Seismic Characterization of Basalt Topography at Two Candidate Sites for the INL Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste Disposal Project

This report presents the seismic refraction results from the depth to bed rock surveys for two areas being considered for the Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste (RH-LLW) disposal facility at the Idaho National Laboratory. The first area (Site 5) surveyed is located southwest of the Advanced Test Reactor Complex and the second (Site 34) is located west of Lincoln Boulevard near the southwest corner of the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). At Site 5, large area and smaller-scale detailed surveys were performed. At Site 34, a large area survey was performed. The purpose of the surveys was to define the topography of the interface between the surficial alluvium and underlying basalt. Seismic data were first collected and processed using seismic refraction tomographic inversion. Three-dimensional images for both sites were rendered from the data to image the depth and velocities of the subsurface layers. Based on the interpreted top of basalt data at Site 5, a more detailed survey was conducted to refine depth to basalt. This report briefly covers relevant issues in the collection, processing and inversion of the seismic refraction data and in the imaging process. Included are the parameters for inversion and result rendering and visualization such as the inclusion of physical features. Results from the processing effort presented in this report include fence diagrams of the earth model, for the large area surveys and iso-velocity surfaces and cross sections from the detailed survey

American Morning with Paula Zahn

American Morning with Paula Zahn interview with Trent Lott. Topics discussed: President Bush\u27s announcement of a corporate fraud task force and proposed accounting oversight bill (Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002)

Seismic Characterization of Basalt Topography at Two Candidate Sites for the INL Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste Disposal Project

This report presents the seismic refraction results from the depth to bed rock surveys for two areas being considered for the Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste (RH-LLW) disposal facility at the Idaho National Laboratory. The first area (Site 5) surveyed is located southwest of the Advanced Test Reactor Complex and the second (Site 34) is located west of Lincoln Boulevard near the southwest corner of the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). At Site 5, large area and smaller-scale detailed surveys were performed. At Site 34, a large area survey was performed. The purpose of the surveys was to define the topography of the interface between the surficial alluvium and underlying basalt. Seismic data were first collected and processed using seismic refraction tomographic inversion. Three-dimensional images for both sites were rendered from the data to image the depth and velocities of the subsurface layers. Based on the interpreted top of basalt data at Site 5, a more detailed survey was conducted to refine depth to basalt. This report briefly covers relevant issues in the collection, processing and inversion of the seismic refraction data and in the imaging process. Included are the parameters for inversion and result rendering and visualization such as the inclusion of physical features. Results from the processing effort presented in this report include fence diagrams of the earth model, for the large area surveys and iso-velocity surfaces and cross sections from the detailed survey

New frontiers in cell line development: Challenges for biosimilars

Worldwide sales of biologic drugs exceeded US$ 92 billion in 2009. With many biopharmaceutical patents expiring over the next decade, a wave of second-generation or ‘follow-on’ biologics will be vying for market share and regulatory approval. Patents cover not only the drugs, but also the molecular modalities that facilitate their high-level expression. Companies have historically relied on gene amplification to create productive cell lines, yet this lengthy and imprecise process usually leads to extensive variation and unpredictable stability of expression. Biosimilar manufacturers must therefore decide whether traditional methods of cell line development will suffice or if emerging technologies can provide greater reproducibility and speed. Volumetric yields of 1–2 g L−1 are adequate for most production processes and the focus has shifted towards reliable and predicable product quality attributes over maximum possible titres. Recent advances in this area include cell lines with targeted genetic modifications, alternative production hosts such as PER.C6® or yeast, and engineered expression vectors, including the UCOE™ and Selexis platforms. Host cell engineering, single-use technologies, and rapid transient gene expression are also likely to be enablers of biosimilars. Given the well-known biologics industry mantra ‘the process defines the product’, it remains to be seen how novel cell line development strategies will affect product equivalence and regulatory approval in a biosimilars context. Some recent advances in the field and how they relate to biosimilars are explored