Experimental plan for irradiation experiment HRB-21

Irradiation experiment HRB-21 is the first in a series of test capsules that are designed to provide a fuel-performance data base to be used for the validation of modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR) coated-particle fuel performance models under MHTGR normal operating conditions and specific licensing basis events. Capsule HRB-21 will contain an advanced TRISO-P UCO/ThO{sub 2} - coated-particle fuel system with demonstrated low defective-particle fraction ({le}5 {times} 10{sup {minus}5}) and a heavy metal-contamination fraction ({le}1 {times} 10{sup {minus}5}) that meets MHTGR quality specifications. The coated particles and fuel compacts were fabricated in laboratory-scale facilities using MHTGR reference procedures at General Atomics (GA). Nearly 150,000 fissile and fertile particles will be irradiated in capsule HRB-21 at a mean volumetric fuel temperature of 975{degree}C and will achieve a peak fissile burnup of 26% fissions per initial metal atom (FIMA) while accumulating a fast neutron fluence of about 4.5 {times} 10{sup 25} neutrons/m{sup 2}. This experiment is a cooperative effort between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The participants are the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), GA, and the Tokai Research Establishment. Capsule HRB-21 will contain the US MHTGR fuel specimens, and a companion capsule, HRB-22, will contain the JAERI fuel. The irradiation will take place in the removable beryllium reflector facility of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at ORNL. The performance of the fuel during irradiation will be closely monitored through on-line fission gas release measurements. Detailed postirradiation examination and conduction cooldown simulation testing will be performed on the irradiated fuel compacts from both the HRB-21 and HRB-22 capsules. 5 refs., 9 figs., 6 tabs

'Word from the street' : when non-electoral representative claims meet electoral representation in the United Kingdom

Taking the specific case of street protests in the UK – the ‘word from the street’– this article examines recent (re)conceptualizations of political representation, most particularly Saward’s notion of ‘representative claim’. The specific example of nonelectoral claims articulated by protestors and demonstrators in the UK is used to illustrate: the processes of making, constituting, evaluating and accepting claims for and by constituencies and audiences; and the continuing distinctiveness of claims based upon electoral representation. Two basic questions structure the analysis: first, why would the political representative claims of elected representatives trump the nonelectoral claims of mass demonstrators and, second, in what ways does the ‘perceived legitimacy’ of the former differ from the latter

Nudges and other moral technologies in the context of power: Assigning and accepting responsibility

Strawson argues that we should understand moral responsibility in terms of our practices of holding responsible and taking responsibility. The former covers what is commonly referred to as backward-looking responsibility , while the latter covers what is commonly referred to as forward-looking responsibility . We consider new technologies and interventions that facilitate assignment of responsibility. Assigning responsibility is best understood as the second- or third-personal analogue of taking responsibility. It establishes forward-looking responsibility. But unlike taking responsibility, it establishes forward-looking responsibility in someone else. When such assignments are accepted, they function in such a way that those to whom responsibility has been assigned face the same obligations and are susceptible to the same reactive attitudes as someone who takes responsibility. One family of interventions interests us in particular: nudges. We contend that many instances of nudging tacitly assign responsibility to nudgees for actions, values, and relationships that they might not otherwise have taken responsibility for. To the extent that nudgees tacitly accept such assignments, they become responsible for upholding norms that would otherwise have fallen under the purview of other actors. While this may be empowering in some cases, it can also function in such a way that it burdens people with more responsibility that they can (reasonably be expected to) manage

Problematizing Choice: Responsible consumers and sceptical citizens

About the book: Governance, Consumers and Citizens is the first book to bring together a study of governance with consumption, examining the changing place of the consumer as citizen in recent trends in governance, the tensions between competing ideas and practices of consumerism and the active role consumers play in the construction and practice of governance. Radically pushing forward the debate on consumers and governance, this collection outlines new conceptions and posits new policy agendas. Bringing together international experts from political science, history, geography, social policy and media studies, this study shows how governance and consumption are intertwined in crucial aspects of public policy and contemporary politics

The State of Manganese in the Photosynthetic Apparatus. Ii. X-Ray Absorption Edge Studies on Manganese in Photosynthetic Membranes

X-ray absorption spectra at the Manganese K-edge are presented for spinach chloroplasts, and chloroplasts which have been Tris-treated and hence unable to evolve oxygen. A significant change in the electronic environment of manganese is observed and is attributed to the release of manganese from the thylakoid membranes with a concomitant change in oxidation state. A correlation of the K-edge energy, defined as the energy at the first inflection point, with coordination charge has been established for a number of manganese compounds of known structure and oxidation state. Comparison of the manganese K-edge energies of the chloroplast samples with the reference compounds places the average oxidation state of the chloroplasts between +2 and +3. Using the edge spectra for Tris-treated membranes which were osmotically shocked to remove the released manganese, difference edge spectra were synthesized to approximate the active pool of manganese. Coordination charge predictions for this fraction are consistent with an average resting oxidation state higher than +2. The shape at the edge is also indicative of heterogeneity of the manganese site, of low symmetry, or both

Evidence of Hantavirus Infection among Bats in Brazil

Citation: Sabino-Santos, G., Maia, F. G. M., Vieira, T. M., Muylaert, R. D., Lima, S. M., Goncalves, C. B., . . . Figueiredo, L. T. M. (2015). Evidence of Hantavirus Infection among Bats in Brazil. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 93(2), 404-406. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.15-0032Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses harbored by rodents, bats, and shrews. At present, only rodent-borne hantaviruses are associated with severe illness in humans. New species of hantaviruses have been recently identified in bats and shrews greatly expanding the potential reservoirs and ranges of these viruses. Brazil has one of the highest incidences of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in South America, hence it is critical to know what is the prevalence of hantaviruses in Brazil. Although much is known about rodent reservoirs, little is known regarding bats. We captured 270 bats from February 2012 to April 2014. Serum was screened for the presence of antibodies against a recombinant nucleoprotein (rN) of Araraquara virus (ARAQV). The prevalence of antibody to hantavirus was 9/53 with an overall seroprevalence of 17%. Previous studies have shown only insectivorous bats to harbor hantavirus; however, in our study, of the nine seropositive bats, five were frugivorous, one was carnivorous, and three were sanguivorous phyllostomid bats

Heterologous expression screens in Nicotiana benthamiana identify a candidate effector of the wheat Yellow Rust Pathogen that associates with processing bodies

Rust fungal pathogens of wheat (Triticum spp.) affect crop yields worldwide. The molecular mechanisms underlying the virulence of these pathogens remain elusive, due to the limited availability of suitable molecular genetic research tools. Notably, the inability to perform high-throughput analyses of candidate virulence proteins (also known as effectors) impairs progress. We previously established a pipeline for the fast-forward screens of rust fungal candidate effectors in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. This pipeline involves selecting candidate effectors in silico and performing cell biology and protein-protein interaction assays in planta to gain insight into the putative functions of candidate effectors. In this study, we used this pipeline to identify and characterize sixteen candidate effectors from the wheat yellow rust fungal pathogen Puccinia striiformis f sp tritici. Nine candidate effectors targeted a specific plant subcellular compartment or protein complex, providing valuable information on their putative functions in plant cells. One candidate effector, PST02549, accumulated in processing bodies (P-bodies), protein complexes involved in mRNA decapping, degradation, and storage. PST02549 also associates with the P-body-resident ENHANCER OF mRNA DECAPPING PROTEIN 4 (EDC4) from N. benthamiana and wheat. We propose that P-bodies are a novel plant cell compartment targeted by pathogen effectors

Genotype-Phenotype correlations in multiple sclerosis: HLA genes influence disease severity inferred by 1HMR spectroscopy and MRI measures

Genetic susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DRB1*1501 allele. Here we show a clear association between DRB1*1501 carrier status and four domains of disease severity in an investigation of genotype-phenotype associations in 505 robust, clinically well characterized MS patients evaluated cross-sectionally: (i) a reduction in the N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) concentration within normal appearing white matter (NAWM) via 1HMR spectroscopy (P = 0.025), (ii) an increase in the volume of white matter (WM) lesions utilizing conventional anatomical MRI techniques (1,127 mm3; P = 0.031), (iii) a reduction in normalized brain parenchymal volume (nBPV) (P = 0.023), and (iv) impairments in cognitive function as measured by the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT-3) performance (Mean Z Score: DRB1*1501+: 0.110 versus DRB1*1501-: 0.048; P = 0.004). In addition, DRB1*1501+ patients had significantly more women (74% versus 63%; P = 0.009) and a younger mean age at disease onset (32.4 years versus 34.3 years; P = 0.025). Our findings suggest that DRB1*1501 increases disease severity in MS by facilitating the development of more T2-foci, thereby increasing the potential for irreversible axonal compromise and subsequent neuronal degeneration, as suggested by the reduction of NAA concentrations in NAWM, ultimately leading to a decline in brain volume. These structural aberrations may explain the significant differences in cognitive performance observed between DRB1*1501 groups. The overall goal of a deep phenotypic approach to MS is to develop an array of meaningful biomarkers to monitor the course of the disease, predict future disease behaviour, determine when treatment is necessary, and perhaps to more effectively recommend an available therapeutic interventio