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Nuclear Facilities (nuclear + facility)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	60%

Selected Abstracts

Meta-analysis of standardized incidence and mortality rates of childhood leukaemia in proximity to nuclear facilities

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 4 2007
P.J. BAKER phd
The meta-analysis combined and statistically analysed studies of childhood leukaemia and nuclear facilities. Focus was on studies that calculated standardized rates for individual facilities. Due to variability between study designs, eight separate analyses were performed stratified by age and zone. One hundred and thirty-six sites were used in at least one analysis. Unadjusted, fixed effects and random effects models were used. Meta-rates greater than one were found in all models at all stratification levels often achieving statistical significance. Caution must be used when interpreting these results. The meta-analysis was able to show an increase in childhood leukaemia near nuclear facilities, but does not support a hypothesis to explain the excess. Each type of model utilized has limitations. Fixed effects models give greater weight to larger studies; however, population density may be a risk factor. Random effects models give greater weight to smaller studies that may be more likely to be affected by publication bias. A limitation of the overall study design is that standardized rates must be available for individual sites which led to exclusion of studies that only calculated rates for multiple sites and those that presented other statistical methods. Further, dose-response studies do not support excess rates found near nuclear facilities. However, it cannot be ignored that the majority of studies have found elevated rates, although not usually statistically significant. [source]

Navy Omni-Directional Vehicle (ODV) Development: Where the Rubber Meets the Deck

NAVAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000
H. McGowen
ABSTRACT The Office of Naval Research sponsored the omnidirectional vehicle (ODV) development program of the Coastal Systems Station (CSS). CSS has investigated the application of ODV technology to Navy shipboard materials and ordnance handling. Under the Navy program, ODV technology was developed and a series of vehicles were built and tested. ODT technology was demonstrated to be applicable to the shipboard environment and shown to be able to overcome conditions of confined spaces, reduced traction, ship motion, decks heeled at high angles, and on-deck obstacles. This paper focuses on the Navy's demonstration of the capability of the ODV to operate under demanding environmental conditions, ODV mechanical simplicity, and adaptability of the technology for a wide range of applications. Potential commercial applications were identified in manufacturing and warehousing, and remotely controlled or autonomous platforms employed in nuclear facilities, hazardous waste cleanup, and other operations that require the movement and precise positioning of large, heavy objects. The Navy has implemented two cooperative research and development agreements (CRADA) and others are pending for further development and transfer of ODV technology to the private sector. [source]

Economic theory and nuclear energy

OPEC ENERGY REVIEW, Issue 2 2000
Ferdinand E. Banks
The economics literature dealing with nuclear energy and uranium is inadequate, and several extremely important topics deserve a more methodical treatment. This survey provides: an alternative derivation for the optimal mix of generating capacity; a systematic but essentially non-technical approach to the nuclear fuel cycle; some comments on alternative technologies; and a stock-flow analysis of the market for uranium. It is also argued: that existing nuclear facilities in countries like Sweden can compete with all fossil fuels in the generation of electricity; and that claims that unconventional or renewable energy sources are economic at the present time are misleading, and might serve to accelerate the introduction of a plutonium-based energy economy. [source]

Lung, liver and bone cancer mortality in Mayak workers,

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 4 2008
Mikhail E. Sokolnikov
Abstract Workers at the Mayak nuclear facility in the Russian Federation offer the only adequate human data for evaluating cancer risks from exposure to plutonium. Risks of mortality from cancers of the lung, liver and bone, the organs receiving the largest doses from plutonium, were evaluated in a cohort of 17,740 workers initially hired 1948-1972 using, for the first time, recently improved individual organ dose estimates. Excess relative risk (ERR) models were used to evaluate risks as functions of internal (plutonium) dose, external (primarily gamma) dose, gender, attained age and smoking. By December 31, 2003, 681 lung cancer deaths, 75 liver cancer deaths and 30 bone cancer deaths had occurred. Of these 786 deaths, 239 (30%) were attributed to plutonium exposure. Significant plutonium dose-response relationships (p < 0.001) were observed for all 3 endpoints, with lung and liver cancer risks reasonably described by linear functions. At attained age 60, the ERRs per Gy for lung cancer were 7.1 for males and 15 for females; the averaged-attained age ERRs for liver cancer were 2.6 and 29 for males and females, respectively; those for bone cancer were 0.76 and 3.4. This study is the first to present and compare dose-response analyses for cancers of all 3 organs. The unique Mayak cohort with its high exposures and well characterized doses has allowed quantification of the plutonium dose-response for lung, liver and bone cancer risks based on direct human data. These results will play an important role in plutonium risk assessment. Published 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]