bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
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.
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.
Magmatic and tectonic evolution of the Oligocene Valle del Cura basin, main Andes of Argentina and Chile: evidence for generalized extension
Authors: Winocur D. A. , Litvak V. D. , Ramos V. A. 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
The magmatic history and tectonic evolution of the Valle del Cura region has received the attention of several studies in recent years, particularly as part of a larger area of interest named the Indio Belt. These studies have suggested an Eocene volcanic sequence known as the Valle del Cura Formation. The present study, based on extensive field work, robust geochronological and geochemical datasets, shows an Oligocene to early Miocene age for this unit, similar to the Doña Ana Group. The tectonic setting that controlled the volcanism of the Valle del Cura Formation was extensional and corresponds to a retro-arc position of the main arc volcanism of the Doña Ana Group. The field evidence combined with radiometric and geochemical data demonstrate the synextensional characteristic of the volcanic sequence of the Valle del Cura Formation and the Doña Ana Group at these latitudes. This characteristic was dominant at the central part of the Pampean Flat Slab (29°–30°S).
User-defined backtracking criteria for symbolic execution
Authors: Kausler Scott , Sherman Elena 
Published: February 2014

Symbolic execution is a path-sensitive program analysis technique that aids users with program verification. To avoid exploring infeasible paths, symbolic execution checks the prefix of a current path for feasibility by adding a branch constraint to the path prefix and passing the formula to an off-the-shelf SMT solver for an evaluation. If the solver returns SAT/UNSAT, then the prefix is marked as feasible/infeasible.
However, the solver can also return an UNKNOWN result, which means it cannot evaluate the formula. In addition, an operation occurring before a constraint can cause over-approximation that propagates to the solver's result. Moreover, symbolic execution might time out the solver if it takes too long to run. A symbolic execution tool might handle these uncertainties by backtracking or by continuing its exploration of the prefix.
This paper examines the behavior of path constraints beyond uncertain backtracking points. String and integer constraints are collected from concrete program execution via dynamic symbolic execution. These constraints are used to analyze how over- approximation in a path prefix affects the completeness of its extensions. We also examine variations in time required to decide a path constraint. Our findings suggest that a custom backtracking criteria defined by the user does improve the completeness of symbolic execution.
Molecular Pathways: Emerging Roles of Mammalian Sirtuin SIRT7 in Cancer
Authors: Paredes Silvana , Villanova Lidia , Chua Katrin F. 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
SIRT7 belongs to the Sirtuin family of NAD-dependent enzymes, the members of which play diverse roles in aging, metabolism, and disease biology. Increased SIRT7 expression is observed in human cancers and growing evidence suggests important SIRT7 functions in fundamental cellular programs with an impact on oncogenic transformation and tumor biology. SIRT7 associates with chromatin, where it catalyzes selective deacetylation of lysine 18 on histone H3 (H3K18), an emerging epigenetic biomarker of aggressive tumors and poor clinical outcome in patients with cancer. Through H3K18 deacetylation at specific promoters, SIRT7 controls a tumor-suppressive gene expression program that stabilizes the transformed state of cancer cells. SIRT7 also orchestrates several molecular processes, including rRNA and tRNA synthesis, which ultimately promote the increased ribosome biogenesis necessary for tumor cell growth and proliferation. Remarkably, inactivation of SIRT7 can reverse the transformed phenotype of cancer cells and reduce their tumorigenicity in vivo. These findings place SIRT7 at the crossroads of chromatin signaling, metabolic, and tumor-regulatory pathways. Thus, SIRT7 is a promising pharmacologic target for epigenetic cancer therapy. The development of SIRT7 modulators may allow new therapeutic strategies that control tumor progression by reprogramming the chromatin landscape and biosynthetic machinery of cancer cells. Clin Cancer Res; 20(7); 1741–6. ©2014 AACR.