste radiological composite analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCarthy, J.M.; Becker, B.H.; Magnuson, S.O.

1998-05-01

The composite analysis estimates the projected cumulative impacts to future members of the public from the disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) and all other sources of radioactive contamination at the INEEL that could interact with the LLW disposal facility to affect the radiological dose. Based upon the composite analysis evaluation, waste buried in the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA) at the RWMC is the only source at the INEEL that will significantly interact with the LLW facility. The source term used in the composite analysis consistsmore » of all historical SDA subsurface disposals of radionuclides as well as the authorized LLW subsurface disposal inventory and projected LLW subsurface disposal inventory. Exposure scenarios evaluated in the composite analysis include all the all-pathways and groundwater protection scenarios. The projected dose of 58 mrem/yr exceeds the composite analysis guidance dose constraint of 30 mrem/yr; therefore, an options analysis was conducted to determine the feasibility of reducing the projected annual dose. Three options for creating such a reduction were considered: (1) lowering infiltration of precipitation through the waste by providing a better cover, (2) maintaining control over the RWMC and portions of the INEEL indefinitely, and (3) extending the period of institutional control beyond the 100 years assumed in the composite analysis. Of the three options investigated, maintaining control over the RWMC and a small part of the present INEEL appears to be feasible and cost effective.« less

2013 Annual Site Inspection and Monitoring Report for Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act Title II Disposal Sites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

This report, in fulfillment of a license requirement, presents the results of long-term surveillance and maintenance activities conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management in 2013 at six uranium mill tailings disposal sites reclaimed under Title II of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) of 1978. These activities verified that the UMTRCA Title II disposal sites remain in compliance with license requirements. DOE manages six UMTRCA Title II disposal sites under a general license granted by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) established at Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 40.28. Reclamationmore » and site transition activities continue at other sites, and DOE ultimately expects to manage approximately 27 Title II disposal sites. Long-term surveillance and maintenance activities and services for these disposal sites include inspecting and maintaining the sites; monitoring environmental media and institutional controls; conducting any necessary corrective action; and performing administrative, records, stakeholder services, and other regulatory functions. Annual site inspections and monitoring are conducted in accordance with site-specific long-term surveillance plans (LTSPs) and procedures established by DOE to comply with license requirements. Each site inspection is performed to verify the integrity of visible features at the site; to identify changes or new conditions that may affect the long-term performance of the site; and to determine the need, if any, for maintenance, follow-up inspections, or corrective action. LTSPs and site compliance reports are available online at http://www.lm.doe.gov« less

Emerging evidence in infection control: effecting change regarding use of disposable laryngoscope blades.

PubMed

Machan, Melissa D; Monaghan, W Patrick; McDonough, John; Hogan, Gerard

2013-04-01

The purpose of this evidence-based project was to determine the perceptions of anesthesia providers regarding the use of disposable laryngoscope blades. Frequency of use, ease of use, and complications encountered when using the disposable blade were evaluated before and after an in-service program designed to increase the use of disposable blades. Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire about their knowledge and practice regarding disposable laryngoscope blades. Then they received an investigator-developed article to read about the best and most recent practices regarding disposable laryngoscope blades. The same anonymous questionnaire was completed 3 months later. Inventory of the disposable laryngoscope blades was collected before the project and 1 and 3 months later. After the intervention, 25% of anesthesia providers described performance as their reason for not using the disposable laryngoscope blade, which was down from 60% at the project's start. Inventory showed a 23% increase in use of disposable laryngoscope blades after the intervention, which a single-proportion Z test showed was statistically significant (Z = 2.046, P = .041). This evidence-based project shows that a change in practice was evident after dissemination of the best and most recent clinical evidence regarding laryngoscope blades, which should translate to improved patient outcomes.

40 CFR 761.91 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT... Transboundary Shipments of PCBs for Disposal § 761.91 Applicability. This subpart establishes requirements under... United States for disposal. Nothing in this subpart is intended to obviate or otherwise alter obligations...

40 CFR 761.91 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT... Transboundary Shipments of PCBs for Disposal § 761.91 Applicability. This subpart establishes requirements under... United States for disposal. Nothing in this subpart is intended to obviate or otherwise alter obligations...

40 CFR 761.91 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT... Transboundary Shipments of PCBs for Disposal § 761.91 Applicability. This subpart establishes requirements under... United States for disposal. Nothing in this subpart is intended to obviate or otherwise alter obligations...

40 CFR 761.91 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT... Transboundary Shipments of PCBs for Disposal § 761.91 Applicability. This subpart establishes requirements under... United States for disposal. Nothing in this subpart is intended to obviate or otherwise alter obligations...

Hydrogeology and soil gas at J-Field, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hughes, W.B.

1993-01-01

Disposal of chemical warfare agents, munitions, and industrial chemicals in J-Field, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, has contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. Seven exploratory borings and 38 observation wells were drilled to define the hydrogeologic framework at J-Field and to determine the type, extent, and movement of contaminants. The geologic units beneath J-Field consist of Coastal Plain sediments of the Cretaceous Patapsco Formation and Pleistocene Talbot Formation. The Patapsco Formation contains several laterally discontinuous aquifers and confining units. The Pleistocene deposits were divided into 3 hydrogeologic units--a surficial aquifer, a confining unit, and a confined aquifer. Water in the surficial aquifer flows laterally from topographically high areas to discharge areas in marshes and streams, and vertically to the underlying confined aquifer. In offshore areas, water flows from the deeper confined aquifers upward toward discharge areas in the Gunpowder River and Chesapeake Bay. Analyses of soil-gas samples showed high relative-flux values of chlorinated solvents, phthalates, and hydrocarbons at the toxic-materials disposal area, white-phosphorus disposal area, and riot-control-agent disposal area. The highest flux values were located downgradient of the toxic materials and white phosphorus disposal areas, indicating that groundwater contaminants are moving from source areas beneath the disposal pits toward discharge points in the marshes and estuaries. Elevated relative-flux values were measured upgradient and downgradient of the riot-control agent disposal area, and possibly result from soil and (or) groundwater contamination.

Leucine disposal rate for assessment of amino acid metabolism in maintenance hemodialysis patients

PubMed Central

Denny, Gerald B.; Deger, Serpil M.; Chen, Guanhua; Bian, Aihua; Sha, Feng; Booker, Cindy; Kesler, Jaclyn T.; David, Sthuthi; Ellis, Charles D.; Ikizler, T. Alp

2016-01-01

Background Protein energy wasting (PEW) is common in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) and closely associated with poor outcomes. Insulin resistance and associated alterations in amino acid metabolism are potential pathways leading to PEW. We hypothesized that the measurement of leucine disposal during a hyperinsulinemic- euglycemic-euaminoacidemic clamp (HEAC) procedure would accurately measure the sensitivity to insulin for its actions on concomitant carbohydrate and protein metabolism in MHD patients. Methods We examined 35 MHD patients and 17 control subjects with normal kidney function by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HEGC) followed by HEAC clamp procedure to obtain leucine disposal rate (LDR) along with isotope tracer methodology to assess whole body protein turnover. Results The glucose disposal rate (GDR) by HEGC was 5.1 ± 2.1 mg/kg/min for the MHD patients compared to 6.3 ± 3.9 mg/kg/min for the controls (p = 0.38). The LDR during HEAC was 0.09 ± 0.03 mg/kg/min for the MHD patients compared to 0.11 ± 0.05 mg/kg/min for the controls (p = 0.009). The LDR level was correlated with whole body protein synthesis (r = 0.25; p = 0.08), with whole body protein breakdown (r = −0.38 p = 0.01) and net protein balance (r = 0.85; p < 0.001) in the overall study population. Correlations remained significant in subgroup analysis. The GDR derived by HEGC and LDR correlated well in the controls (r = 0.79, p < 0.001), but less so in the MHD patients (r = 0.58, p < 0.001). Conclusions Leucine disposal rate reliably measures amino acid utilization in MHD patients and controls in response to high dose insulin. PMID:27413537

Leucine disposal rate for assessment of amino acid metabolism in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

PubMed

Denny, Gerald B; Deger, Serpil M; Chen, Guanhua; Bian, Aihua; Sha, Feng; Booker, Cindy; Kesler, Jaclyn T; David, Sthuthi; Ellis, Charles D; Ikizler, T Alp

Protein energy wasting (PEW) is common in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) and closely associated with poor outcomes. Insulin resistance and associated alterations in amino acid metabolism are potential pathways leading to PEW. We hypothesized that the measurement of leucine disposal during a hyperinsulinemic- euglycemic-euaminoacidemic clamp (HEAC) procedure would accurately measure the sensitivity to insulin for its actions on concomitant carbohydrate and protein metabolism in MHD patients. We examined 35 MHD patients and 17 control subjects with normal kidney function by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HEGC) followed by HEAC clamp procedure to obtain leucine disposal rate (LDR) along with isotope tracer methodology to assess whole body protein turnover. The glucose disposal rate (GDR) by HEGC was 5.1 ± 2.1 mg/kg/min for the MHD patients compared to 6.3 ± 3.9 mg/kg/min for the controls ( p = 0.38). The LDR during HEAC was 0.09 ± 0.03 mg/kg/min for the MHD patients compared to 0.11 ± 0.05 mg/kg/min for the controls ( p = 0.009). The LDR level was correlated with whole body protein synthesis ( r = 0.25; p = 0.08), with whole body protein breakdown ( r = -0.38 p = 0.01) and net protein balance ( r = 0.85; p < 0.001) in the overall study population. Correlations remained significant in subgroup analysis. The GDR derived by HEGC and LDR correlated well in the controls ( r = 0.79, p < 0.001), but less so in the MHD patients ( r = 0.58, p < 0.001). Leucine disposal rate reliably measures amino acid utilization in MHD patients and controls in response to high dose insulin.

Thin optical display panel

DOEpatents

Veligdan, James Thomas

1997-01-01

An optical display includes a plurality of optical waveguides each including a cladding bound core for guiding internal display light between first and second opposite ends by total internal reflection. The waveguides are stacked together to define a collective display thickness. Each of the cores includes a heterogeneous portion defining a light scattering site disposed longitudinally between the first and second ends. Adjacent ones of the sites are longitudinally offset from each other for forming a longitudinal internal image display over the display thickness upon scattering of internal display light thereagainst for generating a display image. In a preferred embodiment, the waveguides and scattering sites are transparent for transmitting therethrough an external image in superposition with the display image formed by scattering the internal light off the scattering sites for defining a heads up display.

The status of LILW disposal facility construction in Korea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Min-Seok; Chung, Myung-Sub; Park, Kyu-Wan

2013-07-01

In this paper, we discuss the experiences during the construction of the first LILW disposal facility in South Korea. In December 2005, the South Korean Government designated Gyeongju-city as a host city of Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste(LILW) disposal site through local referendums held in regions whose local governments had applied to host disposal facility in accordance with the site selection procedures. The LILW disposal facility is being constructed in Bongilri, Yangbuk-myeon, Gyeongju. The official name of the disposal facility is called 'Wolsong Low and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center (LILW Disposal Center)'. It can dispose of 800,000 drumsmore » of radioactive wastes in a site of 2,100,000 square meters. At the first stage, LILW repository of underground silo type with disposal capacity of 100,000 drums is under construction expected to be completed by June of 2014. The Wolsong Low and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center consists of surface facilities and underground facilities. The surface facilities include a reception and inspection facility, an interim storage facility, a radioactive waste treatment building, and supporting facilities such as main control center, equipment and maintenance shop. The underground facilities consist of a construction tunnel for transport of construction equipment and materials, an operation tunnel for transport of radioactive waste, an entrance shaft for workers, and six silos for final disposal of radioactive waste. As of Dec. 2012, the overall project progress rate is 93.8%. (authors)« less

Apparatus for weighing and identifying characteristics of a moving vehicle

DOEpatents

Muhs, Jeffrey D.; Jordan, John K.; Tobin, Jr., Kenneth W.; LaForge, John V.

1993-01-01

Apparatus for weighing a vehicle in motion is provided by employing a plurality of elongated fiber-optic sensors defined by an optical fiber embedded in an encasement of elastomeric material and disposed parallel to each other on the roadway in the path of moving vehicles. Each fiber-optic sensor is provided with contact grid means which can be selectively altered to provide the fiber-optic sensors with sensitivities to vehicular weight different from each other for weighing vehicles in an extended weight range. Switch means are used in conjunction with the fiber-optic sensors to provide signals indicative of the speed of the moving vehicle, the number of axles on the vehicle, weight distribution, tire position, and the wheelbase of the vehicle. The use of a generally N-shaped configuration of switch means also provides a determination of the number of tires on each axle and the tire footprint. When switch means in this configuration are formed of optical fibers, the extent of light transmission through the fibers during contact with the tires of the vehicle is indicative of the vehicle weight.

Apparatus for weighing and identifying characteristics of a moving vehicle

DOEpatents

Muhs, J.D.; Jordan, J.K.; Tobin, K.W. Jr.; LaForge, J.V.

1993-11-09

Apparatus for weighing a vehicle in motion is provided by employing a plurality of elongated fiber-optic sensors defined by an optical fiber embedded in an encasement of elastomeric material and disposed parallel to each other on the roadway in the path of moving vehicles. Each fiber-optic sensor is provided with contact grid means which can be selectively altered to provide the fiber-optic sensors with sensitivities to vehicular weight different from each other for weighing vehicles in an extended weight range. Switch means are used in conjunction with the fiber-optic sensors to provide signals indicative of the speed of the moving vehicle, the number of axles on the vehicle, weight distribution, tire position, and the wheelbase of the vehicle. The use of a generally N-shaped configuration of switch means also provides a determination of the number of tires on each axle and the tire footprint. When switch means in this configuration are formed of optical fibers, the extent of light transmission through the fibers during contact with the tires of the vehicle is indicative of the vehicle weight. 15 figures.

Preliminary Comparison of Radioactive Waste Disposal Cost for Fusion and Fission Reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seki, Yasushi; Aoki, Isao; Yamano, Naoki; Tabara, Takashi

1997-09-01

The environmental and economic impact of radioactive waste (radwaste) generated from fusion power reactors using five types of structural materials and a fission reactor has been evaluated and compared. Possible radwaste disposal scenario of fusion radwaste in Japan is considered. The exposure doses were evaluated for the skyshine of gamma-ray during the disposal operation, groundwater migration scenario during the institutional control period of 300 years and future site use scenario after the institutional period. The radwaste generated from a typical light water fission reactor was evaluated using the same methodology as for the fusion reactors. It is found that radwaste from the fusion reactors using F82H and SiC/SiC composites without impurities could be disposed by the shallow land disposal presently applied to the low level waste in Japan. The disposal cost of radwaste from five fusion power reactors and a typical light water reactor were roughly evaluated and compared.

Real-time optical multiple object recognition and tracking system and method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chao, Tien-Hsin (Inventor); Liu, Hua-Kuang (Inventor)

1990-01-01

System for optically recognizing and tracking a plurality of objects within a field of vision. Laser (46) produces a coherent beam (48). Beam splitter (24) splits the beam into object (26) and reference (28) beams. Beam expanders (50) and collimators (52) transform the beams (26, 28) into coherent collimated light beams (26', 28'). A two-dimensional SLM (54), disposed in the object beam (26'), modulates the object beam with optical information as a function of signals from a first camera (16) which develops X and Y signals reflecting the contents of its field of vision. A hololens (38), positioned in the object beam (26') subsequent to the modulator (54), focuses the object beam at a plurality of focal points (42). A planar transparency-forming film (32), disposed with the focal points on an exposable surface, forms a multiple position interference filter (62) upon exposure of the surface and development processing of the film (32). A reflector (53) directing the reference beam (28') onto the film (32), exposes the surface, with images focused by the hololens (38), to form interference patterns on the surface. There is apparatus (16', 64) for sensing and indicating light passage through respective ones of the positions of the filter (62), whereby recognition of objects corresponding to respective ones of the positions of the filter (62) is affected. For tracking, apparatus (64) focuses light passing through the filter (62) onto a matrix of CCD's in a second camera (16') to form a two-dimensional display of the recognized objects.

40 CFR 761.93 - Import for disposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Import for disposal. 761.93 Section 761.93 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBs) MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING, DISTRIBUTION IN COMMERCE, AND USE...

Influence of dioctyl phthalate (DOP) on the mechanical, optical and thermal properties of formulations for the industrial manufacture of radiation sterilizable medical disposables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Shamshad; Mehmood, Mazhar; Iqbal, Rashid

2010-03-01

Shelf life of the formulations designed for the industrial manufacture of radiation sterilizable syringes and other medical disposables is a very important issue world over. Radiation compatible formulations were developed earlier in the laboratory by the incorporation of primary and secondary antioxidants along with processing stabilizers in a random polypropylene copolymer. It has been reported in literature that the mobilizing agents namely hydrocarbons, greases, wax and the plasticizer, dioctyl phthalate (DOP) impart radiation resistance to the polypropylene by providing free volume. It was envisaged that the addition of DOP to the afore-mentioned formulation might favorably influence the mechanical, optical and thermal properties of our formulation. To study the influence of addition of DOP on the afore-mentioned properties, the addition of 1%, 2% and 3% of the mobilizer was made, followed by the irradiation of resulting heat pressed sheets to the industrial standard dose of 25 kGy. Two important characteristic mechanical properties to determine the suitability of the radiation sterilized materials comprise angle of breakage and the haze percent. After irradiation and even on accelerated ageing of the irradiated material, the angle of breakage of heat press sheets of formulations containing 1%, 2% and 3% of DOP was found to be 180°, demonstrating the role of DOP, in imparting additional radiation stability. In case of the irradiated control sample, the angle of breakage was much lower. In the heat pressed sheets containing the DOP, a remarkable retention in the tensile strength, percentage elongation at break, along with improved thermal stability was observed. The formulation devoid of DOP demonstrated poor retention of the afore-mentioned characteristic properties .The observed improvement in thermal stability of the formulations containing DOP hints at the likely possibility of reuse of these materials by autoclaving which is considered an additional attribute.

Highly Sensitive and Fast Response Colorimetric Humidity Sensors Based on Graphene Oxides Film.

PubMed

Chi, Hong; Liu, Yan Jun; Wang, FuKe; He, Chaobin

2015-09-16

Uniform graphene oxide (GO) film for optical humidity sensing was fabricated by dip-coating technique. The resulting GO thin film shows linear optical shifts in the visible range with increase of humidity in the whole relative humidity range (from dry state to 98%). Moreover, GO films exhibit ultrafast sensing to moisture within 250 ms because of the unique atomic thinness and superpermeability of GO sheets. The humidity sensing mechanism was investigated using XRD and computer simulation. The ultrasensitive humidity colorimetric properties of GOs film may enable many potential applications such as disposable humidity sensors for packaging, health, and environmental monitoring.

NRC`s proposed rulemaking on the documentation and reporting of low-level radioactive waste shipment manifest information

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lahs, W.R.; Haisfield, M.F.

1991-12-31

Since the 1982 promulgation of regulations for the land disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW), requirements have been in place to control transfers of LLW intended for disposal at licensed land disposal facilities. These requirements established a manifest tracking system and defined processes to control transfers of LLW intended for disposal at a land disposal facility. Because the regulations did not specify the format for the LLW shipment manifests, it was not unexpected that the two operators of the three currently operating disposal sites should each have developed their own manifest forms. The forms have many similarities and the collectedmore » information, in many cases, is identical; however, these manifests incorporate unique operator preferences and also reflect the needs of the Agreement State regulatory authority in the States where the disposal sites are located. Since Agreement State regulations must be compatible with, but need not always be identical to, those of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the possibility of a proliferation of different manifest forms containing variations in collected information could be envisioned. If these manifests were also to serve a shipping paper purpose, effective integration of the Department of Transportations` (DOT) requirements would also have to be addressed. This wide diversity in uses of manifest information by Federal and State regulatory authorities, other State or Compact entities, and disposal site operators, suggested a single consolidated approach to develop a uniform manifest format with a baseline information content and to define recordkeeping requirements. The NRC, in 1989, had embarked on a rulemaking activity to establish a base set of manifest information needs for regulatory purposes. In response to requests from State and Regional Compact organizations who are attempting to design, develop and operate LLW disposal facilities, and with the general support of Agreement State regulatory authorities, this original data base rulemaking was expanded to include development of a uniform low-level radioactive waste manifest.« less

29 CFR 1910.143 - Nonwater carriage disposal systems. [Reserved

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Nonwater carriage disposal systems. [Reserved] 1910.143 Section 1910.143 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS General Environmental Controls...

40 CFR 761.77 - Coordinated approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 761.77 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL... PROHIBITIONS Storage and Disposal § 761.77 Coordinated approval. (a) General requirements. Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the EPA Regional Administrator for the Region in which a PCB disposal or...

40 CFR 761.77 - Coordinated approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 761.77 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL... PROHIBITIONS Storage and Disposal § 761.77 Coordinated approval. (a) General requirements. Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the EPA Regional Administrator for the Region in which a PCB disposal or...

40 CFR 761.77 - Coordinated approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 761.77 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL... PROHIBITIONS Storage and Disposal § 761.77 Coordinated approval. (a) General requirements. Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the EPA Regional Administrator for the Region in which a PCB disposal or...

40 CFR 761.77 - Coordinated approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 761.77 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL... PROHIBITIONS Storage and Disposal § 761.77 Coordinated approval. (a) General requirements. Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the EPA Regional Administrator for the Region in which a PCB disposal or...

Safety in the Chemical Laboratory--Chemical Management: A Method for Waste Reduction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pine, Stanley H.

1984-01-01

Discusses methods for reducing or eliminating waste disposal problems in the chemistry laboratory, considering both economic and environmental aspects of the problems. Proposes inventory control, shared use, solvent recycling, zero effluent, and various means of disposing of chemicals. (JM)

Evaluation of clinical curative effects of disposable stitching instrument in redundant prepuce patients

PubMed Central

Wang, Haitao; Chen, Ningjie; Huo, Ran; Yang, Jincun; Li, Xia; Xing, Nan

2017-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate the clinical curative effect of disposable stitching instrument operation in patients with redundant prepuce or phimosis. A total of 102 cases of patients with circumcision were randomly selected (from June 2013 to December 2014) from the department of plastic and aesthetic surgery of our hospital and were randomly divided into control and observation groups (n=51). Patients in the control group were treated by traditional circumcision operation, while patients in the observation group were treated by novel disposable circumcision stitching instrument. Operation time, bleeding volume, incision healing time, postoperative complications and incision aesthetic satisfaction in the groups were observed. As a result, intraoperative bleeding volume of patients in the observation group was significantly less in comparison to the control group. Operation time and incision healing time of patients in the observation group was shorter than that of the control group. Additionally, the incidence of postoperative complications of patients in the observation group was noted to be lower than that of the control group. On the other hand, the incision aesthetic satisfaction of patients in the observation group was higher than that of the control group. Blood vessel counting and nerve fiber counting of tissue specimen in the observation group were more than those of the control group. Postoperative VAS scores of patients in the observation group were significantly lower than that of the control group. Each rating scale scores of EPQ of patients in the observation group improved significantly compared with that of the control group. In conclusion, the present findings show that disposable circumcision stitching instrument operation is more advantageous in comparison to the traditional procedure along with minimal compilations and better post surgery health condition of patients. PMID:28672929

Portable integrated capillary-electrophoresis system using disposable polymer chips with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection for on-site analysis of foodstuff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gärtner, Claudia; Hoffmann, Werner; Demattio, Horst; Clemens, Thomas; Klotz, Matthias; Klemm, Richard; Becker, Holger

2009-05-01

We present a compact portable chip-based capillary electrophoresis system that employs capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D) operating at 4 MHz as an alternative detection method compared to the commonly used optical detection based on laser-induced fluorescence. Emphasis was put on system integration and industrial manufacturing technologies for the system. Therefore, the disposable chip for this system is fabricated out of PMMA using injection molding; the electrodes are screen-printed or thin-film electrodes. The system is designed for the measurement of small ionic species like Li+, Na+, K+, SO42- or NO3- typically present in foods like milk and mineral water as well as acids e.g. in wine.

Atmospheric pollution problems and control proposals associated with solid waste management in China: a review.

PubMed

Tian, Hezhong; Gao, Jiajia; Hao, Jiming; Lu, Long; Zhu, Chuanyong; Qiu, Peipei

2013-05-15

Along with population growth, rapid urbanization and industrialization process, the volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in China has been increasing sharply in the past 30 years and the total amount of MSW yields will continue to increase. Nowadays, due to global warming warrants particular attention throughout the world, a series of air pollutants (including greenhouse gases, odorous gases, PCDD/Fs, heavy metals, PM, etc.) discharged from waste disposal and treatment processes have become one of the new significant emerging air pollution sources, which arousing great concerns about their adverse effects on surrounding ambient air quality and public health. At present, the overall safely disposed ratio of the collected MSW in China is reported at approximately 78% in 2010, and there are mainly three types of MSW disposal methods practiced in China, including landfill, composting and incineration. The characteristics of air pollutants and greenhouse gases discharge vary substantially among different MSW disposal methods. By presenting a thorough review of MSW generation in China and providing a summarization of the current status of MSW disposal methods practices, this review article makes an integrated overview analysis of existing air pollution problems associated with MSW collection, separation, and disposal processes. Furthermore, some comprehensive control proposals to prevent air pollution for improving MSW management of China in the future are put forward. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Operational Strategies for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Site in Egypt - 13513

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mohamed, Yasser T.

The ultimate aims of treatment and conditioning is to prepare waste for disposal by ensuring that the waste will meet the waste acceptance criteria of a disposal facility. Hence the purpose of low-level waste disposal is to isolate the waste from both people and the environment. The radioactive particles in low-level waste emit the same types of radiation that everyone receives from nature. Most low-level waste fades away to natural background levels of radioactivity in months or years. Virtually all of it diminishes to natural levels in less than 300 years. In Egypt, The Hot Laboratories and Waste Management Centermore » has been established since 1983, as a waste management facility for LLW and ILW and the disposal site licensed for preoperational in 2005. The site accepts the low level waste generated on site and off site and unwanted radioactive sealed sources with half-life less than 30 years for disposal and all types of sources for interim storage prior to the final disposal. Operational requirements at the low-level (LLRW) disposal site are listed in the National Center for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control NCNSRC guidelines. Additional procedures are listed in the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility Standards Manual. The following describes the current operations at the LLRW disposal site. (authors)« less

Exposure assessment of carcass disposal options in the event of a notifiable exotic animal disease: application to avian influenza virus.

PubMed

Pollard, Simon J T; Hickman, Gordon A W; Irving, Phil; Hough, Rupert L; Gauntlett, Daniel M; Howson, Simon F; Hart, Alwyn; Gayford, Paul; Gent, Nick

2008-05-01

We present a generalized exposure assessment of 28 disposal options for poultry carcasses in the event of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak. The analysis supports a hereto unverified disposal hierarchy for animal carcasses, placing waste processing (e.g., incineration and rendering) above controlled disposal (e.g., landfill), above uncontrolled disposal (e.g., burial on-farm). We illustrate that early stages of the disposal chain (on-farm) pose greater opportunities for exposure to hazardous agents than later stages, where agents are generally contained, wastes are treated, and residues are managed by regulated processes. In selecting carcass disposal options, practitioners are advised to consider the full range of hazards rather than focusing solely on the HPAI agent, and to give preference to technologies that (i) offer high destruction efficiencies for target pathogens; (ii) do not give rise to significant releases of other pathogenic organisms; and (iii) do not release unacceptable concentrations of toxic chemicals. The approach offers an exposure assessment perspective for carcass disposal, thus providing a risk-informed basis for contingency planning and operational intervention. The authors recognize that relevant legislation, public perception, available capacity, and cost also need to be considered when selecting disposal options in the event of HPAI.

Optical method for the determination of stress in thin films

DOEpatents

Maris, H.J.

1999-01-26

A method and optical system is disclosed for measuring an amount of stress in a film layer disposed over a substrate. The method includes steps of: (A) applying a sequence of optical pump pulses to the film layer, individual ones of said optical pump pulses inducing a propagating strain pulse in the film layer, and for each of the optical pump pulses, applying at least one optical probe pulse, the optical probe pulses being applied with different time delays after the application of the corresponding optical probe pulses; (B) detecting variations in an intensity of a reflection of portions of the optical probe pulses, the variations being due at least in part to the propagation of the strain pulse in the film layer; (C) determining, from the detected intensity variations, a sound velocity in the film layer; and (D) calculating, using the determined sound velocity, the amount of stress in the film layer. In one embodiment of this invention the step of detecting measures a period of an oscillation in the intensity of the reflection of portions of the optical probe pulses, while in another embodiment the step of detecting measures a change in intensity of the reflection of portions of the optical probe pulses and determines a time at which the propagating strain pulse reflects from a boundary of the film layer. 16 figs.

Optical method for the determination of stress in thin films

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J.

1999-01-01

A method and optical system is disclosed for measuring an amount of stress in a film layer disposed over a substrate. The method includes steps of: (A) applying a sequence of optical pump pulses to the film layer, individual ones of said optical pump pulses inducing a propagating strain pulse in the film layer, and for each of the optical pump pulses, applying at least one optical probe pulse, the optical probe pulses being applied with different time delays after the application of the corresponding optical probe pulses; (B) detecting variations in an intensity of a reflection of portions of the optical probe pulses, the variations being due at least in part to the propagation of the strain pulse in the film layer; (C) determining, from the detected intensity variations, a sound velocity in the film layer; and (D) calculating, using the determined sound velocity, the amount of stress in the film layer. In one embodiment of this invention the step of detecting measures a period of an oscillation in the intensity of the reflection of portions of the optical probe pulses, while in another embodiment the step of detecting measures a change in intensity of the reflection of portions of the optical probe pulses and determines a time at which the propagating strain pulse reflects from a boundary of the film layer.

Psychological impact of colostomy pouch change and disposal.

PubMed

McKenzie, Frances; White, Craig A; Kendall, Sally; Finlayson, Aileen; Urquhart, Mary; Williams, Isabel

This article presents some of the findings from a multicentre cross-sectional correlational study to evaluate the relationship between colostomy pouch change and disposal practices and the patient's psychological wellbeing. Five questionnaires were used in a one-off interview with 86 patients. Patients were assessed at between one and four months postoperatively. Results from the Pouch Change and Disposal questionnaire showed that only 25% of patients found disposal of used appliances the most difficult part of their pouch change and disposal routine. Half felt that their body was out of their control and 33% reported avoiding social and leisure activities due to what was involved in their pouch change and disposal routine. Patients cited several factors, such as minimizing odour and having an appliance that could flush away, as factors which would help them to stop avoiding these activities. Stoma care nurses have a unique opportunity to improve the psychological wellbeing of their patients by considering the aspects of pouch change and disposal that pose the greatest challenge to individuals. Use of a modified version of the Pouch Change and Disposal questionnaire may be a useful tool in identifying those at risk of impaired quality of life.

Multi-arm multilateral haptics-based immersive tele-robotic system (HITS) for improvised explosive device disposal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, David; Lacheray, Hervé; Lai, Gilbert; Haddadi, Amir

2014-06-01

This paper presents the latest advancements of the Haptics-based Immersive Tele-robotic System (HITS) project, a next generation Improvised Explosive Device (IED) disposal (IEDD) robotic interface containing an immersive telepresence environment for a remotely-controlled three-articulated-robotic-arm system. While the haptic feedback enhances the operator's perception of the remote environment, a third teleoperated dexterous arm, equipped with multiple vision sensors and cameras, provides stereo vision with proper visual cues, and a 3D photo-realistic model of the potential IED. This decentralized system combines various capabilities including stable and scaled motion, singularity avoidance, cross-coupled hybrid control, active collision detection and avoidance, compliance control and constrained motion to provide a safe and intuitive control environment for the operators. Experimental results and validation of the current system are presented through various essential IEDD tasks. This project demonstrates that a two-armed anthropomorphic Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) robot interface can achieve complex neutralization techniques against realistic IEDs without the operator approaching at any time.

9 CFR 56.5 - Destruction and disposal of poultry and cleaning and disinfection of premises, conveyances, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... to fulfill depopulation requirements must be disposed of promptly and efficiently in accordance with... depopulation or controlled marketing of all poultry infected with or exposed to H5/H7 LPAI on a premises, the...

9 CFR 56.5 - Destruction and disposal of poultry and cleaning and disinfection of premises, conveyances, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... to fulfill depopulation requirements must be disposed of promptly and efficiently in accordance with... depopulation or controlled marketing of all poultry infected with or exposed to H5/H7 LPAI on a premises, the...

9 CFR 56.5 - Destruction and disposal of poultry and cleaning and disinfection of premises, conveyances, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... to fulfill depopulation requirements must be disposed of promptly and efficiently in accordance with... depopulation or controlled marketing of all poultry infected with or exposed to H5/H7 LPAI on a premises, the...

40 CFR 761.211 - Manifest system-Transporter requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBs) MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING, DISTRIBUTION IN COMMERCE, AND USE PROHIBITIONS PCB Waste Disposal Records and Reports § 761.211 Manifest system—Transporter... storage or disposal facility owned or operated by the generator of the PCB waste. (2) [Reserved] (b...

40 CFR 761.211 - Manifest system-Transporter requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBs) MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING, DISTRIBUTION IN COMMERCE, AND USE PROHIBITIONS PCB Waste Disposal Records and Reports § 761.211 Manifest system—Transporter... storage or disposal facility owned or operated by the generator of the PCB waste. (2) [Reserved] (b...

Focus on agricultural residues: Microstructure of almond hull (abstract)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural residues have historically been used as animal feed or burned for disposal. These residues, therefore, have little economic value and may end up becoming disposal problems because tighter air quality control measures may limit burning of the residues. Therefore, value-added products mad...

40 CFR 61.141 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... control devices, friable asbestos waste material, and bags or other similar packaging contaminated with... in the Act and in subpart A of this part. Active waste disposal site means any disposal site other... release of particulates. If visible emissions are observed coming from asbestos-containing material, then...

Method and system for assembling miniaturized devices

DOEpatents

Montesanti, Richard C.; Klingmann, Jeffrey L.; Seugling, Richard M.

2013-03-12

An apparatus for assembling a miniaturized device includes a manipulator system including six manipulators operable to position and orient components of the miniaturized device with submicron precision and micron-level accuracy. The manipulator system includes a first plurality of motorized axes, a second plurality of manual axes, and force and torque and sensors. Each of the six manipulators includes at least one translation stage, at least one rotation stage, tooling attached to the at least one translation stage or the at least one rotation stage, and an attachment mechanism disposed at a distal end of the tooling and operable to attach at least a portion of the miniaturized device to the tooling. The apparatus also includes an optical coordinate-measuring machine (OCMM) including a machine-vision system, a laser-based distance-measuring probe, and a touch probe. The apparatus also includes an operator control system coupled to the manipulator system and the OCMM.

Utilization of High-Temperature Slags From Metallurgy Based on Crystallization Behaviors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yongqi; Zhang, Zuotai

2018-05-01

Here, following the principle of modifying crystallization behaviors, including avoidance and optimization, we review recent research on the utilization of hot slags. Because of the high-temperature property (1450-1650°C), the utilization of hot slags are much different from that of other wastes. We approach this issue from two main directions, namely, material recycling and heat utilization. From the respect of material recycling, the utilization of slags mainly follows total utilization and partial utilization, whereas the heat recovery from slags follows two main paths, namely, physical granulation and chemical reaction. The effective disposal of hot slags greatly depends on clarifying the crystallization behaviors, and thus, we discuss some optical techniques and their applicable scientific insights. For the purpose of crystallization avoidance, characterizing the glass-forming ability of slags is of great significance, whereas for crystallization modification, the selection of chemical additives and control of crystallization conditions comprise the central routes.

Performance of Single-Use FlexorVue vs Reusable BoaVision Ureteroscope for Visualization of Calices and Stone Extraction in an Artificial Kidney Model.

PubMed

Schlager, Daniel; Hein, Simon; Obaid, Moaaz Abdulghani; Wilhelm, Konrad; Miernik, Arkadiusz; Schoenthaler, Martin

2017-11-01

To evaluate and compare Flexor ® Vue™, a semidisposable endoscopic deflection system with disposable ureteral sheath and reusable visualization source, and a nondisposable fiber optic ureteroscope in a standard in vitro setting. FlexorVue and a reusable fiber optic flexible ureteroscope were each tested in an artificial kidney model. The experimental setup included the visualization of colored pearls and the extraction of calculi with two different extraction devices (NCircle ® and NGage ® ). The procedures were performed by six experienced surgeons. Visualization time, access to calices, successful stone retraction, and time required were recorded. In addition, the surgeons' workload and subjective performance were determined according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-task load index (NASA-TLX). We referred to the Likert scale to assess maneuverability, handling, and image quality. Nearly all calices (99%) were correctly identified using the reusable scope, indicating full kidney access, whereas 74% of the calices were visualized using FlexorVue, of which 81% were correctly identified. Access to the lower poles of the kidney model was significantly less likely with the disposable device, and time to completion was significantly longer (755 s vs 153 s, p < 0.001). The stone clearance success rate with the disposable device was 23% using the NGage and 13% using the NCircle basket. Overall NASA-TLX scores were significantly higher using FlexorVue. The conventional reusable device also demonstrated superior maneuverability, handling, and image quality. FlexorVue offers a semidisposable deflecting endoscopic system allowing basic ureteroscopic and cystoscopic procedures. For its use as an addition or replacement for current reusable scopes, it requires substantial technical improvements.

Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed for Disposal at Island, Nearshore, or Upland Confined Disposal Facilities - Testing Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

disposal in the ocean is regulated under the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), commonly referred to as the Ocean Dumping Act. The...Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) or Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 1413... abiotic resources such as water quality, groundwater quality, and air quality as well as the more commonly thought of biotic resources such as

Multifunctional microvalves control by optical illumination on nanoheaters and its application in centrifugal microfluidic devices.

PubMed

Park, Jong-Myeon; Cho, Yoon-Kyoung; Lee, Beom-Seok; Lee, Jeong-Gun; Ko, Christopher

2007-05-01

Valving is critical in microfluidic systems. Among many innovative microvalves used in lab-on-a-chip applications, phase change based microvalves using paraffin wax are particularly attractive for disposable biochip applications because they are simple to implement, cost-effective and biocompatible. However, previously reported paraffin-based valves require embedded microheaters and therefore multi-step operation of many microvalves was a difficult problem. Besides, the operation time was relatively long, 2-10 s. In this paper, we report a unique phase change based microvalve for rapid and versatile operation of multiple microvalves using a single laser diode. The valve is made of nanocomposite materials in which 10 nm-sized iron oxide nanoparticles are dispersed in paraffin wax and used as nanoheaters when excited by laser irradiation. Laser light of relatively weak intensity was able to melt the paraffin wax with the embedded iron oxide nanoparticles, whereas even a very intense laser beam does not melt wax alone. The microvalves are leak-free up to 403.0 +/- 7.6 kPa and the response times to operate both normally closed and normally opened microvalves are less than 0.5 s. Furthermore, a sequential operation of multiple microvalves on a centrifugal microfluidic device using a single laser diode was demonstrated. It showed that the optical control of multiple microvalves is fast, robust, simple to operate, and requires minimal chip space and thus is well suited for fully integrated lab-on-a-chip applications.

Remote multi-position information gathering system and method

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, Tomas B.

1986-01-01

A technique for gathering specific information from various remote locations, especially fluorimetric information characteristic of particular materials at the various locations is disclosed herein. This technique uses a single source of light disposed at still a different, central location and an overall optical network including an arrangement of optical fibers cooperating with the light source for directing individual light beams into the different information bearing locations. The incoming light beams result in corresponding displays of light, e.g., fluorescent light, containing the information to be obtained. The optical network cooperates with these light displays at the various locations for directing outgoing light beams containing the same information as their cooperating displays from these locations to the central location. Each of these outgoing beams is applied to a detection arrangement, e.g., a fluorescence spectroscope, for retrieving the information contained thereby.

Remote multi-position information gathering system and method

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, Tomas B.

1986-01-01

A technique for gathering specific information from various remote locations, especially fluorimetric information characteristic of particular materials at the various locations is disclosed herein. This technique uses a single source of light disposed at still a different, central location and an overall optical network including an arrangement of optical fibers cooperating with the light source for directing individual light beams into the different information bearing locations. The incoming light beams result in corresponding displays of light, e.g., fluorescent light, containing the information to be obtained. The optical network cooperates with these light displays at the various locations for directing ongoing light beams containing the same information as their cooperating displays from these locations to the central location. Each of these outgoing beams is applied to a detection arrangement, e.g., a fluorescence spectroscope, for retrieving the information contained thereby.

Remote multi-position information gathering system and method

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, T.B.

1989-01-24

A technique for gathering specific information from various remote locations, especially fluorimetric information characteristic of particular materials at the various locations is disclosed herein. This technique uses a single source of light disposed at still a different, central location and an overall optical network including an arrangement of optical fibers cooperating with the light source for directing individual light beams into the different information bearing locations. The incoming light beams result in corresponding displays of light, e.g., fluorescent light, containing the information to be obtained. The optical network cooperates with these light displays at the various locations for directing outgoing light beams containing the same information as their cooperating displays from these locations to the central location. Each of these outgoing beams is applied to a detection arrangement, e.g., a fluorescence spectroscope, for retrieving the information contained thereby. 9 figs.

Remote multi-position information gathering system and method

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, T.B.

1986-12-02

A technique for gathering specific information from various remote locations, especially fluorimetric information characteristic of particular materials at the various locations is disclosed herein. This technique uses a single source of light disposed at still a different, central location and an overall optical network including an arrangement of optical fibers cooperating with the light source for directing individual light beams into the different information bearing locations. The incoming light beams result in corresponding displays of light, e.g., fluorescent light, containing the information to be obtained. The optical network cooperates with these light displays at the various locations for directing outgoing light beams containing the same information as their cooperating displays from these locations to the central location. Each of these outgoing beams is applied to a detection arrangement, e.g., a fluorescence spectroscope, for retrieving the information contained thereby. 9 figs.

Remote multi-position information gathering system and method

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, Tomas B.

1989-01-01

A technique for gathering specific information from various remote locations, especially fluorimetric information characteristic of particular materials at the various locations is disclosed herein. This technique uses a single source of light disposed at still a different, central location and an overall optical network including an arrangement of optical fibers cooperating with the light source for directing individual light beams into the different information bearing locations. The incoming light beams result in corresponding displays of light, e.g., fluorescent light, containing the information to be obtained. The optical network cooperates with these light displays at the various locations for directing outgoing light beams containing the same information as their cooperating displays from these locations to the central location. Each of these outgoing beams is applied to a detection arrangement, e.g., a fluorescence spectroscope, for retrieving the information contained thereby.

Optical apparatus using liquid crystals for shaping the spatial intensity of optical beams having designated wavelengths

DOEpatents

Jacobs, S.D.; Cerqua, K.A.

1987-07-14

The spatial intensity profile of an optical beam of designated wavelengths, such as a laser beam, is shaped (the beam is apodized) by means of cholesteric liquid crystals of opposite chirality disposed successively along the path of the beam. The crystals have curved surfaces, which may be defined by a lens which defines the thickness of the liquid crystal fluid gap in a liquid crystal cell, so as to vary the selective reflection of the designated wavelength across the aperture of the beam. In this way, a soft aperture is provided. By using tandem cell pairs having liquid crystals of opposite chirality, but of different pitch, and with lenses of different curvature, beams of different wavelengths which are projected colinearly along the path may be individually tailored in spatial intensity profile. 11 figs.

Optical apparatus using liquid crystals for shaping the spatial intensity of optical beams having designated wavelengths

DOEpatents

Jacobs, Stephen D.; Cerqua, Kathleen A.

1987-01-01

The spatial intensity profile of an optical beam of designated wavelengths, such as a laser beam, is shaped (the beam is apodized) by means of cholesteric liquid crystals of opposite chirality disposed successively along the path of the beam. The crystals have curved surfaces, which may be defined by a lens which defines the thickness of the liquid crystal fluid gap in a liquid crystal cell, so as to vary the selective reflection of the designated wavelength across the aperture of the beam. In this way, a soft aperture is provided. By using tandem cell pairs having liquid crystals of opposite chirality, but of different pitch, and with lenses of different curvature, beams of different wavelengths which are projected colinearly along the path may be individually tailored in spatial intensity profile.

Gas-sensing optrode

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, T.B.

1988-04-12

An optrode is provided for sensing dissolved gases or volatile components of a solution. A fiber optic is provided through which light from an associated light source is transmitted from a first end to a second end. A bubble forming means, such as a tube, is attached to the second end of the fiber optic, and an indicator material is disposed in cooperation with the bubble forming means adjacent to the second end of the fiber optic such that it is illuminated by light emanating from the second end. The bubble forming means causes a gas bubble to form whenever the optrode is immersed in the fluid. The gas bubble separates the indicator material from the fluid. Gases, or other volatile components, of the fluid are sensed as they diffuse across the gas bubble from the fluid to the indicator material. 3 figs.

Process for the disposal of alkali metals

DOEpatents

Lewis, Leroy C.

1977-01-01

Large quantities of alkali metals may be safely reacted for ultimate disposal by contact with a hot concentrated caustic solution. The alkali metals react with water in the caustic solution in a controlled reaction while steam dilutes the hydrogen formed by the reaction to a safe level.

43 CFR 4730.2 - Disposal of remains.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Disposal of remains. 4730.2 Section 4730.2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR RANGE MANAGEMENT (4000) PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL OF WILD FREE-ROAMING...

43 CFR 4730.2 - Disposal of remains.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Disposal of remains. 4730.2 Section 4730.2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR RANGE MANAGEMENT (4000) PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL OF WILD FREE-ROAMING...

43 CFR 4730.2 - Disposal of remains.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Disposal of remains. 4730.2 Section 4730.2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR RANGE MANAGEMENT (4000) PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL OF WILD FREE-ROAMING...

43 CFR 4730.2 - Disposal of remains.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Disposal of remains. 4730.2 Section 4730.2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR RANGE MANAGEMENT (4000) PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL OF WILD FREE-ROAMING...

NRC Monitoring of Salt Waste Disposal at the Savannah River Site - 13147

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pinkston, Karen E.; Ridge, A. Christianne; Alexander, George W.

2013-07-01

As part of monitoring required under Section 3116 of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (NDAA), the NRC staff reviewed an updated DOE performance assessment (PA) for salt waste disposal at the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF). The NRC staff concluded that it has reasonable assurance that waste disposal at the SDF meets the 10 CFR 61 performance objectives for protection of individuals against intrusion (chap.61.42), protection of individuals during operations (chap.61.43), and site stability (chap.61.44). However, based on its evaluation of DOE's results and independent sensitivity analyses conducted with DOE's models, the NRC staffmore » concluded that it did not have reasonable assurance that DOE's disposal activities at the SDF meet the performance objective for protection of the general population from releases of radioactivity (chap.61.41) evaluated at a dose limit of 0.25 mSv/yr (25 mrem/yr) total effective dose equivalent (TEDE). NRC staff also concluded that the potential dose to a member of the public is expected to be limited (i.e., is expected to be similar to or less than the public dose limit in chap.20.1301 of 1 mSv/yr [100 mrem/yr] TEDE) and is expected to occur many years after site closure. The NRC staff used risk insights gained from review of the SDF PA, its experience monitoring DOE disposal actions at the SDF over the last 5 years, as well as independent analysis and modeling to identify factors that are important to assessing whether DOE's disposal actions meet the performance objectives. Many of these factors are similar to factors identified in the NRC staff's 2005 review of salt waste disposal at the SDF. Key areas of interest continue to be waste form and disposal unit degradation, the effectiveness of infiltration and erosion controls, and estimation of the radiological inventory. Based on these factors, NRC is revising its plan for monitoring salt waste disposal at the SDF in coordination with South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). DOE has completed or begun additional work related to salt waste disposal to address these factors. NRC staff continues to evaluate information related to the performance of the SDF and has been working with DOE and SCDHEC to resolve NRC staff's technical concerns. (authors)« less

Up from the beach: medical waste disposal rules!

PubMed

Francisco, C J

1989-07-01

The recent incidents of floating debris, garbage, wood, and medical waste on our nation's beaches have focused public attention on waste management problems. The handling and disposal of solid waste remains a major unresolved national dilemma. Increased use of disposables by all consumers, including the medical profession, and the increasing costs of solid waste disposal options have aggravated the solid waste situation. Medical waste found on beaches in the summer of 1988 could have been generated by a number of sources, including illegal dumping; sewer overflow; storm water runoff; illegal drug users; and inadequate handling of solid waste at landfills and coastal transfer facilities, which receive waste from doctors' offices, laboratories, and even legitimate home users of syringes. As officials from New Jersey have determined, the beach garbage is no mystery. It's coming from you and me. In response to the perceived medical waste disposal problem, various state and federal agencies have adopted rules to regulate and control the disposal of medical waste. This article outlines the more significant rules that apply to medical waste.

3DD - Three Dimensional Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel - 12449

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dvorakova, Marketa; Slovak, Jiri

2012-07-01

Three dimensional disposal is being considered as a way in which to store long-term spent nuclear fuel in underground disposal facilities in the Czech Republic. This method involves a combination of the two most common internationally recognised disposal methods in order to practically apply the advantages of both whilst, at the same time, eliminating their weaknesses; the method also allows easy removal in case of potential re-use. The proposed method for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel will reduce the areal requirements of future deep geological repositories by more than 30%. It will also simplify the container handling process bymore » using gravitational forces in order to meet requirements concerning the controllability of processes and ensuring operational and nuclear safety. With regard to the issue of the efficient potential removal of waste containers, this project offers an ingenious solution which does not disrupt the overall stability of the original disposal complex. (authors)« less

Modern management instruments--control of a water resources management association by means of an agreement on targets (balanced scorecard).

PubMed

von Seidlitz, A E; Londong, J

2001-01-01

Since the matter of water supply and sewage disposal is safeguarded in Germany, public concern would no longer appear to be directed at questions of disposal reliability, but almost exclusively to economic efficiency. The requirements with respect to sewage disposal are dominated not only by growing environmental regulations and technical challenges, but also to a major extent by a discussion on the costs arising. In order to ensure a viable and at the same time economic water supply and sewage disposal despite this, it is necessary to have a holistic corporate control system. As a counterpart to the river basin management approach adopted at the Wupperverband there is, on the business management side, the agreement on targets (balanced scorecard) as a management and controlling approach. This incorporates purely financial variables as well as non-financial variables in the economic valuation of corporate success. The starting point is the formulation of strategic goals, while including customer-oriented, in-company and forward-looking perspectives, taking into account at the same time the interactions between them. A major perspective of such balanced scorecards is customer satisfaction. By means of an intensive dialogue with members, licensing and supervisory authorities of the Wupperverband within the framework of a holistic corporate control, it has been possible not only to improve corporate success, but also, and more importantly, to achieve an appreciable increase in confidence.

The impact of disposal of fine-grained sediments from maintenance dredging works on SPM concentration and fluid mud in and outside the harbor of Zeebrugge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fettweis, Michael; Baeye, Matthias; Cardoso, Claudio; Dujardin, Arvid; Lauwaert, Brigitte; Van den Eynde, Dries; Van Hoestenberghe, Thomas; Vanlede, Joris; Van Poucke, Luc; Velez, Carlos; Martens, Chantal

2016-11-01

The amount of sediments to be dredged and disposed depends to a large part on the suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration. Tidal, meteorological, climatological, and seasonal forcings have an influence on the horizontal and vertical distribution of the SPM in the water column and on the bed and control the inflow of fine-grained sediments towards harbors and navigation channels. About 3 million tons (dry matter) per year of mainly fine-grained sediments is dredged in the port of Zeebrugge and is disposed on a nearby disposal site. The disposed sediments are quickly resuspended and transported away from the site. The hypothesis is that a significant part of the disposed sediments recirculates back to the dredging places and that a relocation of the disposal site to another location at equal distance to the dredging area would reduce this recirculation. In order to validate the hypothesis, a 1-year field study was set up in 2013-2014. During 1 month, the dredged material was disposed at a new site. Variations in SPM concentration were related to tides, storms, seasonal changes, and human impacts. In the high-turbidity Belgian near-shore area, the natural forcings are responsible for the major variability in the SPM concentration signal, while disposal has only a smaller influence. The conclusion from the measurements is that the SPM concentration decreases after relocation of the disposal site but indicate stronger (first half of field experiment) or weaker (second half of field experiment) effects that are, however, supported by the environmental conditions. The results of the field study may have consequences on the management of disposal operations as the effectiveness of the disposal site depends on environmental conditions, which are inherently associated with chaotic behavior.

41 CFR 109-42.1102-52 - Low level contaminated personal property.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... contamination does not exceed applicable standards, it may be utilized and disposed of in the same manner as.... However, recipients shall be advised where levels of radioactive contamination require specific controls... within DOE, reported to GSA, or otherwise disposed of, the kind and degree of contamination must be...

Growth and biomass of Populus irrigated with landfill leachate

Treesearch

Jill A. Zalesny; Ronald S., Jr. Zalesny; David R. Coyle; Richard B. Hall

2007-01-01

Resource managers are challenged with waste disposal and leachate produced from its degradation. Poplar (Populus spp.) trees offer an opportunity for ecological leachate disposal as an irrigation source for managed tree systems. Our objective was to irrigate Populus trees with municipal solid waste landfill leachate or fertilized well water (control...

40 CFR 124.56 - Fact sheets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) Limitations to control toxic pollutants under § 122.44(e) of this chapter; (ii) Limitations on internal waste... specific effluent limitations and conditions or standards for sewage sludge use or disposal, including a... sludge use or disposal as required by § 122.44 and reasons why they are applicable or an explanation of...

40 CFR 124.56 - Fact sheets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) Limitations to control toxic pollutants under § 122.44(e) of this chapter; (ii) Limitations on internal waste... specific effluent limitations and conditions or standards for sewage sludge use or disposal, including a... sludge use or disposal as required by § 122.44 and reasons why they are applicable or an explanation of...

78 FR 718 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Recordkeeping and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-04

... Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Recordkeeping and Reporting--Solid Waste Disposal...-- Solid Waste Disposal Facilities and Practices; ``(EPA ICR No. 1381.10, OMB Control No. 2050-0122) to the... on a State level, owners/operators of municipal solid waste landfills have to comply with the final...

Declic: design, integration and testing of a multi configurable instrument using optical diagnostics to study directional solidification and critical fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durieux, A.; Martin, B.; Laubier, D.

2017-11-01

DECLIC, a Facility dedicated to the study of transparent media under microgravity, will be used in an ISS EXPRESS Rack. This paper focuses on the EXL which contains two optical boxes disposed on two opposite sides of the cavity where the Inserts to be studied shall be locked. At the moment, three types of inserts are planned to be accommodated in the EXL. Various optical diagnostics are available by configuring the EXL (sources, sensors, mechanisms). After the presentation of the EXL design, this article deals with some manufacturing and testing aspects, such as the use of COTS (cameras). Specific OGSE have been developed in order to simulate the optical interfaces and the propagation of beams in the inserts. Three models of the EXL have been integrated and fully tested, including the Flight Model. The sequence of tests, the performances measured, and then some images of the experiments performed with the inserts will be presented.

Optical Path Switching Based Differential Absorption Radiometry for Substance Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sachse, Glen W. (Inventor)

2000-01-01

A system and method are provided for detecting one or more substances. An optical path switch divides sample path radiation into a time series of alternating first polarized components and second polarized components. The first polarized components are transmitted along a first optical path and the second polarized components along a second optical path. A first gasless optical filter train filters the first polarized components to isolate at least a first wavelength band thereby generating first filtered radiation. A second gasless optical filter train filters the second polarized components to isolate at least a second wavelength band thereby generating second filtered radiation. The first wavelength band and second wavelength band are unique. Further, spectral absorption of a substance of interest is different at the first wavelength band as compared to the second wavelength band. A beam combiner combines the first and second filtered radiation to form a combined beam of radiation. A detector is disposed to monitor magnitude of at least a portion of the combined beam alternately at the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band as an indication of the concentration of the substance in the sample path.

Multi-clad black display panel

DOEpatents

Veligdan, James T.; Biscardi, Cyrus; Brewster, Calvin

2002-01-01

A multi-clad black display panel, and a method of making a multi-clad black display panel, are disclosed, wherein a plurality of waveguides, each of which includes a light-transmissive core placed between an opposing pair of transparent cladding layers and a black layer disposed between transparent cladding layers, are stacked together and sawed at an angle to produce a wedge-shaped optical panel having an inlet face and an outlet face.

Flat or curved thin optical display panel

DOEpatents

Veligdan, J.T.

1995-01-10

An optical panel includes a plurality of waveguides stacked together, with each waveguide having a first end and an opposite second end. The first ends collectively define a first face, and the second ends collectively define a second face of the panel. The second face is disposed at an acute face angle relative to the waveguides to provide a panel which is relatively thin compared to the height of the second face. In an exemplary embodiment for use in a projection TV, the first face is substantially smaller in height than the second face and receives a TV image, with the second face defining a screen for viewing the image enlarged. 7 figures.

Sample holder with optical features

DOEpatents

Milas, Mirko; Zhu, Yimei; Rameau, Jonathan David

2013-07-30

A sample holder for holding a sample to be observed for research purposes, particularly in a transmission electron microscope (TEM), generally includes an external alignment part for directing a light beam in a predetermined beam direction, a sample holder body in optical communication with the external alignment part and a sample support member disposed at a distal end of the sample holder body opposite the external alignment part for holding a sample to be analyzed. The sample holder body defines an internal conduit for the light beam and the sample support member includes a light beam positioner for directing the light beam between the sample holder body and the sample held by the sample support member.

Transmission electron microscope sample holder with optical features

DOEpatents

Milas, Mirko [Port Jefferson, NY; Zhu, Yimei [Stony Brook, NY; Rameau, Jonathan David [Coram, NY

2012-03-27

A sample holder for holding a sample to be observed for research purposes, particularly in a transmission electron microscope (TEM), generally includes an external alignment part for directing a light beam in a predetermined beam direction, a sample holder body in optical communication with the external alignment part and a sample support member disposed at a distal end of the sample holder body opposite the external alignment part for holding a sample to be analyzed. The sample holder body defines an internal conduit for the light beam and the sample support member includes a light beam positioner for directing the light beam between the sample holder body and the sample held by the sample support member.

Study of environmental biodegradation of LDPE films in soil using optical and scanning electron microscopy.

PubMed

Mumtaz, Tabassum; Khan, M R; Hassan, Mohd Ali

2010-07-01

An outdoor soil burial test was carried out to evaluate the degradation of commercially available LDPE carrier bags in natural soil for up to 2 years. Biodegradability of low density polyethylene films in soil was monitored using both optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After 7-9 months of soil exposure, microbial colonization was evident on the film surface. Exposed LDPE samples exhibit progressive changes towards degradation after 17-22 months. SEM images reveal signs of degradation such as exfoliation and formation of cracks on film leading to disintegration. The possible degradation mode and consequences on the use and disposal of LDPE films is discussed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method and apparatus for packaging optical fiber sensors for harsh environments

DOEpatents

Pickrell, Gary; Duan, Yuhong; Wang, Anbo

2005-08-09

A package for an optical fiber sensor having a metal jacket surrounding the sensor, and heat-shrink tubing surrounding the metal jacket. The metal jacket is made of a low melting point metal (e.g. lead, tin). The sensor can be disposed in a rigid tube (e.g. stainless steel or glass) that is surrounded by the metal jacket. The metal jacket provides a hermetic, or nearly hermetic seal for the sensor. The package is made by melting the metal jacket and heating the heat shrink tubing at the same time. As the heat-shrink tubing shrinks, it presses the low melting point metal against the sensor, and squeezes out the excess metal.

Apparatus for preventing particle deposition from process streams on optical access windows

DOEpatents

Logan, Ronald G.; Grimm, Ulrich

1993-01-01

An electrostatic precipitator is disposed inside and around the periphery of the window of a viewing port communicating with a housing through which a particle-laden gas stream is being passed. The precipitator includes a pair of electrodes around the periphery of the window, spaced apart and connected to a unidirectional voltage source. Application of high voltage from the source to the electrodes causes air molecules in the gas stream to become ionized, attaching to solid particles and causing them to be deposited on a collector electrode. This prevents the particles from being deposited on the window and keeps the window clean for viewing and making optical measurements.

M4SF-17LL010301071: Thermodynamic Database Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zavarin, M.; Wolery, T. J.

2017-09-05

This progress report (Level 4 Milestone Number M4SF-17LL010301071) summarizes research conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) within the Argillite Disposal R&D Work Package Number M4SF-17LL01030107. The DR Argillite Disposal R&D control account is focused on the evaluation of important processes in the analysis of disposal design concepts and related materials for nuclear fuel disposal in clay-bearing repository media. The objectives of this work package are to develop model tools for evaluating impacts of THMC process on long-term disposal of spent fuel in argillite rocks, and to establish the scientific basis for high thermal limits. This work is contributing tomore » the GDSA model activities to identify gaps, develop process models, provide parameter feeds and support requirements providing the capability for a robust repository performance assessment model by 2020.« less

Minimum dV for Targeted Spacecraft Disposal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bacon, John B.

2017-01-01

The study analyzes the minimum capability required to dispose safely of a space object. The study considers 3- sigma environmental uncertainties, as well as spacecraft-specific constraints such as the available thrust, total impulse, the achievable increase or decrease in commandable frontal area under stable attitude (or stable tumble), and the final controllable altitude at which any such dV may be imparted. The study addresses the definition of the length and location of a 'safe' disposal area, which is a statistical manifestation of uncertainty in this process. Some general legal concerns are raised that are unique to this prospect of low dV disposals. Future work is summarized. The goal of such research is to improve public safety by creating optimally safe disposal strategies (and potentially, applicable regulations) for low-dV and/or low-thrust spacecraft that under more traditional strategies would need to be abandoned to fully-random decay with its inherent higher risk of human casualty.

New Bedford Harbor Superfund Project, Acushnet River Estuary Engineering Feasibility Study of Dredging and Dredged Material Disposal Alternatives. Report 9. Laboratory-Scale Application of Solidification/Stabilization Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-01

force) per square inch to kilopascals, multiply by 6.894757. ** Flue - gas desulfurization . 27 1.0 sediment process, UCS measurements for solidified...Dredging Control Technoloqies 11 Evaluation of Conceptual Dredging and Disposal Alternatives 12 Executive Summary Destroy this report when no longer needed...solubility of metals by controlling the pH and alkalinity. Additional metal immobilization can be obtained by modify- ing the process to include

Sealpot and method for controlling a solids flow rate therethrough

DOEpatents

Chiu, John H.; Teigen, Bard C.

2015-10-20

A sealpot for a combustion power plant includes a downcomer standpipe which receives solids of the combustion power plant, a bed including a first end and a second opposite end, the first end connected to the downcomer standpipe, a discharge standpipe disposed at the second opposite end of the bed, and an orifice plate disposed between the bed and the discharge standpipe separating the discharge standpipe from the bed. The orifice plate includes apertures disposed at a height above the bed which allow transport of fluidized solids and gas through the orifice plate.

System and method for interfacing large-area electronics with integrated circuit devices

DOEpatents

Verma, Naveen; Glisic, Branko; Sturm, James; Wagner, Sigurd

2016-07-12

A system and method for interfacing large-area electronics with integrated circuit devices is provided. The system may be implemented in an electronic device including a large area electronic (LAE) device disposed on a substrate. An integrated circuit IC is disposed on the substrate. A non-contact interface is disposed on the substrate and coupled between the LAE device and the IC. The non-contact interface is configured to provide at least one of a data acquisition path or control path between the LAE device and the IC.

[Evidence-based management of medical disposable materials].

PubMed

Yang, Hai

2009-03-01

Evidence-based management of medical disposable materials pays attention to collect evidence comprehensively and systematically, accumulate and create evidence through its own work and also evaluate evidence strictly. This can be used as a function to guide out job. Medical disposable materials evidence system contains product register qualification, product quality certification, supplier's behavior, internal and external communication evidence. Managers can find different ways in creating and using evidence referring to specific inside and outside condition. Evidence-based management can help accelerating the development of management of medical disposable materials from traditional experience pattern to a systematic and scientific pattern. It also has the very important meaning to improve medical quality, control the unreasonable growth of medical expense and make purchase and supply chain be more efficient.

Waste disposal package

DOEpatents

Smith, M.J.

1985-06-19

This is a claim for a waste disposal package including an inner or primary canister for containing hazardous and/or radioactive wastes. The primary canister is encapsulated by an outer or secondary barrier formed of a porous ceramic material to control ingress of water to the canister and the release rate of wastes upon breach on the canister. 4 figs.

41 CFR 101-42.1102-5 - Drugs, biologicals, and reagents other than controlled substances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... UTILIZATION AND DISPOSAL 42-UTILIZATION AND DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF PROPERTY... are subject to the provisions of § 101-42.1102-3. (a) Utilization requirements. Excess drugs... Scientific Coordination Staff, ACFA-CF-30, located in the appropriate FDA district office, of surplus...

30 CFR 817.71 - Disposal of excess spoil: General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

.... (1) All vegetative and organic materials shall be removed from the disposal area prior to placement... § 817.22. If approved by the regulatory authority, organic material may be used as mulch or may be... of the soil. (2) Excess spoil shall be transported and placed in a controlled manner in horizontal...

30 CFR 817.71 - Disposal of excess spoil: General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... (1) All vegetative and organic materials shall be removed from the disposal area prior to placement... § 817.22. If approved by the regulatory authority, organic material may be used as mulch or may be... of the soil. (2) Excess spoil shall be transported and placed in a controlled manner in horizontal...

30 CFR 817.71 - Disposal of excess spoil: General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... (1) All vegetative and organic materials shall be removed from the disposal area prior to placement... § 817.22. If approved by the regulatory authority, organic material may be used as mulch or may be... of the soil. (2) Excess spoil shall be transported and placed in a controlled manner in horizontal...

30 CFR 816.71 - Disposal of excess spoil: General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... (1) All vegetative and organic materials shall be removed from the disposal area prior to placement... with § 816.22. If approved by the regulatory authority, organic material may be used as mulch or may be... of the soil. (2) Excess spoil shall be transported and placed in a controlled manner in horizontal...

30 CFR 816.71 - Disposal of excess spoil: General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... (1) All vegetative and organic materials shall be removed from the disposal area prior to placement... with § 816.22. If approved by the regulatory authority, organic material may be used as mulch or may be... of the soil. (2) Excess spoil shall be transported and placed in a controlled manner in horizontal...

30 CFR 816.71 - Disposal of excess spoil: General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... (1) All vegetative and organic materials shall be removed from the disposal area prior to placement... with § 816.22. If approved by the regulatory authority, organic material may be used as mulch or may be... of the soil. (2) Excess spoil shall be transported and placed in a controlled manner in horizontal...

30 CFR 816.71 - Disposal of excess spoil: General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... (1) All vegetative and organic materials shall be removed from the disposal area prior to placement... with § 816.22. If approved by the regulatory authority, organic material may be used as mulch or may be... of the soil. (2) Excess spoil shall be transported and placed in a controlled manner in horizontal...

30 CFR 816.71 - Disposal of excess spoil: General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

.... (1) All vegetative and organic materials shall be removed from the disposal area prior to placement... with § 816.22. If approved by the regulatory authority, organic material may be used as mulch or may be... of the soil. (2) Excess spoil shall be transported and placed in a controlled manner in horizontal...

30 CFR 817.71 - Disposal of excess spoil: General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... (1) All vegetative and organic materials shall be removed from the disposal area prior to placement... § 817.22. If approved by the regulatory authority, organic material may be used as mulch or may be... of the soil. (2) Excess spoil shall be transported and placed in a controlled manner in horizontal...

30 CFR 817.71 - Disposal of excess spoil: General requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... (1) All vegetative and organic materials shall be removed from the disposal area prior to placement... § 817.22. If approved by the regulatory authority, organic material may be used as mulch or may be... of the soil. (2) Excess spoil shall be transported and placed in a controlled manner in horizontal...

Methods and apparatus for measurement of a dimensional characteristic and methods of predictive modeling related thereto

DOEpatents

Robertson, Eric P [Idaho Falls, ID; Christiansen, Richard L [Littleton, CO

2007-05-29

A method of optically determining a change in magnitude of at least one dimensional characteristic of a sample in response to a selected chamber environment. A magnitude of at least one dimension of the at least one sample may be optically determined subsequent to altering the at least one environmental condition within the chamber. A maximum change in dimension of the at least one sample may be predicted. A dimensional measurement apparatus for indicating a change in at least one dimension of at least one sample. The dimensional measurement apparatus may include a housing with a chamber configured for accommodating pressure changes and an optical perception device for measuring a dimension of at least one sample disposed in the chamber. Methods of simulating injection of a gas into a subterranean formation, injecting gas into a subterranean formation, and producing methane from a coal bed are also disclosed.

Methods for measurement of a dimensional characteristic and methods of predictive modeling related thereto

DOEpatents

Robertson, Eric P; Christiansen, Richard L.

2007-10-23

A method of optically determining a change in magnitude of at least one dimensional characteristic of a sample in response to a selected chamber environment. A magnitude of at least one dimension of the at least one sample may be optically determined subsequent to altering the at least one environmental condition within the chamber. A maximum change in dimension of the at least one sample may be predicted. A dimensional measurement apparatus for indicating a change in at least one dimension of at least one sample. The dimensional measurement apparatus may include a housing with a chamber configured for accommodating pressure changes and an optical perception device for measuring a dimension of at least one sample disposed in the chamber. Methods of simulating injection of a gas into a subterranean formation, injecting gas into a subterranean formation, and producing methane from a coal bed are also disclosed.

Methods and systems for detection of ice formation on surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alfano, Robert R. (Inventor); Wang, Wubao (Inventor); Sztul, Henry (Inventor); Budansky, Yury (Inventor)

2007-01-01

A system for detecting ice formation on metal, painted metal and other material surfaces can include a transparent window having an exterior surface upon which ice can form; a light source and optics configured and arranged to illuminate the exterior surface of the window from behind the exterior surface; and a detector and optics configured and arranged to receive light backscattered by the exterior surface and any ice disposed on the exterior surface and determine the thickness of the ice layer. For example, the system can be used with aircraft by placing one or more windows in the wings of the aircraft. The system is used for a novel optical method for real-time on-board detection and warning of ice formation on surfaces of airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other vehicles and stationary structures to improve their safety and operation.

Method and system for sensing and identifying foreign particles in a gaseous environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sang H. (Inventor); Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor)

2008-01-01

An optical method and system sense and identify a foreign particle in a gaseous environment. A light source generates light. An electrically-conductive sheet has an array of holes formed through the sheet. Each hole has a diameter that is less than one quarter of the light's wavelength. The sheet is positioned relative to the light source such that the light is incident on one face of the sheet. An optical detector is positioned adjacent the sheet's opposing face and is spaced apart therefrom such that a gaseous environment is adapted to be disposed there between. Alterations in the light pattern detected by the optical detector indicate the presence of a foreign particle in the holes or on the sheet, while a laser induced fluorescence (LIF) signature associated with the foreign particle indicates the identity of the foreign particle.

Direct view zoom scope with single focal plane and adaptable reticle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bagwell, Brett

A direct view telescopic sight includes objective lens, eyepiece, and prism erector assemblies. The objective lens assembly is mounted to receive light of an image from an object direction and direct the light along an optical path. The eyepiece assembly is mounted to receive the light along the optical path and to emit the light of the image along an eye-ward direction. The prism erector assembly is positioned between the objective lens and eyepiece assemblies and includes first and second prism elements through which the optical path passes. The first and second prism elements invert the image. A reticle elementmore » is disposed on or adjacent to a surface of one of the first or second prism elements to combine a reticle on the image. The image is brought into focus at only a single focal plane between the objective lens and eyepiece assemblies at a given time.« less

Small Angle X-Ray Scattering Detector

DOEpatents

Hessler, Jan P.

2004-06-15

A detector for time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering includes a nearly constant diameter, evacuated linear tube having an end plate detector with a first fluorescent screen and concentric rings of first fiber optic bundles for low angle scattering detection and an annular detector having a second fluorescent screen and second fiber optic bundles concentrically disposed about the tube for higher angle scattering detection. With the scattering source, i.e., the specimen under investigation, located outside of the evacuated tube on the tube's longitudinal axis, scattered x-rays are detected by the fiber optic bundles, to each of which is coupled a respective photodetector, to provide a measurement resolution, i.e., dq/q, where q is the momentum transferred from an incident x-ray to an x-ray scattering specimen, of 2% over two (2) orders of magnitude in reciprocal space, i.e., q.sub.max /q.sub.min.congruent.100.

Fluidic Oscillator Array for Synchronized Oscillating Jet Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koklu, Mehti (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A fluidic oscillator array includes a plurality of fluidic-oscillator main flow channels. Each main flow channel has an inlet and an outlet. Each main flow channel has first and second control ports disposed at opposing sides thereof, and has a first and a second feedback ports disposed at opposing sides thereof. The feedback ports are located downstream of the control ports with respect to a direction of a fluid flow through the main flow channel. The system also includes a first fluid accumulator in fluid communication with each first control port and each first feedback port, and a second fluid accumulator in fluid communication with each second control port and each second feedback port.

Fluidic Oscillator Array for Synchronized Oscillating Jet Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koklu, Mehti (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A fluidic oscillator array includes a plurality of fluidic-oscillator main flow channels. Each main flow channel has an inlet and an outlet. Each main flow channel has first and second control ports disposed at opposing sides thereof, and has a first and a second feedback ports disposed at opposing sides thereof. The feedback ports are located downstream of the control ports with respect to a direction of a fluid flow through the main flow channel. The system also includes a first fluid accumulator in fluid communication with each first control port and each first feedback port, and a second fluid accumulator in fluid communication with each second control port and each second feedback port.

Small mammal populations at hazardous waste disposal sites near Houston, Texas, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robbins, C.S.

1990-01-01

Small mammals were trapped, tagged and recaptured in 0?45 ha plots at six hazardous industrial waste disposal sites to determine if populations, body mass and age structures were different from paired control site plots. Low numbers of six species of small mammals were captured on industrial waste sites or control sites. Only populations of hispid cotton rats at industrial waste sites and control sites were large enough for comparisons. Overall population numbers, age structure, and body mass of adult male and female cotton rats were similar at industrial waste sites and control sites. Populations of small mammals (particularly hispid cotton rats) may not suffice as indicators of environments with hazardous industrial waste contamination.

A cost-analysis of two approaches to infection control in a lung function laboratory.

PubMed

Side, E A; Harrington, G; Thien, F; Walters, E H; Johns, D P

1999-02-01

The Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) guidelines for infection control in respiratory laboratories are based on a 'Universal Precautions' approach to patient care. This requires that one-way breathing valves, flow sensors, and other items, be cleaned and disinfected between patient use. However, this is impractical in a busy laboratory. The recent introduction of disposable barrier filters may provide a practical solution to this problem, although most consider this approach to be an expensive option. To compare the cost of implementing the TSANZ infection control guidelines with the cost of using disposable barrier filters. Costs were based on the standard tests and equipment currently used in the lung function laboratory at The Alfred Hospital. We have assumed that a barrier filter offers the same degree of protection against cross-infection between patients as the TSANZ infection control guidelines. Time and motion studies were performed on the dismantling, cleaning, disinfecting, reassembling and re-calibrating of equipment. Conservative estimates were made as to the frequency of replacing pneumotachographs and rubber mouthpieces based on previous equipment turnover. Labour costs for a scientist to reprocess the equipment was based on $20.86/hour. The cost of employing a casual cleaner at an hourly rate of $14.07 to assist in reprocessing equipment was also investigated. The new high efficiency HyperFilter disposable barrier filter, costing $2.95 was used in this cost-analysis. The cost of reprocessing equipment required for spirometry alone was $17.58 per test if a scientist reprocesses the equipment, and $15.56 per test if a casual cleaner is employed to assist the scientist in performing these duties. In contrast, using a disposable filter would cost only $2.95 per test. Using a filter was considerably less expensive than following the TSANZ guidelines for all tests and equipment used in this cost-analysis. The TSANZ infection control guidelines are expensive and impractical to implement. However, disposable barrier filters provide a practical and inexpensive method of infection control.

Level indicator for pressure vessels

DOEpatents

Not Available

1982-04-28

A liquid-level monitor for tracking the level of a coal slurry in a high-pressure vessel including a toroidal-shaped float with magnetically permeable bands thereon disposed within the vessel, two pairs of magnetic-field generators and detectors disposed outside the vessel adjacent the top and bottom thereof and magnetically coupled to the magnetically permeable bands on the float, and signal-processing circuitry for combining signals from the top and bottom detectors for generating a monotonically increasing analog control signal which is a function of liquid level. The control signal may be utilized to operate high-pressure control valves associated with processes in which the high-pressure vessel is used.

High pressure liquid level monitor

DOEpatents

Bean, Vern E.; Long, Frederick G.

1984-01-01

A liquid level monitor for tracking the level of a coal slurry in a high-pressure vessel including a toroidal-shaped float with magnetically permeable bands thereon disposed within the vessel, two pairs of magnetic field generators and detectors disposed outside the vessel adjacent the top and bottom thereof and magnetically coupled to the magnetically permeable bands on the float, and signal processing circuitry for combining signals from the top and bottom detectors for generating a monotonically increasing analog control signal which is a function of liquid level. The control signal may be utilized to operate high-pressure control valves associated with processes in which the high-pressure vessel is used.

Construction, Startup and Operation of a New LLRW Disposal Facility in Andrews County, Texas - 12151

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Vliet, James A.

2012-07-01

During this last year, Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS) completed construction and achieved start of operations of a new low level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal facility in Andrews County Texas. Disposal operations are underway for commercial LLRW, and start up evolutions are in progress for disposal of Department of Energy (DOE) LLRW. The overall approach to construction and start up are presented as well as some of the more significant challenges and how they were addressed to achieve initial operations of the first new commercial low level radioactive waste disposal facility in more than 30 years. The WCS disposal facilitymore » consists of two LLRW disposal cells, one for Texas Compact waste, and a separate disposal cell for DOE waste. Both disposal cells have very robust and unique designs. The cells themselves are constructed entirely in very low permeability red bed clay. The cell liners include a 0.91 meter thick clay liner meeting unprecedented permeability limits, 0.3 meter thick reinforced concrete barriers, as well as the standard geo-synthetic liners. Actions taken to meet performance criteria and install these liners will be discussed. Consistent with this highly protective landfill design, WCS chose to install a zero discharge site water management system. The considerations behind the design and construction of this system will be presented. Other activities essential to successful start of LLRW disposal operations included process and procedure development and refinement, staffing and staff development, and training. Mock ups were built and used for important evolutions and functions. Consistent with the extensive regulation of LLRW operations, engagement with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) was continuous and highly interactive. This included daily activity conference calls, weekly coordination calls and numerous topical conference calls and meetings. TCEQ staff and consultants frequently observed specific construction evolutions, such as geological feature mapping of designated excavation faces, disposal cell clay liner installation, disposal cell concrete barrier construction, etc. (author)« less

Phenylbutyrate improves nitrogen disposal via alternative pathway without eliciting an increase in protein breakdown and catabolism in control and ornithine transcarbamylace-deficient patients

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phenylbutyrate (PB) is a drug used in urea cycle disorder patients to elicit alternative pathways for nitrogen disposal. However, PB decreases plasma branched chain amino acid (BCAA) concentrations and prior research suggests that PB may increase leucine oxidation, indicating increased protein degra...

Minimum activation martensitic alloys for surface disposal after exposure to neutron flux

DOEpatents

Lechtenberg, Thomas

1985-01-01

Steel alloys for long-term exposure to neutron flux have a martensitic microstructure and contain chromium, carbon, tungsten, vanadium and preferably titanium. Activation of the steel is held to within acceptable limits for eventual surface disposal by stringently controlling the impurity levels of Ni, Mo, Cu, N, Co, Nb, Al and Mn.

Environmental considerations in the selection of isolation gowns: A life cycle assessment of reusable and disposable alternatives.

PubMed

Vozzola, Eric; Overcash, Michael; Griffing, Evan

2018-04-11

Isolation gowns serve a critical role in infection control by protecting healthcare workers, visitors, and patients from the transfer of microorganisms and body fluids. The decision of whether to use a reusable or disposable garment system is a selection process based on factors including sustainability, barrier effectiveness, cost, and comfort. Environmental sustainability is increasingly being used in the decision-making process. Life cycle assessment is the most comprehensive and widely used tool used to evaluate environmental performance. The environmental impacts of market-representative reusable and disposable isolation gown systems were compared using standard life cycle assessment procedures. The basis of comparison was 1,000 isolation gown uses in a healthcare setting. The scope included the manufacture, use, and end-of-life stages of the gown systems. At the healthcare facility, compared to the disposable gown system, the reusable gown system showed a 28% reduction in energy consumption, a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 41% reduction in blue water consumption, and a 93% reduction in solid waste generation. Selecting reusable garment systems may result in significant environmental benefits compared to selecting disposable garment systems. By selecting reusable isolation gowns, healthcare facilities can add these quantitative benefits directly to their sustainability scorecards. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intracellular disposal of incompletely folded human alpha1-antitrypsin involves release from calnexin and post-translational trimming of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides.

PubMed

Liu, Y; Choudhury, P; Cabral, C M; Sifers, R N

1997-03-21

Protection of lung elastin fibers from proteolytic destruction is compromised by inefficient secretion of incompletely folded allelic variants of human alpha1-antitrypsin from hepatocytes. Pulse-chase radiolabeling with [35S]methionine and sucrose gradient sedimentation and coimmunoprecipitation techniques were employed to investigate quality control of human alpha1-antitrypsin secretion from stably transfected mouse hepatoma cells. The secretion-incompetent variant null(Hong Kong) (Sifers, R. N., Brashears-Macatee, S., Kidd, V. J., Muensch, H., and Woo, S. L. C. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 7330-7335) cannot fold into a functional conformation and was quantitatively associated with the molecular chaperone calnexin following biosynthesis. Assembly with calnexin required cotranslational trimming of glucose from asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. Intracellular disposal of pulse-radiolabeled molecules coincided with their release from calnexin. Released monomers and intracellular disposal were nonexistent in cells chased with cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis. Post-translational trimming of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides and intracellular disposal were abrogated by 1-deoxymannojirimycin, an inhibitor of alpha-mannosidase activity, without affecting the monomer population. The data are consistent with a recently proposed quality control model (Hammond, C., Braakman, I., and Helenius, A. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 91, 913-917) in which intracellular disposal requires dissociation from calnexin and post-translational trimming of mannose from asparagine-linked oligosaccharides.

Dye and pigment-free structural colors and angle-insensitive spectrum filters

DOEpatents

Guo, Lingjie Jay; Hollowell, Andrew E.; Wu, Yi-Kuei

2017-01-17

Optical spectrum filtering devices displaying minimal angle dependence or angle insensitivity are provided. The filter comprises a localized plasmonic nanoresonator assembly having a metal material layer defining at least one nanogroove and a dielectric material disposed adjacent to the metal material layer. The dielectric material is disposed within the nanogroove(s). The localized plasmonic nanoresonator assembly is configured to funnel and absorb a portion of an electromagnetic spectrum in the at least one nanogroove via localized plasmonic resonance to generate a filtered output having a predetermined range of wavelengths that displays angle insensitivity. Thus, flexible, high efficiency angle independent color filters having very small diffraction limits are provided that are particularly suitable for use as pixels for various display devices or for use in anti-counterfeiting and cryptography applications. The structures can also be used for colored print applications and the elements can be rendered as pigment-like particles.

Efficient Third-Order Distributed Feedback Laser with Enhanced Beam Pattern

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hu, Qing (Inventor); Lee, Alan Wei Min (Inventor); Kao, Tsung-Yu (Inventor)

2015-01-01

A third-order distributed feedback laser has an active medium disposed on a substrate as a linear array of segments having a series of periodically spaced interstices therebetween and a first conductive layer disposed on a surface of the active medium on each of the segments and along a strip from each of the segments to a conductive electrical contact pad for application of current along a path including the active medium. Upon application of a current through the active medium, the active medium functions as an optical waveguide, and there is established an alternating electric field, at a THz frequency, both in the active medium and emerging from the interstices. Spacing of adjacent segments is approximately half of a wavelength of the THz frequency in free space or an odd integral multiple thereof, so that the linear array has a coherence length greater than the length of the linear array.

Toward a Safer and Cleaner Way: Dealing With Human Waste in Healthcare.

PubMed

Apple, Michael

2016-07-01

Organizations must evaluate their infection control plans in a holistic and inclusive manner to continue reducing healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates, including giving consideration to the manner of collecting and disposing of patient waste. Manual washing of bedpans and other containers poses a risk of spreading infection via caregivers, the environment, and the still-contaminated bedpan. Several alternative disposal methods are available and have been tested in some countries for decades, including options such as bedpan washer-disinfector machines, macerator machines, and disposable bedpans. This article reviews methods and issues related to human waste disposal in healthcare settings. Healthcare organizations must evaluate the options thoroughly and then consistently implement the option most in line with its goals and culture. © The Author(s) 2016.

Pharmaceuticals and Controlled Substances and Demolition

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Pharmaceuticals and controlled substances found during residential demolition, such as prescription medications or illegal drugs, may require special treatment for disposal or recycling before demolition.

Control coil arrangement for a rotating machine rotor

DOEpatents

Shah, Manoj R.; Lewandowsk, Chad R.

2001-07-31

A rotating machine (e.g., a turbine, motor or generator) is provided wherein a fixed solenoid or other coil configuration is disposed adjacent to one or both ends of the active portion of the machine rotor for producing an axially directed flux in the active portion so as to provide planar axial control at single or multiple locations for rotor balance, levitation, centering, torque and thrust action. Permanent magnets can be used to produce an axial bias magnetic field. The rotor can include magnetic disks disposed in opposed, facing relation to the coil configuration.

Determination of 1-chloro-4-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]benzene and related compounds in marine pore water by automated thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry using disposable optical fiber

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eganhouse, Robert P.; DiFilippo, Erica L

2015-01-01

A method is described for determination of ten DDT-related compounds in marine pore water based on equilibrium solid-phase microextraction (SPME) using commercial polydimethylsiloxane-coated optical fiber with analysis by automated thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS). Thermally cleaned fiber was directly exposed to sediments and allowed to reach equilibrium under static conditions at the in situ field temperature. Following removal, fibers were rinsed, dried and cut into appropriate lengths for storage in leak-tight containers at -20°C. Analysis by TD-GC/MS under full scan (FS) and selected ion monitoring (SIM) modes was then performed. Pore-water method detection limits in FS and SIM modes were estimated at 0.05-2.4ng/L and 0.7-16pg/L, respectively. Precision of the method, including contributions from fiber handling, was less than 10%. Analysis of independently prepared solutions containing eight DDT compounds yielded concentrations that were within 6.9±5.5% and 0.1±14% of the actual concentrations in FS and SIM modes, respectively. The use of optical fiber with automated analysis allows for studies at high temporal and/or spatial resolution as well as for monitoring programs over large spatial and/or long temporal scales with adequate sample replication. This greatly enhances the flexibility of the technique and improves the ability to meet quality control objectives at significantly lower cost.

NASA Tech Briefs, May 2007

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Topics include: Noise-Canceling Helmet Audio System; Program Analyzes Spacecraft/Ground Radio Links; Two-Way Communication Using RFID Equipment and Techniques; Six-Message Electromechanical Display System; Scanning Terahertz Heterodyne Imaging Systems; Master Clock and Time-Signal-Distribution System; Synchronous Phase-Resolving Flash Range Imaging; Integrated Radial Probe Transition From MMIC to Waveguide; Bar-Code System for a Microbiological Laboratory; MMIC Amplifier Produces Gain of 10 dB at 235 GHz; Mapping Nearby Terrain in 3D by Use of a Grid of Laser Spots; Digital Beam Deflectors Based Partly on Liquid Crystals; Narrow-Band WGM Optical Filters With Tunable FSRs; Better Finite-Element Analysis of Composite Shell Structures; Computing Spacecraft-Pointing Vectors for Limb Tracking; Enhanced Master Controller Unit Tester; Rover Graphical Simulator; Increasing Durability of Flame-Sprayed Strain Gauges; Multifunctional, High-Temperature Nanocomposites; Multilayer Impregnated Fibrous Thermal Insulation Tiles; Radiation-Shielding Polymer/Soil Composites; Film/Adhesive Processing Module for Fiber-Placement Processing of Composites; Fabrication of Submillimeter Axisymmetric Optical Components; Electrochemical Disposal of Hydrazines in Water; Statistical Model of Evaporating Multicomponent Fuel Drops; Resistively Heated SiC Nozzle for Generating Molecular Beams; Compact Packaging of Photonic Millimeter-Wave Receiver; Diffractive Combiner of Single-Mode Pump Laser-Diode Beams; Wide-Band, High-Quantum-Efficiency Photodetector; A Robustly Stabilizing Model Predictive Control Algorithm; Modeling Evaporation of Drops of Different Kerosenes; Development of Vapor-Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal System; Several Developments in Space Tethers; Design Concept for a Nuclear Reactor-Powered Mars Rover; Formation-Initialization Algorithm for N Spacecraft; and DNSs of Multicomponent Gaseous and Drop-Laden Mixing Layers Achieving Transition to Turbulence.

Wet active chevron nozzle for controllable jet noise reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Russell H. (Inventor); Kinzie, Kevin W. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Disposed at or toward the trailing edge of one or more nozzles associated with a jet engine are injection ports which can selectively be made to discharge a water stream into a nozzle flow stream for the purpose of increasing turbulence in somewhat of a similar fashion as mechanically disposed chevrons have done in the known art. Unlike mechanically disposed chevrons of the known art, the fluid flow may be secured thereby increasing the engine efficiency. Various flow patterns, water pressures, orifice designs or other factors can be made operative to provide desired performance characteristics.

Optical manifold

DOEpatents

Falicoff, Waqidi; Chaves, Julio C.; Minano, Juan Carlos; Benitez, Pablo; Dross, Oliver; Parkyn, Jr., William A.

2010-02-23

Optical systems are described that have at least one source of a beam of blue light with divergence under 15.degree.. A phosphor emits yellow light when excited by the blue light. A collimator is disposed with the phosphor and forms a yellow beam with divergence under 15.degree.. A dichroic filter is positioned to transmit the beam of blue light to the phosphor and to reflect the beam of yellow light to an exit aperture. In different embodiments, the beams of blue and yellow light are incident upon said filter with central angles of 15.degree., 22.degree., and 45.degree.. The filter may reflect all of one polarization and part of the other polarization, and a polarization rotating retroreflector may then be provided to return the unreflected light to the filter.

A novel optical ozone sensor based on purely organic phosphor.

PubMed

Lee, Dongwook; Jung, Jaehun; Bilby, David; Kwon, Min Sang; Yun, Jaesook; Kim, Jinsang

2015-02-11

An optical ozone sensor was developed based on the finding that a purely organic phosphor linearly loses its phosphorescence emission intensity in the presence of varying concentration of ozone gas and ozonated water. Compared to conventional conductance-based inorganic sensors, our novel sensory film has many advantages such as easy fabrication, low-cost, and portability. NMR data confirmed that phosphorescence drop is attributed to oxidation of the core triplet generating aldehyde group of the phosphor. We observed that linear correlation between phosphorescence and ozone concentration and it can detect ozone concentrations of 0.1 ppm that is the threshold concentration harmful to human tissue and respiratory organs. Like a litmus paper, this ozone sensor can be fabricated as a free-standing and disposable film.

Safety and efficacy of a novel disposable circumcision device: A pilot randomized controlled clinical trial at 2 centers

PubMed Central

Wang, Jingen; Zhou, Yongfei; Xia, Shuxia; Zhu, Zunwei; Jia, Linghua; Liu, Yong; Jiang, Min

2014-01-01

Background We evaluated the safety and efficacy of a novel disposable male circumcision (MC) device developed by Jiangxi-Yuansheng-Langhe Medical Instrument Co., Ltd. Material/Methods Adult male patients (n=120; mean age, 26.6 years) with redundant foreskin and/or phimosis were included in a randomized, multicenter pilot clinical trial from October 2011 to February 2012. Patients were divided into 2 groups and subjected to MC with a novel disposable device (Device Group) (n=60) or to conventional dissection technique (CDT) (Control Group) (n=60). Intraoperative bleeding, surgery duration, pain, healing, and satisfaction with penis appearance were assessed. Adverse events (AEs) were noted. Results Intraoperative bleeding volume [3.5±2.7 (15–35) ml vs. 13.1±6.1 (4–25) ml] and mean surgical time [7.6±4.5 (2–23) min vs. 23.6±4.4 (15–35) min] in the Device Group were significantly less than in the Control Group (P<0.01). No AEs were observed in either group. There were no significant differences in postoperative pain, healing, or satisfaction with penis appearance between groups (P>0.05). Conclusions This novel disposable circumcision device produced satisfactory preliminary adult MC results compared with CDT treatments. This device may be broadly used in men, such as those with phimosis, who are ineligible for CDT. PMID:24647226

Multilateral haptics-based immersive teleoperation for improvised explosive device disposal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, David; Lacheray, Hervé; Daly, John

2013-05-01

Of great interest to police and military organizations is the development of effective improvised explosive device (IED) disposal (IEDD) technology to aid in activities such as mine field clearing, and bomb disposal. At the same time minimizing risk to personnel. This paper presents new results in the research and development of a next generation mobile immersive teleoperated explosive ordnance disposal system. This system incorporates elements of 3D vision, multilateral teleoperation for high transparency haptic feedback, immersive augmented reality operator control interfaces, and a realistic hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) 3D simulation environment incorporating vehicle and manipulator dynamics for both operator training and algorithm development. In the past year, new algorithms have been developed to facilitate incorporating commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) robotic hardware into the teleoperation system. In particular, a real-time numerical inverse position kinematics algorithm that can be applied to a wide range of manipulators has been implemented, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) attitude stabilization system for manipulators has been developed and experimentally validated, and a voice­operated manipulator control system has been developed and integrated into the operator control station. The integration of these components into a vehicle simulation environment with half-car vehicle dynamics has also been successfully carried out. A physical half-car plant is currently being constructed for HIL integration with the simulation environment.

Nanopaper as an Optical Sensing Platform.

PubMed

Morales-Narváez, Eden; Golmohammadi, Hamed; Naghdi, Tina; Yousefi, Hossein; Kostiv, Uliana; Horák, Daniel; Pourreza, Nahid; Merkoçi, Arben

2015-07-28

Bacterial cellulose nanopaper (BC) is a multifunctional material known for numerous desirable properties: sustainability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, optical transparency, thermal properties, flexibility, high mechanical strength, hydrophilicity, high porosity, broad chemical-modification capabilities and high surface area. Herein, we report various nanopaper-based optical sensing platforms and describe how they can be tuned, using nanomaterials, to exhibit plasmonic or photoluminescent properties that can be exploited for sensing applications. We also describe several nanopaper configurations, including cuvettes, plates and spots that we printed or punched on BC. The platforms include a colorimetric-based sensor based on nanopaper containing embedded silver and gold nanoparticles; a photoluminescent-based sensor, comprising CdSe@ZnS quantum dots conjugated to nanopaper; and a potential up-conversion sensing platform constructed from nanopaper functionalized with NaYF4:Yb(3+)@Er(3+)&SiO2 nanoparticles. We have explored modulation of the plasmonic or photoluminescent properties of these platforms using various model biologically relevant analytes. Moreover, we prove that BC is and advantageous preconcentration platform that facilitates the analysis of small volumes of optically active materials (∼4 μL). We are confident that these platforms will pave the way to optical (bio)sensors or theranostic devices that are simple, transparent, flexible, disposable, lightweight, miniaturized and perhaps wearable.

Citizen's Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Teaches consumers how to control pests, choose, use, store, and dispose pesticides safely, reduce exposure when others use pesticides, prevent pesticide poisoning, handle an emergency, and how to choose a pest control company.

Multi-port, optically addressed RAM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Alan R. (Inventor); Nixon, Robert H. (Inventor); Bergman, Larry A. (Inventor); Esener, Sadik (Inventor)

1989-01-01

A random access memory addressing system utilizing optical links between memory and the read/write logic circuits comprises addressing circuits including a plurality of light signal sources, a plurality of optical gates including optical detectors associated with the memory cells, and a holographic optical element adapted to reflect and direct the light signals to the desired memory cell locations. More particularly, it is a multi-port, binary computer memory for interfacing with a plurality of computers. There are a plurality of storage cells for containing bits of binary information, the storage cells being disposed at the intersections of a plurality of row conductors and a plurality of column conductors. There is interfacing logic for receiving information from the computers directing access to ones of the storage cells. There are first light sources associated with the interfacing logic for transmitting a first light beam with the access information modulated thereon. First light detectors are associated with the storage cells for receiving the first light beam, for generating an electrical signal containing the access information, and for conducting the electrical signal to the one of the storage cells to which it is directed. There are holographic optical elements for reflecting the first light beam from the first light sources to the first light detectors.

Article, component, and method of forming an article

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lacy, Benjamin Paul; Itzel, Gary Michael; Kottilingam, Srikanth Chandrudu

An article and method of forming an article are provided. The article includes a body portion separating an inner region and an outer region, an aperture in the body portion, the aperture fluidly connecting the inner region to the outer region, and a conduit extending from an outer surface of the body portion at the aperture and being arranged and disposed to controllably direct fluid from the inner region to the outer region. The method includes providing a body portion separating an inner region and an outer region, providing an aperture in the body portion, and forming a conduit overmore » the aperture, the conduit extending from an outer surface of the body portion and being arranged and disposed to controllably direct fluid from the inner region to the outer region. The article is arranged and disposed for insertion within a hot gas path component.« less

Safety control circuit for a neutronic reactor

DOEpatents

Ellsworth, Howard C.

2004-04-27

A neutronic reactor comprising an active portion containing material fissionable by neutrons of thermal energy, means to control a neutronic chain reaction within the reactor comprising a safety device and a regulating device, a safety device including means defining a vertical channel extending into the reactor from an aperture in the upper surface of the reactor, a rod containing neutron-absorbing materials slidably disposed within the channel, means for maintaining the safety rod in a withdrawn position relative to the active portion of the reactor including means for releasing said rod on actuation thereof, a hopper mounted above the active portion of the reactor having a door disposed at the bottom of the hopper opening into the vertical channel, a plurality of bodies of neutron-absorbing materials disposed within the hopper, and means responsive to the failure of the safety rod on actuation thereof to enter the active portion of the reactor for opening the door in the hopper.

Clinical impact of the disposable ventouse iCup® versus a metallic vacuum cup: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Equy, Véronique; David-Tchouda, Sandra; Dreyfus, Michel; Riethmuller, Didier; Vendittelli, Françoise; Cabaud, Victoire; Langer, Bruno; Margier, Jennifer; Bosson, Jean-Luc; Schaal, Jean-Patrick

2015-12-15

Assisted vaginal delivery by vacuum extraction is frequent. Metallic resterilizible metallic vacuum cups have been routinely used in France. In the last few years a new disposable semi-soft vacuum extraction cup, the iCup, has been introduced. Our objective was to compare maternal and new-born outcomes between this disposable cup and the commonly used Drapier-Faure metallic cup. This was a multicenter prospective randomized controlled open clinical trial performed in the maternity units of five university hospitals and one community hospital in France from October 2009 to February 2013. We included consecutive eligible women with a singleton gestation of at least 37 weeks who required vacuum assisted delivery. Women were randomized to vacuum extraction using the iCup or usual Drapier-Faure metallic cup. The primary outcome was a composite criterion including both the risk of cup dysfunction and the most frequent maternal and neonatal harms: the use of other instruments after attempted vacuum extraction, caesarean section after attempted vacuum extraction, three detachments of the cup, caput succedaneum, cephalohaematoma, episiotomy and perineal tears. 335 women were randomized to the disposable cup and 333 to extraction using the metallic cup. There was no significant difference between the two groups for the primary outcome. However, failed instrumental delivery was more frequent in the disposable cup group, mainly due to detachment: 35.6 % vs 7.1 %, p < 0.0001. Conversely, perineal tears were more frequent in the metallic cup group, especially third or fourth grade perineal tears: 1.7 % versus 5.0 %, p = 0.003. There were no significant differences between the two groups concerning post-partum haemorrhage, transfer to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or serious adverse events. While the disposable cup had more detachments and extraction failures than the standard metallic cup, this innovative disposable device had the advantage of fewer perineal injuries. www.clinicaltrials.gov : NCT01058200 on Jan. 27 2010.

Electro-optic voltage sensor for sensing voltage in an E-field

DOEpatents

Woods, G.K.; Renak, T.W.

1999-04-06

A miniature electro-optic voltage sensor system capable of accurate operation at high voltages is disclosed. The system employs a transmitter, a sensor disposed adjacent to but out of direct electrical contact with a conductor on which the voltage is to be measured, a detector, and a signal processor. The transmitter produces a beam of electromagnetic radiation which is routed into the sensor where the beam undergoes the Pockels electro-optic effect. The electro-optic effect causes phase shifting in the beam, which is in turn converted to a pair of independent beams, from which the voltage of a system based on its E-field is determined when the two beams are normalized by the signal processor. The sensor converts the beam by splitting the beam in accordance with the axes of the beam`s polarization state (an ellipse whose ellipticity varies between -1 and +1 in proportion to voltage) into at least two AM signals. These AM signals are fed into a signal processor and processed to determine the voltage between a ground conductor and the conductor on which voltage is being measured. 18 figs.

Electro-optical voltage sensor head

DOEpatents

Woods, Gregory K.

1998-01-01

A miniature electro-optic voltage sensor system capable of accurate operation at high voltages. The system employs a transmitter, a sensor disposed adjacent to but out of direct electrical contact with a conductor on which the voltage is to be measured, a detector, and a signal processor. The transmitter produces a beam of electromagnetic radiation which is routed into the sensor where the beam undergoes the Pockels electro-optic effect. The electro-optic effect causes phase shifting in the beam, which is in turn converted to a pair of independent beams, from which the voltage of a system based on its E-field is determined when the two beams are normalized by the signal processor. The sensor converts the beam by splitting the beam in accordance with the axes of the beam's polarization state (an ellipse whose ellipticity varies between -1 and +1 in proportion to voltage) into at least two AM signals. These AM signals are fed into a signal processor and processed to determine the voltage between a ground conductor and the conductor on which voltage is being measured.

Electro-optic voltage sensor for sensing voltage in an E-field

DOEpatents

Woods, Gregory K.; Renak, Todd W.

1999-01-01

A miniature electro-optic voltage sensor system capable of accurate operation at high voltages. The system employs a transmitter, a sensor disposed adjacent to but out of direct electrical contact with a conductor on which the voltage is to be measured, a detector, and a signal processor. The transmitter produces a beam of electromagnetic radiation which is routed into the sensor where the beam undergoes the Pockels electro-optic effect. The electro-optic effect causes phase shifting in the beam, which is in turn converted to a pair of independent beams, from which the voltage of a system based on its E-field is determined when the two beams are normalized by the signal processor. The sensor converts the beam by splitting the beam in accordance with the axes of the beam's polarization state (an ellipse whose ellipticity varies between -1 and +1 in proportion to voltage) into at least two AM signals. These AM signals are fed into a signal processor and processed to determine the voltage between a ground conductor and the conductor on which voltage is being measured.

Electro-optical voltage sensor head

DOEpatents

Woods, G.K.

1998-03-24

A miniature electro-optic voltage sensor system capable of accurate operation at high voltages is disclosed. The system employs a transmitter, a sensor disposed adjacent to but out of direct electrical contact with a conductor on which the voltage is to be measured, a detector, and a signal processor. The transmitter produces a beam of electromagnetic radiation which is routed into the sensor where the beam undergoes the Pockels electro-optic effect. The electro-optic effect causes phase shifting in the beam, which is in turn converted to a pair of independent beams, from which the voltage of a system based on its E-field is determined when the two beams are normalized by the signal processor. The sensor converts the beam by splitting the beam in accordance with the axes of the beam`s polarization state (an ellipse whose ellipticity varies between -1 and +1 in proportion to voltage) into at least two AM signals. These AM signals are fed into a signal processor and processed to determine the voltage between a ground conductor and the conductor on which voltage is being measured. 6 figs.

Retroreflective systems for remote readout

DOEpatents

Deason, V.A.; Colwell, F.S.; Ricks, K.L.

1998-10-13

A sensing device is described for sensing an environmental factor. The device includes a retroreflective layer disposed in a parallel, facing relationship with a sensing layer. The sensing layer has an initial optical absorption capacity for (1) sensing a presence of an environmental factor, (2) experiencing a change in optical absorption capacity responsive to said environmental factor, and (3) transmitting and attenuating light. A first portion of the sensing layer is sealed off from exposure to the environment while a second portion remains exposed to the environment such that, when the environmental factor is present, the first portion of the sensing layer is prevented from experiencing a change in optical absorption capacity responsive to said environmental factor. Well-collimated light beams are passed through the sensing layer and are reflected back from the retroreflective layer for processing. When the environmental factor is present, the beams which pass through the second portion are attenuated responsive to an increase in optical absorption capacity and are compared with the non-attenuated beams passing through the first portion to calculate the presence and quantity of the environmental factor. 7 figs.

Retroreflective systems for remote readout

DOEpatents

Deason, Vance A.; Colwell, Frederick S.; Ricks, Kirk L.

1998-01-01

A sensing device for sensing an environmental factor. The device includes a retroreflective layer disposed in a parallel, facing relationship with a sensing layer. The sensing layer has an initial optical absorption capacity for (i) sensing a presence of an environmental factor, (ii) experiencing a change in optical absorption capacity responsive to said environmental factor, and (iii) transmitting and attenuating light. A first portion of the sensing layer is sealed off from exposure to the environment while a second portion remains exposed to the environment such that, when the environmental factor is present, the first portion of the sensing layer is prevented from experiencing a change in optical absorption capacity responsive to said environmental factor. Well-collimated light beams are passed through the sensing layer and are reflected back from the retroreflective layer for processing. When the environmental factor is present, the beams which pass through the second portion are attenuated responsive to an increase in optical absorption capacity and are compared with the non-attenuated beams passing through the first portion to calculate the presence and quantity of the environmental factor.

A Conceptual Model of the Air Force Logistics Pipeline

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-01

Contracting Process . ....... 138 Industrial Capacity .. ......... 140 The Disposal Pipeline Subsystem ....... 142 Collective Pipeline Models...Explosion of " Industry ," Acquisition and Production Process .... ............ 202 60. First Level Explosion of "Attrition," the Disposal Process...Terminology and Phrases, a publication of The American Production and Inventory Control Society ( APICS ). This dictionary defines 5 "pipeline stock" as the

Health Promotion Intervention for Hygienic Disposal of Children's Faeces in a Rural Area of Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jinadu, M. K.; Adegbenro, C. A.; Esmai, A. O.; Ojo, A. A.; Oyeleye, B. A.

2007-01-01

Objective: Community-based health promotion intervention for improving unhygienic disposal of children's faeces was conducted in a rural area of Nigeria. Setting: The study was conducted in Ife South Local Government area of Osun State, Nigeria. Design: The study was conducted in 10 randomly selected rural villages: five control and five active.…

Hazardous Waste Minimization Assessment: Fort Meade, MD

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

Manual TSCA Toxic Substances Control Act TSDF T.xatment. Storage, and Disposal Facility USACERL U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory...generation; and current methods of treatment, storage, and disposal, researchers conducted feasibility and economicanalyses of milnimizaion options...Bernard A. Donahue 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) ANO ADO ESS(ES) S. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research

Health effects of a thorium waste disposal site.

PubMed Central

Najem, G R; Voyce, L K

1990-01-01

A case-control study of 112 households residing in the vicinity of a thorium waste disposal site found a higher prevalence of birth defects (RR 2.1) and liver diseases (RR 2.3) among exposed than the unexposed group. The numbers were quite small and the confidence intervals wide, however, so that no definite conclusions can be drawn from these data. PMID:2316775

A needs assessment of unused and expired medication disposal practices: A study from the Medication Safety Research Network of Indiana.

PubMed

Kozak, Mary Ann; Melton, Johnna R; Gernant, Stephanie A; Snyder, Margie E

2016-01-01

Access and availability of unused and expired medication (UEM) due to improper disposal and storage is a serious issue, potentially leading to abuse and environmental concerns. To describe the extent of the UEM issue in Indiana (U.S. State), identify patient beliefs about UEM, and determine any association between those beliefs and various personal/demographic characteristics. A needs assessment was conducted among community pharmacy patients. A convenience sample of 200 patients from 15 community pharmacies that are part of a practice-based research network (PBRN) in Indiana completed a survey concerning UEM beliefs and behaviors from Feb-March, 2014. Approximately 40% of patients were aware of a UEM take-back location in their community, although only 15% had utilized a UEM take-back location. Seventy-seven percent of patients were willing to drive to a take-back location to return UEM. Particularly vulnerable populations lacking knowledge regarding UEM and access to proper disposal were identified. While states have made efforts to increase accessibility for UEM return, there remains a need for more disposal locations for both non-controlled and controlled medication. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimating the burden of illness in an Ontario community with untreated drinking water and sewage disposal problems.

PubMed

Chambers, L W; Shimoda, F; Walter, S D; Pickard, L; Hunter, B; Ford, J; Deivanayagam, N; Cunningham, I

1989-01-01

The Hamilton-Wentworth regional health department was asked by one of its municipalities to determine whether the present water supply and sewage disposal methods used in a community without piped water and regional sewage disposal posed a threat to the health of its residents. Three approaches were used: assessments by public health inspectors of all households; bacteriological and chemical analyses of water samples; and completion of a specially designed questionnaire by residents in the target community and a control community. 89% of the 227 residences in the target community were found to have a drinking water supply that, according to the Ministry of Environment guidelines, was unsafe and/or unsatisfactory. According to on-site inspections, 32% of households had sewage disposal problems. Responses to the questionnaire revealed that the target community residents reported more symptoms associated with enteric infections due to the water supply. Two of these symptoms, diarrhea and stomach cramps, had a relative risk of 2.2 when compared to the control community (p less than 0.05). The study was successfully used by the municipality to argue for provincial funding of piped water.

Preliminary fabrication and characterization of low-leakage hybrid coaxial cable

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudnitsky, Arkady; Elbaz, David; Zalevsky, Zeev

2013-10-01

In this paper we present the fabrication and the initial characterization of a new type of coaxial cable having reduced leakage characteristics and the capability of transmitting optical signals, in additional to the RF signal, through the glass medium between the metallic conductors. The suggested decreased leakage and material loss is obtained by using different metallic shield geometry. The suggested model is composed of a central conductor surrounded by plurality of metallic wires circularly disposed.

Exploration of Questions Regarding Modelling of Crack Growth Behaviour under Practical Combinations of Aircraft Spectra, Stress Levels and Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

Conditions of Release and Disposal This document is the property of the Australian Government; the information it contains is released for defence...of high strength aluminium alloys and stress spectra associated with fatigue sensitive locations on typical RAAF aircraft. This report continues...growth, infrared NDT technologies and fibre optic corrosion detection devices. He joined DSTO in 2007 in the Air Vehicles Division and is currently

Disposable magnetically levitated centrifugal blood pump: design and in vitro performance.

PubMed

Hoshi, Hideo; Asama, Junichi; Shinshi, Tadahiko; Ohuchi, Katsuhiro; Nakamura, Makoto; Mizuno, Tomohiro; Arai, Hirokuni; Shimokohbe, Akira; Takatani, Setsuo

2005-07-01

A magnetically levitated (MagLev) centrifugal blood pump (CBP) with a disposable pump head has been designed to realize a safe, easy-to-handle, reliable, and low-cost extracorporeal blood pump system. It consisted of a radial magnetic-coupled driver with a magnetic bearing having a two-degree freedom control and a disposable pump head unit with a priming volume of 24 mL. The easy on-off disposable pump head unit was made into a three-piece system consisting of the top and bottom housings, and the impeller-rotor assembly. The size and weight of the disposable pump unit were 75 mm x 45 mm and 100 g, respectively. Because the structure of the pump head unit is easily attachable and removable, the gap between the electromagnets of the stator and the target material in the rotor increased to 1.8 mm in comparison to the original integrated bearing system of 1.0 mm. The pump performance, power requirements, and controllability of the magnetic bearing revealed that from 1400 to 2400 rpm, the pump performance remained fairly unchanged. The amplitudes of the X- and Y-axis rotor oscillation increased to +/- 24 microm. The axial displacement of the rotor, 0.4 mm, toward the top housing was also observed at the pump rpm between 1400 and 2400. The axial and rotational stiffness of the bearing were 15.9 N/mm and 4.4 Nm/rad, respectively. The MagLev power was within 0.7 Watts. This study demonstrated the feasibility of a disposable, magnetically suspended CBP as the safe, reliable, easy-to-handle, low-cost extracorporeal circulation support device.

Special Analysis for the Disposal of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Low Activity Beta/Gamma Sources Waste Stream at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shott, Gregory J.

This special analysis (SA) evaluates whether the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Low Activity Beta/Gamma Sources waste stream (BCLALADOEOSRP, Revision 0) is suitable for disposal by shallow land burial (SLB) at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The LLNL Low Activity Beta/Gamma Sources waste stream consists of sealed sources that are no longer needed. The LLNL Low Activity Beta/Gamma Sources waste stream required a special analysis because cobalt-60 (60Co), strontium-90 (90Sr), cesium-137 (137Cs), and radium-226 (226Ra) exceeded the NNSS Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) Action Levels (U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclearmore » Security Administration Nevada Field Office [NNSA/NFO] 2015). The results indicate that all performance objectives can be met with disposal of the LLNL Low Activity Beta/Gamma Sources in a SLB trench. The LLNL Low Activity Beta/Gamma Sources waste stream is suitable for disposal by SLB at the Area 5 RWMS. However, the activity concentration of 226Ra listed on the waste profile sheet significantly exceeds the action level. Approval of the waste profile sheet could potentially allow the disposal of high activity 226Ra sources. To ensure that the generator does not include large 226Ra sources in this waste stream without additional evaluation, a control is need on the maximum 226Ra inventory. A limit based on the generator’s estimate of the total 226Ra inventory is recommended. The waste stream is recommended for approval with the control that the total 226Ra inventory disposed shall not exceed 5.5E10 Bq (1.5 Ci).« less

Electron gun controlled smart structure

DOEpatents

Martin, Jeffrey W.; Main, John Alan; Redmond, James M.; Henson, Tammy D.; Watson, Robert D.

2001-01-01

Disclosed is a method and system for actively controlling the shape of a sheet of electroactive material; the system comprising: one or more electrodes attached to the frontside of the electroactive sheet; a charged particle generator, disposed so as to direct a beam of charged particles (e.g. electrons) onto the electrode; a conductive substrate attached to the backside of the sheet; and a power supply electrically connected to the conductive substrate; whereby the sheet changes its shape in response to an electric field created across the sheet by an accumulation of electric charge within the electrode(s), relative to a potential applied to the conductive substrate. Use of multiple electrodes distributed across on the frontside ensures a uniform distribution of the charge with a single point of e-beam incidence, thereby greatly simplifying the beam scanning algorithm and raster control electronics, and reducing the problems associated with "blooming". By placing a distribution of electrodes over the front surface of a piezoelectric film (or other electroactive material), this arrangement enables improved control over the distribution of surface electric charges (e.g. electrons) by creating uniform (and possibly different) charge distributions within each individual electrode. Removal or deposition of net electric charge can be affected by controlling the secondary electron yield through manipulation of the backside electric potential with the power supply. The system can be used for actively controlling the shape of space-based deployable optics, such as adaptive mirrors and inflatable antennae.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The 18-acre Joseph Forest Products (JFP) site is a wood-processing facility in the City of Joseph, Wallowa County, Oregon. Land use in the area is predominantly industrial and agricultural. The City of Enterprise uses two springs located 4,000 feet from JFP to serve as its municipal water supply. In 1974, and again from 1977 to 1985, Joseph Forest Products, Inc., used the site as a lumber mill, processing wood into lumber products. The selected remedial action for the site includes demolishing contaminated onsite structures, including the process, storage, and mixing tanks, and the wooden structures and concrete slabs, followed bymore » offsite disposal; decontaminating the concrete drip pad and tanks, followed by recycling or offsite disposal of debris; excavating surface and subsurface soil, with screening and segregation of hazardous waste for offsite disposal, with stabilization, if necessary, prior to disposal at appropriate facilities; backfilling any excavated areas; removing asbestos from the facility, with offsite disposal; removing underground storage tanks and any associated contaminated soil, with scrapping or offsite disposal; monitoring ground water; and implementing institutional controls, including deed and land use restrictions or environmental notices. The estimated capital cost for this remedial action is $550,000, with an annual O M cost of $24,000 for 3 years.« less

Technical and economic evaluation of controlled disposal options for very low level radioactive wastes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robinson, P.J.; Vance, J.N.

1990-08-01

Over the past several years, there has been considerable interest by the nuclear industry in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) explicitly defined an activity level in plant waste materials at which the radiological impacts would be so low as to be considered Below Regulatory Concern (BRC). In January 1989, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) completed an extensive industry research effort to develop the technical bases for establishing criteria for the disposal of very low activity wastes in ordinary disposal facilities. The Nuclear Management and Resources Council (NUMARC), with assistance from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and the Electric Power Researchmore » Institute (EPRI), drafted a petition titled: Petition for Rulemaking Regarding Disposal of Below Regulatory Concern Radioactive Wastes from Commercial Nuclear Power Plants.'' Subsequent to the industry making a final decision for submittal of the drafted BRC petition, EPRI was requested to evaluate the technical and economic impact of six BRC options. These options are: take no action in pursuing a BRC waste exemption, petition the NRC for authorization to disposal of any BRC waste in any ordinary disposal facility, limit disposal of BRC waste to the nuclear power plant site, limit disposal of BRC waste to the nuclear power plant site and other utility owned property, petition for a mixed waste exemption, and petition for single waste stream exemptions in sequence (i.e. soil, followed by sewage sludge, etc.). The petition and technical bases were written to support the disposal of any BRC waste type in any ordinary disposal facility. These documents do not provide all of the technical and economic information needed to completely assessment the BRC options. This report provides the technical and economic basis for a range of options concerning disposal of very low activity wastes. 3 figs., 20 tabs.« less

Oxygen permeability of the pigmented material used in cosmetic daily disposable contact lenses.

PubMed

Galas, Stephen; Copper, Lenora L

2016-01-01

To evaluate the individual contributions of pigment colorant and packing solution containing polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) on the oxygen permeability (Dk) of a cosmetic printed etafilcon A daily disposable contact lens packaged with PVP. The oxygen transport of a contact lens is evaluated through the central optical zone of the lens. Cosmetic printed contact lenses contain pigment colorant in the periphery or mid-periphery of the lens. Therefore, to assess the impact of cosmetic print on oxygen permeability, special lenses need to be produced that contain the colorant within the central optical zone. This technique was used to obtain multiple measurements of nonedge-corrected Dk/t of both the center pigmented lens and its nonpigmented equivalent, using a polarographic measurement described in International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 18369-4:2006(E), and the Dk derived for each measurement is corrected for edge effect. In addition, the edge-corrected Dk values of lenses made from the same monomer batch were measured. The lenses were packaged and autoclaved with and without proprietary technology which embeds PVP in the contact lens during autoclaving. The resulting Dk value of the printed lens material was then used with thickness data to generate true Dk/t profiles for a given lens power. The edge-corrected Dk of the printed etafilcon A lens with offset pigment colorant was measured to be 19.7×10 -11 (cm 2 /s) (mL O 2 /mL·mmHg) at 35°C. This was within ±20% tolerance range as specified in ISO 18369-2:2012(E) for the edge-corrected Dk of the nonpigmented etafilcon A control lens evaluated during the same session, 19.5×10 -11 (cm 2 /s) (mL O 2 /mL·mmHg). The edge-corrected Dk values of the lenses packaged with PVP (mean 20.1, standard deviation [SD] 0.3) were also within the ±20% tolerance range compared to those packaged without PVP (mean 20.0, SD 0.3). The pigment colorant and PVP embedded in the contact lens during autoclaving were not found to influence the oxygen permeability of the etafilcon A material.

High precision high flow range control valve

DOEpatents

McCray, J.A.

1999-07-13

A fluid control valve is described having a valve housing having first and second valve housing openings for the ingress and egress of fluid through the control valve. Disposed within a void formed by the control valve is a sleeve having at least one sleeve opening to permit the flow of fluid therethrough. A flow restricter travels within the sleeve to progressively block off the sleeve opening and thereby control flow. A fluid passageway is formed between the first valve housing opening and the outer surface of the sleeve. A second fluid passageway is formed between the inside of the sleeve and the second valve housing opening. Neither fluid passageway contains more than one 90 [degree] turn. In the preferred embodiment only one of the two fluid passageways contains a 90[degree] turn. In another embodiment, the control valve housing is bifurcated by a control surface having control surface opening disposed therethrough. A flow restricter is in slidable contact with the control surface to restrict flow of fluid through the control surface openings. 12 figs.

High precision high flow range control valve

DOEpatents

McCray, John A.

1999-01-01

A fluid control valve is described having a valve housing having first and second valve housing openings for the ingress and egress of fluid through the control valve. Disposed within a void formed by the control valve is a sleeve having at least one sleeve opening to permit the flow of fluid therethrough. A flow restricter travels within the sleeve to progressively block off the sleeve opening and thereby control flow. A fluid passageway is formed between the first valve housing opening and the outer surface of the sleeve. A second fluid passageway is formed between the inside of the sleeve and the second valve housing opening. Neither fluid passageway contains more than one 90.degree. turn. In the preferred embodiment only one of the two fluid passageways contains a 90.degree. turn. In another embodiment, the control valve housing is bifurcated by a control surface having control surface opening disposed therethrough. A flow restricter is in slidable contact with the control surface to restrict flow of fluid through the control surface openings.

Low current extended duration spark ignition system

DOEpatents

Waters, Stephen Howard; Chan, Anthony Kok-Fai

2005-08-30

A system for firing a spark plug is disclosed. The system includes a timing controller configured to send a first timing signal and a second timing signal. The system also includes an ignition transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding and a spark-plug that is operably associated with the secondary winding. A first switching element is disposed between the timing controller and the primary winding of the ignition transformer. The first switching element controls a supply of power to the primary winding based on the first timing signal. Also, a second switching element is disposed between the timing controller and the primary winding of the ignition transformer. The second switching element controls the supply of power to the primary winding based on the second timing signal. A method for firing a spark plug is also disclosed.

Techniques for debris control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petro, Andrew J.

1990-01-01

This paper will summarize a range of techniques which have been proposed for controlling the growth of man-made debris in earth orbit. Several techniques developed in studies at the Johnson Space Center will be described in detail. These techniques include the retrieval of inoperative satellites with an orbital maneuvering vehicle and self-disposal devices for satellites and upper stages. Self-disposal devices include propulsive deorbit motors and passive drag-augmentation devices. Concepts for sweeping small debris from the orbital environment will also be described. An evaluation of the technical feasibility and economic practicality of the various control methods will be summarized. In general, methods which prevent the accumulation of large debris objects were found to provide greater promise for control of the debris problem than methods of removing small debris particles.

Removal of Legacy Low-Level Waste Reactor Moderator De-ionizer Resins Highly Contaminated with Carbon-14 from the 'Waste with no Path to Disposal List' Through Innovative Technical Analysis and Performance Assessment Techniques

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goldston, W.T.; Hiergesell, R.A.; Kaplan, D.I.

2006-07-01

At the Savannah River Site (SRS), nuclear production reactors used de-ionizers to control the chemistry of the reactor moderator during their operation to produce nuclear materials primarily for the weapons program. These de-ionizers were removed from the reactors and stored as a legacy waste and due to the relatively high carbon-14 (C-14) contamination (i.e., on the order of 740 giga becquerel (GBq) (20 curies) per de-ionizer) were considered a legacy 'waste with no path to disposal'. Considerable progress has been made in consideration of a disposal path for the legacy reactor de-ionizers. Presently, 48 - 50 de-ionizers being stored atmore » SRS have 'no path to disposal' because the disposal limit for C-14 in the SRS's low-level waste disposal facility's Intermediate Level Vault (ILV) is only 160 GBq (4.2 curies) per vault. The current C-14 ILV disposal limit is based on a very conservative analysis of the air pathway. The paper will describe the alternatives that were investigated that resulted in the selection of a route to pursue. This paper will then describe SRS's efforts to reduce the conservatism in the analysis, which resulted in a significantly larger C-14 disposal limit. The work consisted of refining the gas-phase analysis to simulate the migration of C-14 from the waste to the ground surface and evaluated the efficacy of carbonate chemistry in cementitious environment of the ILV for suppressing the volatilization of C-14. During the past year, a Special Analysis was prepared for Department of Energy approval to incorporate the results of these activities that increased the C-14 disposal limits for the ILV, thus allowing for disposal of the Reactor Moderator De-ionizers. Once the Special Analysis is approved by DOE, the actual disposal would be dependent on priority and funding, but the de-ionizers will be removed from the 'waste with no path to disposal list'. (authors)« less

Resin Characterization

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

environmental test chamber attachment to control temperature and disposable parallel plates . The experiment can be stopped when the sample...is auto-stopping when its torque limit is reached and to prevent too high of an extent of cure that could make removal of the disposable plates from...separated by a 0.025-mm-thick Teflon spacer (International Crystal Labs) or pressed with potassium bromide (KBr) powder into pellets. The salt plate

Transparent anodic TiO2 nanotube arrays on plastic substrates for disposable biosensors and flexible electronics.

PubMed

Farsinezhad, Samira; Mohammadpour, Arash; Dalrymple, Ashley N; Geisinger, Jared; Kar, Piyush; Brett, Michael J; Shankar, Karthik

2013-04-01

Exploitation of anodically formed self-organized TiO2 nanotube arrays in mass-manufactured, disposable biosensors, rollable electrochromic displays and flexible large-area solar cells would greatly benefit from integration with transparent and flexible polymeric substrates. Such integration requires the vacuum deposition of a thin film of titanium on the desired substrate, which is then anodized in suitable media to generate TiO2 nanotube arrays. However the challenges associated with control of Ti film morphology, nanotube array synthesis conditions, and film adhesion and transparency, have necessitated the use of substrate heating during deposition to temperatures of at least 300 degrees C and as high as 500 degrees C to generate highly ordered open-pore nanotube arrays, thus preventing the use of polymeric substrates. We report on a film growth technique that exploits atomic peening to achieve high quality transparent TiO2 nanotube arrays with lengths up to 5.1 microm at room temperature on polyimide substrates without the need for substrate heating or substrate biasing or a Kauffman ion source. The superior optical quality and uniformity of the nanotube arrays was evidenced by the high specular reflectivity and the smooth pattern of periodic interferometric fringes in the transmission spectra of the nanotube arrays, from which the wavelength-dependent effective refractive index was extracted for the air-TiO2 composite medium. A fluorescent immunoassay biosensor constructed using 5.1 microm-long transparent titania nanotube arrays (TTNAs) grown on Kapton substrates detected human cardiac troponin I at a concentration of 0.1 microg ml(-1).

41 CFR 109-1.5300 - Scope of subpart.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... identification, accounting, control, and disposal policy guidance for the following categories of high risk... categories of high risk personal property are controlled by other life cycle management programs and...

Segregated tandem filter for enhanced conversion efficiency in a thermophotovoltaic energy conversion system

DOEpatents

Brown, Edward J.; Baldasaro, Paul F.; Dziendziel, Randolph J.

1997-01-01

A filter system to transmit short wavelength radiation and reflect long wavelength radiation for a thermophotovoltaic energy conversion cell comprises an optically transparent substrate segregation layer with at least one coherent wavelength in optical thickness; a dielectric interference filter deposited on one side of the substrate segregation layer, the interference filter being disposed toward the source of radiation, the interference filter including a plurality of alternating layers of high and low optical index materials adapted to change from transmitting to reflecting at a nominal wavelength .lambda..sub.IF approximately equal to the bandgap wavelength .lambda..sub.g of the thermophotovoltaic cell, the interference filter being adapted to transmit incident radiation from about 0.5.lambda..sub.IF to .lambda..sub.IF and reflect from .lambda..sub.IF to about 2.lambda..sub.IF ; and a high mobility plasma filter deposited on the opposite side of the substrate segregation layer, the plasma filter being adapted to start to become reflecting at a wavelength of about 1.5.lambda..sub.IF.

Partial polarizer filter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Title, A. M. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

A birefringent filter module comprises, in seriatum. (1) an entrance polarizer, (2) a first birefringent crystal responsive to optical energy exiting the entrance polarizer, (3) a partial polarizer responsive to optical energy exiting the first polarizer, (4) a second birefringent crystal responsive to optical energy exiting the partial polarizer, and (5) an exit polarizer. The first and second birefringent crystals have fast axes disposed + or -45 deg from the high transmitivity direction of the partial polarizer. Preferably, the second crystal has a length 1/2 that of the first crystal and the high transmitivity direction of the partial polarizer is nine times as great as the low transmitivity direction. To provide tuning, the polarizations of the energy entering the first crystal and leaving the second crystal are varied by either rotating the entrance and exit polarizers, or by sandwiching the entrance and exit polarizers between pairs of half wave plates that are rotated relative to the polarizers. A plurality of the filter modules may be cascaded.

Development of a Cone Penetrometer for Measuring Spectral Characteristics of Soils in Situ

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Landris T., Jr.; Malone, Philip G.

1993-01-01

A patent was recently granted to the U.S. Army for an adaptation of a soil cone penetrometer that can be used to measure the spectral characteristics (fluorescence or reflectance) of soils adjacent to the penetrometer rod. The system can use a variety of light sources and spectral analytical equipment. A laser induced fluorescence measuring system has proven to be of immediate use in mapping the distribution of oil contaminated soil at waste disposal and oil storage areas. The fiber optic adaptation coupled with a cone penetrometer permits optical characteristics of the in-situ soil to be measured rapidly, safely, and inexpensively. The fiber optic cone penetrometer can be used to gather spectral data to a depth of approximately 25 to 30 m even in dense sands or stiff clays and can investigate 300 m of soil per day. Typical detection limits for oil contamination in sand is on the order of several hundred parts per million.

Method and apparatus for wavefront sensing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bahk, Seung-Whan

A method for performing optical wavefront sensing includes providing an amplitude transmission mask having a light input side, a light output side, and an optical transmission axis passing from the light input side to the light output side. The amplitude transmission mask is characterized by a checkerboard pattern having a square unit cell of size .LAMBDA.. The method also includes directing an incident light field having a wavelengthmore » $$ \\lamda $$ to be incident on the light input side and propagating the incident light field through the amplitude transmission mask. The method further includes producing a plurality of diffracted light fields on the light output side and detecting, at a detector disposed a distance L from the amplitude transmission mask, an interferogram associated with the plurality of diffracted light fields.« less

Mechanical Stress Measurement During Thin-Film Fabrication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broadway, David M. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A method and system are provided for determining mechanical stress experienced by a film during fabrication thereof on a substrate positioned in a vacuum deposition chamber. The substrate's first surface is disposed to have the film deposited thereon and the substrate's opposing second surface is a specular reflective surface. A portion of the substrate is supported. An optical displacement sensor is positioned in the vacuum deposition chamber in a spaced-apart relationship with respect to a portion of the substrate's second surface. During film deposition on the substrate's first surface, displacement of the portion of the substrate's second surface is measured using the optical displacement sensor. The measured displacement is indicative of a radius of curvature of the substrate, and the radius of curvature is indicative of mechanical stress being experienced by the film.

Transverse pumped laser amplifier architecture

DOEpatents

Bayramian, Andrew James; Manes, Kenneth R.; Deri, Robert; Erlandson, Alvin; Caird, John; Spaeth, Mary L.

2015-05-19

An optical gain architecture includes a pump source and a pump aperture. The architecture also includes a gain region including a gain element operable to amplify light at a laser wavelength. The gain region is characterized by a first side intersecting an optical path, a second side opposing the first side, a third side adjacent the first and second sides, and a fourth side opposing the third side. The architecture further includes a dichroic section disposed between the pump aperture and the first side of the gain region. The dichroic section is characterized by low reflectance at a pump wavelength and high reflectance at the laser wavelength. The architecture additionally includes a first cladding section proximate to the third side of the gain region and a second cladding section proximate to the fourth side of the gain region.

Transverse pumped laser amplifier architecture

DOEpatents

Bayramian, Andrew James; Manes, Kenneth; Deri, Robert; Erlandson, Al; Caird, John; Spaeth, Mary

2013-07-09

An optical gain architecture includes a pump source and a pump aperture. The architecture also includes a gain region including a gain element operable to amplify light at a laser wavelength. The gain region is characterized by a first side intersecting an optical path, a second side opposing the first side, a third side adjacent the first and second sides, and a fourth side opposing the third side. The architecture further includes a dichroic section disposed between the pump aperture and the first side of the gain region. The dichroic section is characterized by low reflectance at a pump wavelength and high reflectance at the laser wavelength. The architecture additionally includes a first cladding section proximate to the third side of the gain region and a second cladding section proximate to the fourth side of the gain region.

Flat or curved thin optical display panel

DOEpatents

Veligdan, James T.

1995-01-10

An optical panel 10 includes a plurality of waveguides 12 stacked together, with each waveguide 12 having a first end 12a and an opposite second end 12b. The first ends 12a collectively define a first face 16, and the second ends 12b collectively define a second face 18 of the panel 10. The second face 18 is disposed at an acute face angle relative to the waveguides 12 to provide a panel 10 which is relatively thin compared to the height of the second face. In an exemplary embodiment for use in a projection TV, the first face 16 is substantially smaller in height than the second face 18 and receives a TV image, with the second face 18 defining a screen for viewing the image enlarged.

Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment of Proposed Actions by the 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

New York) 90 Food Blender at 3 ft. 80 Garbage Disposal at 3 ft. Shouting at 3 ft. 70 Vacuum Cleanerr at 10ft. 60 Normal Speech at 3ft. 50...Manufacturing, general Photographic & optical Agriculture (except livestock) & forestry Livestock farming & breeding Mining & fishing, resource production...1.1586400; NASA -TM-86400. 1 March 1985. Finegold et al. 1994 Finegold, L.S., C.S. Harris, and H.E. von Gierke. 1994. “Community Annoyance and Sleep

Resonance-shifting luminescent solar concentrators

DOEpatents

Giebink, Noel Christopher; Wiederrecht, Gary P; Wasielewski, Michael R

2014-09-23

An optical system and method to overcome luminescent solar concentrator inefficiencies by resonance-shifting, in which sharply directed emission from a bi-layer cavity into a glass substrate returns to interact with the cavity off-resonance at each subsequent reflection, significantly reducing reabsorption loss en route to the edges. In one embodiment, the system comprises a luminescent solar concentrator comprising a transparent substrate, a luminescent film having a variable thickness; and a low refractive index layer disposed between the transparent substrate and the luminescent film.

Resonance-shifting luminescent solar concentrators

DOEpatents

Giebink, Noel Christopher; Wiederrecht, Gary P.; Wasielewski, Michael R.

2018-01-23

An optical system and method to overcome luminescent solar concentrator inefficiencies by resonance-shifting, in which sharply directed emission from a bi-layer cavity into a glass substrate returns to interact with the cavity off-resonance at each subsequent reflection, significantly reducing reabsorption loss en route to the edges. In one embodiment, the system comprises a luminescent solar concentrator comprising a transparent substrate, a luminescent film having a variable thickness; and a low refractive index layer disposed between the transparent substrate and the luminescent film.

Comparison between a disposable and an electronic PCA device for labor epidural analgesia.

PubMed

Sumikura, Hiroyuki; van de Velde, Marc; Tateda, Takeshi

2004-01-01

The aims of the present study were (1) to investigate if a disposable patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device can be used for labor analgesia and (2) to evaluate the device by midwives and parturients. Forty healthy parturients were divided into two groups and received combined spinal epidural analgesia for labor pain relief. Following intrathecal administration of 3 mg ropivacaine and 1.5 microg sufentanil, either a disposable PCA device (Coopdech Syrinjector; Daiken Medical, Osaka, Japan) or an electronic PCA device (IVAC PCAM PCA Syringe Pump; Alaris, Basingstoke, UK) was connected to the epidural catheter, and 0.15% ropivacaine with sufentanil 0.75 microg/ml was used for continuous infusion and PCA. For an electronic PCA device, continuous infusion rate, bolus dose, lockout time, and hourly limit were set at 4 ml/h, 3 ml, 15 min, and 16 ml, respectively. For a disposable PCA device, continuous infusion rate, bolus dose, and an hourly limit were set at 4 ml/h, 3 ml, and 16 ml, respectively, but lockout function was not available. No differences were observed between the groups concerning demographic data, obstetric data, and outcome of labor. Anesthetic requirements (disposable, 9.7 +/- 4.7 ml/h; electronic, 8.2 +/- 4.0 ml/h) and VAS score during the delivery (disposable, 26 +/- 25; electronic, 21 +/- 22) were similar between the groups. Midwives praised the disposable PCA device as well as the electronic one. The present results imply that the disposable PCA device can be an alternative to the electronic PCA device for labor analgesia.

Discussions about safety criteria and guidelines for radioactive waste management.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Masafumi

2011-07-01

In Japan, the clearance levels for uranium-bearing waste have been established by the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC). The criteria for uranium-bearing waste disposal are also necessary; however, the NSC has not concluded the discussion on this subject. Meanwhile, the General Administrative Group of the Radiation Council has concluded the revision of its former recommendation 'Regulatory exemption dose for radioactive solid waste disposal', the dose criteria after the institutional control period for a repository. The Standardization Committee on Radiation Protection in the Japan Health Physics Society (The Committee) also has developed the relevant safety criteria and guidelines for existing exposure situations, which are potentially applicable to uranium-bearing waste disposal. A new working group established by The Committee was initially aimed at developing criteria and guidelines specifically for uranium-bearing waste disposal; however, the aim has been shifted to broader criteria applicable to any radioactive wastes.

Skin hydration in nursing home residents using disposable bed baths.

PubMed

Gillis, Katrin; Tency, Inge; Roelant, Ella; Laureys, Sarina; Devriendt, Hendrik; Lips, Dirk

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate a new way for applying bed baths and reducing the risk for dry skin by comparing the effect of two washing methods on skin hydration. A cluster randomized trial was conducted. Skin hydration was measured before and after implementation of disposable wash gloves, using a MoistureMeter SC at three skin sites. Total skin hydration did not differ between residents at the start of the study in both groups. After implementation, the post minus pre hydration scores were higher for the intervention group than the control group at all skin sites. However, the difference was only significant at cheek site. The use of disposable wash gloves does not increase the risk for dry skin in comparison with traditional washing methods. These results may encourage the introduction of disposable wash gloves as an innovation in daily skin care practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recommended methods for the disposal of sanitary wastes from temporary field medical facilities.

PubMed

Reed, R A; Dean, P T

1994-12-01

Emergency field medical facilities constructed after a disaster are frequently managed by medical staff even though many of the day-to-day problems of hospital management are unrelated to medicine. In this paper we discuss the short-term management of one of these problems, namely the control and disposal of sanitary wastes. It is aimed at persons in the medical profession who may find themselves responsible for a temporary hospital and have little or no previous experience of managing such situations. The wastes commonly generated are excreta, sullage and refuse. In addition, surface water must also be considered because its inadequate disposal is a potential health hazard. The paper concentrates on short-term measures appropriate for the first six months of the hospital or clinic's existence. Facilities expected to last longer are recommended to install conventional waste management systems appropriate to the local community and conditions. In most situations, wastes should be disposed of underground either by burial (for solids) or infiltration (for liquids). The design, construction and management of appropriate disposal systems are described.

Numerical Modeling of Wastewater Injection in the Denver Basin combined disposal zone in northeast Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, M. R. M.; Ge, S.; Sheehan, A. F.

2016-12-01

Previous studies have correlated seismicity with high rate injection at Underground Injection Control Class II wastewater disposal wells. In this study, we examine the impact of injection in the Denver Basin combined disposal zone that is used by numerous Class II wells. The disposal zone includes the Lyons Formation, a sandstone unit, and the Fountain Formation, an arkose unit just above the basement. Within a 30-km radius of the deep Class II injection well (NGL C4A) closest to the June 1, 2014 M3.2 Greeley earthquake, there are fifteen deep wastewater disposal wells injecting into the disposal zone and two shallow wastewater disposal wells injecting into the Lyons Formation only. One of the shallow wells is located at the same disposal facility as NGL-C4A and started injection in October 2004; the earliest deep injection in this region, at well NGL-C6, began in November 2007. The major episode of seismicity in the area started in November 2013. The timing of injection operation and seismicity occurrence raises several questions. Why did seismicity not begin in the area until nearly 10 years after the start of injection? Nine of the deep wastewater disposal wells began injection after the M3.2 earthquake on June 1, 2014; how does the large increase in the number of injection wells in the area change the pore-pressure in the disposal zone? How does the injection from the various wells interact? Does this increase the chances of induced seismicity? We conduct numerical modeling of 18 injection wells from 2004 to 2016 to explore these questions by better understanding the pore-pressure changes through time, pore-pressure changes in areas of induced earthquakes, and the interactions between injection wells. We include the asymmetry of the basin geometry in the model. We also use this case study to refine how well spacing and injection rate influences the occurrence of induced earthquakes.

7 CFR 1779.100 - OMB control number.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 12 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false OMB control number. 1779.100 Section 1779.100... AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) WATER AND WASTE DISPOSAL PROGRAMS GUARANTEED LOANS § 1779.100 OMB control number. The... Management and Budget and have been assigned OMB control number 0572-0122. ...

7 CFR 1779.100 - OMB control number.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 12 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false OMB control number. 1779.100 Section 1779.100... AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) WATER AND WASTE DISPOSAL PROGRAMS GUARANTEED LOANS § 1779.100 OMB control number. The... Management and Budget and have been assigned OMB control number 0572-0122. ...

7 CFR 1779.100 - OMB control number.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 12 2014-01-01 2013-01-01 true OMB control number. 1779.100 Section 1779.100... AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) WATER AND WASTE DISPOSAL PROGRAMS GUARANTEED LOANS § 1779.100 OMB control number. The... Management and Budget and have been assigned OMB control number 0572-0122. ...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cummins, G.D.

This request is submitted to seek interim approval to operate a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 chemical waste landfill for the disposal of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) waste. Operation of a chemical waste landfill for disposal of PCB waste is subject to the TSCA regulations of 40 CFR 761. Interim approval is requested for a period not to exceed 5 years from the date of approval. This request covers only the disposal of small 10 quantities of solid PCB waste contained in decommissioned, defueled submarine reactor compartments (SRC). In addition, the request applies only to disposal 12 of thismore » waste in Trench 94 of the 218-E-12B Burial Ground (Trench 94) in the 13 200 East Area of the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Hanford Facility. Disposal of this waste will be conducted in accordance with the Compliance 15 Agreement (Appendix H) between the DOE Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) and 16 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 10. During the 5-year interim approval period, the DOE-RL will submit an application seeking final 18 approval for operation of Trench 94 as a chemical waste landfill, including 19 any necessary waivers, and also will seek a final dangerous waste permit from 20 the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) for disposal of lead 21 shielding contained in the SRCS.« less

ESTIMATION OF EXPOSURE DOSES FOR THE SAFE MANAGEMENT OF NORM WASTE DISPOSAL.

PubMed

Jeong, Jongtae; Ko, Nak Yul; Cho, Dong-Keun; Baik, Min Hoon; Yoon, Ki-Hoon

2018-03-16

Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) wastes with different radiological characteristics are generated in several industries. The appropriate options for NORM waste management including disposal options should be discussed and established based on the act and regulation guidelines. Several studies calculated the exposure dose and mass of NORM waste to be disposed in landfill site by considering the activity concentration level and exposure dose. In 2012, the Korean government promulgated an act on the safety control of NORM around living environments to protect human health and the environment. For the successful implementation of this act, we suggest a reference design for a landfill for the disposal of NORM waste. Based on this reference landfill, we estimate the maximum exposure doses and the relative impact of each pathway to exposure dose for three scenarios: a reference scenario, an ingestion pathway exclusion scenario, and a low leach rate scenario. Also, we estimate the possible quantity of NORM waste disposal into a landfill as a function of the activity concentration level of U series, Th series and 40K and two kinds of exposure dose levels, 1 and 0.3 mSv/y. The results of this study can be used to support the establishment of technical bases of the management strategy for the safe disposal of NORM waste.

In-depth survey report: control technology assessment of unit operations employed in oral-contraceptive tablet-making operations at Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation, Raritan, New Jersey, June 13-17, 1983

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anastas, M.Y.; Caplan, P.E.; Froehlich, P.A.

An on-site visit was made to the Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation (OPC), Raritan, New Jersey to evaluate methods of controlling exposure to hazardous materials during the manufacturing of medications. OPC produced oral-contraceptive tablets containing norethindrone (NOR), mestranol, and ethynylestradiol (EE). Ventilation was an important engineering control at this site. Other engineering controls included the isolation of work procedures and automation of work practices for weighing ingredients, granulation of substances, tableting, and packaging. Area samples were taken for air monitoring of steroid concentration levels in each manufacturing area. Access to the work areas was only through the locker rooms. Samples taken inmore » the locker rooms revealed no detectable contaminant levels. Workers performing high risk activities wore air supplied vinyl suits and disposable rubber gloves. The vinyl suits had overshoes attached. For moderate risk activities the workers wore a disposable suit, rubber gloves and shoe covers. Appropriate respirators were provided. Workers in low risk activities wore disposable rubber gloves and appropriate respirators. Sampling indicated that processing workers experienced breathing-zone levels outside their vinyl suits of 16.40 and 0.36 micrograms/cubic meter of NOR and EE, respectively.« less

Report on Survey Investigation Flood Control and Allied Purposes Along Those Streams That Flow Through Camden County, New Jersey into Delaware River.

DTIC Science & Technology

1972-06-01

Recreation Water pollution Delaware River Sewage disposal N Navi ation ABSTRACT ( R ,..-,- "war .04 ,, 09e -, Identifby block numb.,) The problems of water...characteristics ....... ..... . ...... 2 Land use and development .. ....... . . , 3 Water supply ................. .* 8 Sewage disposal...AND SURROUNDING AREA . . . * * 19 8 SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT ON NORTH BRANCH PENNSAKEN CREEK FLOOD PLAIN ...... . . 21 9 DEBRIS IN POCACK CREEK

Demonstration of flexible and reconfigurable WDM multicast scheme supporting downstream emergency multicast communication for WDM optical access network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ze; Zhang, Min; Wang, Danshi; Cui, Yue

2017-09-01

We propose a flexible and reconfigurable wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) multicast scheme supporting downstream emergency multicast communication for WDM optical access network (WDM-OAN) via a multicast module (MM) based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in a semiconductor optical amplifier. It serves as an emergency measure to dispose of the burst, large bandwidth, and real-time multicast service with fast service provisioning and high resource efficiency. It also plays the role of physical backup in cases of big data migration or network disaster caused by invalid lasers or modulator failures. It provides convenient and reliable multicast service and emergency protection for WDM-OAN without modifying WDM-OAN structure. The strategies of an MM setting at the optical line terminal and remote node are discussed to apply this scheme to passive optical networks and active optical networks, respectively. Utilizing the proposed scheme, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept experiment in which one-to-six/eight 10-Gbps nonreturn-to-zero-differential phase-shift keying WDM multicasts in both strategies are successfully transmitted over single-mode fiber of 20.2 km. One-to-many reconfigurable WDM multicasts dealing with higher data rate and other modulation formats of multicast service are possible through the proposed scheme. It can be applied to different WDM access technologies, e.g., time-wavelength-division multiplexing-OAN and coherent WDM-OAN, and upgraded smoothly.

Control technology for Richard Klinger, Inc. , Sidney, Ohio. Indepth survey report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heitbrink, W.A.

1984-06-25

Environmental and breathing zone samples were analyzed for asbestos (1332214) at Richard Klinger Incorporated (SIC-3069), Sidney, Ohio in August 1983 as part of an in depth study of dust control during bag opening, dumping, and disposal. Asbestos control technology was inspected. Control of asbestos at the facility was achieved by using an automatic cleaner to clean spills and routinely remove settled and spilled asbestos from the floor. During periods of peak exposure, workers wore NIOSH approved respirators and disposable coveralls. Air sampling was used to identify any asbestos control problems. Closed bales of asbestos were torn. The author concludes thatmore » operation of the bag slitter does not increase asbestos concentrations. Closed bales of asbestos may be an emission source. Improving the quality of the wrapping around the bales and handling techniques during shipment are recommended.« less

Challenges in paper-based fluorogenic optical sensing with smartphones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulep, Tiffany-Heather; Yoon, Jeong-Yeol

2018-05-01

Application of optically superior, tunable fluorescent nanotechnologies have long been demonstrated throughout many chemical and biological sensing applications. Combined with microfluidics technologies, i.e. on lab-on-a-chip platforms, such fluorescent nanotechnologies have often enabled extreme sensitivity, sometimes down to single molecule level. Within recent years there has been a peak interest in translating fluorescent nanotechnology onto paper-based platforms for chemical and biological sensing, as a simple, low-cost, disposable alternative to conventional silicone-based microfluidic substrates. On the other hand, smartphone integration as an optical detection system as well as user interface and data processing component has been widely attempted, serving as a gateway to on-board quantitative processing, enhanced mobility, and interconnectivity with informational networks. Smartphone sensing can be integrated to these paper-based fluorogenic assays towards demonstrating extreme sensitivity as well as ease-of-use and low-cost. However, with these emerging technologies there are always technical limitations that must be addressed; for example, paper's autofluorescence that perturbs fluorogenic sensing; smartphone flash's limitations in fluorescent excitation; smartphone camera's limitations in detecting narrow-band fluorescent emission, etc. In this review, physical optical setups, digital enhancement algorithms, and various fluorescent measurement techniques are discussed and pinpointed as areas of opportunities to further improve paper-based fluorogenic optical sensing with smartphones.

Portable guided-mode resonance biosensor platform for point-of-care testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Gun Yong; Kim, Wan-Joong; Ko, Hyunsung; Kim, Bong K.; Kim, Kyung-Hyun; Huh, Chul; Hong, Jongcheol

2012-10-01

It represents a viable solution for the realization of a portable biosensor platform that could screen/diagnose acute myocardial infarction by measuring cardiac marker concentrations such as cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), and myoglobin (MYO) for application to u-health monitoring system. The portable biosensor platform introduced in this presentation has a more compact structure and a much higher measuring resolution than a conventional spectrometer system. Portable guided-mode resonance (GMR) biosensor platform was composed of a biosensor chip stage, an optical pick-up module, and a data display panel. Disposable plastic GMR biosensor chips with nano-grating patterns were fabricated by injection-molding. Whole blood filtration and label-free immunoassay were performed on these single chips, automatically. Optical pick-up module was fabricated by using the miniaturized bulk optics and the interconnecting optical fibers and a tunable VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting laser). The reflectance spectrum from the GMR biosensor was measured by the optical pick-up module. Cardiac markers in human serum with concentrations less than 0.1ng/mL were analyzed using a GMR biosensor. Analysis time was 30min, which is short enough to meet clinical requirements. Our results show that the GMR biosensor will be very useful in developing lowcost portable biosensors that can screen for cardiac diseases.

Optical and spectroscopic studies on tannery wastes as a possible source of organic semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nashy, El-Shahat H. A.; Al-Ashkar, Emad; Abdel Moez, A.

2012-02-01

Tanning industry produces a large quantity of solid wastes which contain hide proteins in the form of protein shavings containing chromium salts. The chromium wastes are the main concern from an environmental stand point of view, because chrome wastes posses a significant disposal problem. The present work is devoted to investigate the possibility of utilizing these wastes as a source of organic semi-conductors as an alternative method instead of the conventional ones. The chemical characterization of these wastes was determined. In addition, the Horizontal Attenuated Total Reflection (HATR) FT-IR spectroscopic analysis and optical parameters were also carried out for chromated samples. The study showed that the chromated samples had suitable absorbance and transmittance in the wavelength range (500-850 nm). Presence of chromium salt in the collagen samples increases the absorbance which improves the optical properties of the studied samples and leads to decrease the optical energy gap. The obtained optical energy gap gives an impression that the environmentally hazardous chrome shavings wastes can be utilized as a possible source of natural organic semiconductors with direct and indirect energy gap. This work opens the door to use some hazardous wastes in the manufacture of electronic devices such as IR-detectors, solar cells and also as solar cell windows.

PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATES OF POLLUTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES FOR GEOTHERMAL DEVELOPMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

This report provides preliminary cost estimates of air and water pollution control technologies for geothermal energy conversion facilities. Costs for solid waste disposal are also estimated. The technologies examined include those for control of hydrogen sulfide emissions and fo...

Intervention strategies for carcass disposal: pareto analysis of exposures for exotic disease outbreaks.

PubMed

Delgado, João; Longhurst, Phil; Hickman, Gordon A W; Gauntlett, Daniel M; Howson, Simon F; Irving, Phil; Hart, Alwyn; Pollard, Simon J T

2010-06-15

An enhanced methodology for the policy-level prioritization of intervention options during carcass disposal is presented. Pareto charts provide a semiquantitative analysis of opportunities for multiple exposures to human health, animal health, and the wider environment during carcass disposal; they identify critical control points for risk management and assist in waste technology assessment. Eighty percent of the total availability of more than 1300 potential exposures to human, animal, or environmental receptors is represented by 16 processes, these being dominated by on-farm collection and carcass processing, reinforcing the criticality of effective controls during early stages of animal culling and waste processing. Exposures during mass burials are dominated by ground- and surface-water exposures with noise and odor nuisance prevalent for mass pyres, consistent with U.K. experience. Pareto charts are discussed in the context of other visualization formats for policy officials and promoted as a communication tool for informing the site-specific risk assessments required during the operational phases of exotic disease outbreaks.

Safe injection practice among health care workers, Gharbiya, Egypt.

PubMed

Ismail, Nanees A; Aboul Ftouh, Aisha M; El Shoubary, Waleed H

2005-01-01

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 25 health care facilities in Gharbiya governorate to assess safe injection practices among health care workers (HCWs). Two questionnaires, one to collect information about administrative issues related to safe injection and the other to collect data about giving injections, exposure to needle stick injuries, hepatitis B vaccination status and safe injection training. Practices of injections were observed using a standardized checklist. The study revealed that there was lack of both national and local infection control policies and lack of most of the supplies needed for safe injection practices. Many safe practices were infrequent as proper needle manipulation before disposal (41%), safe needle disposal (47.5%), reuse of used syringe & needle (13.2%) and safe syringe disposal (0%). Exposure to needle stick injuries were common among the interviewed HCWs (66.2%) and hand washing was the common post exposure prophylaxis measure (63.4%). Only 11.3% of HCWs had full course hepatitis B vaccination. Infection control -including safe injections- training programs should be afforded to all HCWs.

SOXAL{trademark} pilot plant demonstration at Niagara Mohawk`s Dunkirk Station

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strangway, P.K.

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 made it necessary to accelerate the development of scrubber systems for use by some utilities burning sulfur-containing fuels, primarily coal. While many types of Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) systems operate based on lime and limestone scrubbing, these systems have drawbacks when considered for incorporation into long-term emissions control plans. Although the costs associated with disposal of large amounts of scrubber sludge may be manageable today, the trend is toward increased disposal costs. Many new SO{sub 2} control technologies are being pursued in the hope of developing an economical regenerable FGD system did recoversmore » the SO{sub 2} as a saleable commercial product, thus minimizing the formation of disposal waste. Some new technologies include the use of exotic chemical absorbents which are alien to the utility industry and utilities` waste treatment facilities. These systems present utilities with new environmental issues. The SOXAL{trademark} process has been developed so as to eliminate such issues.« less

Safe injection practice among health-care workers in Gharbiya Governorate, Egypt.

PubMed

Ismail, N A; Aboul Ftouh, A M; El-Shoubary, W H; Mahaba, H

2007-01-01

We assessed safe injection practices among 1100 health-care workers in 25 health-care facilities in Gharbiya Governorate. Questionnaires were used to collect information and 278 injections were observed using a standardized checklist. There was a lack of infection control policies in all the facilities and a lack of many supplies needed for safe injection. Proper needle manipulation before disposal was observed in only 41% of injections, safe needle disposal in 47.5% and safe syringe disposal in 0%. Reuse of used syringes and needles was reported by 13.2% of the health-care workers and 66.2% had experienced a needle-stick injury. Only 11.3% had received a full course of hepatitis B vaccination.

Apparatus and method for deterministic control of surface figure during full aperture polishing

DOEpatents

Suratwala, Tayyab Ishaq; Feit, Michael Dennis; Steele, William Augustus

2013-11-19

A polishing system configured to polish a lap includes a lap configured to contact a workpiece for polishing the workpiece; and a septum configured to contact the lap. The septum has an aperture formed therein. The radius of the aperture and radius the workpiece are substantially the same. The aperture and the workpiece have centers disposed at substantially the same radial distance from a center of the lap. The aperture is disposed along a first radial direction from the center of the lap, and the workpiece is disposed along a second radial direction from the center of the lap. The first and second radial directions may be opposite directions.

Cadmium: Simulation of environmental control strategies to reduce exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yost, K. J.; Miles, L. J.; Greenkorn, R. A.

1981-07-01

The effects of selected environmental control strategies on human dietary and respiratory exposure to environmental cadmium (Cd) have been simulated. For each control strategy, mean Cd dietary and respiratory exposures are presented for a twenty-year simulation period. Human exposures related to cadmium are associated with both process waste disposal and product disposal. Dietary exposure is by far the dominant mechanism for Cd intake. Dietary exposure related to aqueous discharges is primarily a result of municipal sludge landspreading, whereas that associated with emissions to the atmosphere derives mainly from the deposition on cropland of airborne particulates from product incineration. Only relatively small dietary exposure reductions are possible through restrictions on any single Cd use. Combinations of waste management and environmental control measures promise greater reductions in dietary and respiratory exposure than those achievable through use restrictions.

Support and maneuvering device

DOEpatents

Wood, R.L.

1987-03-23

A support and maneuvering device includes an elongated flexible inflatable enclosure having a fixed end and a movable end. The movable end is collapsible toward the fixed end to a contracted position when the enclosure is in a noninflated condition. Upon inflation, the movable end is movable away from the fixed end to an extended position. The movable end includes means for mounting an article such as a solar reflector thereon. The device also includes a plurality of position controlling means disposed about the movable end to effect adjusting movement of portions thereof by predetermined amounts and for controlling an angle at which the article disposed at the movable end is oriented. The plurality of position controlling means limits a suitable number degrees of freedom of the movable end for transmitting a steering motion thereto and for controlling the position thereof. 9 figs.

Support and maneuvering device

DOEpatents

Wood, Richard L.

1988-01-01

A support and maneuvering device includes an elongated flexible inflatable enclosure having a fixed end and a movable end. The movable end is collapsible toward the fixed end to a contracted position when the enclosure is in a noninflated condition. Upon inflation, the movable end is movable away from the fixed end to an extended position. The movable end includes means for mounting an article such as a solar reflector thereon. The device also includes a plurality of position controlling means disposed about the movable end to effect adjusting movement of portions thereof by predetermined amounts and for controlling an angle at which the article disposed at the movable end is oriented. The plurality of position controlling means limits a suitable number degrees of freedom of the movable end for transmitting a steering motion thereto and for controlling the position thereof.

Current biomedical waste management practices and cross-infection control procedures of dentists in India.

PubMed

Singh, Balendra Pratap; Khan, Suleman A; Agrawal, Neeraj; Siddharth, Ramashanker; Kumar, Lakshya

2012-06-01

To investigate the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of dentists working in dental clinics and dental hospitals regarding biomedical waste management and cross-infection control. A national survey was conducted. Self-administered questionnaires were sent to 800 dentists across India. A total of 494 dentists responded, giving a response rate of 61.8%. Of these, 228 of 323 (70.6%) general dentists reported using boiling water as a sterilising medium and 339 (68.6%) dentists reported disposing of hazardous waste such as syringes, blades and ampoules in dustbins and emptying these into municipal corporation bins. Dentists should undergo continuing education programmes on biomedical waste management and infection control guidelines. Greater cooperation between dental clinics and hospitals and pollution control boards is needed to ensure the proper handling and disposal of biomedical waste. © 2012 FDI World Dental Federation.

Neutral particle beam intensity controller

DOEpatents

Dagenhart, W.K.

1984-05-29

The neutral beam intensity controller is based on selected magnetic defocusing of the ion beam prior to neutralization. The defocused portion of the beam is dumped onto a beam dump disposed perpendicular to the beam axis. Selective defocusing is accomplished by means of a magnetic field generator disposed about the neutralizer so that the field is transverse to the beam axis. The magnetic field intensity is varied to provide the selected partial beam defocusing of the ions prior to neutralization. The desired focused neutral beam portion passes along the beam path through a defining aperture in the beam dump, thereby controlling the desired fraction of neutral particles transmitted to a utilization device without altering the kinetic energy level of the desired neutral particle fraction. By proper selection of the magnetic field intensity, virtually zero through 100% intensity control of the neutral beam is achieved.

Developments in management and technology of waste reduction and disposal.

PubMed

Rushbrook, Philip

2006-09-01

Scandals and public dangers from the mismanagement and poor disposal of hazardous wastes during the 1960s and 1970s awakened the modern-day environmental movement. Influential publications such as "Silent Spring" and high-profile disposal failures, for example, Love Canal and Lekkerkerk, focused attention on the use of chemicals in everyday life and the potential dangers from inappropriate disposal. This attention has not abated and developments, invariably increasing expectations and tightening requirements, continue to be implemented. Waste, as a surrogate for environmental improvement, is a topic where elected representatives and administrations continually want to do more. This article will chart the recent changes in hazardous waste management emanating from the European Union legislation, now being implemented in Member States across the continent. These developments widen the range of discarded materials regarded as "hazardous," prohibit the use of specific chemicals, prohibit the use of waste management options, shift the emphasis from risk-based treatment and disposal to inclusive lists, and incorporate waste producers into more stringent regulatory regimes. The impact of the changes is also intended to provide renewed impetus for waste reduction. Under an environmental control system where only certainty is tolerated, the opportunities for innovation within the industry and the waste treatment and disposal sector will be explored. A challenging analysis will be offered on the impact of this regulation-led approach to the nature and sustainability of hazardous waste treatment and disposal in the future.

2013 Annual Site Inspection and Monitoring Report for Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act Title I Disposal Sites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

This report, in fulfillment of a license requirement, presents the results of long-term surveillance and maintenance activities conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) in 2013 at 19 uranium mill tailings disposal sites established under Title I of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) of 1978.1 These activities verified that the UMTRCA Title I disposal sites remain in compliance with license requirements. DOE operates 18 UMTRCA Title I sites under a general license granted by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in accordance with Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 40.27more » (10 CFR 40.27). As required under the general license, a long-term surveillance plan (LTSP) for each site was prepared by DOE and accepted by NRC. The Grand Junction, Colorado, Disposal Site, one of the 19 Title I sites, will not be included under the general license until the open, operating portion of the cell is closed. The open portion will be closed either when it is filled or in 2023. This site is inspected in accordance with an interim LTSP. Long-term surveillance and maintenance services for these disposal sites include inspecting and maintaining the sites; monitoring environmental media and institutional controls; conducting any necessary corrective actions; and performing administrative, records, stakeholder relations, and other regulatory stewardship functions. Annual site inspections and monitoring are conducted in accordance with site-specific LTSPs and procedures established by DOE to comply with license requirements. Each site inspection is performed to verify the integrity of visible features at the site; to identify changes or new conditions that may affect the long-term performance of the site; and to determine the need, if any, for maintenance, follow-up or contingency inspections, or corrective action in accordance with the LTSP. LTSPs and site compliance reports are available on the Internet at http://www.lm.doe.gov/.« less

Inadvertent Intruder Analysis For The Portsmouth On-Site Waste Disposal Facility (OSWDF)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, Frank G.; Phifer, Mark A.

2014-01-22

The inadvertent intruder analysis considers the radiological impacts to hypothetical persons who are assumed to inadvertently intrude on the Portsmouth OSWDF site after institutional control ceases 100 years after site closure. For the purposes of this analysis, we assume that the waste disposal in the OSWDF occurs at time zero, the site is under institutional control for the next 100 years, and inadvertent intrusion can occur over the following 1,000 year time period. Disposal of low-level radioactive waste in the OSWDF must meet a requirement to assess impacts on such individuals, and demonstrate that the effective dose equivalent to anmore » intruder would not likely exceed 100 mrem per year for scenarios involving continuous exposure (i.e. chronic) or 500 mrem for scenarios involving a single acute exposure. The focus in development of exposure scenarios for inadvertent intruders was on selecting reasonable events that may occur, giving consideration to regional customs and construction practices. An important assumption in all scenarios is that an intruder has no prior knowledge of the existence of a waste disposal facility at the site. Results of the analysis show that a hypothetical inadvertent intruder at the OSWDF who, in the worst case scenario, resides on the site and consumes vegetables from a garden established on the site using contaminated soil (chronic agriculture scenario) would receive a maximum chronic dose of approximately 7.0 mrem/yr during the 1000 year period of assessment. This dose falls well below the DOE chronic dose limit of 100 mrem/yr. Results of the analysis also showed that a hypothetical inadvertent intruder at the OSWDF who, in the worst case scenario, excavates a basement in the soil that reaches the waste (acute basement construction scenario) would receive a maximum acute dose of approximately 0.25 mrem/yr during the 1000 year period of assessment. This dose falls well below the DOE acute dose limit of 500 mrem/yr. Disposal inventory constraints based on the intruder analysis are well above conservative estimates of the OSWDF inventory and, based on intruder disposal limits; about 7% of the disposal capacity is reached with the estimated OSWDF inventory.« less

Contaminate Control Device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howe, Robert H. (Inventor); Flynn, Kenneth P. (Inventor); Stapleton, Thomas J. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A contaminate control device for filtering contaminates from a gas such as air is provided. The device includes a housing having a first inlet and a first outlet. An axial flow filter is fluidly coupled between the first inlet and the first outlet, the axial flow filter has a second inlet and a second outlet. A second filter disposed about the axial flow filter and is fluidly coupled between the first inlet and the first outlet, the second filter having a third inlet on an inner diameter and a third outlet disposed on an outer diameter. A flow restrictor is fluidly coupled between the second inlet and the first inlet.

A small, sensitive, light-weight, and disposable aerosol spectrometer for balloon and UAV applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fahey, D. W.; Gao, R.; Thornberry, T. D.; Rollins, D. W.; Schwarz, J. P.; Perring, A. E.

2013-12-01

In-situ sampling with particle size spectrometers is an important method to provide detailed size spectra for atmospheric aerosol in the troposphere and stratosphere. The spectra are essential for understanding aerosol sources and aerosol chemical evolution and removal, and for aerosol remote sensing validation. These spectrometers are usually bulky, heavy, and expensive, thereby limiting their application to specific airborne platforms. Here we report a new type of small and light-weight optical aerosol particle size spectrometer that is sensitive enough for many aerosol applications yet is inexpensive enough to be disposable. 3D printing is used for producing structural components for simplicity and low cost. Weighing less than 1 kg individually, we expect these spectrometers can be deployed successfully on small unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and up to 25 km on weather balloons. Immediate applications include the study of Arctic haze using the Manta UAS, detection of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer in the Asian monsoon system and SAGE III validation onboard weather balloons.

Screen-Printed Electrodes Modified with “Green” Metals for Electrochemical Stripping Analysis of Toxic Elements

PubMed Central

Economou, Anastasios

2018-01-01

This work reviews the field of screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) modified with “green” metals for electrochemical stripping analysis of toxic elements. Electrochemical stripping analysis has been established as a useful trace analysis technique offering many advantages compared to competing optical techniques. Although mercury has been the preferred electrode material for stripping analysis, the toxicity of mercury and the associated legal requirements in its use and disposal have prompted research towards the development of “green” metals as alternative electrode materials. When combined with the screen-printing technology, such environment-friendly metals can lead to disposable sensors for trace metal analysis with excellent operational characteristics. This review focuses on SPEs modified with Au, Bi, Sb, and Sn for stripping analysis of toxic elements. Different modification approaches (electroplating, bulk modification, use of metal precursors, microengineering techniques) are considered and representative applications are described. A developing related field, namely biosensing based on stripping analysis of metallic nanoprobe labels, is also briefly mentioned. PMID:29596391

Screen-Printed Electrodes Modified with "Green" Metals for Electrochemical Stripping Analysis of Toxic Elements.

PubMed

Economou, Anastasios

2018-03-29

This work reviews the field of screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) modified with "green" metals for electrochemical stripping analysis of toxic elements. Electrochemical stripping analysis has been established as a useful trace analysis technique offering many advantages compared to competing optical techniques. Although mercury has been the preferred electrode material for stripping analysis, the toxicity of mercury and the associated legal requirements in its use and disposal have prompted research towards the development of "green" metals as alternative electrode materials. When combined with the screen-printing technology, such environment-friendly metals can lead to disposable sensors for trace metal analysis with excellent operational characteristics. This review focuses on SPEs modified with Au, Bi, Sb, and Sn for stripping analysis of toxic elements. Different modification approaches (electroplating, bulk modification, use of metal precursors, microengineering techniques) are considered and representative applications are described. A developing related field, namely biosensing based on stripping analysis of metallic nanoprobe labels, is also briefly mentioned.

Solid state laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rines, Glen A. (Inventor); Moulton, Peter F. (Inventor); Harrison, James (Inventor)

1993-01-01

A wavelength-tunable, injection-seeded, dispersion-compensated, dispersively-pumped solid state laser includes a lasing medium; a highly reflective mirror; an output coupler; at least one isosceles Brewster prism oriented to the minimum deviation angle between the medium and the mirror for directing light of different wavelengths along different paths; means for varying the angle of the highly reflective mirror relative to the light from at least one Brewster angle for selecting a predetermined laser operating wavelength; a dispersion compensation apparatus associated with the lasing medium; a laser injection seeding port disposed between the dispersion compensation apparatus and one of the mirror and coupler and including a reflective surface at an acute non-Brewster angle to the laser beam for introducing a seed input; a dispersion compensation apparatus associated with the laser medium including opposite chirality optical elements; the lasing medium including a pump surface disposed at an acute angle to the laser beam to define a discrete path for the pumping laser beam separate from the pumped laser beam.

Lamp method and apparatus using multiple reflections

DOEpatents

MacLennan, Donald A.; Turner, Brian P.

2001-01-01

An electrodeless microwave discharge lamp includes an envelope with a discharge forming fill disposed therein which emits light, the fill being capable of absorbing light at one wavelength and re-emitting the absorbed light at a different wavelength, the light emitted from the fill having a first spectral power distribution in the absence of reflection of light back into the fill, a source of microwave energy coupled to the fill to excite the fill and cause the fill to emit light, and a reflector disposed within the microwave cavity and configured to reflect at least some of the light emitted by the fill back into the fill while allowing some light to exit, the exiting light having a second spectral power distribution with proportionately more light in the visible region as compared to the first spectral power distribution, wherein the light re-emitted by the fill is shifted in wavelength with respect to the absorbed light and the magnitude of the shift is in relation to an effective optical path length.

7 CFR 2.24 - Assistant Secretary for Administration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

.... (iii) Maintain overall responsibility and control over the Hearing Clerk's activities which include the custody of and responsibility for the control, maintenance, and servicing of the original and permanent..., maintaining, and disposing of real and personal property, including control of space assignments; (B...

29 CFR 1910.1030 - Bloodborne pathogens.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... paragraph (b) of this section shall establish a written Exposure Control Plan designed to eliminate or... designated representative. Engineering controls means controls (e.g., sharps disposal containers, self... required by paragraph (f) Hepatitis B Vaccination and Post-exposure Evaluation and Follow-up. HBV means...

29 CFR 1910.1030 - Bloodborne pathogens.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... paragraph (b) of this section shall establish a written Exposure Control Plan designed to eliminate or... designated representative. Engineering controls means controls (e.g., sharps disposal containers, self... paragraph (f) Hepatitis B Vaccination and Post-exposure Evaluation and Follow-up. HBV means hepatitis B...

29 CFR 1910.1030 - Bloodborne pathogens.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... paragraph (b) of this section shall establish a written Exposure Control Plan designed to eliminate or... designated representative. Engineering controls means controls (e.g., sharps disposal containers, self... paragraph (f) Hepatitis B Vaccination and Post-exposure Evaluation and Follow-up. HBV means hepatitis B...

Research on Geo-information Data Model for Preselected Areas of Geological Disposal of High-level Radioactive Waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, M.; Huang, S. T.; Wang, P.; Zhao, Y. A.; Wang, H. B.

2016-11-01

The geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (hereinafter referred to "geological disposal") is a long-term, complex, and systematic scientific project, whose data and information resources in the research and development ((hereinafter referred to ”R&D”) process provide the significant support for R&D of geological disposal system, and lay a foundation for the long-term stability and safety assessment of repository site. However, the data related to the research and engineering in the sitting of the geological disposal repositories is more complicated (including multi-source, multi-dimension and changeable), the requirements for the data accuracy and comprehensive application has become much higher than before, which lead to the fact that the data model design of geo-information database for the disposal repository are facing more serious challenges. In the essay, data resources of the pre-selected areas of the repository has been comprehensive controlled and systematic analyzed. According to deeply understanding of the application requirements, the research work has made a solution for the key technical problems including reasonable classification system of multi-source data entity, complex logic relations and effective physical storage structures. The new solution has broken through data classification and conventional spatial data the organization model applied in the traditional industry, realized the data organization and integration with the unit of data entities and spatial relationship, which were independent, holonomic and with application significant features in HLW geological disposal. The reasonable, feasible and flexible data conceptual models, logical models and physical models have been established so as to ensure the effective integration and facilitate application development of multi-source data in pre-selected areas for geological disposal.

Chemical Munitions Dumped at Sea near the Hawaiian Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, M.; Bissonnette, M. C.; Briggs, C. W.; Shjegstad, S. M.

2016-12-01

Sea disposal was once internationally accepted as an appropriate method for disposal of excess, obsolete, and unserviceable conventional and chemical munitions. The past decade has seen an increase in the number and complexity of studies to assess the effects of historical munitions disposal in the oceans. The Hawai`i Undersea Military Munitions Assessment (HUMMA) is a comprehensive deep-water (300-600 meter) investigation designed to determine the potential impact of sea-disposed munitions on the ocean environment, and vice versa, at a disposal site south of Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. Historical records indicated that as many as 16,000 mustard-filled bombs were disposed in this area following World War II. A secondary objective of HUMMA is to determine best practices and technologies for mapping and sampling sea-disposed munitions. The overarching result from five HUMMA field programs conducted over a decade is that the greatest risk from munitions derives from direct contact; there is little evidence that leakage from munitions into the surrounding environment has a direct pathway to affect human health and the impact on the surrounding environment in Hawaii is detectable only at trace levels. This finding should be modulated based on the quantity of physical samples, which were collected around <1% of the potential 16,000 bombs. In 2014 when the Jason 2 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) directly sampled the internal constituents of bombs, distilled mustard was recovered. Additionally, inconsistent with results from the 2009 and 2012 HUMMA sampling programs, during the ROV-based 2014 field program trace amounts of mustard agent and its breakdown products were detected at control sites. Both findings support a hypothesis that the impacts of sea-disposed munitions change over time. This presentation will describe the technical approach and results of the 2014 HUMMA field program using Jason 2.

Management of low-level radioactive waste in Israel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shabtai, B.; Brenner, S.; Ne`eman, E.

1995-12-31

Radioactive materials are used extensively in Israel in many areas and applications for medicine, industry, agriculture, research and development and others. Israel`s primary concern in waste management is population safety and environmental protection. The Ministry of The Environment (MOE), in cooperation with the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC), supervise over the disposal system, and ensure an effective control. The MOE is responsible for the granting of permits to users of radioactive elements in about 300 plants and institutes, with about 2,200 installations. The MOE operates a computerized database management system (DBMS) on radioactive materials, with data on licensing, import andmore » distribution, waste disposal and transportation. Supervision over the disposal of LLRW has deepened recently, and periodic reports, based on the number of drums containing LLRW, which were transferred from all institutes in Israel to the NRWDS, were prepared. Draft regulations on the disposal of LLRW from institutes of research and education, hospitals, medical laboratories and other, have been recently prepared. These regulations include instructions on the disposal of solid and liquid LLRW as well as radioactive gases and vapors. As a general rule, no LLRW of any sort will be disposed of through the ordinary waste system or general sewage. However, in some extraordinary cases, residues of liquid LLRW are allowed to be disposed in this manner, if the requirements for disposal are satisfied. There are some conditions, in which solid LLRW might be treated as a conventional waste, as well as for safe emission of radioactive gases and aerosols. In light of these considerations, a new and more specific approach to radiation protection organizations and management of low-level radioactive waste problems, supervision and optimization is presented.« less

Microfluidic biolector-microfluidic bioprocess control in microtiter plates.

PubMed

Funke, Matthias; Buchenauer, Andreas; Schnakenberg, Uwe; Mokwa, Wilfried; Diederichs, Sylvia; Mertens, Alan; Müller, Carsten; Kensy, Frank; Büchs, Jochen

2010-10-15

In industrial-scale biotechnological processes, the active control of the pH-value combined with the controlled feeding of substrate solutions (fed-batch) is the standard strategy to cultivate both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. On the contrary, for small-scale cultivations, much simpler batch experiments with no process control are performed. This lack of process control often hinders researchers to scale-up and scale-down fermentation experiments, because the microbial metabolism and thereby the growth and production kinetics drastically changes depending on the cultivation strategy applied. While small-scale batches are typically performed highly parallel and in high throughput, large-scale cultivations demand sophisticated equipment for process control which is in most cases costly and difficult to handle. Currently, there is no technical system on the market that realizes simple process control in high throughput. The novel concept of a microfermentation system described in this work combines a fiber-optic online-monitoring device for microtiter plates (MTPs)--the BioLector technology--together with microfluidic control of cultivation processes in volumes below 1 mL. In the microfluidic chip, a micropump is integrated to realize distinct substrate flow rates during fed-batch cultivation in microscale. Hence, a cultivation system with several distinct advantages could be established: (1) high information output on a microscale; (2) many experiments can be performed in parallel and be automated using MTPs; (3) this system is user-friendly and can easily be transferred to a disposable single-use system. This article elucidates this new concept and illustrates applications in fermentations of Escherichia coli under pH-controlled and fed-batch conditions in shaken MTPs. Copyright 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Optical system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breckinridge, J. B.; Page, N. A.; Shack, R. V.; Shannon, R. R. (Inventor)

1985-01-01

Disclosed is an otpical system used in a spacecraft to observe a remote surface and provide a spatial and spectral image of this surface. The optical system includes aspheric and spherical mirrors aligned to focus at a first focal plane an image of the surface, and a mirror at this first focal plane which reflects light back on to the spherical mirror. This spherical mirror collimates the light and directs it through a prism which disperses it. The dispersed light is then focused on an array of light responsive elements disposed at a second focal plane. The prism is designed such that it disperses light into components of different wavelengths, with the components of shorter wavelengths being dispersed more than the components of longer wavelengths to present at the second focal plane a distribution pattern in which preselected groupings of the components are dispersed over essentially equal spacing intervals.

Recirculating Etalon Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephen, Mark A. (Inventor); Fahey, Molly E. (Inventor); Krainak, Michael A. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

Systems, methods, and devices may provide an optical scheme that achieves simultaneous wavelength channels and maintains the resolution and luminosity of an etalon. Various embodiments may provide a method to optically recirculate the light reflected from the etalon back through the same etalon at new angles. Various embodiments create an etalon spectrometer based on angular dispersion without moving parts and without losing the light that is not initially transmitted. Various embodiments may provide a spectrally-resolved receiver and/or transmitter. Various embodiments may provide a system including a retro-reflector, a detector or transmitter array, and an etalon disposed between the retro-reflector and the detector or transmitter array, wherein the retro-reflector is configured to redirect light reflected by the etalon back to the etalon at a different angle of incidence than an original angle of incidence on the etalon of the light reflected by the etalon.

Microinterferometer transducer

DOEpatents

Corey, III, Harry S.

1979-01-01

An air-bearing microinterferometer transducer is provided for increased accuracy, range and linearity over conventional displacement transducers. A microinterferometer system is housed within a small compartment of an air-bearing displacement transducer housing. A movable cube corner reflector of the interferometer is mounted to move with the displacement gauging probe of the transducer. The probe is disposed for axial displacement by means of an air-bearing. Light from a single frequency laser is directed into an interferometer system within the transducer housing by means of a self-focusing fiber optic cable to maintain light coherency. Separate fringe patterns are monitored by a pair of fiber optic cables which transmit the patterns to a detecting system. The detecting system includes a bidirectional counter which counts the light pattern fringes according to the direction of movement of the probe during a displacement gauging operation.

Tissue oxygen measurement system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soller, Babs R. (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A device and method in accordance with the invention for determining the oxygen partial pressure (PO.sub.2) of a tissue by irradiating the tissue with optical radiation such that the light is emitted from the tissue, and by collecting the reflected or transmitted light from the tissue to form an optical spectrum. A spectral processor determines the PO.sub.2 level in tissue by processing this spectrum with a previously-constructed spectral calibration model. The tissue may, for example, be disposed underneath a covering tissue, such as skin, of a patient, and the tissue illuminated and light collected through the skin. Alternatively, direct tissue illumination and collection may be effected with a hand-held or endoscopic probe. A preferred system also determines pH from the same spectrum, and the processor may determine critical conditions and issue warnings based on parameter values.

Low-cost fabrication of optical waveguides, interconnects and sensing structures on all-polymer-based thin foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezem, Maher; Kelb, Christian; Günther, Axel; Rahlves, Maik; Reithmeier, Eduard; Roth, Bernhard

2016-03-01

Micro-optical sensors based on optical waveguides are widely used to measure temperature, force and strain but also to detect biological and chemical substances such as explosives or toxins. While optical micro-sensors based on silicon technology require complex and expensive process technologies, a new generation of sensors based completely on polymers offer advantages especially in terms of low-cost and fast production techniques. We have developed a process to integrate micro-optical components such as embedded waveguides and optical interconnects into polymer foils with a thickness well below one millimeter. To enable high throughput production, we employ hot embossing technology, which is capable of reel-to-reel fabrication with a surface roughness in the optical range. For the waveguide fabrication, we used the thermoplastic polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as cladding and several optical adhesives as core materials. The waveguides are characterized with respect to refractive indices and propagation losses. We achieved propagation losses are as low as 0.3 dB/cm. Furthermore, we demonstrate coupling structures and their fabrication especially suited to integrate various light sources such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL) and organic light emitting diodes (OLED) into thin polymer foils. Also, we present a concept of an all-polymer and waveguide based deformation sensor based on intensity modulation, which can be fabricated by utilizing our process. For future application, we aim at a low-cost and high-throughput reel-to-reel production process enabling the fabrication of large sensor arrays or disposable single-use sensing structures, which will open optical sensing to a large variety of application fields ranging from medical diagnosis to automotive sensing.

Tritium migration from a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Chicago, Illinois

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nicholas, J.R.; Healy, R.W.

1988-01-01

This paper describes the results of a study to determine the geologic and hydrologic factors that control migration of tritium from a closed, low-level radioactive-waste disposal site. The disposal site, which operated from 1943 to mid1949, contains waste generated by research activities at the world's first nuclear reactors. Tritium has migrated horizontally at least 1,300 feet northward in glacial drift and more than 650 feet in the underlying dolomite. Thin, gently sloping sand layers in an otherwise clayey glacial drift are major conduits for ground-water flow and tritium migration in a perched zone beneath the disposal site. Tritium concentrations in the drift beneath the disposal site exceed 100,000 nanocuries per liter. Regional horizontal joints in the dolomite are enlarged by solution and are the major conduits for ground-water flow and tritium migration in the dolomite. A weathered zone at the top of the dolomite also is a pathway for tritium migration. The maximum measured tritium concentration in the dolomite is 29.4 nanocuries per liter. Fluctuations of tritium concentration in the dolomite are the result of dilution by seasonal recharge from the drift.

Construction of a technique plan repository and evaluation system based on AHP group decision-making for emergency treatment and disposal in chemical pollution accidents.

PubMed

Shi, Shenggang; Cao, Jingcan; Feng, Li; Liang, Wenyan; Zhang, Liqiu

2014-07-15

The environmental pollution resulting from chemical accidents has caused increasingly serious concerns. Therefore, it is very important to be able to determine in advance the appropriate emergency treatment and disposal technology for different types of chemical accidents. However, the formulation of an emergency plan for chemical pollution accidents is considerably difficult due to the substantial uncertainty and complexity of such accidents. This paper explains how the event tree method was used to create 54 different scenarios for chemical pollution accidents, based on the polluted medium, dangerous characteristics and properties of chemicals involved. For each type of chemical accident, feasible emergency treatment and disposal technology schemes were established, considering the areas of pollution source control, pollutant non-proliferation, contaminant elimination and waste disposal. Meanwhile, in order to obtain the optimum emergency disposal technology schemes as soon as the chemical pollution accident occurs from the plan repository, the technique evaluation index system was developed based on group decision-improved analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and has been tested by using a sudden aniline pollution accident that occurred in a river in December 2012. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integrated approach to modeling long-term durability of concrete engineered barriers in LLRW disposal facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, J.H.; Roy, D.M.; Mann, B.

1995-12-31

This paper describes an integrated approach to developing a predictive computer model for long-term performance of concrete engineered barriers utilized in LLRW and ILRW disposal facilities. The model development concept consists of three major modeling schemes: hydration modeling of the binder phase, pore solution speciation, and transport modeling in the concrete barrier and service environment. Although still in its inception, the model development approach demonstrated that the chemical and physical properties of complex cementitious materials and their interactions with service environments can be described quantitatively. Applying the integrated model development approach to modeling alkali (Na and K) leaching from amore » concrete pad barrier in an above-grade tumulus disposal unit, it is predicted that, in a near-surface land disposal facility where water infiltration through the facility is normally minimal, the alkalis control the pore solution pH of the concrete barriers for much longer than most previous concrete barrier degradation studies assumed. The results also imply that a highly alkaline condition created by the alkali leaching will result in alteration of the soil mineralogy in the vicinity of the disposal facility.« less

CANISTER TRANSFER SYSTEM DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

B. Gorpani

2000-06-23

The Canister Transfer System receives transportation casks containing large and small disposable canisters, unloads the canisters from the casks, stores the canisters as required, loads them into disposal containers (DCs), and prepares the empty casks for re-shipment. Cask unloading begins with cask inspection, sampling, and lid bolt removal operations. The cask lids are removed and the canisters are unloaded. Small canisters are loaded directly into a DC, or are stored until enough canisters are available to fill a DC. Large canisters are loaded directly into a DC. Transportation casks and related components are decontaminated as required, and empty casks aremore » prepared for re-shipment. One independent, remotely operated canister transfer line is provided in the Waste Handling Building System. The canister transfer line consists of a Cask Transport System, Cask Preparation System, Canister Handling System, Disposal Container Transport System, an off-normal canister handling cell with a transfer tunnel connecting the two cells, and Control and Tracking System. The Canister Transfer System operating sequence begins with moving transportation casks to the cask preparation area with the Cask Transport System. The Cask Preparation System prepares the cask for unloading and consists of cask preparation manipulator, cask inspection and sampling equipment, and decontamination equipment. The Canister Handling System unloads the canister(s) and places them into a DC. Handling equipment consists of a bridge crane hoist, DC loading manipulator, lifting fixtures, and small canister staging racks. Once the cask has been unloaded, the Cask Preparation System decontaminates the cask exterior and returns it to the Carrier/Cask Handling System via the Cask Transport System. After the DC is fully loaded, the Disposal Container Transport System moves the DC to the Disposal Container Handling System for welding. To handle off-normal canisters, a separate off-normal canister handling cell is located adjacent to the canister transfer cell and is interconnected to the transfer cell by means of the off-normal canister transfer tunnel. All canister transfer operations are controlled by the Control and Tracking System. The system interfaces with the Carrier/Cask Handling System for incoming and outgoing transportation casks. The system also interfaces with the Disposal Container Handling System, which prepares the DC for loading and subsequently seals the loaded DC. The system support interfaces are the Waste Handling Building System and other internal Waste Handling Building (WHB) support systems.« less

Apparatus and method for deterministic control of surface figure during full aperture pad polishing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Suratwala, Tayyab Ishaq; Feit, Michael Douglas; Steele, William Augustus

A polishing system configured to polish a lap includes a lap configured to contact a workpiece for polishing the workpiece; and a septum configured to contact the lap. The septum has an aperture formed therein. The radius of the aperture and radius the workpiece are substantially the same. The aperture and the workpiece have centers disposed at substantially the same radial distance from a center of the lap. The aperture is disposed along a first radial direction from the center of the lap, and the workpiece is disposed along a second radial direction from the center of the lap. Themore » first and second radial directions may be opposite directions.« less

Occurrence and possible sources of arsenic in seafloor sediments surrounding sea-disposed munitions and chemical agents near O´ahu, Hawai´i

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomlinson, Michael S.; De Carlo, Eric Heinen

2016-06-01

The Department of Defense disposed of conventional and chemical munitions as well as bulk containers of chemical agents in US coastal waters including those surrounding the State of Hawai´i. The Hawai´i Undersea Military Munitions Assessment has been collecting biota, water, and sediment samples from two disposal areas south of the island of O´ahu in waters 500 to 600 m deep known to have received both conventional munitions and chemical agents (specifically sulfur mustard). Unlike a number of other sea-disposed munitions investigations which used grabs or corers lowered from surface vessels, we used manned submersibles to collect the samples. Using this approach, we were able to visually identify the munitions and precisely locate our samples in relation to the munitions on the seafloor. This paper focuses on the occurrence and possible sources of arsenic found in the sediments surrounding the disposed military munitions and chemical agents. Using nonparametric multivariate statistical techniques, we looked for patterns in the chemical data obtained from these sediment samples in order to determine the possible sources of the arsenic found in these sediments. The results of the ordination technique nonmetric multidimensional scaling indicate that the arsenic is associated with terrestrial sources and not munitions. This was not altogether surprising given that: (1) the chemical agents disposed of in this area supposedly did not contain arsenic, and (2) the disposal areas studied were under terrestrial influence or served as dredge spoil disposal sites. The sediment arsenic concentrations during this investigation ranged from <1.3 to 40 mg/kg-dry weight with the lower concentrations typically found around control sites and munitions (not located in dredge disposal areas) and the higher values found at dredge disposal sites (with or without munitions). During the course of our investigation we did, however, discover that mercury appears to be loosely associated with munitions. Given that mercury contamination has been seen in about 20% of the munitions and ton containers of sulfur mustard, the association of mercury with chemical agents is not totally unexpected.

Advances in optical structure systems; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 16-19, 1990

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breakwell, John; Genberg, Victor L.; Krumweide, Gary C.

Various papers on advances in optical structure systems are presented. Individual topics addressed include: beam pathlength optimization, thermal stress in glass/metal bond with PR 1578 adhesive, structural and optical properties for typical solid mirror shapes, parametric study of spinning polygon mirror deformations, simulation of small structures-optics-controls system, spatial PSDs of optical structures due to random vibration, mountings for a four-meter glass mirror, fast-steering mirrors in optical control systems, adaptive state estimation for control of flexible structures, surface control techniques for large segmented mirrors, two-time-scale control designs for large flexible structures, closed-loop dynamic shape control of a flexible beam. Also discussed are: inertially referenced pointing for body-fixed payloads, sensor blending line-of-sight stabilization, controls/optics/structures simulation development, transfer functions for piezoelectric control of a flexible beam, active control experiments for large-optics vibration alleviation, composite structures for a large-optical test bed, graphite/epoxy composite mirror for beam-steering applications, composite structures for optical-mirror applications, thin carbon-fiber prepregs for dimensionally critical structures.

Sanitary engineering aspects of nuclear energy developments*

PubMed Central

Kenny, A. W.

1962-01-01

So many developments have taken place in the field of nuclear energy since 1956, when the author's previous paper on radioactive waste disposal was published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, that a fresh review of the subject is now appropriate. The present paper deals with those aspects of the problem which are of most interest to the sanitary engineer. It considers specific points in the latest recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection in relation to public drinking-water supplies, and examines the problem of fall-out, with special reference to the presence and significance of strontium-90 in drinking-water. A general survey of the various uses of radioactive materials is followed by a discussion of the legislative and control measures necessary to ensure safe disposal of wastes. The methods of waste disposal adopted in a number of nuclear energy establishments are described in detail. The paper concludes with some remarks on solid waste disposal, siting of nuclear energy industries and area monitoring. PMID:14455214

Polonium-210 in the environment around a radioactive waste disposal area and phosphate ore processing plant.

PubMed

Arthur, W J; Markham, O D

1984-04-01

Polonium-210 concentrations were determined for soil, vegetation and small mammal tissues collected at a solid radioactive waste disposal area, near a phosphate ore processing plant and at two rural areas in southeastern Idaho. Polonium concentrations in media sampled near the radioactive waste disposal facility were equal to or less than values from rural area samples, indicating that disposal of solid radioactive waste at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Site has not resulted in increased environmental levels of polonium. Concentrations of 210Po in soils, deer mice hide and carcass samples collected near the phosphate processing plant were statistically (P less than or equal to 0.05) greater than the other sampling locations; however, the mean 210Po concentration in soils and small mammal tissues from sampling areas near the phosphate plant were only four and three times greater, respectively, than control values. No statistical (P greater than 0.05) difference was observed for 210Po concentrations in vegetation among any of the sampling locations.

40 CFR 761.65 - Storage for disposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... conditions: (i) The waste is placed in a pile designed and operated to control dispersal of the waste by wind...) A run-on control system designed, constructed, operated, and maintained such that: (1) It prevents... 761.65 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL...

40 CFR 761.65 - Storage for disposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... conditions: (i) The waste is placed in a pile designed and operated to control dispersal of the waste by wind...) A run-on control system designed, constructed, operated, and maintained such that: (1) It prevents... 761.65 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL...

77 FR 75783 - Disposal of Controlled Substances

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-21

... availability of controlled substances for use. For example, within the meaning of the CSA, a controlled... adverse consequences associated with the substantially high levels of abuse and misuse (non- medical use... Weekly Report,'' Vol. 61, No. 1, at 10 (January 13, 2012). The availability of outdated or unwanted...

10 CFR 61.63 - Financial assurances for institutional controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Financial assurances for institutional controls. 61.63 Section 61.63 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR LAND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE Financial Assurances § 61.63 Financial assurances for institutional controls. (a) Prior to...

10 CFR 61.63 - Financial assurances for institutional controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Financial assurances for institutional controls. 61.63 Section 61.63 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR LAND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE Financial Assurances § 61.63 Financial assurances for institutional controls. (a) Prior to...

10 CFR 61.63 - Financial assurances for institutional controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Financial assurances for institutional controls. 61.63 Section 61.63 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR LAND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE Financial Assurances § 61.63 Financial assurances for institutional controls. (a) Prior to...

10 CFR 61.63 - Financial assurances for institutional controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Financial assurances for institutional controls. 61.63 Section 61.63 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR LAND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE Financial Assurances § 61.63 Financial assurances for institutional controls. (a) Prior to...

10 CFR 61.63 - Financial assurances for institutional controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Financial assurances for institutional controls. 61.63 Section 61.63 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR LAND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE Financial Assurances § 61.63 Financial assurances for institutional controls. (a) Prior to...

10 CFR 60.121 - Requirements for ownership and control of interests in land.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Requirements for ownership and control of interests in land. 60.121 Section 60.121 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL... postclosure controlled area. DOE shall exercise any jurisdiction and control over surface and subsurface...

10 CFR 63.78 - Material control and accounting records and reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Material control and accounting records and reports. 63.78 Section 63.78 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES... Material control and accounting records and reports. DOE shall implement a program of material control and...

Environmental Assessment of Proposed Mixed-Use Business Park on an Enchanced Use Lease at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

remediate past environmental contamination on Air Force installations. Past procedures for managing and disposing wastes, although accepted at the...time, resulted in contamination of the environment. The ERP has established a process to evaluate past disposal sites, control the migration of... contaminants , identify potential hazards to human health and the environment, and remediate the sites. 3.5.2 Existing Conditions GFAFB is a

Application for a Permit to Operate a Class III Solid Waste Disposal Site at the Nevada National Security Site Area 5 Asbestiform Low-Level Solid Waste Disposal Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NSTec Environmental Programs

2010-10-04

The Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) is located approximately 105 km (65 mi) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) is the federal lands management authority for the NNSS and National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec) is the Management and Operations contractor. Access on and off the NNSS is tightly controlled, restricted, and guarded on a 24-hour basis. The NNSS is posted with signs along its entire perimeter. NSTec is the operator of all solid waste disposal sites on the NNSS. The Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) ismore » the location of the permitted facility for the Solid Waste Disposal Site (SWDS). The Area 5 RWMS is located near the eastern edge of the NNSS (Figure 1), approximately 26 km (16 mi) north of Mercury, Nevada. The Area 5 RWMS is used for the disposal of low-level waste (LLW) and mixed low-level waste. Many areas surrounding the RWMS have been used in conducting nuclear tests. The site will be used for the disposal of regulated Asbestiform Low-Level Waste (ALLW), small quantities of low-level radioactive hydrocarbon-burdened (LLHB) media and debris, LLW, LLW that contains Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Bulk Product Waste greater than 50 ppm that leaches at a rate of less than 10 micrograms of PCB per liter of water, and small quantities of LLHB demolition and construction waste (hereafter called permissible waste). Waste containing free liquids, or waste that is regulated as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) or state-of-generation hazardous waste regulations, will not be accepted for disposal at the site. Waste regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that will be accepted at the disposal site is regulated asbestos-containing materials (RACM) and PCB Bulk Product Waste greater than 50 ppm that leaches at a rate of less than 10 micrograms of PCB per liter of water. The term asbestiform is used throughout this document to describe RACM. The disposal site will be used as a depository of permissible waste generated both on site and off site. All generators designated by NNSA/NSO will be eligible to dispose regulated ALLW at the Asbestiform Low-Level Waste Disposal Site in accordance with the DOE/NV-325, Nevada National Security Site Waste Acceptance Criteria (NNSSWAC, current revision). Approval will be given by NNSA/NSO to generators that have successfully demonstrated through process knowledge (PK) and/or sampling and analysis that the waste is low-level, contains asbestiform material, or contains PCB Bulk Product Waste greater than 50 ppm that leaches at a rate of less than 10 micrograms of PCB per liter of water, or small quantities of LLHB demolition and construction waste and does not contain prohibited waste materials. Each waste stream will be approved through the Radioactive Waste Acceptance Program (RWAP), which ensures that the waste meets acceptance requirements outlined in the NNSSWAC.« less

Fabrication, modification, and application of poly(methyl methacrylate) microfluidic chips.

PubMed

Chen, Yun; Zhang, Luyan; Chen, Gang

2008-05-01

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is particularly useful for microfluidic chips with the features of low price, excellent optic transparency, attractive mechanical and chemical properties, ease of fabrication and modification, biocompatibility, etc. During the past decade, significant progress in the PMMA microfluidic chips has occurred. This review, which contains 120 references, summarizes the recent advances and the key strategies in the fabrication, modification, and application of PMMA microfluidic chips. It is expected that PMMA microchips should find a wide range of applications and will lead to the creation of truly disposable microfluidic devices.

Photoacoustic microcantilevers

DOEpatents

Thundat, Thomas G [Knoxville, TN; Van Neste, Charles W [Kingston, TN; Brown, Gilbert M [Knoxville, TN; Senesac, Lawrence R [Knoxville, TN

2012-06-05

A system generates a photoacoustic spectrum in an open or closed environment with reduced noise. A source focuses a beam on a target substance disposed on a base. The base supports a cantilever that measures acoustic waves generated as light is absorbed by the target substance. By focusing a chopped/pulsed light beam on the target substance, a range of optical absorbance may be measured as the wavelength of light changes. An identifying spectrum of the target may detected by monitoring the vibration intensity variation of the cantilever as a function of illuminating wavelength or color.

Overprescription of postoperative narcotics: a look at postoperative pain medication delivery, consumption and disposal in urological practice.

PubMed

Bates, Cory; Laciak, Robert; Southwick, Andrew; Bishoff, Jay

2011-02-01

Prescription narcotic abuse is a significant social problem. Surplus medication following surgery is 1 source of prescription diversion. We assessed prescribing practices, consumption and disposal of prescribed narcotics after urological surgery. Surveys were administered to a 3-month consecutive sample of adult patients who underwent surgery performed by full and adjunct University of Utah Urology faculty. Surveys were performed 2 to 4 weeks postoperatively. With the exception of the investigators, prescribing physicians had no prior knowledge of the study. Data collected included perception of pain control, type and quantity of medication prescribed, quantity of leftover medication, refills needed, disposal instructions and surplus medication disposition. Overall 47% of 586 patients participated in the study. Hydrocodone was prescribed most commonly (63%), followed by oxycodone (35%), and 86% of the patients were satisfied with pain control. Of the dispensed narcotics 58% was consumed and 12% of patients requested refills. A total of 67% of patients had surplus medication from the initial prescription and 92% received no disposal instructions for surplus medication. Of those patients with leftover medication 91% kept the medication at home while 6% threw it in the trash, 2% flushed it down the toilet and less than 1% returned it to a pharmacy. Overprescription of narcotics is common and retained surplus medication presents a readily available source of opioid diversion. It appears that no entity on the prescribing or dispensing ends of prescription opioid delivery is fulfilling the responsibility to accurately educate patients on proper surplus medication disposal. Surgeons should analyze prescribing practices and consider decreasing the quantity of postoperative narcotics prescribed. Copyright © 2011 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Servo control of an optical trap.

PubMed

Wulff, Kurt D; Cole, Daniel G; Clark, Robert L

2007-08-01

A versatile optical trap has been constructed to control the position of trapped objects and ultimately to apply specified forces using feedback control. While the design, development, and use of optical traps has been extensive and feedback control has played a critical role in pushing the state of the art, few comprehensive examinations of feedback control of optical traps have been undertaken. Furthermore, as the requirements are pushed to ever smaller distances and forces, the performance of optical traps reaches limits. It is well understood that feedback control can result in both positive and negative effects in controlled systems. We give an analysis of the trapping limits as well as introducing an optical trap with a feedback control scheme that dramatically improves an optical trap's sensitivity at low frequencies.

Remote Optical Control of an Optical Flip-Flop

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maywar, D.N.; Solomon, K.P.; Agrawal, G.P.

2007-11-01

We experimentally demonstrate control of a holding-beam–enabled optical flip-flop by means of optical signals that act in a remote fashion. These optical-control signals vary the holding-beam power by means of cross-gain modulation within a remotely located semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The power-modulated holding beam then travels through a resonant-type SOA, where flip-flop action occurs as the holding-beam power falls above and below the switching thresholds of the bistable hysteresis. Control is demonstrated using submilliwatt pulses whose wavelengths are not restricted to the vicinity of the holding beam. Benefits of remote control include the potential for controlling multiple flip-flops with amore » single pair of optical signals and for realizing all-optical control of any holding-beam–enabled flip-flop.« less

Exhaust bypass flow control for exhaust heat recovery

DOEpatents

Reynolds, Michael G.

2015-09-22

An exhaust system for an engine comprises an exhaust heat recovery apparatus configured to receive exhaust gas from the engine and comprises a first flow passage in fluid communication with the exhaust gas and a second flow passage in fluid communication with the exhaust gas. A heat exchanger/energy recovery unit is disposed in the second flow passage and has a working fluid circulating therethrough for exchange of heat from the exhaust gas to the working fluid. A control valve is disposed downstream of the first and the second flow passages in a low temperature region of the exhaust heat recovery apparatus to direct exhaust gas through the first flow passage or the second flow passage.

Mesofluidic two stage digital valve

DOEpatents

Jansen, John F; Love, Lonnie J; Lind, Randall F; Richardson, Bradley S

2013-12-31

A mesofluidic scale digital valve system includes a first mesofluidic scale valve having a valve body including a bore, wherein the valve body is configured to cooperate with a solenoid disposed substantially adjacent to the valve body to translate a poppet carried within the bore. The mesofluidic scale digital valve system also includes a second mesofluidic scale valve disposed substantially perpendicular to the first mesofluidic scale valve. The mesofluidic scale digital valve system further includes a control element in communication with the solenoid, wherein the control element is configured to maintain the solenoid in an energized state for a fixed period of time to provide a desired flow rate through an orifice of the second mesofluidic valve.

Stripping and splicing polyimide-coated fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duke, Douglas; Kanda, Yoshiharu; Tobita, Kenyo; Yamauchi, Ryozo

2011-05-01

Polyimide is often used as a coating material for optical fibers used in high temperature environments such as aerospace or oil and gas sensor applications. Unfortunately, polyimide coating is very difficult to strip by conventional mechanical stripping methods. The glass fiber is easily damaged if the stripping process is not extremely well controlled. Stripping the polyimide coating by heating with a flame or arc typically results in a significant reduction in fiber strength. Strength may be maintained by using hot acid stripping, however the use of the strong hot acid presents safety hazards and also requires controlled and safe waste disposal. Another issue with polyimide coating is variability of the coating diameter from various manufacturers or due to different polyimide coating processes. This not only complicates the polyimide stripping issue, but also presents problems with precise clamping and alignment during splicing, especially when it is necessary to splice with a short cleave length. In this paper, we present new polyimide coating stripping technology. The significant feature of this stripping technology is achievement of good strength while avoiding the use of hot acid or heating. We also developed a new specialty fiber fusion splicer that enables precise alignment and splicing regardless of the variability of polyimide coating diameter, even when clamping on the coating.

Laser tissue melding: use of 1.32-μm computerized Nd:YAG laser, results of leak/burst strength studies in microsurgical procedures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Dallas W.; Hsu, Tung M.; Halpern, Steven J.; Honaker, Arnold

1993-07-01

The ProClosureTM System (PCS) consists of a low power 1.32micrometers Nd:YAG laser coupled to a handheld disposable fiber optic device. The system has been designed to perform a wide range of tissue welding applications such as cosmetic skin closure,vascular surgery, and minimally invasive surgical procedures normally performed with sutures and staples. Utilizing a wavelength for tissue fusion that is least distracted by medium in the surgical field coupled with a computerized delivery system allows for a more precise application (+/- 5%) of laser energy to the tissue. The study design involved the micro-surgical anastomosis of twenty Sprague-Dawley rats (vas deferens) and twenty-one Sprague-Dawley rats (femoral arteries). Each rat is its own contralateral control. Laser repair time is approximately one-third that of conventional suturing. Postoperative dissection and burst strength testing was conducted at day 0, 1, 7, and 14. At each postoperative interval, the mean leak/burst strength for laser-assisted closure v. control, was markedly higher. The precise application of energy fluence resulting from ProClosure's computerized system yields an initial strength and a fluid static seal that is superior to conventional suture closure.

40 CFR 745.83 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... with the manufacturer's instructions. Interim controls means a set of measures designed to temporarily... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT LEAD-BASED... disposable cleaning cloths with the card, whether post-renovation cleaning has been properly completed...

40 CFR 745.83 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... with the manufacturer's instructions. Interim controls means a set of measures designed to temporarily... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT LEAD-BASED... disposable cleaning cloths with the card, whether post-renovation cleaning has been properly completed...

40 CFR 745.83 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... with the manufacturer's instructions. Interim controls means a set of measures designed to temporarily... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT LEAD-BASED... disposable cleaning cloths with the card, whether post-renovation cleaning has been properly completed...

Feasibility study for distributed dose monitoring in ionizing radiation environments with standard and custom-made optical fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Uffelen, Marco; Berghmans, Francis; Brichard, Benoit; Borgermans, Paul; Decréton, Marc C.

2002-09-01

Optical fibers stimulate much interest since many years for their potential use in various nuclear environments, both for radiation tolerant and EMI-free data communication as well as for distributed sensing. Besides monitoring temperature and stress, measuring ionizing doses with optical fibers is particularly essential in applications such as long-term nuclear waste disposal monitoring, and for real-time aging monitoring of power and signal cables installed inside a reactor containment building. Two distinct options exist to perform optical fiber dosimetry. First, find an accurate model for a restricted application field that accounts for all the parameters that influence the radiation response of a standard fiber, or second, develop a dedicated fiber with a response that will solely depend on the deposited energy. Using various models presented in literature, we evaluate both standard commercially available and custom-made optical fibers under gamma radiation, particularly for distributed dosimetry applications with an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR). We therefore present the radiation induced attenuation at near-infrared telecom wavelengths up to MGy total dose levels, with dose rates ranging from about 1 Gy/h up to 1 kGy/h, whereas temperature was raised step-wise from 25 °C to 85 °C. Our results allow to determine and compare the practical limitations of distributed dose measurements with both fiber types in terms of temperature sensitivity, dose estimation accuracy and spatial resolution.

Effects of contaminants in dredge material from the Lower Savannah River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winger, P.V.; Lasier, P.J.; White, D.H.; Seginak, J.T.

2000-01-01

Contaminants entering aquatic systems from agricultural, industrial, and municipal activities are generally sequestered in bottom sediments. The environmental significance of contaminants associated with sediments dredged from Savannah Harbor, Georgia, USA, are unknown. To evaluate potential effects of contaminants in river sediments and sediments dredged and stored in upland disposal areas on fish and wildlife species, solid-phase sediment and sediment pore water from Front River, Back River, an unnamed Tidal Creek on Back River, and Middle River of the distributary system of the lower Savannah River were tested for toxicity using the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca. In addition, bioaccumulation of metals from sediments collected from two dredge-disposal areas was determined using the freshwater oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus. Livers from green-winged teals (Anas crecca) and lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) foraging in the dredge-spoil areas and raccoons (Procyon lotor) from the dredge-disposal/river area and an upland site were collected for metal analyses. Survival of H. azteca was not reduced in solid-phase sediment exposures, but was reduced in pore water from several locations receiving drainage from dredge-disposal areas. Basic water chemistry (ammonia, alkalinity, salinity) was responsible for the reduced survival at several sites, but PAHs, metals, and other unidentified factors were responsible at other sites. Metal residues in sediments from the Tidal Creek and Middle River reflected drainage or seepage from adjacent dredge-disposal areas, which could potentially reduce habitat quality in these areas. Trace metals increased in L. variegatus exposed in the laboratory to dredge-disposal sediments; As, Cu, Hg, Se, and Zn bioaccumulated to concentrations higher than those in the sediments. Certain metals (Cd, Hg, Mo, Se) were higher in livers of birds and raccoons than those in dredge-spoil sediments suggesting bioavailability. Cadmium, Ct, Hg, Pb, and Se in livers from raccoons collected near the river and dredge-disposal areas were significantly higher than those of raccoons from the upland control site. Evidence of bioaccumulation from laboratory and field evaluations and concentrations in sediments from dredge-disposal areas and river channels demonstrated that some metals in the dredge-disposal areas are mobile and biologically available. Drainage from dredge-disposal areas may be impacting habitat quality in the river, and fish and wildlife that feed and nest in the disposal area pm the lower Savannah River may be at risk from metal contamination.

Optical biosensor optimized for continuous in-line glucose monitoring in animal cell culture.

PubMed

Tric, Mircea; Lederle, Mario; Neuner, Lisa; Dolgowjasow, Igor; Wiedemann, Philipp; Wölfl, Stefan; Werner, Tobias

2017-09-01

Biosensors for continuous glucose monitoring in bioreactors could provide a valuable tool for optimizing culture conditions in biotechnological applications. We have developed an optical biosensor for long-term continuous glucose monitoring and demonstrated a tight glucose level control during cell culture in disposable bioreactors. The in-line sensor is based on a commercially available oxygen sensor that is coated with cross-linked glucose oxidase (GOD). The dynamic range of the sensor was tuned by a hydrophilic perforated diffusion membrane with an optimized permeability for glucose and oxygen. The biosensor was thoroughly characterized by experimental data and numerical simulations, which enabled insights into the internal concentration profile of the deactivating by-product hydrogen peroxide. The simulations were carried out with a one-dimensional biosensor model and revealed that, in addition to the internal hydrogen peroxide concentration, the turnover rate of the enzyme GOD plays a crucial role for biosensor stability. In the light of this finding, the glucose sensor was optimized to reach a long functional stability (>52 days) under continuous glucose monitoring conditions with a dynamic range of 0-20 mM and a response time of t 90  ≤ 10 min. In addition, we demonstrated that the sensor was sterilizable with beta and UV irradiation and only subjected to minor cross sensitivity to oxygen, when an oxygen reference sensor was applied. Graphical abstract Measuring setup of a glucose biosensor in a shake flask for continuous glucose monitoring in mammalian cell culture.

Hairlike Percutaneous Photochemical Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, Thomas; Loeb, Gerald

2004-01-01

Instrumentation systems based on hairlike fiber-optic photochemical sensors have been proposed as minimally invasive means of detecting biochemicals associated with cancer and other diseases. The fiber-optic sensors could be mass-produced as inexpensive, disposable components. The sensory tip of a fiber-optic sensor would be injected through the patient's skin into subcutaneous tissue. A biosensing material on the sensory tip would bind or otherwise react with the biochemical(s) of interest [the analyte(s)] to produce a change in optical properties that would be measured by use of an external photonic analyzer. After use, a fiber-optic sensor could be simply removed by plucking it out with tweezers. A fiber-optic sensor according to the proposal would be of the approximate size and shape of a human hair, and its sensory tip would resemble a follicle. Once inserted into a patient's subcutaneous tissue, the sensor would even more closely resemble a hair growing from a follicle (see Figure 1). The biosensing material on the sensory tip could consist of a chemical and/or cells cultured and modified for the purpose. The biosensing material would be contained within a membrane that would cover the tip. If the membrane were not permeable by an analyte, then it would be necessary to create pores in the membrane that would be large enough to allow analyte molecules to diffuse to the biosensing material, but not so large as to allow cells (if present as part of the biosensing material) to diffuse out. The end of the fiber-optic sensor opposite the sensory tip would be inserted in a fiberoptic socket in the photonic analyzer.

10 CFR 60.78 - Material control and accounting records and reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Material control and accounting records and reports. 60.78 Section 60.78 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES IN GEOLOGIC REPOSITORIES Records, Reports, Tests, and Inspections § 60.78 Material control and...

50 CFR 31.14 - Official animal control operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Official animal control operations. 31.14... Reduction and Disposal § 31.14 Official animal control operations. (a) Animal species which are surplus or...) Animal species which are damaging or destroying Federal property within a wildlife refuge area may be...

50 CFR 31.14 - Official animal control operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Official animal control operations. 31.14... Reduction and Disposal § 31.14 Official animal control operations. (a) Animal species which are surplus or...) Animal species which are damaging or destroying Federal property within a wildlife refuge area may be...

50 CFR 31.14 - Official animal control operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Official animal control operations. 31.14... Reduction and Disposal § 31.14 Official animal control operations. (a) Animal species which are surplus or...) Animal species which are damaging or destroying Federal property within a wildlife refuge area may be...

50 CFR 31.14 - Official animal control operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Official animal control operations. 31.14... Reduction and Disposal § 31.14 Official animal control operations. (a) Animal species which are surplus or...) Animal species which are damaging or destroying Federal property within a wildlife refuge area may be...

50 CFR 31.14 - Official animal control operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Official animal control operations. 31.14... Reduction and Disposal § 31.14 Official animal control operations. (a) Animal species which are surplus or...) Animal species which are damaging or destroying Federal property within a wildlife refuge area may be...

9 CFR 56.4 - Determination of indemnity amounts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... AGRICULTURE COOPERATIVE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES CONTROL OF H5/H7 LOW..., and APHIS. APHIS will review claims for compensation for disposal to ensure that all expenditures... described in § 56.10. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0007) [71...

9 CFR 56.4 - Determination of indemnity amounts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AGRICULTURE COOPERATIVE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES CONTROL OF H5/H7 LOW..., and APHIS. APHIS will review claims for compensation for disposal to ensure that all expenditures... described in § 56.10. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0007) [71...

9 CFR 56.4 - Determination of indemnity amounts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AGRICULTURE COOPERATIVE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES CONTROL OF H5/H7 LOW..., and APHIS. APHIS will review claims for compensation for disposal to ensure that all expenditures... described in § 56.10. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0007) [71...

9 CFR 56.4 - Determination of indemnity amounts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... AGRICULTURE COOPERATIVE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES CONTROL OF H5/H7 LOW..., and APHIS. APHIS will review claims for compensation for disposal to ensure that all expenditures... described in § 56.10. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0007) [71...

The design method of CGH for testing the Φ404, F2 primary mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Nian; Duan, Xueting; Li, Hua

2014-09-01

In order to accurately test shape quality of the large diameter aspherical mirror, a kind of binary optical element called Computer generated holograms (CGHs) are widely used .The primary role of the CGHs is to generate any desired wavefronts to realize phase compensation. In this paper, the CGH design principle and design process are reviewed at first. Then an optical testing system for testing the aspheric mirror includes a computer generated hologram (CGH) and an imaging element (IE) is disposed. And an optical testing system only concludes a CGH is proposed too. The CGH is designed for measurement of an aspheric mirror (diameter=404mm, F-number=2). Interferometric simulation test results of the aspheric mirror show that the whole test system obtains the demanded high accuracy. When combined the CGH with an imaging element in the Aspheric Compensator, the smallest feature in the CGH should be decreased. The CGH can also be used to test freeform surface with high precision, it is of great significance to the development of the freeform surface.

Segregated tandem filter for enhanced conversion efficiency in a thermophotovoltaic energy conversion system

DOEpatents

Brown, E.J.; Baldasaro, P.F.; Dziendziel, R.J.

1997-12-23

A filter system to transmit short wavelength radiation and reflect long wavelength radiation for a thermophotovoltaic energy conversion cell comprises an optically transparent substrate segregation layer with at least one coherent wavelength in optical thickness; a dielectric interference filter deposited on one side of the substrate segregation layer, the interference filter being disposed toward the source of radiation, the interference filter including a plurality of alternating layers of high and low optical index materials adapted to change from transmitting to reflecting at a nominal wavelength {lambda}{sub IF} approximately equal to the bandgap wavelength {lambda}{sub g} of the thermophotovoltaic cell, the interference filter being adapted to transmit incident radiation from about 0.5{lambda}{sub IF} to {lambda}{sub IF} and reflect from {lambda}{sub IF} to about 2{lambda}{sub IF}; and a high mobility plasma filter deposited on the opposite side of the substrate segregation layer, the plasma filter being adapted to start to become reflecting at a wavelength of about 1.5{lambda}{sub IF}. 10 figs.

An integrated fiberoptic-microfluidic device for agglutination detection and blood typing.

PubMed

Ramasubramanian, Melur K; Alexander, Stewart P

2009-02-01

In this paper, an integrated fiberoptic-microfluidic device for the detection of agglutination for blood type cross-matching has been described. The device consists of a straight microfluidic channel through with a reacted RBC suspension is pumped with the help of a syringe pump. The flow intersects an optical path created by an emitter-received fiber optic pair integrated into the microfluidic device. A 650 nm laser diode is used as the light source and a silicon photodiode is used to detect the light intensity. The spacing between the tips of the two optic fibers can be adjusted. When fiber spacing is large and the concentration of the suspension is high, scattering phenomenon becomes the dominant mechanism for agglutination detection while at low concentrations and small spacing, optointerruption becomes the dominant mechanism. An agglutination strength factor (ASF) is calculated from the data. Studies with a variety of blood types indicate that the sensing method correctly identifies the agglutination reaction in all cases. A disposable integrated device can be designed for future implementation of the method for near-bedside pre-transfusion check.

Electro-optic voltage sensor for sensing voltage in an E-field

DOEpatents

Davidson, James R.; Crawford, Thomas M.; Seifert, Gary D.

2002-03-26

A miniature electro-optic voltage sensor and system capable of accurate operation at high voltages has a sensor body disposed in an E-field. The body receives a source beam of electromagnetic radiation. A polarization beam displacer separates the source light beam into two beams with orthogonal linear polarizations. A wave plate rotates the linear polarization to rotated polarization. A transducer utilizes Pockels electro-optic effect and induces a differential phase shift on the major and minor axes of the rotated polarization in response to the E-field. A prism redirects the beam back through the transducer, wave plate, and polarization beam displacer. The prism also converts the rotated polarization to circular or elliptical polarization. The wave plate rotates the major and minor axes of the circular or elliptical polarization to linear polarization. The polarization beam displacer separates the beam into two beams of orthogonal linear polarization representing the major and minor axes. The system may have a transmitter for producing the beam of electro-magnetic radiation; a detector for converting the two beams into electrical signals; and a signal processor for determining the voltage.

Structured light stereo catadioptric scanner based on a spherical mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barone, S.; Neri, P.; Paoli, A.; Razionale, A. V.

2018-08-01

The present paper describes the development and characterization of a structured light stereo catadioptric scanner for the omnidirectional reconstruction of internal surfaces. The proposed approach integrates two digital cameras, a multimedia projector and a spherical mirror, which is used to project the structured light patterns generated by the light emitter and, at the same time, to reflect into the cameras the modulated fringe patterns diffused from the target surface. The adopted optical setup defines a non-central catadioptric system, thus relaxing any geometrical constraint in the relative placement between optical devices. An analytical solution for the reflection on a spherical surface is proposed with the aim at modelling forward and backward projection tasks for a non-central catadioptric setup. The feasibility of the proposed active catadioptric scanner has been verified by reconstructing various target surfaces. Results demonstrated a great influence of the target surface distance from the mirror's centre on the measurement accuracy. The adopted optical configuration allows the definition of a metrological 3D scanner for surfaces disposed within 120 mm from the mirror centre.

All plastic ultra-small size imaging lens unit fabrication and evaluation for endoscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishii, Kenta; Okamoto, Dai; Ushio, Makoto; Tai, Hidetoshi; Nishihara, Atsuhiko; Tokuda, Kimio; Kawai, Shinsuke; Kitagawa, Seiichiro

2017-02-01

There is demand for small-size lens units for endoscope and industrial applications. Polished glass lenses with a diameter of 1 - 2mm exist, however plastic lenses similar in size are not commonplace. For low-cost, light-weight, and mass production, plastic lens fabrication is extremely beneficial. Especially, in the medical field, there is strong demand for disposable lens unit for endoscopes which prevent contamination due to reuse of the lens. Therefore, high mass producible and low cost becomes increasingly important. This paper reports our findings on injection-molded ultra-small size plastic lens units with a diameter of 1.3mm and total thickness of 1.4mm. We performed optical design, injection molding, and lens unit assembly for injection moldable, high imaging performance ultra-small sized lens units. We prioritize a robust product design, considering injection molding properties and lens unit assembly, with feedback from molding simulations reflected into the optical design. A mold capable of high precision lens positioning is used to fabricate the lenses and decrease the variability of the assembly. The geometric dimensions of the resulting lenses, are measured and used in the optical simulation to validate the optical performance, and a high agreement is reported. The injection molding of the lens and the assembly of the lens unit is performed with high precision, and results in high optical performance.

Optical and spectroscopic studies on tannery wastes as a possible source of organic semiconductors.

PubMed

Nashy, El-Shahat H A; Al-Ashkar, Emad; Moez, A Abdel

2012-02-01

Tanning industry produces a large quantity of solid wastes which contain hide proteins in the form of protein shavings containing chromium salts. The chromium wastes are the main concern from an environmental stand point of view, because chrome wastes posses a significant disposal problem. The present work is devoted to investigate the possibility of utilizing these wastes as a source of organic semi-conductors as an alternative method instead of the conventional ones. The chemical characterization of these wastes was determined. In addition, the Horizontal Attenuated Total Reflection (HATR) FT-IR spectroscopic analysis and optical parameters were also carried out for chromated samples. The study showed that the chromated samples had suitable absorbance and transmittance in the wavelength range (500-850 nm). Presence of chromium salt in the collagen samples increases the absorbance which improves the optical properties of the studied samples and leads to decrease the optical energy gap. The obtained optical energy gap gives an impression that the environmentally hazardous chrome shavings wastes can be utilized as a possible source of natural organic semiconductors with direct and indirect energy gap. This work opens the door to use some hazardous wastes in the manufacture of electronic devices such as IR-detectors, solar cells and also as solar cell windows. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Collaboration and Commitment to Sealed Source Safety, Security, and Disposition - 13627

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jennison, Meaghan; Martin, David W.

2013-07-01

EnergySolutions, the Division of Radiation Control at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ), the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD), and the Department of Energy's Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) are collaborating on a truly innovative effort to expand opportunities for cost-effective sealed source disposal. These entities have developed a first-of-its-kind initiative to dispose of certain sealed sources at the EnergySolutions disposal facility near Clive, Utah, which normally cannot accept sealed sources of any type. This creative and collaborative effort to improve radiation health, safety, and security exemplifies the spirit and commitment represented by the Richard S. Hodes,more » M.D. Honor Lecture Award, which is presented annually at the Waste Management Symposia by the Southeast Compact Commission to encourage environmental professionals and political leaders to develop innovative approaches to waste management in the United States. The participants in the collaborative initiative are honored to receive special recognition for their efforts thus far. They also recognize that the hard work remains to be done. (authors)« less

Installation-Restoration Program Preliminary Assessment, Naknek Recreational Camps, Alaska

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1989-04-01

The Hazardous Materials Technical Center (HMTC) was retained in January 1988 to conduct the Installation-Restoration Program (IRP) Preliminary Assessment of Naknek Recreational Camps, Alaska, DoD policy is to identify and fully evaluate suspected problems associated with past hazardous-material disposal sites on DoD facilities, control the migration of hazardous contamination from such facilities, and control hazards to health and welfare that may have resulted from these past operations. Past installation operations involved the use and disposal of materials and wastes that were subsequently categorized as hazardous. The major operations of Naknek Camp I and Camp II did not use or disposemore » of HM/HW; however, these camps were used by the Air Force as dump areas and landfills. Waste oils, fuels, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were among the wastes disposed of during these dumping activities. Information obtained through interviews, records, and field observations resulted in the identification of three sites that are potentially contaminated with HM/HW. At each of the identified sites, the potential exists for contamination of surface water, soils, and/or ground water and subsequent contaminant migration.« less

Disposable surgical face masks for preventing surgical wound infection in clean surgery.

PubMed

Lipp, Allyson; Edwards, Peggy

2014-02-17

Surgical face masks were originally developed to contain and filter droplets containing microorganisms expelled from the mouth and nasopharynx of healthcare workers during surgery, thereby providing protection for the patient. However, there are several ways in which surgical face masks could potentially contribute to contamination of the surgical wound, e.g. by incorrect wear or by leaking air from the side of the mask due to poor string tension. To determine whether disposable surgical face masks worn by the surgical team during clean surgery prevent postoperative surgical wound infection. We searched The Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register on 23 October 2013; The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library); Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations); Ovid EMBASE; and EBSCO CINAHL. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing the use of disposable surgical masks with the use of no mask. Two review authors extracted data independently. Three trials were included, involving a total of 2113 participants. There was no statistically significant difference in infection rates between the masked and unmasked group in any of the trials. From the limited results it is unclear whether the wearing of surgical face masks by members of the surgical team has any impact on surgical wound infection rates for patients undergoing clean surgery.

Alternative Controller for a Fiber-Optic Switch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters, Robert

2007-01-01

A simplified diagram of a relatively inexpensive controller for a DiCon VX (or equivalent) fiber-optic switch -- an electromechanically actuated switch for optically connecting one or two input optical fibers to any of a number of output optical fibers is shown. DiCon VX fiber-optic switches are used primarily in research and development in the telecommunication industry. This controller can control any such switch having up to 32 output channels.

Feedback controlled optics with wavefront compensation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breckenridge, William G. (Inventor); Redding, David C. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

The sensitivity model of a complex optical system obtained by linear ray tracing is used to compute a control gain matrix by imposing the mathematical condition for minimizing the total wavefront error at the optical system's exit pupil. The most recent deformations or error states of the controlled segments or optical surfaces of the system are then assembled as an error vector, and the error vector is transformed by the control gain matrix to produce the exact control variables which will minimize the total wavefront error at the exit pupil of the optical system. These exact control variables are then applied to the actuators controlling the various optical surfaces in the system causing the immediate reduction in total wavefront error observed at the exit pupil of the optical system.