Retroperitoneal course of iliohypogastric, ilioinguinal, and genitofemoral nerves: A study to improve identification and excision during triple neurectomy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113763/1/ca22592.pd

Human Systems Integration: Requirements and Functional Decomposition

This deliverable was intended as an input to the Access 5 Policy and Simulation Integrated Product Teams. This document contains high-level pilot functionality for operations in the National Airspace System above FL430. Based on the derived pilot functions the associated pilot information and control requirements are given

Thermal Hydraulics of the Very High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor

The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting research on the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) design concept for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project. The reactor design will be a graphite moderated, thermal neutron spectrum reactor that will produce electricity and hydrogen in a highly efficient manner. The NGNP reactor core will be either a prismatic graphite block type core or a pebble bed core. The NGNP will use very high-burnup, low-enriched uranium, TRISO-coated fuel, and have a projected plant design service life of 60 years. The VHTR concept is considered to be the nearest-term reactor design that has the capability to efficiently produce hydrogen. The plant size, reactor thermal power, and core configuration will ensure passive decay heat removal without fuel damage or radioactive material releases during reactor core-accidents. The objectives of the NGNP Project are to: Demonstrate a full-scale prototype VHTR that is commercially licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Demonstrate safe and economical nuclear-assisted production of hydrogen and electricity. The DOE laboratories, led by the INL, perform research and development (R&D) that will be critical to the success of the NGNP, primarily in the areas of: • High temperature gas reactor fuels behavior • High temperature materials qualification • Design methods development and validation • Hydrogen production technologies • Energy conversion. This paper presents current R&D work that addresses fundamental thermal hydraulics issues that are relevant to a variety of possible NGNP designs

High Breakdown Strength, Multilayer Ceramics for Compact Pulsed Power Applications

Advanced ceramics are being developed for use in large area, high voltage devices in order to achieve high specific energy densities (greater than 10^6/ J/m^3/) and physical size reduction. Initial materials based on slip cast TiO2 exhibited a high bulk breakdown strength (BDS greater than 300 kV/cm) and high permittivity with low dispersion (epsilon approximately equal to 100). However, strong area and thickness dependencies were noted. To increase the BDS, multilayer dielectric compositions are being developed based on glass/TiO2 composites. The addition of glass increases the density (approximately equal to 99.8% theoretical), forms a continuous grain boundary phase, and also allows the use of high temperature processes to change the physical shape of the dielectric. The permittivity can also be manipulated since the volume fraction and connectivity of the glassy phase can be readily shifted. Results from this study on bulk breakdown of TiO2 multilayer structures with an area of 2 cm^2/ and 0.1 cm thickness have measured 650 kV/cm. Furthermore, a strong dependence of breakdown strength and permittivity has been observed and correlated with microstructure and the glass composition. This paper presents the interactive effects of manipulation of these variables

Discovery and Identification of Dimethylsilanediol as a Contaminant in ISS Potable Water

In September 2010, analysis of ISS potable water samples was undertaken to determine the contaminant(s) responsible for a rise of total organic carbon (TOC) in the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) product water. As analysis of the routine target list of organic compounds did not reveal the contaminant, efforts to look for unknown compounds were initiated, resulting in discovery of an unknown peak in the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis for glycols. A mass spectrum of the contaminant was then generated by concentrating one of the samples and analyzing it by GC/MS in full-scan mode. Although a computer match of the compound identity could not be obtained with the instrument database, a search with a more up-to-date mass spectral library yielded a good match with dimethylsilanediol (DMSD). Inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP/MS) analyses showed abnormally high silicon levels in the samples, confirming that the unknown compound(s) contained silicon. DMSD was then synthesized to confirm the identification and provide a standard to develop a calibration curve. Further confirmation was provided by external direct analysis in real time time of flight (DART TOF) mass spectrometry. To routinely test for DMSD in the future, a quantitative method was needed. A preliminary GC/MS method was developed and archived samples from various locations on ISS were analyzed to determine the extent of the contamination and provide data for troubleshooting. This paper describes these events in more detail as well as problems encountered in routine GC/MS analyses and the subsequent development of high performance liquid chromatography and LC/MS/MS methods for measuring DMSD

Performance of masonry buildings and churches in the 22 february 2011 christchurch earthquake

As part of the „Project Masonry‟ Recovery Project funded by the New Zealand Natural Hazards Research Platform, commencing in March 2011, an international team of researchers was deployed to document and interpret the observed earthquake damage to masonry buildings and to churches as a result of the 22nd February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The study focused on investigating commonly encountered failure patterns and collapse mechanisms. A brief summary of activities undertaken is presented, detailing the observations that were made on the performance of and the deficiencies that contributed to the damage to approximately 650 inspected unreinforced clay brick masonry (URM) buildings, to 90 unreinforced stone masonry buildings, to 342 reinforced concrete masonry (RCM) buildings, to 112 churches in the Canterbury region, and to just under 1100 residential dwellings having external masonry veneer cladding. In addition, details are provided of retrofit techniques that were implemented within relevant Christchurch URM buildings prior to the 22nd February earthquake and brief suggestions are provided regarding appropriate seismic retrofit and remediation techniques for stone masonry buildings.The authors acknowledge the financial support for Project Masonry from the New Zealand Natural Hazards Research Platform. The testing of adhesive anchors was undertaken in conjunction with the RAPID grant CMMI-1138614 from the US National Science Foundation. The investigation of the performance of residential brick veneers was financially supported by Brickworks Building Products Australia

Discovery and Identification of Dimethylsilanediol as a Contaminant in ISS Potable Water

In September of 2010, analysis of ISS potable water samples was undertaken to determine the contaminant responsible for a rise in total organic carbon (TOC). As analysis of the routine target list of organic compounds did not reveal the contaminant, efforts to look for unknown compounds was initiated, resulting in an unknown peak being discovered in the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis for glycols. A mass spectrum of the contaminant was then generated by concentrating one of the samples by evaporation and analyzing by GC/MS in full-scan mode. Although a computer match of the compound s identity could not be obtained with the instrument s database, a search with a more up to date mass spectral library yielded a good match with dimethylsilanediol (DMSD). Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometry (ICP/MS) analyses showed abnormally high silicon levels in the samples, confirming that the unknown contained silicon. DMSD was then synthesized to confirm the identification and provide a standard to develop a calibration curve. Further confirmation was provided by external Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) GC/MS analysis. A preliminary GC/MS method was then developed and archived samples from various locations on ISS were analyzed to determine the extent of the contamination and provide data for troubleshooting. This paper describes these events in more detail as well as problems encountered in routine GC/MS analyses and the subsequent development of high performance liquid chromatography and LC/MS/MS methods for quantitation of DMSD

Overview of the LBNE Neutrino Beam

The Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) will utilize a neutrino beamline facility located at Fermilab. The facility is designed to aim a beam of neutrinos toward a detector placed at the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) in South Dakota. The neutrinos are produced in a three-step process. First, protons from the Main Injector hit a solid target and produce mesons. Then, the charged mesons are focused by a set of focusing horns into the decay pipe, towards the far detector. Finally, the mesons that enter the decay pipe decay into neutrinos. The parameters of the facility were determined by an amalgam of the physics goals, the Monte Carlo modeling of the facility, and the experience gained by operating the NuMI facility at Fermilab. The initial beam power is expected to be {approx}700 kW, however some of the parameters were chosen to be able to deal with a beam power of 2.3 MW

Transplacental Transmission of Bluetongue Virus 8 in Cattle, UK

To determine whether transplacental transmission could explain overwintering of bluetongue virus in the United Kingdom, we studied calves born to dams naturally infected during pregnancy in 2007–08. Approximately 33% were infected transplacentally; some had compromised health. In all infected calves, viral load decreased after birth; no evidence of persistent infection was found