Alternatives to NIMBY gridlock: voluntary approaches to radioactive waste facility siting in Canada and the United States

Neither Canada nor the United States has sited a new radioactive waste management facility in more than two decades, despite the continuous generation of new waste and the paucity of reliable disposal capacity. Both nations have stirred up considerable political controversy in attempting to site such facilities, with aggressive local collective action consistently blocking proposals. Building on provincial experience in gaining public support for hazardous waste facility siting tlirough a voluntary, comprehensive process, both Ontario and Nebraska Show signs of devi˜ting from the classic Not-in-My-Back-Yard (NIMBY) response for low-level radioactive waste. Through a variation of the process used successfully in Alberta and Manitoba for hazardous waste, Ontario and Nebraska have demonstrated the potential applicability of these alternative siting principles for radioactive waste. Sommaire : Ni le Canada, ni les États-Unis n'ont construit de nouvelles installations de gestion des dÉchets radioactifs depuis plus de deux dÉcennies, malgrÉ la production continuelie de dÉchets supplÉmentaires et malgrÉ la faible capacitÉ d'Élimination fiable. Les deux nations ont dÉclenchÉ des controverses politiques considÉrables en essayant de mettre en place de telles installations, et leurs propositions ont ÉtÉ bloquÉes systÉmatiquement et agressivement par les collectivitÉs locales. Forts de certaines expÉriences provinciales pour gagner le soutien du public ewers l'emplacement d'une installation de dÉchets dangereux grÂce À un processus volontaire et extensif, l'Ontario et le Nebraska semblent dÉvier de la rÉaction classique “ pas dans ma cour ” en ce qui concerne les dÉchets faiblement radioactifs. Par l'entremise d'une variante du processus utilisÉ avec succÈs pour les dÉchets dnngereux en Alberta et au Manitoba, l'Ontario et le Nebraska ont dÉmontrÉ qu'on pourrait Éventuellement appliqucr ces principes de rechanpe pour l'emplacement des installations traitant les dÉchets radioactifs.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73397/1/j.1754-7121.1994.tb00885.x.pd

Spontaneous Scalarization and Boson Stars

We study spontaneous scalarization in Scalar-Tensor boson stars. We find that scalarization does not occur in stars whose bosons have no self-interaction. We introduce a quartic self-interaction term into the boson Lagrangian and show that when this term is large, scalarization does occur. Strong self-interaction leads to a large value of the compactness (or sensitivity) of the boson star, a necessary condition for scalarization to occur, and we derive an analytical expression for computing the sensitivity of a boson star in Brans-Dicke theory from its mass and particle number. Next we comment on how one can use the sensitivity of a star in any Scalar-Tensor theory to determine how its mass changes when it undergoes gravitational evolution. Finally, in the Appendix, we derive the most general form of the boson wavefunction that minimises the energy of the star when the bosons carry a U(1) charge.Comment: 23 pages, 5 postscript figures. Typing errors corrected. Includes some new text that relates the paper to several previous results. Accepted for publication in PR

Differentiated State of Initiating Tumor Cells Is Key to Distinctive Immune Responses Seen in H-Ras

Heterogeneity in tumor immune responses is a poorly understood yet critical parameter for successful immunotherapy. In two doxycycline-inducible models where oncogenic H-RasG12V is targeted either to the epidermal basal/stem cell layer with a Keratin14-rtTA transgene (K14Ras), or committed progenitor/suprabasal cells with an Involucrin-tTA transgene (InvRas), we observed strikingly distinct tumor immune responses. On threshold doxycycline levels yielding similar Ras expression, tumor latency, and numbers, tumors from K14Ras mice had an immunosuppressed microenvironment, whereas InvRas tumors had a proinflammatory microenvironment. On a Rag1-/- background, InvRas mice developed fewer and smaller tumors that regressed over time, whereas K14Ras mice developed more tumors with shorter latency than Rag1+/+ controls. Adoptive transfer and depletion studies revealed that B-cell and CD4 T-cell cooperation was critical for tumor yield, lymphocyte polarization, and tumor immune phenotype in Rag1+/+ mice of both models. Coculture of tumor-conditioned B cells with CD4 T cells implicated direct contact for Th1 and regulatory T cell (Treg) polarization, and CD40-CD40L for Th1, Th2, and Treg generation, a response not observed from splenic B cells. Anti-CD40L caused regression of InvRas tumors but enhanced growth in K14Ras, whereas a CD40 agonist mAb had opposite effects in each tumor model. These data show that position of tumor-initiating cells within a stratified squamous epithelial tissue provokes distinct B- and CD4 T-cell interactions, which establish unique tumor microenvironments that regulate tumor development and response to immunotherap

On the feasibility of N2 fixation via a single-site FeI/FeIV cycle: Spectroscopic studies of FeI(N2)FeI, FeIV=N, and related species

The electronic properties of an unusually redox-rich iron system, [PhBPR 3]FeNx (where [PhBPR 3] is [PhB(CH2PR2)3]−), are explored by Mössbauer, EPR, magnetization, and density-functional methods to gain a detailed picture regarding their oxidation states and electronic structures. The complexes of primary interest in this article are the two terminal iron(IV) nitride species, [PhBPiPr 3]FeN (3a) and [PhBPCH2Cy 3]FeN (3b), and the formally diiron(I) bridged-Fe(μ-N2)Fe species, {[PhBPiPr 3]Fe}2(μ-N2) (4). Complex 4 is chemically related to 3a via a spontaneous nitride coupling reaction. The diamagnetic iron(IV) nitrides 3a and 3b exhibit unique electronic environments that are reflected in their unusual Mössbauer parameters, including quadrupole-splitting values of 6.01(1) mm/s and isomer shift values of −0.34(1) mm/s. The data for 4 suggest that this complex can be described by a weak ferromagnetic interaction (J/D < 1) between two iron(I) centers. For comparison, four other relevant complexes also are characterized: a diamagnetic iron(IV) trihydride [PhBPiPr 3]Fe(H)3(PMe3) (5), an S = 3/2 iron(I) phosphine adduct [PhBPiPr 3]FePMe3 (6), and the S = 2 iron(II) precursors to 3a, [PhBPiPr 3]FeCl and [PhBPiPr 3]Fe-2,3:5,6-dibenzo-7-aza bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene (dbabh). The electronic properties of these respective complexes also have been explored by density-functional methods to help corroborate our spectral assignments and to probe their electronic structures further

A GREB1-steroid receptor feedforward mechanism governs differential GREB1 action in endometrial function and endometriosis

Cellular responses to the steroid hormones, estrogen (E2), and progesterone (P4) are governed by their cognate receptor\u27s transcriptional output. However, the feed-forward mechanisms that shape cell-type-specific transcriptional fulcrums for steroid receptors are unidentified. Herein, we found that a common feed-forward mechanism between GREB1 and steroid receptors regulates the differential effect of GREB1 on steroid hormones in a physiological or pathological context. In physiological (receptive) endometrium, GREB1 controls P4-responses in uterine stroma, affecting endometrial receptivity and decidualization, while not affecting E2-mediated epithelial proliferation. Of mechanism, progesterone-induced GREB1 physically interacts with the progesterone receptor, acting as a cofactor in a positive feedback mechanism to regulate P4-responsive genes. Conversely, in endometrial pathology (endometriosis), E2-induced GREB1 modulates E2-dependent gene expression to promote the growth of endometriotic lesions in mice. This differential action of GREB1 exerted by a common feed-forward mechanism with steroid receptors advances our understanding of mechanisms that underlie cell- and tissue-specific steroid hormone actions

Small ball probability, Inverse theorems, and applications

Let $\xi$ be a real random variable with mean zero and variance one and $A={a_1,...,a_n}$ be a multi-set in $\R^d$. The random sum $$S_A := a_1 \xi_1 + ... + a_n \xi_n$$ where $\xi_i$ are iid copies of $\xi$ is of fundamental importance in probability and its applications. We discuss the small ball problem, the aim of which is to estimate the maximum probability that $S_A$ belongs to a ball with given small radius, following the discovery made by Littlewood-Offord and Erdos almost 70 years ago. We will mainly focus on recent developments that characterize the structure of those sets $A$ where the small ball probability is relatively large. Applications of these results include full solutions or significant progresses of many open problems in different areas.Comment: 47 page

Dynamical evolution of boson stars in Brans-Dicke theory

We study the dynamics of a self-gravitating scalar field solitonic object (boson star) in the Jordan-Brans-Dicke (BD) theory of gravity. We show dynamical processes of this system such as (i) black hole formation of perturbed equilibrium configuration on an unstable branch; (ii) migration of perturbed equilibrium configuration from the unstable branch to stable branch; (iii) transition from excited state to a ground state. We find that the dynamical behavior of boson stars in BD theory is quite similar to that in general relativity (GR), with comparable scalar wave emission. We also demonstrate the formation of a stable boson star from a Gaussian scalar field packet with flat gravitational scalar field initial data. This suggests that boson stars can be formed in the BD theory in much the same way as in GR.Comment: 13 pages by RevTeX, epsf.sty, 16 figures, comments added, refs updated, to appear in Phys. Rev.

A Suborbital Payload for Soft X-ray Spectroscopy of Extended Sources

We present a suborbital rocket payload capable of performing soft X-ray spectroscopy on extended sources. The payload can reach resolutions of ~100(lambda/dlambda) over sources as large as 3.25 degrees in diameter in the 17-107 angstrom bandpass. This permits analysis of the overall energy balance of nearby supernova remnants and the detailed nature of the diffuse soft X-ray background. The main components of the instrument are: wire grid collimators, off-plane grating arrays and gaseous electron multiplier detectors. This payload is adaptable to longer duration orbital rockets given its comparatively simple pointing and telemetry requirements and an abundance of potential science targets.Comment: Accepted to Experimental Astronomy, 12 pages plus 1 table and 17 figure