No abstract available

No abstract available

[en] In 1995 experiments were made on crude oil spilled onto and from under the surface. One objective was to determine the effectiveness of applying the same amount of a dispersing agent by two different methods: from helicopter, and from ship. This report describes the remote sensing technique used in the experiment to obtain the oil slick volume before and after the dispersant was applied. Fixed-wing aircraft was used with UV and IR line scanners, SLAR (Side Looking Airborne Radar) and MWR (scanning Micro Wave Radiometry). Other remote sensing images were obtained from the satellites ERS-1 and ERS-2 and from a helicopter (Sikorsky S61-N). This report contains all the usable remote sensing images. They are presented in chronological order and analysed. The discussion deals with slick thickness, slick spreading and the distribution of oil within the total slick area, slick drifting, and the effect of dispersant treatment. The report describes how these parameters varied in time and with the release conditions. 14 refs., 116 figs., 15 tabs

[en] A recently released environmental impact statement on the state of the art technologies and environmental impacts associated with waste disposal in mined geological repositories is reviewed. The use of predisposal systems either to decrease the level of radioactivity in the wastes or to confine the radioactivity in a form suitable for disposal is discussed. Utilization of mined geologic respositories for disposal of commercially generated high-level and trasuranic radioactive wastes is one of the three main courses of action examined. Wastes would be buried 600-1000 m below the surface and protected by a series of independent barriers. Environmental impacts associated with the repositories are outlined

[en] A method is described for preparing radioactively labelled vitamin B 12 (cyanocobalamin) by reacting α-(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazolyl) hydrogenobamide with active (sup(57,58)Co) cobaltous ion. The latter may be in the form of cobaltous chloride or sulphate in aqueous or aqueous alcoholic medium. The reaction is effected by heating the reactants in darkness at pH 4 to 8. An excess of cyanide is added to convert the hydroxocobalamin formed to cyanocobalamin. (U.K.)

No abstract available

[en] Electron beam processing of materials was introduced during the 1950s, and this technology has been continually evolving since then. A variety of industrial electron accelerators can now provide electron energies from 0.3 MeV to more than 10 MeV with average beam power capabilities up to 300 kW. The most important types are described briefly in this paper. Several types of material handling systems are used to present products to the electron beam. The objectives are to utilize the beam power efficiently and to obtain acceptable dose uniformity. The main methods for material handling are described. Simplified equations are provided for relating the electron energy and beam power ratings to the material thickness, area throughput and mass throughput rates. The basic requirements for personnel safety are also reviewed

[en] Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) of the distal radius continues to reveal unsuspected new risk factors for decreased bone mass in younger women. Findings in the patients the authors studied include the following (reported in mean Hounsfield units). Eight nonsmoking patients with regular menses (aged 29 +- 5 years):cortex = 1,268 +- 61, trabeculae = 258 +- 63; eight nonsmoking patients with irregular menses (aged 31 +- 4 years):cortex = 1,186 +- 120, trabeculae = 157 +- 55; ten smoking patients with regular menses (aged 33 +- 4 years):cortex = 1,159 +- 89, trabeculae = 127 +- 58; and 41 nonsmoking patients with endometriosis (aged 30 +- 6 years):cortex = 1,33 +- 103, trabeculae = 173 +- 60. For all but the first group of patients, P < 0.5 when compared with normal controls. Potential causes are presented, including the intriguing possibility that decreased bone mass in endometriosis is the result of interleukin-1 production

[en] A model for Oil Spill Contingency and Response (OSCAR) has been used to evaluate the first line oil spill response strategies for different fields in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The system provides a 3-D model of the physical and chemical behaviour and fate of spilled oil. It also provides an oil spill response simulation of currently available mechanical recovery and dispersant application systems. The response can be dimensioned based on physical or biological characteristics of the region. Comparative costs and environmental benefits of the options can also be calculated. Regional analyses, in which environmental impacts are balanced against regionally based response costs, represent a rational and responsible approach to oil spill response planning. The OSCAR model makes this exercise relatively easy to put in place. 16 refs., 12 figs

[en] During field trials in the North Sea in 1992, three 20-tonne slicks of a relatively weak 30% water-in-oil emulsion were released. Two of the slicks were treated with demulsifier from spray aircraft and one of the treated slicks was sprayed with dispersant seven hours later. The experiment used flow-through fluorometry to determine oil concentrations below the control and demulsifier-treated slick. Remote sensing imagery was used to determine the area of the surface slicks. Emulsion formation was slowed down in the two demulsifier-treated slicks relative to the control slick. The demulsifier-treated slicks resulted in maximum oil concentrations in water some five times higher than the control slick and spread over a volume 10-20 times as large. The control slick was therefore more persistent on the sea surface than either of the treated slicks. 5 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs