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Author(s): Aidala, CA; Arrington, JR; Ayuso, C; Bowen, BM; Bowen, ML; Bowling, KL; Brown, AW; Brown, CN; Byrd, R; Carlisle, RE; Chang, T; Chang, WC; Chen, A; Chen, JY; Christian, DC; Chu, X; Dannowitz, BP; Daugherity, M; Diefenthaler, M; Dove, J; Durandet, C; El Fassi, L; Erdos, E; Fox, DM; Geesaman, DF; Gilman, R; Goto, Y; Guo, L; Guo, R; Hague, T; Hicks, CR; Holt, RJ; Isenhower, D; Jiang, X; Katich, JM; Kerns, BM; Kinney, ER; Kitts, ND; Klein, A; Kleinjan, D; Kras, J; Kudo, Y; Lin, PJ; Liu, D; Liu, K; Liu, MX; Lorenzon, W; Makins, NCR; Martinez, JD; McClellan, RE; McDonald, B; McGaughey, PL; McNease, SE; Medeiros, MM; Miller, B; Miller, AJ; Miyasaka, S; Miyachi, Y; Mooney, IA; Morton, DH; Nadim, B; Nagai, K; Nakahara, K; Nakano, K; Nara, S; Obata, S; Peng, JC; Prasad, S; Puckett, AJR; Ramson, BJ; Raymond, RS; Reimer, PE; Rubin, JG; Salinas, R; Sanftl, F; Sawada, S; Sawada, T; Scott, MBC; Selensky, LE; Shibata, TA; Shiu, S; Su, D; Tadepalli, AS; Teo, M; Tice, BG | Abstract: The SeaQuest spectrometer at Fermilab was designed to detect oppositely-charged pairs of muons (dimuons) produced by interactions between a 120 GeV proton beam and liquid hydrogen, liquid deuterium and solid nuclear targets. The primary physics program uses the Drell–Yan process to probe antiquark distributions in the target nucleon. The spectrometer consists of a target system, two dipole magnets and four detector stations. The upstream magnet is a closed-aperture solid iron magnet which also serves as the beam dump, while the second magnet is an open aperture magnet. Each of the detector stations consists of scintillator hodoscopes and a high-resolution tracking device. The FPGA-based trigger compares the hodoscope signals to a set of pre-programmed roads to determine if the event contains oppositely-signed, high-mass muon pairs.

This report contains rainfall climatology and analyses during the period from 1958 to 2006 for the two sites of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: the Livermore site and Site 300. The measurement sites are described, a regional climatology overview is provided, and the effect of topography on regional precipitation is discussed. Rainfall statistics are presented including monthly normals (30-year means) and medians; percentages of time that rainfall is less than or equal to specified amounts for given months, years, and seasons; and mean, median, and maximum numbers of days of precipitation for specified amounts by month, year, and season. The rainfall pattern is demonstrated to be typical of Mediterranean climates, with most rain falling during the cold season. Nearly 80% of seasonal rainfall occurs during November through March, with the average annual rainfall equaling 13.62 and 10.64 inches at the Livermore site and Site 300, respectively. Precipitation frequency and extreme value analyses for durations ranging from 15 minutes to 24 hours, month, and rainfall season are shown in order to estimate rainfall amounts for return periods of two to 100 years at both sites. This analysis determined 100-year return periods for largest 24-hour rainfalls of 2.49 and 2.22 inches at themore » Livermore site and Site 300, respectively. Historical analysis of seasonal rainfall data indicates that the wettest rainfall seasons at both sites typically occurred during strong El Ninos.« less

At about 4:30 pm PDT on Friday, August 7, 1998 a fire ignited the large tire disposal pit of Royster Tire Co. on Macarthur Drive about 5 km (3 miles) south of downtown Tracy, California. While providing on-scene mutual aid late Friday night, the LLNL Fire Department called and requested that the Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (ARAC) make a plume forecast for Saturday. The response team in the field was interested in the forecasted location as well as an estimate of potential health effects on the following day. Not having any previous experience with tire fire source terms, ARAC assessors used a constant unit source rate (1 g/s) of particulate and produced plots showing only the location of the ground-level normalized time-integrated air concentrations from the smoke plume. Very early Saturday morning the assessors faxed plots of ground-level smoke air concentrations forecasted for Saturday from 6 am through 6 pm PDT to the Tracy Fire Emergency Operations Center. (As a part of standard procedure, before delivering the plots, the assessors notified ARAC's DOE sponsor.) Fortunately due to the intense heat from the fire, the dense black smoke immediately lofted into the air preventing high ground-level concentrations close to the tire dump. Later on Saturday morning ARAC forecasted a second set of plume integrated air concentrations for Sunday. By Monday the intensity of the fire lessened, and ARAC's support was no longer requested. Following ARAC's response, we made a third calculation on a large scale of the continuous smoke dispersion for 3 days after the fire. A newspaper photograph showed the plume initially rising toward the northeast and the upper part of the smoke cloud turning counterclockwise toward the north. Winds from ARAC's mesoscale prognostic model reproduced this plume structure, while data from the Friday afternoon sounding from Oakland did not. On the 250 km scale, using gridded wind outputs from our mesoscale forecast model to initialize the dispersion model produced more realistic results than interpolating between the sparse surface and upper air wind observations available from airports. Dispersion model results showed that some of the smoke eventually mixed down to the ground to the east and south of the fire Friday night. News articles also indicated smoke extending over Manteca, Lathrop, and Modesto Friday night. More elevated smoke was brought to the ground due to the extensive daytime vertical mixing on Saturday and Sunday. The model results reflected these observations showing wide patterns of diffuse ground-level smoke extended along the San Joaquin Valley from Sacramento to Fresno on Saturday and Sunday.

The high urease activity of Helicobacter pylori can be used to detect this bacterium by noninvasive breath tests. We have developed a 14C-urea breath test which uses 5 microCi 14C with 50 mg nonradioactive urea. Breath samples are collected at baseline and every 30 min for 2 h. Our study compared the outcome of the breath test to the results of histology and culture of endoscopically obtained gastric biopsies in 84 patients. The breath test discriminated well between the 50 positive patients and the 34 patients negative for Helicobacter pylori: the calculated sensitivity was 100%, specificity 88%, positive predictive value 93%, and negative predictive value 100%. Treatment with bismuth subsalicylate and/or ampicillin resulted in lower counts of exhaled 14CO2 which correlated with histological improvement in gastritis. The 14C-urea breath test is a better "gold standard" for the detection of Helicobacter pylori than histology and/or culture.

The preparation of an yttrium-90 citrate colloid is described. This formulation localizes in the synovial membrane and thereby eliminates any irradiation received by extra-articular tissues. Yttrium-90 is eluted from Sr-90 bound to a sulphonic acid ion exchange resin. The colloid is prepared using a 3:1 ratio of carrier yttrium and citrate. Contamination with ionic 90Y and ionic 90Sr was less than 1 percent and 0.001 percent, respectively. In the 28 patients studied, all of the injected dose of 90Y remained in the region of the joint. Brief clinical results are presented.

The optimal reaction conditions for the microelectrochemical iodination of immunoglobulins were determined with non-specific human serum immunoglobulins. These conditions were used for the efficient radioiodination of a monoclonal antibody, 140.240, in submilligram quantities. An approximately five-fold decrease in the titre of the antibody against melanoma cells, as determined by the miniaturized mixed hemadsorption assay, was observed after iodination with an average of 0.85 atoms of iodine per molecule of antibody.

Comparative in vivo absorption of cyanocobalamin from two dosage forms, gelatin capsule and liquid, was studied. Forty-two subjects received simultaneous doses of cyanocobalamin in capsule and liquid form, labeled with cobalt-57 and cobalt-60, respectively. Excretion, a measure of absorption, was between 2 percent and 66 percent greater with the liquid form. In vitro dissolution studies showed that the capsules had a tendency to collapse into a stringy mass and to dissolve slowly.

A system of mixed bed demineralizers is used on the 10 megawatt reactor to reduce radioactivity in liquid waste to low levels. Chemical treatment is also provided in the liquid disposal systems. Solid radioactive wastes are buried. Geological and hydro-logical parameters control selection of areas for infiltration basins, storage, and burial. Sampling and monitoring of both wastes and the environment show that permissible limits of activity have not been exceeded.

The Hadiation Effects Reactor (RER) has been operated for approximately 600 Mwh. During that time, studies were made to determine the radiation and activation effects on the environs of the Georgia Nuclear Laboratories (AFP 67). Soil, air, and water samples were collected to determine the amount of activation and the resulting buildup of radioactive materials. Instrument surveys and foil measurements were made to determine radiation levels. The effects of high gamma - and neutron exposures on plant life were observed as part of an ecology program performed in conjunction with Emory University. A preliminary report of these studies is given.

The environmental monitoring program initiated at AFP-67 consists of two parts: on-site sampling and off-site sampling. The on-site program provides data on the changes in concentration in the environs and is used for protecting plant personnel from any hazard which might occur. The off-site program provides a continuous record of the fluctuation in background levels and of the effectiveness of the plant radiation controls. The off-site and on-site environmental monitoring programs, consisting of the sampling of soil, vegetation, water, air, animal and marine life, and dose measurements using film, foils, chemical dosimeters and ionization chamber dosimeters, arc discussed.

The main facility at the Georgia Nuclear Laboratories (GNL) is an air- shielded 10 Mw reactor designed for a high leakage flux. This reactor, located within 750 ft of the Etowah River, is used for irradiation of aircraft systems and components. Because of the high neutron dose and the resuitant soil activation, rigid control is maintained on run-off streams and the Etowah River. In order to overcome the lack of power at river and stream sampling sites, a sampler was designed to utilize river power. The sampler, buiit on the water wheel principle, includes an adjustable suction device and a revolution counter. Using a current measuring apparatus, such as a Gurley meter, and maintaining the sampler at a desired sampling rate, the total revolutions and the volume collected can be related to the rate of flow of the river. The construction of the . continuous proportional water sampler and the calibration are discussed. (auth)

A subacute toxicity study on 99m Tc stannous glucoheptonate was performed with rats, dogs and rabbits, injected intravenously at ten to 100 times the human dose on a body weight basis. There were no abnormalities in the clinical status of any of the animals. No changes were found in urinalysis, blood chemistry or hematology in the rabbit nor in gross examination, renal histology or bone marrow smears in the rats and rabbits. Hepatic histology was also done. A focal area of necrosis in a liver of one rabbit that had been injected with 100 times the human dose was observed using light microscopy. Examination by electron microscopy in another group of rats and rabbits was prompted by the observation of that lesion. This revealed vacuolated and dilated smooth endoplasmic reticulum and degranulated and vesiculated rough endoplasmic reticulum in all the test livers. X-ray microanalysis indicates that the ultrastructural changes are linked to the deposition of tin.

The Iodogen technique was compared with the microelectrochemical technique for the radioiodination of submilligram quantities of monoclonal antibody 140.240. The titre of the antibody against cultured melanoma cells was decreased five-fold after iodination with 0.80–0.85 atoms of iodine per molecule of antibody with both techniques. The Iodogen technique resulted in 82.1% incorporation of iodine into the antibody, somewhat higher than the 78.0% obtained with the microchemical technique ( P =0.10). Therefore, the Iodogen technique is the preferred method based on efficiency and convenience.

A theoretical consideration of the factors which influence the accumulation of radiopharmaceuticals in bone is presented. The avidity with which /sup 99m/Tc-Sn-pyrophosphate and /sup 18/F fluoride are adsorbed by bone crystals has been measured in vitro and the efficiency with which these radiopharmaceuticals are extracted by normal bone has been measured in vivo. It is postulated that alterations in the capillary permeability in the region of a bone lesion greatly influence the target to background ratio that can be obtained with bone seeking radiopharmaceuticals. Quantitated gamma camera studies in man are presented in support of this hypothesis.

The preparation of an yttrium-90 citrate colloid is described. This formulation localizes in the synovial membrane and thereby eliminates any irradiation received by extra-articular tissues. Yttrium-90 is eluted from Sr-90 bound to a sulphonic acid ion exchange resin. The colloid is prepared using a 3:1 ratio of carrier yttrium and citrate. Contamination with ionic 90Y and ionic 90Sr was less than 1 percent and 0.001 percent, respectively. In the 28 patients studied, all of the injected dose of 90Y remained in the region of the joint. Brief clinical results are presented.

We describe an investigation of the stability of Tc-99m pyrophosphate (Tc-99m PPi). We hve shown that addition of exogenous hydrogen peroxide to Tc-99m PPi can initiate the oxidation of the complex, giving rise to 95% unbound pertechnetate. The presence of endogenous hydrogen peroxide in the sodium pertechnetate used in the preparation of Tc-99m PPi has been thought to influence its stability. We have prepared it using pertechnetate solutions of different specific activities. After preparation, an alumina column was used to detect free 99mTcO4-. The Tc-99m PPi and Na99mTcO4 solutions were then assayed by iodometric titration for hydrogen peroxide, which was detected in the pertechnetate solutions. The higher the specific activity of the solution used for the tracer preparation, the faster was the production of free pertechnetate.

In 1975 Health Protection Branch approval was received to distribute125I-Fibrinogen Injection. Since that time over 30,000 vials of this drug have been prepared and used in the detection of venous thrombosis. Diagnosis of venous thrombosis with fibrinogen leg scanning depends on the incorporation of125I-Fibrinogen into the thrombus, which is then detected by measuring the consequent increase of overlying surface radioactivity using a small Na(TI) detector. The preparation of the drug relies on careful donor selection to minimize the chance of transmitting hepatitis. Careful separation of the fibrinogen is necessary to ensure that a high concentration of clottable protein is available for iodination. Fibrinogen having a clottable protein content in excess of 80% is iodinated using the ICl method. This product must have a consistent high quality. The control procedures used to examine the quality of each batch are described.