Radiological Risks of Neutron Interrogation of Food

In recent years there has been growing interest in the use of neutron scanning techniques for security. Neutron techniques with a range of energy spectra including thermal, white and fast neutrons have been shown to work in different scenarios. As international interest in neutron scanning increases the risk of activating cargo, especially foodstuffs must be considered. There has been a limited amount of research into the activation of foods by neutron beams and we have sought to improve the amount of information available. In this paper we show that for three important metrics; Activity, Ingestion Dose and Time to Background there is a strong dependence on the food being irradiated and a weak dependence on the energy of irradiation. Previous studies into activation used results based on irradiation of pharmaceuticals as the basis for research into activation of food. The earlier work reports that 24Na production is the dominant threat which motivated the search for 23(n;\gamma)24Na in highly salted foods. We show that 42K can be more significant than 24Na in low salt foods such as Bananas and Potatoes

Domestic Debt Structures in Emerging Markets : New Empirical Evidence

This paper explains why public domestic debt composition in emerging economies can be risky, namely in foreign currency, with a short maturity or indexed. It analyses empirically the determinants of these risk sources separately, developing a new large dataset compiled from national sources for 33 emerging economies over 1994-2006. The paper finds that economic size, the breadth of the domestic investor base, inflation and fiscal soundness are all associated with risky public domestic debt compositions, yet to an extent that varies considerably in terms of magnitude and significance across sources of risk. Only inflation impacts all types of risky debt, underscoring the overarching importance of monetary credibility to make domestic debt compositions in emerging economies safer. Given local bond markets' rapid development, monitoring risky public domestic debt compositions in emerging economies becomes increasingly relevant to global financial stability.Public domestic debt, composition, risk, emerging economies.

Internal corrosion of carbon steel pipelines for dense phase CO₂ transport in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) - A review

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has been highlighted as a potential method to enable the continued use of fossil-fuelled power stations through the abatement of carbon dioxide (CO2). A complete CCS cycle requires safe, reliable and cost effective solutions for the transmission of CO2 from the capturing facility to the location of permanent storage. This publication presents a detailed review of the integrity risks posed to dense-phase CO2 pipelines in the form of internal corrosion. To begin, the current worldwide experience in handling dense-phase CO2 and the anthropogenic stream compositions expected from the different combustion techniques currently available are discussed. The anticipated compositions are then related to a number of tentative CO2 stream compositions available in open literature proposed by research institutes and pipeline operators. In subsequent sections, early laboratory and field corrosion experience relating to natural dense-phase CO2 transport for the purposes of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) are summarised along with more recent research efforts which focus on identifying the role of anthropogenic impurities in the degradation processes. For each system impurity, the reaction rates, mechanisms and corrosion product composition/morphology expected at the steel surfaces are discussed, as well as each component’s ability to influence the critical water content required to initiate corrosion. Potential bulk phase reactions between multiple impurities are also evaluated in an attempt to help understand how the impurity content may evolve along a long-distance pipeline. The likelihood of stress-corrosion cracking and hydrogen-induced cracking is discussed and the various corrosion mitigation techniques which exist to control degradation to acceptable levels are reviewed. Based on the current research performed in the context of impure dense-phase CO2 corrosion, issues associated with performing laboratory experiments to replicate field conditions and the challenges such limitations present in terms of defining the safe operating window for CO2 transport are considered

Evaluating airborne and ground based gamma spectrometry methods for detecting particulate radioactivity in the environment: a case study of Irish Sea beaches

In several places, programmes are in place to locate and recover radioactive particles that have the potential to cause detrimental health effects in any member of the publicwho may encounter them. A model has been developed to evaluate the use of mobile gamma spectrometry systems within such programmes, with particular emphasis on large volume (16 l) NaI(Tl) detectors mounted in low flying helicopters. This model uses a validated Monte Carlo code with assessment of local geochemistry and natural and anthropogenic background radiation concentrations and distributions. The results of the model, applied to the example of particles recovered from beaches in the vicinity of Sellafield, clearly show the ability of rapid airborne surveys conducted at 75 m ground clearance and 120 kph speeds to demonstrate the absence of sources greater than 5 MBq 137Cs within large areas (10–20 km2 h−1), and identify areas requiring further ground based investigation. Lowering ground clearance for airborne surveys to 15 m whilst maintaining speeds covering 1–2 km2 h−1 can detect buried 137Cs sources of 0.5 MBq or greater activity. A survey design to detect 100 kBq 137Cs sources at 10 cm depth has also been defined, requiring surveys at b15 m ground clearance and b2 m s−1 ground speed. The response of airborne systems to the Sellafield particles recovered to date has also been simulated, and the proportion of the existing radiocaesium background in the vicinity of the nuclear site has been established. Finally the rates of area coverage and sensitivities of both airborne and ground based approaches are compared, demonstrating the ability of airborne systems to increase the rate of particle recovery in a cost effective manner. The potential for equipment and methodological developments to improve performance are discussed

COPYRIGHTS, COMPETITION AND DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

The economic importance of copyright industries in developed market economies has been well documented. Although less important in developing countries, this is likely to change with the growing weight of the service sector in these economies and its importance for their closer integration into the global market economy. This paper analyses the relationship between the copyright and income generation in the audio-visual sector, in particular music, and argues that the appropriate copyright administration is essential in creating the conditions for a viable music industry in developing countries. However, an effective copyright regime is not, by itself, sufficient to guarantee a flourishing music industry, and other institutional arrangements will be needed in countries looking to better exploit their musical resources.

Household Composition, Living Standards, and “Needs”. ESRI Working Paper No. 106, 1999

This study uses the 1987 ESRI Survey of Income Distribution, Poverty and Use of State Services and the 1994 Living in Ireland Survey to examine two issues of immediate relevance to Irish tax and social welfare policy. The first is how the living standards of different household types have been evolving in recent years. The second is the relationship between the “needs” of one household type versus another - for example a single adult versus a couple, or a couple with no children versus a couple with four children. Both issues are critical for the Inter-Departmental Working Group set up in 1998 to examine the treatment of married, cohabiting and one-parent households under the tax and social welfare codes. This study was undertaken in the first instance as a contribution to the work of that group, and is being published in order to inform the wider debate of these issues. In this introductory chapter we outline the issues to be addressed, and then look at how household composition has been changing over the period to provide the background for the remainder of the study

Environmental health discipline science plan

The purpose of this plan is to provide a conceptual strategy for NASA's Life Sciences Division research and development activities in environmental health. It covers the significant research areas critical to NASA's programmatic requirements for the Extended Duration Orbiter, Space Station Freedom, and exploration mission science activities. These science activities include ground-based and flight; basic, applied, and operational; animal and human subjects; and research and development. This document summarizes the history and current status of the program elements, outlines available knowledge, establishes goals and objectives, identifies scientific priorities, and defines critical questions in the three disciplines: (1) Barophysiology, (2) Toxicology, and (3) Microbiology. This document contains a general plan that will be used by both NASA Headquarters Program Officers and the field centers to review and plan basic, applied, and operational research and development activities, both intramural and extramural, in this area. The document is divided into sections addressing these three disciplines

Pathologic diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma: chronological prospect and advent of recommendations and guidelines

Malignant mesothelioma is rare and difficult to diagnose. Its identification depends upon pathological investigation (cyto-histological assessment and immunohistochemistry) supported by clinical and radiological evidence. In the last decade, the standardization of diagnostic methods has become a major focus of debate among pathologists and clinicians. This has led to the writing of guidelines and recommendation for the diagnosis to achieve the goal of a standard diagnosis. In this article, a chronological view relating to the pathological diagnosis of MM is presented together with a review of guidelines/recommendation

TVOCs and PM 2.5 in Naturally Ventilated Homes: Three Case Studies in a Mild Climate

In southern Europe, the present stock of social housing is ventilated naturally, with practice varying in the di erent seasons of the year. In winter, windows are kept closed most of the day with the exception of short periods for ventilation, whereas the rest of the year the windows are almost permanently open. In cold weather, air changes depend primarily on the air infiltrating across the envelope and when the temperature is warm, on the air flowing in through open windows. CO2, PM2.5, and TVOC concentration patterns were gathered over a year’s time in three social housing developments in southern Europe with di erent airtightness conditions and analyzed to determine possible relationships between environmental parameters and occupants’ use profiles. Correlations were found between TVOC and CO2 concentrations, for human activity was identified as the primary source of indoor contaminants: peak TVOC concentrations were related to specific household activities such as cooking or leisure. Indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations were likewise observed to be correlated, although not linearly due to the presence of indoor sources. Ventilation as presently practiced in winter appears to be insufficient to dilute indoor contaminants in all three buildings, nor does summertime behavior guarantee air quality