Caustic Leaching of Sludges from Selected Hanford Tanks

The objective of this project was to measure the caustic dissolution behavior of sludge components from selected Hanford waste tank sludge samples under different conditions. The dissolution of aluminum, chromium, and other constituents of actual sludge samples in aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was evaluated using various values of temperature, sodium hydroxide concentration, volume of caustic solution per unit mass of sludge (liquid:solids ratio), and leaching time

Reforming the New York Lieutenant Governor Replacement Process: A Policy Recommendation

New York\u27s governor has unilateral power to fill vacancies in the lieutenant governor\u27s office. This unchecked power is undemocratic and risks elevating unqualified officials. In this report, the Fordham Law School Rule of Law Clinic recommends reforming the lieutenant governor replacement process. Building on a recommendation advanced by the New York State Bar Association, the clinic recommends providing the Legislature an opportunity to confirm the governor\u27s nominees. If the Legislature rejects two nominations, the governor could choose a new lieutenant governor from among a group of elected and Senate-confirmed officials.https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/rule_of_law_clinic/1003/thumbnail.jp

Highlights from the 16th International Society for Computational Biology Student Council Symposium 2020.

In this meeting overview, we summarise the scientific program and organisation of the 16th International Society for Computational Biology Student Council Symposium in 2020 (ISCB SCS2020). This symposium was the first virtual edition in an uninterrupted series of symposia that has been going on for 15 years, aiming to unite computational biology students and early career researchers across the globe. [Abstract copyright: Copyright: © 2021 Cuypers WL et al.

Decentralized [Hscr] ∞ controller design for large-scale civil structures

Complexities inherent to large-scale modern civil structures pose many challenges in the design of feedback structural control systems for dynamic response mitigation. With the emergence of low-cost sensors and control devices creating technologies from which large-scale structural control systems can deploy, a future control system may contain hundreds, or even thousands, of such devices. Key issues in such large-scale structural control systems include reduced system reliability, increasing communication requirements, and longer latencies in the feedback loop. To effectively address these issues, decentralized control strategies provide promising solutions that allow control systems to operate at high nodal counts. This paper examines the feasibility of designing a decentralized controller that minimizes the [Hscr] ∞ norm of the closed-loop system. [Hscr] ∞ control is a natural choice for decentralization because imposition of decentralized architectures is easy to achieve when posing the controller design using linear matrix inequalities. Decentralized control solutions are investigated for both continuous-time and discrete-time [Hscr] ∞ formulations. Numerical simulation results using a 3-story and a 20-story structure illustrate the feasibility of the different decentralized control strategies. The results also demonstrate that when realistic semi-active control devices are used in combination with the decentralized [Hscr] ∞ control solution, better performance can be gained over the passive control cases. It is shown that decentralized control strategies may provide equivalent or better control performance, given that their centralized counterparts could suffer from longer sampling periods due to communication and computation constraints. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61866/1/862_ftp.pd

ARAKNIPRINT: 3D Printing of Synthetic Spider Silk to Produce Biocompatible and Resorbable Biomaterials

At $3.07 billion in 2013, the 3D printing industry was projected to reach$12.8 billion in 2018 and exceed $21 billion by 2020 (Wohlers and Caffrey, 2013). A lucrative part of this expanding industry includes printing biocompatible medical implants, devices, and tissue scaffolds. A common problem encountered with traditional devices, implants, and tissue scaffolds is that they are not unique to the patient and lack the necessary strength and biocompatibility. To answer these demands, customizable devices are being produced from patient medical scans and CAD designs using 3D printers. These printers traditionally use thermoplastics because of the ease with which they are printed. These plastics are typically regarded as biocompatible but can degrade to less biocompatible forms in the body and leave the implant site, causing inflammatory and foreign body responses. Because of these problems, there has been a focus on developing new biomaterials for medical 3D printers. Spider silk is a natural protein polymer that is stronger than steel or Kevlar and more elastic than nylon. It has also been shown to be more biocompatible than many materials currently used in 3D printers. In previous animal studies, spider silk has proven to not cause an inflammatory response upon degradation which makes it a desired resorbable implant material (Lewis, 2006). A 3D printer system comprised of a synthetic spider silk resin and a modified 3D printer was developed. A fused filament 3D printer, purchased for under$600, was modified with a custom syringe pump design. This syringe pump allowed for the extrusion of spider silk proteins through a needle, producing defined structures. Cell studies were performed on these structures which showed favorable cell attachment and growth. Capable of entering various emerging industries, spider silk offers an alternative in 3D printed biomaterials

Mindfulness-based interventions for young offenders: a scoping review

Youth offending is a problem worldwide. Young people in the criminal justice system have frequently experienced adverse childhood circumstances, mental health problems, difficulties regulating emotions and poor quality of life. Mindfulness-based interventions can help people manage problems resulting from these experiences, but their usefulness for youth offending populations is not clear. This review evaluated existing evidence for mindfulness-based interventions among such populations. To be included, each study used an intervention with at least one of the three core components of mindfulness-based stress reduction (breath awareness, body awareness, mindful movement) that was delivered to young people in prison or community rehabilitation programs. No restrictions were placed on methods used. Thirteen studies were included: three randomized controlled trials, one controlled trial, three pre-post study designs, three mixed-methods approaches and three qualitative studies. Pooled numbers (n = 842) comprised 99% males aged between 14 and 23. Interventions varied so it was not possible to identify an optimal approach in terms of content, dose or intensity. Studies found some improvement in various measures of mental health, self-regulation, problematic behaviour, substance use, quality of life and criminal propensity. In those studies measuring mindfulness, changes did not reach statistical significance. Qualitative studies reported participants feeling less stressed, better able to concentrate, manage emotions and behaviour, improved social skills and that the interventions were acceptable. Generally low study quality limits the generalizability of these findings. Greater clarity on intervention components and robust mixed-methods evaluation would improve clarity of reporting and better guide future youth offending prevention programs

Selection on stability across ecological scales

Much of the focus in evolutionary biology has been on the adaptive differentiation among organisms. It is equally important to understand the processes that result in similarities of structure among systems. Here, we discuss examples of similarities occurring at different ecological scales, from predator–prey relations (attack rates and handling times) through communities (food-web structures) to ecosystem properties. Selection among systemic configurations or patterns that differ in their intrinsic stability should lead generally to increased representation of relatively stable structures. Such nonadaptive, but selective processes that shape ecological communities offer an enticing mechanism for generating widely observed similarities, and have sparked new interest in stability properties. This nonadaptive systemic selection operates not in opposition to, but in parallel with, adaptive evolution

The La Prele Mammoth Site, Converse County, Wyoming, USA

The La Prele Mammoth site is a Clovis archaeolog- ical site in Converse County, Wyoming (U.S.A.) that preserves chipped stone artifacts in spatial as- sociation with the remains of a subadult Columbi- an mammoth (Mammuthus columbi). The site was discovered in 1986 and initially tested by George Frison in 1987, but work ceased there until 2014 due to a disagreement with the landowner. In the intervening years, questions arose as to whether the artifacts and mammoth remains were truly associated, and the site was largely dismissed by American archaeologists. Recent excavations have not only demonstrated that La Prele was the loca- tion of a mammoth kill by Clovis hunters around 12,850 years ago, but it also preserves a campsite in close proximity to the kill. The camp includes multiple hearth-centered activity areas that appear to represent domestic spaces, reflected by the pres- ence of a diversity of stone tool forms, bone nee- dles, a bone bead, a large area of hematite-stained matrix, and the butchered and cooked remains of at least one other large mammal species. The site has the potential to inform us about aspects of the social organization of Clovis bands, particularly with respect to mammoth hunting and butchery.The symposium and the volume "Human-elephant interactions: from past to present" were funded by the Volkswagen Foundation