TWRS privatization support project waste characterization resource dictionary

A single estimate of waste characteristics for each underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site is not available. The information that is available was developed for specific programmatic objectives and varies in format and level of descriptive detail, depending on the intended application. This dictionary reflects an attempt to define what waste characterization information is available. It shows the relationship between the identified resource and the original data source and the inter-relationships among the resources; it also provides a brief description of each resource. Developed as a general dictionary for waste characterization information, this document is intended to make the user aware of potenially useful resources

Rationale for Selection of Pesticides, Herbicides, and Related Compounds from the Hanford SST/DST Waste Considered for Analysis in Support of the Regulatory DQO (Privatization)

Regulated pesticides, herbicides, miticides, and fungicides were evaluated for their potential past and current use at the Hanford Site. The starting list of these compounds is based on regulatory analyte input lists discussed in the Regulatory DQO. Twelve pesticide, herbicide, miticide, and fungicide compounds are identified for analysis in the Hanford SST and DST waste in support of the Regulatory DQO. The compounds considered for additional analyses are non-detected, considered stable in the tank waste matrix, and of higher toxicity/carcinogenicity

Septin/anillin filaments scaffold central nervous system myelin to accelerate nerve conduction

Myelination of axons facilitates rapid impulse propagation in the nervous system. The axon/myelin-unit becomes impaired in myelin-related disorders and upon normal aging. However, the molecular cause of many pathological features, including the frequently observed myelin outfoldings, remained unknown. Using label-free quantitative proteomics, we find that the presence of myelin outfoldings correlates with a loss of cytoskeletal septins in myelin. Regulated by phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2)-levels, myelin septins (SEPT2/SEPT4/SEPT7/SEPT8) and the PI(4,5)P2-adaptor anillin form previously unrecognized filaments that extend longitudinally along myelinated axons. By confocal microscopy and immunogold-electron microscopy, these filaments are localized to the non-compacted adaxonal myelin compartment. Genetic disruption of these filaments in Sept8-mutant mice causes myelin outfoldings as a very specific neuropathology. Septin filaments thus serve an important function in scaffolding the axon/myelin-unit, evidently a late stage of myelin maturation. We propose that pathological or aging-associated diminishment of the septin/anillin-scaffold causes myelin outfoldings that impair the normal nerve conduction velocity

Disentangling Biological Transformations and Photodegradation Processes from Marine Dissolved Organic Matter Composition in the Global Ocean

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) holds the largest amount of organic carbon in the ocean, with most of it residing in the deep for millennia. Specific mechanisms and environmental conditions responsible for its longevity are still unknown. Microbial transformations and photochemical degradation of DOM in the surface layers are two processes that shape its molecular composition. We used molecular data (via Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry) from two laboratory experiments that focused on (1) microbial processing of fresh DOM and (2) photodegradation of deep-sea DOM to derive independent process-related molecular indices for biological formation and transformation (Ibio) and photodegradation (Iphoto). Both indices were applied to a global ocean data set of DOM composition. The distributions of Iphoto and Ibio were consistent with increased photodegradation and biological reworking of DOM in sunlit surface waters, and traces of these surface processes were evident at depth. Increased Ibio values in the deep Southern Ocean and South Atlantic implied export of microbially reworked DOM. Photodegraded DOM (increased Iphoto) in the deep subtropical gyres of Atlantic and Pacific oceans suggested advective transport in warm-core eddies. The simultaneous application of Iphoto and Ibio disentangled and assessed two processes that left unique molecular signatures in the global ocean

Low-activity waste envelope definitions for the TWRS Privatization Phase I Request For Proposal

Radioactive waste has been stored in large underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site since 1944. Approximately 212 million liters of waste containing approximately 240,000 metric tons of processed chemicals and 177 mega-curies of radionuclides are now stored in 177 tanks. These caustic wastes are in the form of liquids, slurries, saltcakes, and sludge. In 1991, the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program was established to manage, retrieve, treat, immobilize, and dispose of these wastes in a safe, environmentally sound, and cost-effective manner. The Department of Energy (DOE) has believes that it is feasible to privatize portions of the TWRS Program. Under the privatization strategy embodied in the Request for Proposal (RFP), DOE will purchase services from a contractor-owned, contractor-operated facility under a fixed-price contract. Phase I of the TWRS privatization strategy is a proof-of-concept/commercial demonstration-scale effort. The objectives of Phase I are to demonstrate the technical and business viability of using privatized facilities to treat Hanford tank waste; define and maintain required levels of radiological, nuclear, process, and occupational safety; maintain environmental protection and compliance; and substantially reduce life-cycle costs and time required to treat Hanford tank waste. Three low-activity waste (LAW) envelopes are identified for Phase I of the privatization contract and are representative of the range of Hanford double-shelled tank (DST) waste

Cocapture of cognate and bystander antigens can activate autoreactive B cells

Autoantibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) are associated with autoimmune central nervous system diseases like acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). For ADEM, it is speculated that a preceding infection is the trigger of the autoimmune response, but the mechanism connecting the infection to the production of MOG antibodies remains a mystery. We reasoned that the ability of B cells to capture cognate antigen from cell membranes, along with small quantities of coexpressed “bystander” antigens, might enable B-cell escape from tolerance. We tested this hypothesis using influenza hemagglutinin as a model viral antigen and transgenic, MOG-specific B cells. Using flow cytometry and live and fixed cell microscopy, we show that MOG-specific B cells take up large amounts of MOG from cell membranes. Uptake of the antigen from the membrane leads to a strong activation of the capturing B cell. When influenza hemagglutinin is also present in the membrane of the target cell, it can be cocaptured with MOG by MOG-specific B cells via the B-cell receptor. Hemagglutinin and MOG are both presented to T cells, which in turn are activated and proliferate. As a consequence, MOG-specific B cells get help from hemagglutinin-specific T cells to produce anti-MOG antibodies. In vivo, the transfer of MOG-specific B cells into recipient mice after the cocapture of MOG and hemagglutinin leads to the production of class-switched anti-MOG antibodies, dependent on the presence of hemagglutinin-specific T cells. This mechanism offers a link between infection and autoimmunity. Keywords: tolerance; autoantibodies; antigen capture; antigen presentation; influenz

Preliminary assessment of candidate immobilization technologies for retrieved single-shell tank wastes

This report describes the initial work that has been performed to select technologies for immobilization of wastes that may be retrieved from Hanford single-shell tanks (SSTs). Two classes of waste will require immobilization. One is the combined high-level waste/transuranic (HLW/TRU) fraction, the other the low-level waste (LLW) fraction. A number of potential immobilization technologies are identified for each class of waste. Immobilization technologies were initially selected based on a number of considerations, including (1) the waste loading that could likely be achieved within the constraint of producing acceptable waste forms, (2) process flexibility (primarily compatibility with anticipated waste variability), (3) process complexity, and (4) state of development. Immobilization technologies selected for further development include the following: for HLW/TRU waste -- borosilicate glass, lead-iron phosphate glass, glass-calcine composites, glass-ceramics, and cement based forms; for non-denitrated LLW -- grout, laxtex-modified concrete, and polyethylene; and for denitrated LLW -- silicate glass, phosphate glass, and clay calcination or tailored ceramic in various matrices

Fiscal year 1995 laboratory scale studies of Cs elution in Tank 8D-1 and sludge dissolution in tank 8D-2

During Phase I of West Valley Demonstration project waste remediation, an estimated 95% of the zeolite currently in tank 8D-1 will be transferred to tank 8D-2, leaving behind residual Cs-loaded zeolite which will require treatment to remove the Cs. After phase I vitrification, tank 8D-2 will contain residual waste from PUREX and THOREX and spent Cs-loaded zeolite. The residual waste will require treatment. Oxalic acid has been proposed for eluting Cs from zeolite in tank 8D-1 and dissolving radionuclides in tank 8D-2. Laboratory tests were performed to determine optimum Cs elution and sludge dissolution conditions and to evaluate effects of multiple contacts, long-term contacts, presence of corrosion products, lack of agitation, temperature of tank contents, and oxalic acid concentration. Mild steel corrosion tests were also conducted

Sequential and compartmentalized action of Rabs, SNAREs, and MAL in the apical delivery of fusiform vesicles in urothelial umbrella cells

Uroplakins (UPs) are major differentiation products of urothelial umbrella cells and play important roles in forming the permeability barrier and in the expansion/stabilization of the apical membrane. Further, UPIa serves as a uropathogenic Escherichia coli receptor. Although it is understood that UPs are delivered to the apical membrane via fusiform vesicles (FVs), the mechanisms that regulate this exocytic pathway remain poorly understood. Immunomicroscopy of normal and mutant mouse urothelia show that the UP-delivering FVs contained Rab8/11 and Rab27b/Slac2-a, which mediate apical transport along actin filaments. Subsequently a Rab27b/Slp2-a complex mediated FV–membrane anchorage before SNARE-mediated and MAL-facilitated apical fusion. We also show that keratin 20 (K20), which forms a chicken-wire network ∼200 nm below the apical membrane and has hole sizes allowing FV passage, defines a subapical compartment containing FVs primed and strategically located for fusion. Finally, we show that Rab8/11 and Rab27b function in the same pathway, Rab27b knockout leads to uroplakin and Slp2-a destabilization, and Rab27b works upstream from MAL. These data support a unifying model in which UP cargoes are targeted for apical insertion via sequential interactions with Rabs and their effectors, SNAREs and MAL, and in which K20 plays a key role in regulating vesicular trafficking

A New Targeting - A New Take-Up? Non-Take-Up of Social Assistance in Germany after Social Policy Reforms

We present first estimates of rates of non-take-up for social assistance in Germany after the implementation of major social policy reforms in 2005. The analysis is based on a microsimulation model, which includes a detailed description of the German social assistance programme. Our findings suggest a moderate decrease in non-take-up compared to estimates before the reform. In order to identify the determinants of claiming social assistance, we estimate a model of take-up behaviour which considers potential endogeneity of the benefit level. The estimations reveal that the degree of needs, measured as the social assistance benefit level a household is eligible for, and the expected duration of eligibility are the key determinants of the take-up decision, while costs of claiming seem to play a minor role.Diese Studie liefert erste Schätzungen für Quoten der Nicht-Inanspruchnahme für Leistungen der Grundsicherung nach SGB II und SGB XII. Die Analyse basiert auf einem Mikrosimulationsmodell, welches eine detaillierte Abbildung der deutschen Sozialgesetzgebung erlaubt. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass sich die Nicht-Inanspruchnahme im Vergleich zur Situation vor der Hartz-IV-Reform verringert hat. Um die Determinanten der Inanspruchnahme zu bestimmen, schätzen wir ein Modell des Inanspruchnahmeverhaltens. Die Schätzungen zeigen, dass die Höhe des Anspruchs sowie die erwartete Bezugsdauer die entscheidenden Einflussfaktoren darstellen, während die Kosten der Inanspruchnahme eine untergeordnete Rolle spielen