[en] Nuclear weapons, population explosion, resource and food-supply depletion, and environmental deterioration have been posing increasing threats to human survival. Moreover, for the first time in history, all these major global threats are human caused and can, therefore, be traced in large part to psychological origins. After a brief overview of the nature and extent of current threats, this paper suggests criteria for an adequate psychology of human survival. The causes and effects of the threats are examined from various psychological perspectives and the psychological principles underlying effective responses are deduced. The ways in which mental health professionals may contribute to this most crucial task are discussed. 76 references

[en] A large national cost is incurred in remediating near-surface contamination such as surface spills, leaking buried pipelines, and underground storage tank sites. Many of these sites can be contained and remediated using enhanced natural venting, capitalizing on barometric pumping. Barometric pumping is the cyclic movement experienced by soil gas due to oscillations in atmospheric pressure. Daily variations of 5 millibars are typical, while changes of 25 to 50 millibars can occur due to major weather front passage. The fluctuations can cause bulk vertical movement in soil gas ranging from centimeters to meters, depending on the amplitude of the pressure oscillation, soil gas permeability, and depth to an impermeable boundary such as the water table. Since the bulk gas movement is cyclic, under natural conditions no net advective vertical movement occurs over time. Science and Engineering Associates, Inc., is developing an engineered system to capitalize on the oscillatory flow for soil contaminant remediation and containment. By design, the system allows normal upward movement of soil gas but restricts the downward movement during barometric highs. The earth's surface is modified with a sealant and vent valve such that the soil gas flow is literally open-quotes ratchetedclose quotes to cause a net upward flow over time. A key feature of the design is that it does not require boreholes, resulting in a very low cost remediation effort and reduced personnel exposure risk. In the current phase (Phase I) the system's performance is being evaluated. Static and transient analysis results are presented which illustrate the relative magnitude of this advective movement compared to downward contaminant diffusion rates. Calculations also indicate the depth of influence for various surface and soil configurations. The system design will be presented, as well as a cost assessment compared to conventional techniques

[en] Insertion of a flat, Rutherford type, cable of NbTi/Cu composite strands into a rectangular profile of high purity aluminum is an established method of superconductor fabrication for certain applications. Although this processing scheme has numerous advantages it produces a composite material whose properties are difficult to predict with precision. The BABAR detector magnet currently being tested at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, uses high-purity aluminum stabilized superconducting cable. The performance of the superconductor is dependent on the quality of the fabrication of the composite conductor. Here we present measurements of the critical transport current of BABAR production grade conductors up to 10 kA, and at fields up to 10 T. Data are related to production variables, compared to estimates from simple models, and evaluated with respect to design specifications

[en] Many utilities operating nuclear power plants are expected to seek to extend the useful life of their plants through license renewal. These US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensees are expected to implement enhanced inspection, surveillance, testing, and monitoring (ISTM) as needed to detect and mitigate age-related degradation of important structures, systems, and components (SSCs). In addition, utilities may undertake various refurbishment and upgrade activities at these plants to better assure economic and reliable power generation. These activities performed for safety and/or economic reasons can result in radioactive waste generation, which is incremental to that generated in the original licensing term. Work was performed for the NRC to help define and characterize potential environmental impacts associated with nuclear plant license renewal and plant life extension. As part of this work, projections were made of the types and quantities of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) likely to be generated by licensee programs. These projections were needed to estimate environmental impacts related to the disposal of such wastes

[en] Cable-In-Conduit-Conductor (CICC) alloys, exposed to Nb₃Sn reaction heat-treatments, such as modified 316LN require a design specific database. A lack of fatigue life data (S-n curves) that could be applied in the design of the ITER CS and the NHMFL Series Connected Hybrid magnets is the impetus for the research presented here. The modified 316LN is distinguished by a lower carbon content and higher nitrogen content when compared to conventional 316LN. Because the interstitial alloying elements affect the mechanical properties significantly, it is necessary to characterize this alloy in a systematic way. In conjunction, to ensure magnet reliability and performance, several criteria and expectations must be met, including: high fatigue life at the operating stresses, optimal stress management at cryogenic temperatures and thin walled conduit to reduce coil mass. Tension-tension load control axial fatigue tests have good applicability to CICC solenoid magnet design, thus a series of 4 K strength versus fatigue life curves have been generated. In-situ samples of 316LN base metal, seam welded, butt welded and seam plus butt welded are removed directly from the conduit in order to address base and weld material fatigue life variability. The more than 30 fatigue tests show good grouping on the fatigue life curve and allow discretionary 4 K fatigue life predictions for conduit made with modified 316LN.

[en] A large national cost is incurred in remediating near-surface contamination such as surface spills, leaking buried pipelines, and underground storage tank sites. Many of these sites can be contained and remediated using enhanced natural venting, capitalizing on barometric pumping. Barometric pumping is the cyclic movement experienced by soil gas due to oscillations in atmospheric pressure. Daily variations of 5 millibars are typical, while changes of 25 to 50 millibars can occur due to major weather front passage. The fluctuations can cause bulk vertical movement in soil gas ranging from centimeters to meters, depending on the amplitude of the pressure oscillation, soil gas permeability, and depth to an impermeable boundary such as the water table. Since the bulk gas movement is cyclic, under natural conditions no net advective vertical movement occurs over time. Science and Engineering Associates, Inc., is developing an engineered system to capitalize on the oscillatory flow for soil contaminant remediation and containment. By design, the system allows normal upward movement of soil gas but restricts the downward movement during barometric highs. The earth's surface is modified with a sealant and vent valve such that the soil gas flow is literally open-quotes ratchetedclose quotes to cause a net upward flow over time. A key feature of the design is that it does not require boreholes, resulting in a very low cost remediation effort and reduced personnel exposure risk. In the current phase (Phase I) the system's performance is being evaluated. Static and transient analysis results are presented which illustrate the relative magnitude of this advective movement compared to downward contaminant diffusion rates. Calculations also indicate the depth of influence for various surface and soil configurations. The system design will be presented, as well as a cost assessment compared to conventional techniques

[en] One of the requirements for nuclear plant license renewal may be the establishment and demonstration of an effective aging management program. An analysis of both qualitative and quantitative information will be required to define the contents of this aging management program. The authors propose two quantitative figures of merit, Mean Event Detection Frequency and Mean Renewal Rate, that can be used to compare the effectiveness of various inspection, surveillance, test, and monitoring (ISTM) activities for aging mitigation. An example showing the relative effectiveness of an enhanced Loose Parts Monitoring System with current ISTM activities for steam generators and reactor internals is provided. (author)

[en] It is shown the possibility of using the symplectic method to perform the Hamiltonian analysis of the constraints arising the duality symmetries

[en] The Series-Connected Hybrid Magnets under construction at the NHMFL use Cable-in-Conduct-Conductor (CICC) technology. The 4 K mechanical properties of the conduit are extremely important to the performance and reliability of the magnets. We have measured tensile and fracture toughness of two candidate conduit alloys (Haynes 242 and modified 316LN) in various metallurgical states, with emphasis on the final state of production. To assess the material in its final production state, non-standard specimens are removed directly from the round-corner rectangular conduit and tested after exposure to a simulated Nb₃Sn reaction heat treatment. Non-standard middle-tension (MT) fracture toughness specimens enable toughness evaluation of the base metal, welds and weld/base transitional region in the as-fabricated conduit with final dimensions not suitable for conventional fracture toughness specimens. Although fracture toughness tests of the thin walled conduit fail to meet ASTM test validity requirements they provide a qualitative evaluation and estimate of the fracture toughness of the conduit and the welds

[en] Purpose: To evaluate the acute toxicity of a group of 37 pancreatic cancer patients treated with noncoplanar, nonopposed, conformal radiation therapy with concurrent chemotherapy (5-FU). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated a group of initially nonadvanced 37 pancreatic cancer patients treated with combined concurrent chemotherapy and 3D radiation therapy treated between 1992 until 1995. During this period we began treating the initially unresectable patients with preoperative chemo-RT (50.4 Gy) after treating an initial group of unresectable patients to a higher dose of 66.6 Gy. We also include a group of patients who received postop chemo-RT after Whipple resection (59.4 Gy). All radiation was delivered at a 1.8 Gy per fraction dose rate. The total group was made up of 37 patients of whom 21 were male (57%) and 16 female (43%). There were 22 (59%) head of pancreas lesions, 10 (27%) body of pancreas lesions, and 5 (14%) head and body of pancreas cancers. Of these 37 patients 7 (19%) were treated with chemo-RT as their only treatment, 10 patients (29%) were treated post Whipple resection, and 20 patients (54%) were treated with preoperative intent. Results: Three patients (8%) required a treatment break, one with a body and 2 with head lesions. Two of these patients stopped RT short of planned dose (32.56 and 46.8 Gy) both suffering from nausea, vomiting, and anorexia with the third, who finished a planned 66.6 Gy dose, after a 4 day rest for leukopenia. One of 20 patients (5%) preop patients underwent the planned post chemo-RT Whipple resection, while 4 of the 20 patients (20%), remained unresectable, but without disease progression and had Iodine 125 interstitial implants at exploration delivering a minimal tumor dose of 120 Gy on top or the 50.4 Gy delivered preoperatively. Four patients (11%) maintained a minimal Karnofsky score of 100, 23 patients (62%) maintained a minimal KPS of 90, 6 patients (16%) maintained a minimal KPS of 80, and 4 patients (11%) had a minimal KPS =/< 70. Seven of the 37 patients (19%) either lost no weight or gained weight during the chemo-RT, while the mean weight lost was 6.9 lb. with a median weight loss of 6.0 lb. for the entire group. Eighteen patients (49%) required narcotic analgesics during chemo-RT, 9 patients (24%) had ECOG grade 1 or 2 thrombocytopenia. Of those 16 patients receiving a 3 day bolus of 5-FU, 6 of 16 (38%) had thrombocytopenia while of the 96 hr infusion group 4 of 19 (21%) patients had thrombocytopenia. Eight patients had leukopenia of whom 3 had ECOG grade 3 and 4 (both on 3 day bolus 5-FU). Of 6 of 37 (16%) patients developing anemia during chemo-RT 5 were treated with 3 day bolus and one with the 96 hr infusion 5-FU. Nine of 37 (24%) patients suffered grade 0 or 1 diarrhea. Of the two patients treated with prolonged venous infusion 5-FU (225 mg/m2/d) during RT, neither developed any hematologic toxicity. Conclusions: Noncoplanar, nonopposed, conformal radiation therapy can be used with acceptable acute toxicity in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, whether the chemo-radiation is delivered preoperatively, postoperatively, or as the only treatment. The relatively acceptable acute toxicity with the 3D RT approach may allow for more effective and maybe even more potentially toxic treatment strategies to be used in combination with 3D RT