No abstract available

[en] The FIXED WING AIRCRAFT accidents occurring to US air carriers during the years 1956 through 1977 are listed, with those resulting in impact within five miles of airports in the contiguous US being considered in detail as to location of impact relative to the airport runways

[en] 'Public opinion', 'public expectation' and 'public perception' are three phrases used in representing views of the public. As an example of the impact and hence importance of public perception, recall that Sweden is terminating its nuclear power programme. Being a democracy, it will, in the end, do what the majority of its citizens believe should be done. Such beliefs are influenced by public perception

[en] This paper summarizes the authors' findings, during carrying out many package tie-down assessments, regarding the approach to the assessment process, and the issues that may arise. The current regulatory framework, as outlined in the abstract, is considered and possible areas for further development or research are discussed. The safe transport of a package containing radioactive material requires a secure system of retention on the conveyance during transport. The requirements for the assessment of this tie-down system are covered by International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) Regulations, and by the specific regulatory and guidance materials applying in the country of application. The IAEA regulations have recently been updated in TS-R-1 (June 2000) [1] and TS-G-1.1 (June 2002) [2]. In particular, Appendix V of reference [2] specifically covers 'Package Stowage and Retention during Transport'. In the United Kingdom the Transport Container Standardisation Committee (TCSC) provides guidance on the application of the IAEA regulations in TCSC 1006 ''The securing of Radioactive Materials on Conveyances'' [3], and this document has also been revised in December 2003. The basic requirement of the IAEA regulations is to maintain the integrity of the components of the package and its retention systems during routine operations (TS-R-1 Para 612). In accident conditions the package is permitted and may be required as part of the design (the weak-link approach as discussed later in this paper) to separate from the conveyance, while preserving the package integrity. Any tie-down attachments on the package shall be so designed that, under normal and accident conditions of transport, the forces in those attachments shall not impair the ability of the package to meet the requirements of the Regulations. (TS-R-1 Para 636)

[en] In a preoperative study to identify accurately metastases to the lymph nodes within the pelvis and retroperitoneum, the three imaging techniques of pelvic interstitial lymphoscintigraphy, bipedal lymphangiography and computer tomography (CT) scanning were compared in 69 patients with carcinoma of the cervix uteri or rectum. Results were correlated with histologic node examination in all patients and each technique was assessed for sensitivity, specificity and over-all accuracy. Lymphoscintigraphy is too unreliable for routine use in the diagnosis or staging of pelvic malignant conditions. Lymphangiography detects involved lateral pelvic and para-aortic nodes but is unable to visualize the internal iliac or other medial pelvic nodes. CT scanning is only accurate if metastatic nodes are enlarged but may reveal other pathways of spread which will alter the surgical approach

[en] The source term to containment is defined as the quantity, timing, and chemical form of the fission product species released to the reactor containment building atmosphere during core damage accidents. The traditional approach used in the licensing process in the US has been based on data that had been obtained by burning irradiated uranium metal in air and formed the basis for the TID-14844 document published in 1962. Significant research activity in the area of severe accidents has been undertaken following the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2. The objectives of the present paper are to provide a mechanistic framework for calculating of radiological releases to containment for the design basis and beyond the design basis accidents using the latest source term information. The phenomenological aspects of degraded core accidents will be discussed and the key factors affecting fission product release characteristics into containment will be identified. Finally, a simplified source term formalism will be proposed

[en] This paper: ''Some experiments upon the biological effects of fast neutrons'', was written by four renowned scientists of their time only 8 years after the discovery of neutrons by Chadwick. The paper describes the methods of measurement of neutron dose and a series of radiobiology experiments on chick embryo fibroblasts and the inhibition of mitosis in the bean root. The results are interesting to compare with current thinking on the radiobiology of neutrons. (UK)

[en] Published in summary form only

[en] I review current efforts to measure the mean density of dark matter near the Sun. This encodes valuable dynamical information about our Galaxy and is also of great importance for ‘direct detection’ dark matter experiments. I discuss theoretical expectations in our current cosmology; the theory behind mass modelling of the Galaxy; and I show how combining local and global measures probes the shape of the Milky Way dark matter halo and the possible presence of a ‘dark disc’. I stress the strengths and weaknesses of different methodologies and highlight the continuing need for detailed tests on mock data—particularly in the light of recently discovered evidence for disequilibria in the Milky Way disc. I collate the latest measurements of ρ_dm and show that, once the baryonic surface density contribution Σ_b is normalized across different groups, there is remarkably good agreement. Compiling data from the literature, I estimate Σ_b = 54.2 ± 4.9 M_⊙pc⁻², where the dominant source of uncertainty is in the H i gas contribution. Assuming this contribution from the baryons, I highlight several recent measurements of ρ_dm in order of increasing data complexity and prior, and, correspondingly, decreasing formal error bars. Comparing these measurements with spherical extrapolations from the Milky Way’s rotation curve, I show that the Milky Way is consistent with having a spherical dark matter halo at R₀ ∼ 8 kpc. The very latest measures of ρ_dm based on ∼10 000 stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey appear to favour little halo flattening at R₀, suggesting that the Galaxy has a rather weak dark matter disc, with a correspondingly quiescent merger history. I caution, however, that this result hinges on there being no large systematics that remain to be uncovered in the SDSS data, and on the local baryonic surface density being Σ_b ∼ 55 M_⊙pc⁻². I conclude by discussing how the new Gaia satellite will be transformative. We will obtain much tighter constraints on both Σ_b and ρ_dm by having accurate 6D phase space data for millions of stars near the Sun. These data will drive us towards fully three dimensional models of our Galactic potential, moving us into the realm of precision measurements of ρ_dm. (topical review)

[en] We investigate the use of AgSn alloys as the spacer layer in current-perpendicular-to-the-plane magnetoresistance devices. Alloying with Sn increases resistivity but results in a reasonably long (>10 nm) spin-diffusion length, so large magnetoresistance can be achieved with thin AgSn spacers. Compared to Ag thin films, AgSn forms smaller grain sizes, reduced roughness, and exhibits less interdiffusion upon annealing, resulting in decreased interlayer magnetic coupling in exchange biased spin-valves. AgSn also shows improved corrosion resistance compared to Ag, which is advantageous for nanofabrication, including magnetic recording head sensors. Combining a AgSn spacer with Co-based Heusler alloy ferromagnet in an exchange biased, polycrystalline trilayer thinner than 12 nm results in magnetoresistance values up to 15% at room temperature