Critical Configuration and Physics Mesaurements for Graphite Reflected Assemblies of U(93.15)O2 Fuel Rods (1.27-CM Pitch)

A series of critical experiments were completed in 1962-1965 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Critical Experiments Facility in support of the Medium-Power Reactor Experiments (MPRE) program. In the late 1950's efforts were made to study 'power plants for the production of electrical power in space vehicles'. The MPRE program was a part of those efforts and studied the feasibility of a stainless steel system, boiling potassium 1 MW(t), or about 140 kW(e), reactor. The program was carried out in FY 1964, 1965, and 1966. A summary of the program's effort was compiled in 1967. The delayed critical experiments served as a mockup of a small, potassium-cooled space power reactor for validation of reactor calculations and reactor physics methods. Initial experiments, performed in November and December of 1962, consisted of a core of unmoderated 253 stainless steel tubes, each containing 26 UO2 fuel pellets, surrounded by a graphite reflector. Measurements were made to determine critical reflector arrangements, fission-rate distributions, and cadmium ratio distributions. Subsequent experiments used beryllium reflectors and also measured the reactivity for various materials placed in the core. 'The [assemblies were built] on [a] vertical assembly machine so that the movable part was the core and bottom reflector.' The experiment studied within this evaluation was the first of the series and had the 253 fuel tubes packed tightly into a 22.87 cm outside diameter (OD) core tank. Two critical configurations were found by varying the amount of graphite reflector (References 1 and 2). Information for this evaluation was compiled from Reference 1 and 2, reports on subsequent experiments in the series, and the experimental logbook as well as from communication with the experimenter, John T. Mihalczo

CRITICAL CONFIGURATION AND PHYSICS MEASUREMENTS FOR BERYLLIUM REFLECTED ASSEMBLIES OF U(93.15)O2 FUEL RODS (1.506-CM PITCH)

Cadmium ratios were measured with enriched uranium metal foils at various locations in the assembly with the fuel tube at the 1.506-cm spacing. They are described in the following subsections. The experiment configuration was the same as the first critical configuration described in HEU-COMP-FAST-004 (Case 1). The experimenter placed 0.75-cm-diameter × 0.010-cm-thick 93.15%-235U-enriched uranium metal foils with and without 0.051-cm-thick cadmium covers at various locations in the core and top reflector. One part of the cadmium cover was cupshape and contained the uranium foil. The other part was a lid that fit over the exposed side of the foil when it was in the cup shaped section of the cover. As can be seen in the logbook, two runs were required to obtain all the measurements necessary for the cadmium ratio. The bare foil measurements within the top reflector were run first as part of the axial foil activation measurements. The results of this run are used for both the axial activation results and the cadmium ratios. Cadmium covered foils were then placed at the same location through the top reflector in a different run. Three pairs of bare and cadmium covered foils were also placed through the core tank. One pair was placed at the axial center of a fuel tube 11.35 cm from the center of the core. Two pairs of foils were placed on top of fuel tubes 3.02 and 12.06 cm from the center of the core. The activation of the uranium metal foils was measured after removal from the assembly using two lead shielded NaI scintillation detectors as follows. The NaI scintillators were carefully matched and had detection efficiencies for counting delayed-fission-product gamma rays with energies above 250 KeV within 5%. In all foil activation measurements, one foil at a specific location was used as a normalizing foil to remove the effects of the decay of fission products during the counting measurements with the NaI detectors. The normalization foil was placed on one NaI scintillator and the other foil on the other NaI detector and the activities measured simultaneously. The activation of a particular foil was compared to that of the normalization foil by dividing the count rate for each foil by that of the normalization foil. To correct for the differing efficiencies of the two NaI detectors, the normalization foil was counted in Detector 1 simultaneously with the foil at position x in Detector 2, and then the normalization foil was counted simultaneously in Detector 2 with the foil from position x in Counter 1. The activity of the foil from position x was divided by the activity of the normalization foil counted simultaneously. This resulted in obtaining two values of the ratio that were then averaged. This procedure essentially removed the effect of the differing efficiencies of the two NaI detectors. Differing efficiencies of 10% resulted in errors in the ratios measured to less than 1%. The background counting rates obatined with the foils used for the measurements on the NaI detectors before their irradiation measurement were subtracted from all count rates. The results of the cadmium ratio measurements are given in Table 1.3-1 and Figure 1.3-1. “No correction has been made for self shielding in the foils” (Reference 3)

Water-Moderated and -Reflected Slabs of Uranium Oxyfluoride

A series of ten experiments were conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Critical Experiment Facility in December 1955, and January 1956, in an attempt to determine critical conditions for a slab of aqueous uranium oxyfluoride (UO2F2). These experiments were recorded in an Oak Ridge Critical Experiments Logbook and results were published in a journal of the American Nuclear Society, Nuclear Science and Engineering, by J. K. Fox, L. W. Gilley, and J. H. Marable (Reference 1). The purpose of these experiments was to obtain the minimum critical thickness of an effectively infinite slab of UO2F2 solution by extrapolation of experimental data. To do this the slab thickness was varied and critical solution and water-reflector heights were measured using two different fuel solutions. Of the ten conducted experiments eight of the experiments reached critical conditions but the results of only six of the experiments were published in Reference 1. All ten experiments were evaluated from which five critical configurations were judged as acceptable criticality safety benchmarks. The total uncertainty in the acceptable benchmarks is between 0.25 and 0.33 % ?k/keff. UO2F2 fuel is also evaluated in HEU-SOL-THERM-043, HEU-SOL-THERM-011, and HEU-SOL-THERM-012, but these those evaluation reports are for large reflected and unreflected spheres. Aluminum cylinders of UO2F2 are evaluated in HEU-SOL-THERM-050

Phytoplankton and Nutrient Dynamics in a Tidally Dominated Eutrophic Estuary: Daily Variability and Controls on Bloom Formation

To better understand nutrient dynamics and factors that promote the initiation of algal blooms, the Lafayette River, a tidal subestuary of Chesapeake Bay that experiences seasonal algal blooms, was sampled daily for a period of 54 d in the fall of 2005. Three phytoplankton blooms (chl a concentrations exceeding twice the average of monthly measurements from 2000 to 2009) occurred during this period: a mixed bloom of Akashiwo sanguinea and Gymnodinium sp., a monospecific Skeletonema costatum bloom, and a monospecific Gymnodinium sp. bloom. Over the sampling period, nutrient concentrations increased following precipitation events and were elevated between bloom periods but low during blooms. All measured forms of nitrogen (N) were positively correlated with dinoflagellate abundance with a lag time of 3 to 5 d, suggesting a possible triggering effect, although not by any single form of N. Concentrations of NO2--reached 10 µM between September and October, indicative of incomplete nitrification. Over a 24 h period, nutrient concentrations and chl a biomass varied by an order of magnitude (0.1 to 1 µM N and 4.5 to 45 µg chl a l-1, respectively) and were strongly linked to the tidal phase. In the highly eutrophic Lafayette River, when nutrient concentrations are high, phytoplankton blooms appear to be controlled by spring-neap tidal modulation and wind-driven mixing; however, picoplankton abundance does not appear to be linked to the spring-neap tidal cycle

Benchmarking of Graphite Reflected Critical Assemblies of UO2

A series of experiments were carried out in 1963 at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Critical Experiments Facility (ORCEF) for use in space reactor research programs. A core containing 93.2% enriched UO2 fuel rods was used in these experiments. The first part of the experimental series consisted of 253 tightly-packed fuel rods (1.27 cm triangular pitch) with graphite reflectors [1], the second part used 253 graphite-reflected fuel rods organized in a 1.506 cm triangular pitch [2], and the final part of the experimental series consisted of 253 beryllium-reflected fuel rods with a 1.506 cm triangular pitch. [3] Fission rate distribution and cadmium ratio measurements were taken for all three parts of the experimental series. Reactivity coefficient measurements were taken for various materials placed in the beryllium reflected core. The first part of this experimental series has been evaluated for inclusion in the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) [4] and the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) Handbooks, [5] and is discussed below. These experiments are of interest as benchmarks because they support the validation of compact reactor designs with similar characteristics to the design parameters for a space nuclear fission surface power systems. [6

Genome integration and excision by a new Streptomyces bacteriophage, ϕJoe

Bacteriophages are the source of many valuable tools for molecular biology and genetic manipulation. In Streptomyces, most DNA cloning vectors are based on serine integrase site-specific DNA recombination systems derived from phage. Because of their efficiency and simplicity, serine integrases are also used for diverse synthetic biology applications. Here we present the genome of a new Streptomyces phage, ϕJoe, and investigate the conditions for integration and excision of the φJoe genome. ϕJoe belongs to the largest Streptomyces phage cluster (R4-like) and encodes a serine integrase. The attB site from S. venezuelae was used efficiently by an integrating plasmid, pCMF92, constructed using the ϕJoe int/attP locus. The attB site for ϕJoe integrase was occupied in several Streptomyces genomes, including S. coelicolor, by a mobile element that varies in gene content and size between host species. Serine integrases require a phage-encoded recombination directionality factor (RDF) to activate the excision reaction. The ϕJoe RDF was identified and its function was confirmed in vivo Both the integrase and RDF were active in in vitro recombination assays. The ϕJoe site-specific recombination system is likely to be an important addition to the synthetic biology and genome engineering toolbox. IMPORTANCE: Streptomyces spp. are prolific producers of secondary metabolites including many clinically useful antibiotics. Bacteriophage-derived integrases are important tools for genetic engineering as they enable integration of heterologous DNA into the Streptomyces chromosome with ease and high efficiency. Recently researchers have been applying phage integrases for a variety of applications in synthetic biology, including rapid assembly of novel combinations of genes, biosensors and biocomputing. An important requirement for optimal experimental design and predictability when using integrases, however, is the need for multiple enzymes with different specificities for their integration sites. In order to provide a broad platform of integrases we identified and validated the integrase from a newly isolated Streptomyces phage, ϕJoe. ϕJoe integrase is active in vitro and in vivo The specific recognition site for integration is present in a wide range of different Actinobacteria, including Streptomyces venezuelae, an emerging model bacterium in Streptomyces research

Origin and evolution of candidate mental retardation genes on the human X chromosome (MRX)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The human X chromosome has a biased gene content. One group of genes that is over-represented on the human X are those expressed in the brain, explaining the large number of sex-linked mental retardation (MRX) syndromes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To determine if MRX genes were recruited to the X, or whether their brain-specific functions were acquired after relocation to the mammalian X chromosome, we examined the location and expression of their orthologues in marsupials, which diverged from human approximately 180 million years ago. We isolated and mapped nine tammar wallaby MRX homologues, finding that six were located on the tammar wallaby X (which represents the ancient conserved mammal X) and three on chromosome 5, representing the recently added region of the human X chromosome. The location of MRX genes within the same synteny groups in human and wallaby does not support the hypothesis that genes with an important function in the brain were recruited in multiple independent events from autosomes to the mammalian X chromosome. Most of the tammar wallaby MRX homologues were more widely expressed in tammar wallaby than in human. Only one, the tammar wallaby <it>ARX </it>homologue (located on tammar chromosome 5p), has a restricted expression pattern comparable to its pattern in human. The retention of the brain-specific expression of <it>ARX </it>over 180 million years suggests that this gene plays a fundamental role in mammalian brain development and function.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results suggest all the genes in this study may have originally had more general functions that became more specialised and important in brain function during evolution of humans and other placental mammals.</p

Five Debris Disks Newly Revealed in Scattered Light from the HST NICMOS Archive

We have spatially resolved five debris disks (HD 30447, HD 35841, HD 141943, HD 191089, and HD 202917) for the first time in near-infrared scattered light by reanalyzing archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/NICMOS coronagraphic images obtained between 1999 and 2006. One of these disks (HD 202917) was previously resolved at visible wavelengths using HST/Advanced Camera for Surveys. To obtain these new disk images, we performed advanced point-spread function subtraction based on the Karhunen-Loeve Image Projection (KLIP) algorithm on recently reprocessed NICMOS data with improved detector artifact removal (Legacy Archive PSF Library And Circumstellar Environments Legacy program). Three of the disks (HD 30447, HD 35841, and HD 141943) appear edge-on, while the other two (HD 191089 and HD 202917) appear inclined. The inclined disks have been sculpted into rings; in particular, the disk around HD 202917 exhibits strong asymmetries. All five host stars are young (8-40 Myr), nearby (40-100 pc) F and G stars, and one (HD 141943) is a close analog to the young sun during the epoch of terrestrial planet formation. Our discoveries increase the number of debris disks resolved in scattered light from 19 to 23 (a 21% increase). Given their youth, proximity, and brightness (V = 7.2 to 8.5), these targets are excellent candidates for follow-up investigations of planet formation at visible wavelengths using the HST/STIS coronagraph, at near-infrared wavelengths with the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) and Very Large Telescope (VLT)/SPHERE, and at thermal infrared wavelengths with the James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam and MIRI coronagraphs.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, 1 tabl

Roscoe Pound Round-Table Discussion

Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators Annual Meeting July 29-August 2, 2006 Indianapolis, Indiana

Water-Moderated and -Reflected Slabs of Uranium Oxyfluoride

A series of ten experiments were conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Critical Experiment Facility in December 1955, and January 1956, in an attempt to determine critical conditions for a slab of aqueous uranium oxyfluoride (UO2F2). These experiments were recorded in an Oak Ridge Critical Experiments Logbook and results were published in a journal of the American Nuclear Society, Nuclear Science and Engineering, by J. K. Fox, L. W. Gilley, and J. H. Marable (Reference 1). The purpose of these experiments was to obtain the minimum critical thickness of an effectively infinite slab of UO2F2 solution by extrapolation of experimental data. To do this the slab thickness was varied and critical solution and water-reflector heights were measured using two different fuel solutions. Of the ten conducted experiments eight of the experiments reached critical conditions but the results of only six of the experiments were published in Reference 1. All ten experiments were evaluated from which five critical configurations were judged as acceptable criticality safety benchmarks. The total uncertainty in the acceptable benchmarks is between 0.25 and 0.33 % ?k/keff. UO2F2 fuel is also evaluated in HEU-SOL-THERM-043, HEU-SOL-THERM-011, and HEU-SOL-THERM-012, but these those evaluation reports are for large reflected and unreflected spheres. Aluminum cylinders of UO2F2 are evaluated in HEU-SOL-THERM-050