[en] Examination of the lessons to be learned from the accident of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant on 20 March 1979 led the French Safety Authorities and EDF (Electricite de France) to adopt a series of measures intended to improve the performance of the containment of French PWRs, especially in the event of accident. Among the measures adopted, two of them contribute to the upgrading of the containment of nuclear island buildings, by reducing radioactivity constraints inside these buildings and by limiting radioactive releases into the environment. These are: (1) dynamic containment of auxiliary buildings likely to be contaminated following an accident, (2) reinjection back into the reactor building of liquid effluents arising in the auxiliary buildings. In this paper we shall discuss, for each measure, the approach to the problem and describe the arrangements made to arrive at a satisfactory solution

[en] An automatic system for testing the detectors applied in high energy physics is developed. Such detectors have a large number of linear chains. The test procedures and the test bench are described. The parameters to be tested are the gain, the shape of the signal, the noise, the diaphony and the signal resolution

No abstract available

[en] Analyzing the gamma spectra in energy range of 0-600 keV measured by Planar HP-Germanium detector and of 0-15 MeV by Coaxial HP-Germanium detector of ²³⁸PuBe, ²³⁹PuBe and ²⁴¹AmBe neutron sources shown that interaction of neutrons with germanium material dose not induce the gamma lines in coincidence with ones used in MGA++ software program for analyzing the Pu material. Compton tail of 4438 keV gamma rays and effect of interaction of neutrons and germanium material mainly increase the background of low energy region (0-600 keV). The background decreases the uncertainty of the MGA++ commercial program; however, the program can be still well used to analyze the 0-600 keV spectra for getting the Pu isotopic composition and age in general. Some case of in correction of U existence in MGA++ -report was discussed

[en] The total synthesis of the title compound from pyruvic aldehyde dimethyl acetal and ethyl [2-¹³C]acetate is reported. (author)

[en] Proteorhodopsin is the membrane protein used by marine bacterioplankton as a light-driven proton pump. Here, we describe a rapid cooperative assembly process directed by universal electrostatic interactions that spontaneously organizes proteorhodopsin molecules into ordered arrays with well defined orientation and packing density. We demonstrate the charge density-matching mechanism that selectively controls the assembly process. The interactions among different components in the system are tuned by varying their charge densities to yield different organized transmembrane protein arrays: (i) a bacteriorhodopsin purple membrane-like structure where proteorhodopsin molecules are cooperatively arranged with charged lipids into a 2D hexagonal lattice; (ii) selected liquid-crystalline states in which crystalline lamellae made up of the coassembled proteorhodopsin and charged lipid molecules are coupled three-dimensionally with polarized proteorhodopsin orientation persisting through the macroscopic scale. Understanding this rapid electrostatically driven assembly process sheds light on organizing membrane proteins in general, which is a prerequisite for membrane protein structural and mechanistic studies as well as in vitro applications

[en] Mevalonolactone is the essential and universal precursor to terpenoid compounds, giving rise to the ''isoprene'' unit by a decarboxylation-dehydration reaction. The synthesis of (3RS) (5R) [5-²H]-, (3RS) (5S) [5-²H]-and (3RS) (5S) [5-³H]-mevalonolactones are described. (author)

[en] Full text: Uranuim enrichment of homogenous and profiled fuel assemblies was verified by gamma spectrometry. The fuel rods in the assemblies contained uranium enriched to 1.6 to 4.4% among which those of 1.6, 2.4 and 3.6% were of homogenous composition. In one of the types of heterogenous (^profiled⁾ assemblies the enrichment in the central region is the highest (4%) and it is lower at the peripheral region (3.6 and 3.3%). In the other type it is 4.4% in the central part and 3.6 and 4% at the periphery. Three gamma detectors were used in the study two HPGe detectors of different resolution and efficiency and a CdZnTe (CZT) detector, which fits into the central tube of the assemblies In this way possible to obtain information from both the inner and outer parts of the assemblies. It proved to be possible to distinguish different types of assemblies within a reasonable measurement time(15-20 min). For the HPGe measurements the assemblies had to be lifted out from their storage rack, while when using the CZT detector, the assemblies could be left at their storage position. A routine project is going on for enrichment verification of -10% of the freshly arrived assemblies at a random basis in the fresh fuel storage under normal operational conditions, upon inspection, having minimum impact on the NPP work, it is also tested that 232U content of the examined assemblies is much smaller than what is expected for pellets made of reprocessed material.

[en] This paper describes the design and construction of a microcomputer software code - for predicting light water properties. The U.O. code uses simple correlations and is valid for a wide range of temperature and pressure. The accuracy and speed of U.O. code are compatible with existing codes

[en] The chemical synthesis of double labelled mevalonolactone with carbon ¹³C at positions C-4 and C-6 with a 42% yield is reported starting from [1,3-¹³C₂]acetone. (author)