bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experiences With New Neutralization Technologies for Remediation After ISL Mining of Uranium in Stráž pod Ralskem
Authors: Sedláková Veronika , Kašpar Ludvík , Týkal Tomáš
Published: February 2014

A big affection of the rock environment and groundwaters occured during the chemical mining of uranium in the years 1966 to 1996 in the neighbourhood of the town Straz pod Ralskem in the Czech Republic. It is necessary to clean the residual technological solutions (RTS) from the underground. The pH of the solutions in some places is still less than 2 and the concentration of sulphates reachs up to 65 g/l.

The remedial activities consist of pumping of the RTS from the ground and reprocessing of the RTS in the surface technologies. The implementation of the new neutralization technologies NDS ML and NDS 10 help us with increasing of the efficiency of the remedial process.

The NDS ML technology (“Mother liquor reprocessing station”) started its operation in 2009 and it processes the concentrated technological solution from the evaporation station after the alum crystalization (mother liquor) with the concentration of total dissolved solids up to 250 g/l. The principle is the neutralization of the acid solutions with the aid of the lime milk. The suspension is then filtrated in the filter press, the filter cake is deposited in the tailings pond and the filtrate is injected back into the underground rock environment.

The NDS 10 technology (“Neutralization and Decontamination Station NDS 10”) started its operation in 2012 and it works on the same technological principle as the NDS ML station. The difference is that the NDS 10 station can process higher volume (4.4 m3/min) of the RTS with lower concentration of total dissolved solids 20–25 g/l.

This poster describes the experiences of the state enterprise DIAMO with putting of these two neutralization technologies into operation and with using of the lime milk neutralization in such a large scale.
Regulatory Framework for NORM Residues in Belgium
Authors: Pepin S. , Dehandschutter B. , Poffijn A. , Sonck M.
Published: February 2014

The Belgian radiation protection authority (Federal Agency for Nuclear Control – FANC) has published in March 2013 a decree regulating the acceptance of NORM residues by non-radioactive waste treatment facilities. This regulation is based on the concept of “work activities involving natural radiation sources” in the sense of article 40 of the 96/29/EURATOM directive. The disposal or processing facilities which accept NORM residues with an activity concentration above a generic exemption level will be considered as “work activities” and submitted to declaration according to the Belgian radiation protection regulations. On basis of this declaration, specific acceptance criteria for the different types of processing/disposal of the residues (disposal on landfill, recycling into building materials, etc.) are imposed. FANC has drafted guidelines for these acceptance criteria. A methodological guide for the operators of the concerned facilities was also published. Moreover, sites where significant quantities of NORM residues are or have been disposed, are subjected to an environmental monitoring in the framework of the national program of radiological surveillance of FANC.

FANC also introduced in its regulations the concept of anthropogenic radon-prone areas: e.g. former phosphogypsum stacks have been defined as anthropogenic radon-prone areas, which allows some form of regulatory control of these sites.
The Belgian Program for Low and Intermediate Short Lived Waste Management: From 1985 to License Application
Authors: De Preter Peter , Wacquier William , Cool Wim
Published: February 2014

On 31 Januray 2013, ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Belgian Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials, has introduced the construction and operation license application for the surface disposal facility for category A waste at Dessel. The objective of this paper is to present the development of this national programme.

First the key milestones and their impact on the development of the project will be highlighted. This includes in particular: 1) the turning point in 1994, when ONDRAF/NIRAS converts its purely techno-scientific work method into an approach of participation that allows for societal aspects to be taken into account and 2) the decision of the government in 2006 in favour of the surface disposal of category A waste in Dessel.

Then the paper presents the pillars of the long-term safety of a surface disposal and the principles for site selection and how they were applied to the surface disposal facility for category A waste at Dessel. The pillars of the long-term safety of a surface disposal are: (1) the passive confinement and isolation provided by the Engineering Barrier System, (2) the contribution to this passive isolation and confinement by the site, (3) the limitation of the radioactive source term, and (4) the control and monitoring measures.
The Art and Power of Data Imaging
Authors: Lively Jeffrey W.
Published: February 2014

Data imaging and visual data assessment are veritable gold mines in the scientist’s quest to understand and accurately interpret numerical data. Graphical displays of various aspects of a dataset offer the analyst insight to the data that no mathematical computation or statistic can provide. It is difficult, at best, for even a skilled and observant statistician to understand the underlying structure of a dataset. Often, there is either too little data to get a good “picture” of the structure that might be present or there is so much data that one cannot readily assimilate it. Of course, the latter problem (too much data) is, in reality, no problem at all given the abilities of modern computers and software systems to manage large amounts of data.

Advances in computer technology and the advent of the global positioning satellite system have enabled scientists from many fields of endeavor to collect and view data in its spatial context. Visual images constructed from spatially referenced data reveal the inherent richness and structure in the data and lead to more informed conclusions. So powerful is data collected with spatial context that a relatively new branch of mathematical statistics, geospatial statistics, has emerged. Geospatial statistics seek to exploit this context rich data form to better understand the spatial and co-relationships that might exist, but would be otherwise hidden in tabular data or obscured with classic statistical approaches.

This paper (and accompanying presentation) will show the power that visual data assessment possesses to understand radiological scanning data and to make confident and accurate decisions based on the data images. It will challenge the traditional mathematical concept of detection limits for scanning. It will demonstrate that more data, even if the individual datum comprising the dataset is of “poorer quality” (i.e., has a larger uncertainty and, thus, a larger calculated minimum detection value), is significantly more powerful than a smaller dataset comprised of higher quality measurements. This presentation will cause the open-minded health physicist to rethink how they prescribe, collect, evaluate, and make decisions based upon radiological scan data.
Third National Inventory of Nuclear Liabilities: Main Findings, Lessons Learned
Authors: Cantarella Jacques , Roger Brigitte
Published: February 2014

The safe management of a country’s radioactive substances in both the short and the long term implies a cost to its present society and necessitates financial resources to cover these costs. Once they are needed, these financial resources may prove to be insufficient or even completely lacking, leading to a nuclear liability. By virtue of article 9 of the Belgian law of 12th December 1997, the Belgian Government wishes to avoid the occurrence of such nuclear liabilities. This law charges ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Belgian Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials with the mission to draw up a register of the localisation and the state of all nuclear sites and all sites containing radioactive substances, to estimate the costs of their decommissioning and remediation, to evaluate the existence and adequacy of the provisions for financing these future or current operations and to update the resulting inventory of nuclear liabilities on a five-yearly basis.

This paper outlines the methodology put in place by ONDRAF/NIRAS to accomplish this assignment and highlights some of the results of this third inventory. It then focuses on the main recommendations ONDRAF/NIRAS made to the Belgian Government on the field of avoiding potential nuclear liabilities.
Radioactive Waste Management: The Relation Between Geological Disposal and Advanced Nuclear Technologies
Authors: Schröder Jantine
Published: February 2014

Throughout this paper we aim to scope the most pregnant themes, issues and research questions concerning the relation between geological disposal and advanced nuclear technologies in the broad context of radioactive waste management. Especially from a socio-technical point of view the mutual impacts, divergences and complementarities between both strategies seem to have received limited dedicated examination up until today. Specific attention is paid to the main arguments that seem to underpin both research streams, related to how the issue of radioactive waste is contextualized and which problems and solutions are consequently identified and proposed. Ultimately we aim to encourage scientifically integer communication and constructive dialogue between both fields, to investigate the common possibilities of enhancing radioactive waste management as a whole.
Application of Underwater Spectrometric System for Survey of Ponds of the MR Reactor (NRC Kurchatov Institute)
Authors: Stepanov Vyacheslav , Potapov Victor , Safronov Alexey , Smirnov Sergey
Published: February 2014

The underwater spectrometric system for survey the bottom of material science multi-loop reactor MR ponds was elaborated. This system uses CdZnTe (CZT) detectors that allow for spectrometric measurements in high radiation fields. The underwater system was used in the spectrometric survey of the bottom of the MR reactor pool, as well as in the survey located in the MR storage pool of highly radioactive containers and parts of the reactor construction. As a result of these works irradiated nuclear fuel was detected on the bottom of pools, and obtained estimates of the effective surface activity detected radionuclides and created by them the dose rate.
D & D Activities of Tecnubel in Belgium and Abroad
Authors: Lenie Koen , Vandorpe Marc , Mulier Guido
Published: February 2014

Safe decontamination is a regular requirement in the lifecycle of a nuclear plant and is integral to the careful maintenance of any nuclear installation for 4 key reasons:

• To decrease the risk of radioactive contamination spreading

• To limit the radioactive doses contracted by maintenance personnel

• To limit the radioactive doses incurred during decommissioning

• To downgrade the class of radioactive waste

The primary goal of decommissioning is to remove aged and/or contaminated and/or activated components of an installation, safely and securely, in as short a time as possible. There are several reasons why this may be necessary:

• To eliminate the risk of radioactive contamination spreading

• To eliminate the risk of radiation

• To downgrade a site or a circuit to a point where it no longer is submitted to regular inspection

• To remove installations or parts that are no longer in service or have aged

There are many different D&D techniques, tools and materials available today. What is important is knowing how best to use them.

This paper describes the experiences and the future projects of Tecnubel in D & D projects in Belgium and abroad.
Upstream Optioneering: Optimising Higher Activity Waste Management
Authors: McTeer Jennifer , Morris Jenny , Wickham Stephen , Buckley Matthew , Kay Elizabeth , Walsh Ciara
Published: February 2014

The Upstream Optioneering project was created by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (RWMD) to support the development and implementation of opportunities to optimise the management of UK higher activity waste, spent fuel and other materials that may be disposed of in a geological disposal facility.

The project works in an integrative manner with the NDA, RWMD and waste producers, and was split into three phases:

• In Phase 1 waste management opportunities were identified and collated from across the NDA estate.

• In Phase 2, opportunities collated during Phase 1, were further consolidated, analysed and prioritised to develop a three year work programme. Prioritisation ensured that resources were deployed appropriately and opportunities can be realised before the potential benefit diminishes.

• Phase 3, which began in April 2012, comprises a three year work programme to address the prioritised opportunities. Work varies from direct implementation of opportunities to scoping studies that may pave the way for more detailed subsequent work by Site Licence Companies. The work programme is flexible and, subject to change control, varies depending on the needs of project sponsors (RWMD, NDA Strategy and NDA Delivery).

This paper provides an overview of the Upstream Optioneering project (focusing particularly on Phases 2 and 3), summarises work carried out to date within the three year work programme, and provides some examples of the main findings concerning specific opportunities from Year One of the Phase 3 work programme.
Elements of a Strong and Healthy Interagency Partnership
Authors: Boucher Laurel
Published: February 2014

In an era of budget cuts and declining resources, an increased need exists for government agencies to develop formal and informal partnerships. Such partnerships are a means through which government agencies can use their resources to accomplish together what they cannot accomplish on their own. Interagency partnerships may involve multiple government agencies, private contractors, national laboratories, technology developers, public representatives, and other stakeholders.

Four elements of strong and healthy interagency partnerships are presented as well as three needs that must be satisfied for the partnership to last. A diagnostic tool to measure the strength of these building blocks within an existing partnership is provided. Tools, techniques, and templates to develop these fundamental elements within a new partnership or to strengthen those within an already existing partnership are presented. This includes a comprehensive template for a partnership agreement along with practical suggestions as membership, operations, and decisions-making.
An Integrated Approach to Geological Disposal of UK Wastes Containing Carbon-14
Authors: Vines Sarah , Lever David
Published: February 2014

Carbon-14 is a key radionuclide in the assessment of the safety of a geological disposal facility for radioactive waste because of the calculated assessment of the radiological consequences of gaseous carbon-14 bearing species [i]. It may be that such calculations are based on overly conservative assumptions and that better understanding could lead to considerably reduced assessment of the radiological consequences from these wastes. Alternatively, it may be possible to mitigate the impact of these wastes through alternative treatment, packaging or design options. The Radioactive Waste Management Directorate of the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA RWMD) has established an integrated project team in which the partners are working together to develop a holistic approach to carbon-14 management in the disposal system [ii].

For a waste stream containing carbon-14 to be an issue:

• There must be a significant inventory of carbon-14 in the waste stream; AND

• That waste stream has to generate carbon-14 bearing gas; AND

• A bulk gas phase has to entrain the carbon-14 bearing gas: AND

• These gases must migrate through the engineered barriers in significant quantities; AND

• These gases must migrate through the overlying geological environment (either as a distinct gas phase or as dissolved gas); AND

• These gases must interact with materials in the biosphere (i.e. plants) in a manner that leads to significant doses and risks to exposed groups or potentially exposed groups.

The project team has developed and used this “AND” approach to structure and prioritise the technical work and break the problem down in a manageable way. We have also used it to develop our approach to considering alternative treatment, packaging and design options. For example, it may be possible to pre-treat some wastes to remove some of the inventory or to segregate other wastes so that they are removed from any bulk gas phase which might facilitate migration through the geosphere.

Initially, the project team has undertaken a six month programme of work to examine the current understanding of these aspects and has captured this in the Phase 1 report [ii], in a modelling basis spreadsheet and in scoping assessments, which help us better understand the potential significance of carbon-14. Using the current modelling basis, but ignoring any potential benefits from the geosphere in retarding or preventing gas from reaching the surface, the calculated release of carbon-14 is dominated by: corrosion of irradiated reactive metals (in the operational and early post-closure time frame); corrosion of irradiated stainless steel and leaching of irradiated graphite (in the longer term). The Phase 1 work has shown that there is considerable scope for reducing the calculated radiological consequence for these wastes and a roadmap has been developed for a second Phase of work.
Unique and Massive Chernobyl Cranes for Deconstruction Activities in the New Safe Confinement
Authors: Parameswaran N. A. (Vijay) , Chornyy Igor , Owen Rob , de Saint Victor François
Published: February 2014

On 26 April 1986, the worst nuclear power plant accident in history occurred at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union). The destruction of Unit 4 sent highly radioactive fallout over Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Europe. The object shelter — a containment sarcophagus — was built in November 1986 to limit exposure to radiation. However, it has only a planned 25-year lifespan and would probably not survive even a moderate seismic event in a region that has more than its share of such events. It was time to take action.

One of the largest tasks that are in progress is the design and construction of the New Safe Confinement (NSC). The NSC is an engineered enclosure for the entire object shelter that includes a suite of process equipment. The process equipment will be used for the dismantling of the destroyed Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Unit. One of the major mechanical handling systems to be installed in the new safe confinement is the Main Cranes System.

The planned decontamination and decommissioning or dismantling activities will require the handling of heavily shielded waste disposal casks containing nuclear fuel as well as lifting and transporting extremely large structural elements. These activities, to be performed within the new safe confinement, will require large and sophisticated cranes. The article will focus on the current progress of the new safe confinement and of the main cranes system for the decommissioning or dismantling activities.
Management of Historical Waste From Research Reactors: The Dutch Experience
Authors: van Heek Aliki , Metz Bert , Janssen Bas , Groothuis Ron
Published: February 2014

Most radioactive waste emerges as well-defined waste streams from operating power reactors. The management of this is an on-going practice, based on comprehensive (IAEA) guidelines. A special waste category however consists of the historical waste from research reactors, mostly originating from various experiments in the early years of the nuclear era. Removal of the waste from the research site, often required by law, raises challenges: the waste packages must fulfill the acceptance criteria from the receiving storage site as well as the criteria for nuclear transports. Often the aged waste containers do not fulfill today’s requirements anymore, and their contents are not well documented. Therefore removal of historical waste requires advanced characterization, sorting, sustainable repackaging and sometimes conditioning of the waste.

This paper describes the Dutch experience of a historical waste removal campaign from the Petten High Flux research reactor. The reactor is still in operation, but Dutch legislation asks for central storage of all radioactive waste at the COVRA site in Vlissingen since the availability of the high- and intermediate-level waste storage facility HABOG in 2004.

In order to comply with COVRA’s acceptance criteria, the complex and mixed inventory of intermediate and low level waste must be characterized and conditioned, identifying the relevant nuclides and their activities. Sorting and segregation of the waste in a Hot Cell offers the possibility to reduce the environmental footprint of the historical waste, by repackaging it into different classes of intermediate and low level waste. In this way, most of the waste volume can be separated into lower level categories not needing to be stored in the HABOG, but in the less demanding LOG facility for low-level waste instead. The characterization and sorting is done on the basis of a combination of gamma scanning with high energy resolution of the closed waste canister and low-resolution localized gamma scanning inside a hot cell.

A complicating factor is that the conditioning of the waste, consisting of compacting and cementing, would require such an extensive infrastructure at the Petten site, that it appeared to be more practical to have it executed by a foreign service provider. Therefore the waste packages have to comply with cross-border transport and waste acceptance criteria, and the national legislation of this service provider too.

This paper describes this historical waste project, focusing on the fast and precise characterization approach, the expert system behind it, and the sorting and repackaging effort at the Petten site.
Bayesian Analysis of Energy and Count Rate Data for Detection of Low Count Rate Radioactive Sources
Authors: Klumpp John
Published: February 2014

We propose a radiation detection system which generates its own discrete sampling distribution based on past measurements of background. The advantage to this approach is that it can take into account variations in background with respect to time, location, energy spectra, detector-specific characteristics (i.e. different efficiencies at different count rates and energies), etc. This would therefore be a “machine learning” approach, in which the algorithm updates and improves its characterization of background over time. The system would have a “learning mode,” in which it measures and analyzes background count rates, and a “detection mode,” in which it compares measurements from an unknown source against its unique background distribution.

By characterizing and accounting for variations in the background, general purpose radiation detectors can be improved with little or no increase in cost. The statistical and computational techniques to perform this kind of analysis have already been developed. The necessary signal analysis can be accomplished using existing Bayesian algorithms which account for multiple channels, multiple detectors, and multiple time intervals. Furthermore, Bayesian machine-learning techniques have already been developed which, with trivial modifications, can generate appropriate decision thresholds based on the comparison of new measurements against a non-parametric sampling distribution.
Risk Reporting in the Chinese News Media in Response to Radiation Threat From the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Crisis
Authors: Wang Wen
Published: February 2014

On March 11, 2011, the northeastern coast of Japan was struck by 9.0-magnitude earthquake that triggered a devastating tsunami. Aside from the huge toll in people’s lives and severe damages to property, the tremor sent the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on a tailspin, causing hydrogen explosions in three reactors, and sending radioactive materials into the air and bodies of water. Declared the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, the crisis threatened neighboring countries, including China (International Business Times, 2011). On March 28, low levels of iodine-131, cesium-137 and strontium, believed to have drifted from Japan, were detected in the air over Heilongjiang province in the northeast part of China and in seawater samples collected in the eastern coastal areas (Qianjiang Eve News, 2011). Because these chemicals can enter the food chain and adversely affect human health (Ifeng.com, 2011), people became understandably anxious and the government had to avert panic. This study asks: How did the Chinese media report the risks attendant to this event?

A content analysis of 45 straight news reports published by the Chinese press from March 16, 2011 to April 25, 2011 was conducted. The analysis focused on how the media explained the risk, portrayed potential harm, reported on government actions to safeguard public health, and provided suggestions to reduce public fear. The sources of information cited in the reports were also identified. The articles examined were collected from People.com, a comprehensive online archive of news reports, using “Fukushima” and “nuclear radiation” as search terms.

The results indicated journalistic practices that left much to be desired in terms of risk reporting. First, the articles explained little about the technical aspects of the radiation leaks and failed to give audiences a general indication of levels of risk. Second, the media over-emphasized the government’s position that the environment was safe despite the more rampant word-of-mouth reports to the contrary, a slant that may have done nothing to allay public fear. Third, there was a dearth of information about what the government intends to do to alleviate the situation and suggestions about what people can do to protect themselves. The themes of news reports may be attributed to experts from research institutions and government officials who were the most frequently cited sources of facts, analyses, interpretations, and opinions. Scientists and nuclear experts were cited the most in the news reports.
Dose Rate Profile Surrounding a Repository
Authors: Parson J. , Brandl A. , Zoeger N. , Koppitsch R.
Published: February 2014

The focus of this research was to analyze the dose rate profile around a waste repository using Monte Carlo techniques. Dose rates at various heights and distances were analyzed outside of the waste repository using MCNPX [1]. The heights measured extended the height of the building and the distances varied between 0 and 22 m away from the waste repository. The simulation data were fitted by smooth analytical functions for different height levels and distances, such that vertical and horizontal dose rates as functions of source-detector distance were achieved.
Development of Disposal Option for Radioactive Waste
Authors: Shadrack Anthony , Kim Chang-Lak
Published: February 2014

The development of a lasting solution to radioactive waste management is a critical issue for future nuclear applications. When assessing radioactive waste disposal options factors such as volume of waste and sustainability of the plan must be considered. This paper describes basic plans for the disposal of Low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes (LILW) expected to be generated from nuclear power plants for countries starting nuclear power program for the first time. The purpose of this paper was to develop a disposal option for Low- and intermediate level radioactive wastes for new comer countries planning to build at least two nuclear power units. A LILW disposal plan was developed by considering countries’ radioactive waste generation data from pressurized water nuclear reactors. An on-site storage facility of 1,000 m3 for LILW at NPPs sites for a period 10 years pending final disposal was recommended. It was concluded that storage and disposal processes are complementary with each other, therefore; both programs should be complemented for effective management and control of radioactive wastes. This study is important as an initial implementation of a national Low- and intermediate level wastes (LILW) disposal program for countries planning to build nuclear power plants for the first time.
Head Coaches’ Perceptions on the Roles, Selection, and Development of the Assistant Coach
Authors: Rathwell Scott , Bloom Gordon A. , Loughead Todd M.
Published: February 2014

The purpose of the study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the characteristics head coaches looked for when hiring their head assistant coach, the main roles and responsibilities assigned to assistants, and the techniques and behaviors used to develop them. Data were obtained through interviews with six accomplished Canadian University head football coaches. Results indicated head coaches hired loyal assistants who possessed extensive football knowledge that complimented their own skill sets. Once hired, head coaches had their assistant coaches help them with recruiting, managing a major team unit, and developing athletes. They helped advance their assistants’ careers through personal mentorships which included exposure to external sources of knowledge such as football camps and coaching conferences. These results represent one of the first empirical accounts of head coaches’ perceptions on hiring and developing head assistant coaches.
Innovative Strategies to Inform Coaching Practices in Australian Football
Authors: Marchant Daryl , McLaughlin Patrick
Published: February 2014

Innovative strategies were used to inform coaching practices regarding the skill of set-shot goal kicking in Australian Football (AF). An action learning approach was adopted including planning, data gathering, analyses and dissemination phases. Three distinct approaches were used to inform AF coaches of evidence and strategies to guide implementation, a) applying statistical trend data, b) applying expert knowledge, and c) applying biomechanical principles. Trend data from a full AFL season consisting of over 4,000 set-shots was used to inform coaches on numerous performance related parameters (e.g., distance, angle). Expert insider perspectives were generated through in-depth interviews with eight retired AF goal kicking champions. The past players had all kicked over 500 goals at the elite level and four had obtained AFL Hall of Fame or AFL Legend status. The related analyses produced six primary themes (a) correct technique (b) incorrect technique, (c) pre-kick routine, (d) mental skills (e) challenges/choices and (h) training. Third, biomechanical principles were applied to set-shot kicking with accompanying images and drills provided to coaches. A two year follow-up indicated the results were highly transferable to training and competitions. Coaches in sports that include closed skills may benefit from transferring where applicable these strategies to their sports.
Physical Activity and Relaxation During and After Work are Independently Associated With the Need for Recovery
Authors: Coffeng Jennifer K. , van Sluijs Esther M. , Hendriksen Ingrid J.M. , van Mechelen Willem , Boot Cécile R.L.
Published: February 2014

Background:

Research is needed to better understand the associations between during-work and after-work-hours physical activity and relaxation and need for recovery (NFR), so a study of these variables in office workers at a financial service provider was undertaken.

Methods:

Self-reported baseline data of 412 employees (mean age = 41.3 y; 39.6% women) were used. Linear regression analyses were performed to test associations of physical activity, relaxation, detachment, and breaks at work with NFR.

Results:

A lower NFR was significantly positively associated with standing, stair climbing, active lunch break, relaxation at work, detachment at work, physical detachment at work, relaxation at home, and detachment at home. In the multiple model, a lower NFR was independently positively associated with frequency of stair climbing, minutes spent in leisure activities, detachment at work, physical detachment at work, and relaxation and detachment at home (P < .05). Significant effect modification indicated that the positive association between relaxation at home and NFR was stronger with high job demands.

Conclusion:

Although prospective evidence is necessary to confirm the causal relationships, our findings suggest that engaging in stair climbing, leisure activities, (physical) detachment at work, relaxation and detachment after work is associated with a lower NFR. For future work site health promotion initiatives, interventions might be targeted at improving physical activity and relaxation.
Physical Activity in After-School Programs: Comparison With Physical Activity Policies
Authors: Beets Michael W. , Shah Rohan , Weaver Robert Glenn , Huberty Jennifer , Beighle Aaron , Moore Justin B.
Published: February 2014

Background:

After-school programs (ASPs) across the nation have been asked to increase the amount of activity children accumulate during such programs. Policies/standards that benchmark the amount of total activity (light-to-vigorous physical activity, LVPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) accumulated in an ASP have been developed. Little is known about the prevalence of children meeting these goals.

Methods:

Children (N = 812, 6 to 12 y old) attending 19 ASPs wore accelerometers for 4 days while attending an ASP. LVPA and MVPA were dichotomized according to existing ASP policies/standards. Data on whether a policy/standard was met were compared between gender, age, BMI, race/ethnicity, and ASP-type (faith-, school-, community-based) using mixed-model logistic-regression.

Results:

The prevalence of meeting an LVPA policy/standard ranged from 75.4% (National Afterschool Association [NAA], 20% of program time spent in LVPA) to 97.8% (NAA, 20% of time in attendance spent in LVPA), and meeting an MVPA policy/standard ranged from 0.3% (California, 60 min MVPA/d) to 26.9% (North Carolina, 20% of attendance spent in MVPA). Boys, younger children, nonwhites, and children attending faithor community-based ASPs were more likely to meet any policy/standard.

Conclusion:

Current practice in ASPs is sufficient to meet LVPA policies/standards but insufficient to meet MVPA policy/standards. Efforts must be directed toward identifying the most appropriate policy/standard and strategies to meet it.
Home-Based Exercise May Not Decrease the Insulin Resistance in Individuals With Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Chen Chiao-Nan , Chuang Lee-Ming , Korivi Mallikarjuna , Wu Ying-Tai
Published: February 2014

Background:

This study investigated the differences in exercise self-efficacy, compliance, and effectiveness of home-based exercise in individuals with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods:

One hundred and ten individuals at risk for diabetes participated in this study. Subjects were categorized into individuals with MetS and individuals without MetS. Metabolic risk factors and exercise self-efficacy were evaluated for all subjects before and after 3 months of home-based exercise. Univariate analysis of variance was used to compare the effectiveness of a home-based exercise program between individuals with and without MetS.

Results:

The home-based exercise program improved body mass index and lipid profile in individuals at risk for diabetes, regardless of MetS status at baseline. Individuals without MetS had higher exercise self-efficacy at baseline and performed greater exercise volume compared with individuals with MetS during the intervention. The increased exercise volume in individuals without MetS may contribute to their better control of insulin resistance than individuals with MetS. Furthermore, baseline exercise self-efficacy was correlated with exercise volume executed by subjects at home.

Conclusions:

We conclude that home-based exercise programs are beneficial for individuals at risk for diabetes. However, more intensive and/or supervised exercise intervention may be needed for those with MetS.
Sedentary Time in US Older Adults Associated With Disability in Activities of Daily Living Independent of Physical Activity
Authors: Dunlop Dorothy D. , Song Jing , Arntson Emily K. , Semanik Pamela A. , Lee Jungwha , Chang Rowland W. , Hootman Jennifer M.
Published: February 2014

Background:

The harmful relationship of sedentary behavior to health may reflect an exchange of sedentary activity for moderateto- vigorous physical activity (MVPA), or sedentary behavior may be a separate risk factor. We examined whether time spent in sedentary behavior is related to disability in activities of daily living (ADL), independent of time spent in MVPA in older adults.

Methods:

The nationally representative 2003−2006 National Health and Nutrition Examinations Surveys (NHANES) included 2286 adults aged 60 years and older in whom physical activity was assessed by accelerometer. The association between ADL task disability and the daily percentage of sedentary time was evaluated by multiple logistic regression.

Results:

These adults on average spent 9h/d being sedentary during waking hours and 4.5% reported ADL disability. The odds of ADL disability were 46% greater (odds ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.07−1.98) for each daily hour spent in sedentary behavior, adjusted for MVPA and socioeconomic and health factors.

Conclusion:

These US national data show a strong relationship between greater time spent in sedentary behavior and the presence of ADL disability, independent of time spent in moderate or vigorous activity. These findings support programs encouraging older adults to decrease sedentary behavior regardless of their engagement in moderate or vigorous activity.
The Adaptor Protein p66Shc Inhibits mTOR-Dependent Anabolic Metabolism
Authors: Soliman Mohamed A. , Abdel Rahman Anas M. , Lamming Dudley W. , Birsoy Kivanç , Pawling Judy , Frigolet Maria E. , Lu Huogen , Fantus I. George , Pasculescu Adrian , Zheng Yong , Sabatini David M. , Dennis James W. , Pawson Tony
Published: February 2014

The adaptor protein p66Shc unexpectedly inhibits glucose metabolism, which could be a useful therapeutic target for diabetes or cancer.
A New Target to Halt RAS
Authors: Ferrarelli Leslie K.
Published: February 2014

GEF-H1 promotes positive feedback in oncogenic RAS-MAPK signaling by enabling the activation of KSR1.
Biased in the Absence of Sodium
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: February 2014

The crystal structure of the δ opioid receptor reveals a sodium ion that influences downstream coupling efficiency and ligand affinity.
StatSAW: modelling lumber product assortment using zero-inflated Poisson regression
Authors: Auty David , Achim Alexis , Bédard Pierre , Pothier David
Published: February 2014

Realistic forestry value chain simulations require accurate representations of each component. For primary processing, this is complicated by the fact that a single raw material is converted into a wide range of lumber products. The aim of this study was to develop statistical models for predicting lumber product assortment from tree size information, while taking into account the high proportion of zeros in the data. Lumber recovery was simulated from a database of 1013 laser-scanned Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. and Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. stems using the sawing simulator Optitek. The number of boards per stem of specific products was modelled with zero-inflated Poisson regression using stem diameter and height as covariates. The number of boards per stem was strongly related to both diameter and height, but also changed according to input prices for lumber products. Zero-inflated models outperformed ordinary Poisson regression in all cases. The developed models will be integrated into simulation tools designed to optimize processes along the entire forest value chain from forest to end user.
Body mass, age, and reproductive influences on liver mass of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Authors: Parra Claire A. , Duarte Adam , Luna Ryan S. , Wolcott Daniel M. , Weckerly Floyd W.
Published: February 2014

Previous research into the liver has mainly examined liver function and liver response to energy restriction. There have been few investigations into how liver mass is coupled to body mass, body condition, age, and reproductive events like lactation. Therefore, we examined the scaling relationship between body mass and liver mass and the influences of age, sex, body condition (back fat), and lactation on liver mass to gain insight into liver-mass variation in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)). Deer from two sites in Texas (89 males, 70 females) were sampled; one site was sampled before the mating season (premating) and the other site was sampled during the mating season. There was an allometric relationship between body mass and liver mass (scalars 0.59–0.80) at both sites. Also, sex and age were predictors of liver mass at one site, whereas lactation was influential at the other location. Controlling for body mass, males had heavier livers than females during the mating but not the premating season and age was positively related to liver mass. Our findings indicate that sex and lactation status were coupled to liver masses, but the effect of these two factors differed between premating and mating seasons. It appears that animals in situations where metabolic demands might be higher than current nutrient intake, such as mature males during the rut or lactating females, have heavier liver masses when body mass is controlled.
WHY DO HOUSEHOLD HEADS IN RURAL CHINA NOT WORK MORE IN THE MARKET?
Authors: SONODA TADASHI
Published: February 2014

This study estimates a modified disequilibrium model to ascertain the relative importance of reasons why household heads in rural China do not work more in the market. Household heads in the Central and Western regions do not so because they have fewer young children, live with their grown-up children or must help their family members with economic crops or livestock production. Household heads in the Eastern region do not work extra because nearly 40% of them are constrained in the labor market. This constraint seems to come from traditional economic structure which demands more temporary workers than permanent ones.
The principle of stationary variance in quantum field theory
Authors: Siringo Fabio
Published: February 2014

The principle of stationary variance is advocated as a viable variational approach to quantum field theory (QFT). The method is based on the principle that the variance of energy should be at its minimum when the state of a quantum system reaches its best approximation for an eigenstate. While not too much popular in quantum mechanics (QM), the method is shown to be valuable in QFT and three special examples are given in very different areas ranging from Heisenberg model of antiferromagnetism (AF) to quantum electrodynamics (QED) and gauge theories.
Alpha decay constant of 8Be nucleus
Authors: Chandra Raju Cvavb.
Published: February 2014

The 8 Be nucleus decays into two 4 He nuclei. This decay constant is theoretically estimated using Fermi golden rule and the ground state wave functions of the 4 He and 8 Be nuclei. The estimated result agrees pretty well with the reported experimental value.
Band gap engineering by lanthanide doping in the photocatalyst LaOF: First-principles study
Authors: Long Jin-Ping , Wan Zhou , Yan Xin-Guo , Huang Wei-Qing , Huang Gui-Fang , Peng Ping
Published: February 2014

Recent experiment [Xie et al., Catal. Commun., 27, 21 (2012)] reported that LaOF is an active catalyst for water reduction: the catalytic activity per surface area of LaOF is about ten times higher than that of anatase TiO 2. First-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed on Ln-doped LaOF (Ln = Ce , Pr , Nd and Pm ) to evaluate the effect of lanthanide doping on the electronic and optical properties. It is found that the lowest conduction band (CB) edge potential of LaOF is less than zero (versus normal hydrogen electrode (NHE)), confirming it has enough driving force for photocatalytic water splitting. The band gap of LaOF could be reduced significantly by lanthanide doping. Electronic structure analysis shows that the impurity states appear deep inside the band gap of LaOF, which is in favor of the separation center of photogenerated carriers due to large effective mass differences between electron and hole. Moreover, doping both Pm and Nd into LaOF is an effective approach to extend the optical absorption edge to the visible light. These findings suggest that LaOF doped with lanthanide element is a promising candidate for the photocatalytic hydrogen generation from water and pollutant decomposition.
Atomic kinetic research of ordered quantum dot growth induced by dislocation on the substrate
Authors: Zhao Chang , Zhao M. , Wang Y. , Lv A. J. , Xing G. J. , Ma Y. C.
Published: February 2014

In this study, the modified effects of stress originating from the dislocation on the substrate to the semiconductor quantum dot growth are investigated by performing an event-based continuous kinetic Monte Carlo simulation, in which the contribution of the dangling bond of the atom is considered. The research results indicate that the change of binding energy initiated by the stress between the deposit atom and the substrate's atoms may significantly influence the atoms' kinetic behaviors, and on the pattern surface the atoms' kinetic effects are very sensitive to the initial condition of the substrate. In addition, the dependence of the atomic kinetics on the growth flux and temperature are also studied. The simulation results are in good qualitative agreement with those of our experiment.
Enhancement of blue photorefractive properties in Mg:Fe:Cu:SLiNbO3 crystals with near stoichiometry
Authors: Dai Li , Jiao Shanshan , Xu Chao , Li Dayong , Lin Jiaqi , Xu Yuheng
Published: February 2014

Using the top seeded solution growth technique, near stoichiometric Mg : Fe : Cu : SLiNbO 3 crystals have been grown by using K 2 O as flux. Infrared transmission spectra were measured and defect structure and change of threshold value were investigated. Using Kr + laser as light source (blue light with wavelength of 476 nm) the photorefractive properties of crystals were measured. The diffraction efficiency of 76.3%, the short response time of 11 s, the dynamic range of 27.39, the sensitivity of 2.09 cm/J, and the refractive index change of 8.67 × 10-5 were obtained. The blue photorefractive properties were enhanced. As the holes are the dominant charge carriers, the short wavelength blue light which exhibits high energy can excite the holes from both of the shallow and the deep trap centers with the same phase. It was found that the so-called optical damage-resistant dopant such as Mg 2+ ions no longer functioned as the damage resistant at 476 nm wavelength, but turned to enhance the blue photorefractive characteristics.
Enhanced light trapping in thin film solar cells byAg/Al2O3core-shell nanoparticles
Authors: Chen Feng-Xiang , Wang Li-Sheng , Wang Bao-Zhu
Published: February 2014

In this paper, the localized surface plasmon properties of Ag NPs and Ag / Al2O3core-shell NPs with core radii ranging from 20–120 nm were analyzed by Mie scattering theory. Using numerical simulations, we show that an increasing shell thickness for core-shell NPs results in a red-shifted plasmon resonance peak compared to Ag core NPs. An averaged scattering efficiency under AM1.5 illumination is used to characterize the scattering abilities of different NPs. For Ag / Al2O3core-shell structures, the averaged scattering efficiency increases and subsequently decreases with increasing shell thickness due to the competing influences of plasmon hybridization and phase delay. For larger radii NPs, such as R > 100 nm, the scattering abilities of core-shell structures are superior to those of spherical Ag NPs.