Nuclear power supplies: Their potential and the practical problems to their achievement for space missions

Various issues associated with getting technology development of nuclear power systems moving at a pace which will support the anticipated need for such systems in later years is discussed. The projected power needs of such advanced space elements as growth space stations and lunar and planetary vehicles and bases are addressed briefly, and the relevance of nuclear power systems is discussed. A brief history and status of the U.S. nuclear reactor systems is provided, and some of the problems (real and/or perceived) are dealt with briefly. Key areas on which development attention should be focused in the near future are identified, and a suggested approach is recommended to help accelerate the process

Tentative basis for proposing final settlements under section 209 of the Transportation Act, 1920; Tentative basis for proposing settlements under section 209 of the Transportation Act, 1920

First, our rule is that in fixing the maximum amounts to be included in operating expenses for maintenance under the guaranty of section 209 of the Transportation Act, 1920, we will, as far as practicable, under the accounting test established by the proviso of section 5 of the standard contract, fix such amounts as would have resulted during the guaranty period in the same amount, character and durability of physical reparation as was applied to the respective carrier properties, during an average six months of the test period, three years ending June 30, 1917, making due allowance for differences in the amount and use of the properties involved. Second, in making the adjustments for changes in cost of labor consideration will be given to all changes of any character which affect in any way the labor cost of material in place, and will include not only changes in price of labor per payroll hour or other unit paid for, but also the relation of time paid for to effective time of work, differences in the efficiency and cost of labor due to changed personnel, and any other elements affecting the aggregate cost of labor necessary to effect the standard of maintenance observed by the carriers respectively during the test period. Third, in fixing the maximum maintenance allowance for the properties during the guaranty period, all charges representing depreciation and repairs will be computed upon the same bases for the guaranty period as were used in the test period. Fourth, and this fourth item now has reference to the accounting test; as I stated to the Committee on General Accounts about a year ago, and as was indicated by Commissioner Meyer yesterday, the adjustments provided in Section 209 are adjustments of limitation. It is as though we had a tunnel gauge, and you passed the load through the tunnel gauge. If the load is too small, or smaller than may go through, we don\u27t expand it, but if it does not pass through the gauge we must bring it down. If the adjustments were not provided for, it is obvious to all of us that what appears on the books of the carriers under the accounting rules of the Commission would determine what is the railway operating income. When the adjustment is put through this tunnel gauge these accounts must pass, and therefore we can not allow and we can not consider, or we should not attempt to think of adjustments or settlements of the guaranty except in relation to the books of the carrier. The adjustment is made of the accounts as they stand upon the books of the carrier. The settlement is made upon those accounts with the limitations which Congress has prescribed. If the limitations had not been prescribed those accounts would stand as written. With the limitations which Congress has prescribed, they stand as the maximum, and there is another maximum prescribed, which is this tunnel gauge of adjustment

Electrochemical sintering process for producing electrodes from cadmium felt and a nickel or silver grid

Electrochemical sintering process produces cadmium felt electrodes. Two pieces of cadmium felt are sandwiched around a nickel screen or silver expanded metal grid, held together by mold compression, and electrochemically sinitered by being put through several charge and discharge cycles at low current density

Cost of maintenance and depreciation of cotton mills

In cotton mill accounting, as in practically all accounting which has to do with manufacturing processes, the division of the bookkeeping most difficult to handle successfully is that pertaining to maintenance. This term being used in its broadest sense as covering all costs of wear and tear of plant, including buildings, machinery, tools, etc. Maintenance, rightfully used in this broad sense, includes repairs, renewals, reconstruction, deterioration (or deferred maintenance) and obsolescence. We will, in this paper, view it under three primary aspects

OCT for diagnosis of periodontal disease

We have developed a hand-held in vivo scanning device for use in the oral cavity. We produced, using this scanning device, in vivo OCT images of dental tissues in human volunteers. All the OCT images were analyzed for the presence of clinically relevant anatomical structures. The gingival margin, periodontal sulcus, and dento-enamel junction were visible in all the images. The cemento-enamel junction was discernible in 64% of the images and the alveolar bone presumptively identified for 71% of the images. These images represent, to our knowledge, the first in vivo OCT images of human dental tissue

A phase I study of the vitamin D analogue EB 1089 in patients with advanced breast and colorectal cancer.

Preclinical studies have shown that the vitamin D analogue EB 1089 has significantly less calcaemic activity than its parent compound 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3) and significant anti-tumour activity. This phase I trial was designed to evaluate the calcaemic effect of the drug in patients with advanced cancer. EB 1089 was given to 36 patients with advanced breast and colorectal cancer in doses of between 0.15 and 17.0 microg m(-2) day(-1). Serial serum and urine calcium, urine creatinine and serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) were monitored. Hypercalcaemia was seen in all patients receiving 17.0 microg m(-2) day(-1). Hypercalcaemia attributable to EB 1089 was reversible by discontinuing or reducing EB 1089 therapy. During the first 5 days of treatment, urine calcium (P = 0.0001) and serum-corrected calcium (P = 0.027) were related to EB 1089 dose, whereas serum parathyroid hormone (P = 0.0001) showed an inverse relationship. Twenty-one patients received compassionate treatment for between 10 and 234 days. No complete or partial responses were seen. Six patients on treatment for more than 90 days showed stabilization of disease. EB 1089 was well tolerated and adverse events considered to be caused by EB 1089 were limited to dose-dependent effects on calcium metabolism. The dose estimated to be tolerable for most patients from this study is around 7 microg m(-2) day(1). These data support previous work that has demonstrated EB 1089 to be significantly less calcaemic than 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3

Determination of Arsenic, Mercury and Barium in herbarium mount paper using dynamic ultrasound-assisted extraction prior to atomic fluorescence and absorption spectrometry

A dynamic ultrasound-assisted extraction method using Atomic Absorption and Atomic Flourescence spectrometers as detectors was developed to analyse mercury, arsenic and barium from herbarium mount paper originating from the herbarium collection of the National Museum of Wales. The variables influencing extraction were optimised by a multivariate approach. The optimal conditions were found to be 1% HNO3 extractant solution used at a flow rate of 1 mL min-1. The duty cycle and amplitude of the ultrasonic probe was found to be 50% in both cases with an ultrasound power of 400 W. The optimal distance between the probe and the top face of the extraction chamber was found to be 0 cm. Under these conditions the time required for complete extraction of the three analytes was 25 min. Cold vapour and hydride generation coupled to atomic fluorescence spectrometry was utilized to determine mercury and arsenic, respectively. The chemical and instrumental conditions were optimized to provide detection limits of 0.01ng g-1 and 1.25 ng g-1 for mercury and arsenic, respectively. Barium was determined by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, with a detection limit of 25 ng g-1. By using 0.5 g of sample, the concentrations of the target analytes varied for the different types of paper and ranged between 0.4–2.55 µg g-1 for Ba, 0.035–10.47 µg g-1 for As and 0.0046–2.37 µg g-1 for Hg

Ultraprecision machining of optics at Los Alamos

Ultraprecision machine tools are used at Los Alamos for single point diamond turning of optics and other precision parts. Measurements of a 50-mm-dia copper flat are used to illustrate the quality of a part which can be machined on the Moore No. 3 lathe. Measurements of a 0.4-m-dia aluminum mirror with a 20-m radius-of-curvature are presented as an example of a part machined on the Moore No. 5 lathe. A varying frequency sine wave grating is used to show a type of special optical grating which can be produced using the Pneumo lathe