Site Improvements with Stone Columns in Stratified Silty Soils

A case history is presented where stone columns were used as a deep compaction method to increase the liquefaction resistance of stratified silty soils. Standard penetration test (SPT) and cone penetration test (CPT) resistances were used to evaluate the pre-treatment site conditions and post-treatment effects of deep compaction using stone columns. The results of the deep compaction are presented with predicted penetration resistances required to reduce the potential for liquefaction. Limitations of conventional liquefaction analysis in silty soils are discussed with regard to SPT-CPT correlations established for the site, cyclic simple shear tests performed on silts, and corrections to SPT penetration resistances for fines content

Supplement to: Air concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in 2002-2004 at a rural site in the Great Lakes

Atmospheric PBDEs were measured on a monthly basis in 2002-2004 at Point Petre, a rural site in the Great Lakes. Average air concentrations were 7.0 ± 13 pg m**-3 for the sum of 14BDE (excluding BDE-209), and 1.8 ± 1.5 pg m**-3 for BDE-209. Concentrations of 3 dominant congeners (i.e., BDE-47, 99, and 209) were comparable to previous measurements at remote/rural sites around the Great Lakes, but much lower than those at urban areas. Weak temperature dependence and strong linear correlations between relatively volatile congeners suggest importance of advective inputs of gaseous species. The significant correlation between BDE-209 and 183 implies their transport inputs associated with particles. Particle-bound percentages were found greater for highly brominated congeners than less brominated ones. These percentages increase with decreasing ambient temperatures. The observed gas/particle partitioning is consistent with laboratory measurements and fits well to the Junge-Pankow model. Using air mass back-trajectories, atmospheric transport to Point Petre was estimated as 76% for BDE-47, 67% for BDE-99, and 70% for BDE-209 from west-northwest and southwest directions. During the same time period, similar congener profiles and concentration levels were found at Alert in the Canadian High Arctic. Different inter-annual variations between Point Petre and Alert indicate that emissions from other regions than North America could also contribute PBDEs in the Arctic. In contrast to weak temperature effect at Point Petre, significant temperature dependence in the summertime implies volatilization emissions of PBDEs at Alert. Meanwhile, episodic observations in the wintertime were likely associated with enhanced inputs through long-range transport during the Arctic Haze period

CRS Insight

This report discusses the dispute between Qatar and several of its Gulf State and Arab neighbors led by Saudia Arabia which has resulted in the isolation of Qatar by Saudia Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt. The Saudi-led coalition has accused Qatar of supporting terrorism because of their support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Potential implications of the dispute for the United States are then discussed

Iraq: Oil-For-Food Program, Illicit Trade, and Investigations

The “oil-for-food” program (OFFP) was the centerpiece of a long-standing U.N. Security Council effort to alleviate human suffering in Iraq while maintaining key elements of the 1991 Gulf war-related sanctions regime. In order to ensure that Iraq remained contained and that only humanitarian needs were served by the program, the program imposed controls on Iraqi oil exports and humanitarian imports. All Iraqi oil revenues legally earned under the program were held in a U.N.-controlled escrow account and were not accessible to the regime of Saddam Hussein

Iraq: Regional Perspectives and U.S. Policy

This report provides information about the current perspectives and policies of Iraq's neighbors following the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003; analyzes potential regional responses to renewed violence and longer-term stabilization efforts; discusses shared concerns and U.S. long-term regional interests; and reviews U.S. policy options for responding to various contingencies

Fundamental chemistry, Characterization, and Separation of Technetium Complexes in Hanford Waste

The ultimate goal of this proposal is to separate technetium from Hanford tank waste. Our recent work has shown that a large portion of the technetium is not pertechnetate (TcO4-) and is not easily oxidized. This has serious repercussions for technetium partitioning schemes because they are designed to separate this chemical form. Rational attempts to oxidize these species to TcO4- for processing or to separate the nonpertechnetate species themselves would be facilitated by knowing the identity of these complexes and understanding their fundamental chemistry. Tank characterization work has not yet identified any of the non-pertechnetate species. However, based on the types of ligands available and the redox conditions in the tank, a reasonable speculation can be made about the types of species that may be present. Thus, this proposal will synthesize and characterize the relevant model complexes of Tc(III), Tc(IV), and Tc(V) that may have formed under tank waste conditions. Once synthesized, these complexes will be used as standards for developing and characterizing the non-pertechnetate species in actual waste using instrumental techniques such as capillary electrophoresis electrospray mass spectrometry (CE-MS), x-ray absorbance spectroscopy (EXAFS and XANES), and multi-nuclear NMR (including 99Tc NMR). We will study the redox chemistry of the technetium complexes so that more efficient and selective oxidative methods can be used to bring these species to TcO4- for processing purposes. We will also study their ligand substitution chemistry, which could be used to develop separation methods for non-pertechnetate species. Understanding the fundamental chemistry of these technetium complexes will enable technetium to be efficiently removed from the Hanford tank waste and help DOE to fulfill its remediation mission

Colligative properties of solutions: I. Fixed concentrations

Using the formalism of rigorous statistical mechanics, we study the phenomena of phase separation and freezing-point depression upon freezing of solutions. Specifically, we devise an Ising-based model of a solvent-solute system and show that, in the ensemble with a fixed amount of solute, a macroscopic phase separation occurs in an interval of values of the chemical potential of the solvent. The boundaries of the phase separation domain in the phase diagram are characterized and shown to asymptotically agree with the formulas used in heuristic analyses of freezing point depression. The limit of infinitesimal concentrations is described in a subsequent paper.Comment: 28 pages, 1 fig; see also math-ph/0407035 (both to appear in JSP

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 25, Folk Festival Supplement

• Quilts, Quilts, Quilts • America\u27s Heritage is Endowed with Contributions of the Pennsylvania Dutch • The Hospitality Tent: H is for Help - That\u27s What it\u27s all About • Pottery: A Folk Art Expressing the Most in Simplest Terms • It Never Rains on our Parade - On the Fourth of July • Vegetable Dyeing at the Kutztown Folk Festival • Festival Focus • Folk Festival Program • Festival Foods: The Original Touch of the Dutch • Ursinus College Studies at the Festival • Behind the Scenes of We Like Our Country, But We Love Our God • Reverse Glass Tinsel Painting • Tin, Tole and Independencehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/1069/thumbnail.jp

Iran: Regional Perspectives and U.S. Policy

This report provides a description of Iran's neighbors' policies and interests, options for Congressional consideration, and an analysis of potential regional implication