Reclamation with Recovery of Radionuclides and Toxic Metals from Contaminated Materials, Soils, and Wastes

A process has been developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for the removal of metals and radionuclides from contaminated materials, soils, and waste sites. In this process, citric acid, a naturally occurring organic complexing agent, is used to extract metals such as Ba, Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, and radionuclides Co, Sr, Th, and U from solid wastes by formation of water soluble, metal-citrate complexes. Citric acid forms different types of complexes with the transition metals and actinides, and may involve formation of a bidentate, tridentate, binuclear, or polynuclear complex species. The extract containing radionuclide/metal complex is then subjected to microbiological degradation followed by photochemical degradation under aerobic conditions. Several metal citrate complexes are biodegraded, and the metals are recovered in a concentrated form with the bacterial biomass. Uranium forms binuclear complex with citric acid and is not biodegraded. The supernatant containing uranium citrate complex is separated and upon exposure to light, undergoes rapid degradation resulting in the formation of an insoluble, stable polymeric form of uranium. Uranium is recovered as a precipitate (polyuranate) in a concentrated form for recycling or for appropriate disposal. This treatment process, unlike others which use caustic reagents, does not create additional hazardous wastes for disposal and causes little damage to soil which can then be returned to normal use

The photolysis of N2O at 1470 A. Ionospheric research

Photolysis of nitrogen oxide, nitrogen oxide/ nitrogen mixtures, and nitrogen olefin mixture

Frailty is independently associated with increased hospitalisation days in patients on the liver transplant waitlist

AIM: To investigate the impact of physical frailty on risk of hospitalisation in cirrhotic patients on the liver transplant waitlist. METHODS: Cirrhotics listed for liver transplantation at a single centre underwent frailty assessments using the Fried Frailty Index, consisting of grip strength, gait speed, exhaustion, weight loss, and physical activity. Clinical and biochemical data including MELD score as collected at the time of assessment. The primary outcome was number of hospitalised days per year; secondary outcomes included incidence of infection. Univariable and multivariable analysis was performed using negative binomial regression to associate baseline parameters including frailty with clinical outcomes and estimated incidence rate ratios (IRR). RESULTS: Of 587 cirrhotics, 64% were male, median age (interquartile range) was 60 (53-64) years and MELD score was 15 (12-18). Median Fried Frailty Index was 2 (1-3); 31.6% were classified as frail (fried frailty ≥ 3). During 12 mo of follow-up, 43% required at least 1 hospitalisation; 38% of which involved major infection. 107/184 (58%) frail and 142/399 (36%) non-frail patients were hospitalised at least once (P < 0.001). In univariable analysis, Fried Frailty Index was associated with total hospitalisation days per year (IRR = 1.51, 95%CI: 1.28-1.77; P ≤ 0.001), which remained significant on multivariable analysis after adjustment for MELD, albumin, and gender (IRR for frailty of 1.21, 95%CI: 1.02-1.44; P = 0.03). Incidence of infection was not influenced by frailty. CONCLUSION: In cirrhotics on the liver transplant waitlist, physical frailty is a significant predictor of hospitalisation and total hospitalised days per year, independent of liver disease severity

Civil Procedure—Jurisdiction Under “Tortious Act Provision of New York Long-Arm Statute Obtainable Over Non-Residents Only When Such Acts Are Committed Within the State

Longines-Wittnauer Co. v. Barnes & Reinecke, Inc., 15 N.Y.2d 443, 209 N.E.2d 68, 261 N.Y.S.2d 8 (1965)

Contributions to the botany of Michigan, II

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/56250/1/MP005.pd

Animal-Sediment Relations in a Tropical Lagoon: Discovery Bay, Jamaica

The distribution of many macrobenthic species in the back-reef lagoon of Discovery Bay, Jamaica can be related to a gradient in bottom stability. This gradient is defined by increasing rates of biogenic reworking and sediment resuspension in the western part of the lagoon. Infaunal diversity and coral growth decrease in the western, unstable areas. The infauna of the carbonate sand consists mainly of deposit feeders. In the western lagoon, the feeding activities of this group result in high biogenic reworking rates (up to 6-7 cm/week) producing loose surface sediment easily resuspended by waves. A maximum, mean resuspension rate of 19 mg/cm2/day was measured. Instability of the lagoon floor, resulting in high water turbidity, inhibits settlement and growth of most suspension feeders and reduces infaunal diversity and coral growth. Because stability of the soft-bottom is significantly influenced by deposit feeders, our observations represent an extension of the trophic group amensalism principle to tropical nearshore enviornments

Environmental Correlates of Hermatypic Coral (Montastrea annularis) Growth on the East Flower Gardens Bank, Northwest Gulf of Mexico

Time series of annual linear growth increments from 12 Montastrea annularis (E. and S.) collected at the East Flower Gardens Bank reef in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico have a common pattern. This is best expressed in an index master chronology (average by year of the annual percentage deviations from the mean of each coral.) Comparisons with time series of environmental data indicate that coral extension rates vary positively with seasonal (February through May - 4 months) surface water temperature and negatively with annual discharge of the Atchafalaya River. We propose that secular variations of water temperature and other parameters are the major long term controls of coral growth in the area. Our data do not support the view that sinking of the Flower Gardens reef, caused by catastrophic collapse of the underlying substrate, has been a prime influence on the corals