Retention half times in the skeleton of plutonium and Sr-90 from above-ground nuclear tests: A retrospective study of the Swiss population

Plutonium and Sr-90 are considered to be among the most radiotoxic nuclides produced by the nuclear fission process. In spite of numerous studies on mammals and humans there is still no general agreement on the retention half time of both radionuclides in the skeleton in the general population. Here we determined plutonium and Sr-90 in human vertebrae in individuals deceased between 1960 and 2004 in Switzerland. Plutonium was measured by sensitive SF-ICP-MS techniques and Sr-90 by radiometric methods. We compared our results to the ones obtained for other environmental compartments to reveal the retention half time of NBT fallout Pu-239 and Sr-90 in trabecular bones of the Swiss population. Results show that plutonium has a retention half time of 40 +/- 14 years. In contrast Sr-90 has a shorter retention half time of 13.5 +/- 1.0 years. Moreover Sr-90 retention half time in vertebrae is shown to be linked to the retention half time in food and other environmental compartments. These findings demonstrate that the renewal of the vertebrae through calcium homeostatic control is faster for Sr-90 excretion than for plutonium excretion. The precise determination of the retention half time of plutonium in the skeleton will improve the biokinetic model of plutonium metabolism in humans. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What you need to know about Judicial Retention Elections, August 2012

Retention elections are intended to focus on the professional competency of Iowa���s judges rather than the popularity of individual rulings. In a retention election, voters decide whether a judge should be retained or removed from office. If a judge receives a majority of ���yes��� votes, the judge serves another full term. If a judge receives a majority of ���no��� votes, the judge is removed from office at the end of the year.

Measuring Salt Retention, 2013

This research developed and completed a field evaluation of salt distribution equipment. The evaluation provides a direct comparison of three different types of salt spreaders at three different truck speeds and brine rates. A rubber mat was divided into eight sample areas to measure the salt distribution across the lane by each variable combination. A total of 264 samples were processed and measured. These results will support future efforts to target areas of efficiencies specific to salt and brine delivery methods. These results support Iowa Department of Transportation efforts to progress winter maintenance efficiencies and ultimately motorist safety.

Measuring Salt Retention: Tech Transfer Summary, 2013.

This research developed and completed a field evaluation of salt distribution equipment. The evaluation provides a direct comparison of three different types of salt spreaders at three different truck speeds and brine rates. A rubber mat was divided into eight sample areas to measure the salt distribution across the lane by each variable combination. A total of 264 samples were processed and measured. These results will support future efforts to target areas of efficiencies specific to salt and brine delivery methods. These results support Iowa Department of Transportation efforts to progress winter maintenance efficiencies and ultimately motorist safety.

Maximing Enrollment Retention of Children in the Medicaid and hawk-I Program. December 2008

This report gathers the information but the use of Medicaid enrollment of Iowa's Hawk-I program.

Effects of riparian vegetation removal on nutrient retention in a Mediterranean stream

We examined the effects of riparian vegetation removal on algal dynamics and stream nutrient retention efficiency by comparing NH4-N and PO4-P uptake lengths from a logged and an unlogged reach in Riera Major, a forested Mediterranean stream in northeastern Spain. From June to September 1995, we executed 6 short-term additions of N (as NH4Cl) and P (as Na2HPO4) in a 200-m section to measure nutrient uptake lengths. The study site included 2 clearly differentiated reaches in terms of canopy cover by riparian trees: the first 100 m were completely logged (i.e., the logged reach) and the remaining 100 m were left intact (i.e., the shaded reach). Trees were removed from the banks of the logged reach in the winter previous to our sampling. In the shaded reach, riparian vegetation was dominated by alders (Alnus glutinosa). The study was conducted during summer and fall months when differences in light availability between the 2 reaches were greatest because of forest canopy conditions. Algal biomass and % of stream surface covered by algae were higher in the logged than in the shaded reach, indicating that logging had a stimulatory effect on algae in the stream. Overall, nutrient retention efficiency was higher (i.e., shorter uptake lengths) in the logged than in the shaded reach, especially for PO4-P. Despite a greater increase in PO4-P retention efficiency relative to that of NH4-N following logging, retention efficiency for NH4-N was higher than for PO4-P in both study reaches. The PO4-P mass-transfer coefficient was correlated with primary production in both study reaches, indicating that algal activity plays an important role in controlling PO4-P dynamics in this stream. In contrast, the NH4-N mass-transfer coefficient showed a positive relation-ship only with % of algal coverage in the logged reach, and was not correlated with any algal-related parameter in the shaded reach. The lack of correlation with algal production suggests that mechanisms other than algal activity (i.e., microbial heterotrophic processes or abiotic mechanisms) may also influence NH4-N retention in this stream. Overall, this study shows that logging disturbances in small shaded streams may alter in-stream ecological features that lead to changes in stream nutrient retention efficiency. Moreover, it emphasizes that alteration of the tight linkage between the stream channel and the adjacent riparian zone may directly and indirectly impact biogeochemical processes with implications for stream ecosystem functioning.

AltitudeOmics: The Integrative Physiology of Human Acclimatization to Hypobaric Hypoxia and Its Retention upon Reascent.

An understanding of human responses to hypoxia is important for the health of millions of people worldwide who visit, live, or work in the hypoxic environment encountered at high altitudes. In spite of dozens of studies over the last 100 years, the basic mechanisms controlling acclimatization to hypoxia remain largely unknown. The AltitudeOmics project aimed to bridge this gap. Our goals were 1) to describe a phenotype for successful acclimatization and assess its retention and 2) use these findings as a foundation for companion mechanistic studies. Our approach was to characterize acclimatization by measuring changes in arterial oxygenation and hemoglobin concentration [Hb], acute mountain sickness (AMS), cognitive function, and exercise performance in 21 subjects as they acclimatized to 5260 m over 16 days. We then focused on the retention of acclimatization by having subjects reascend to 5260 m after either 7 (n&#8202;=&#8202;14) or 21 (n&#8202;=&#8202;7) days at 1525 m. At 16 days at 5260 m we observed: 1) increases in arterial oxygenation and [Hb] (compared to acute hypoxia: PaO2 rose 9��4 mmHg to 45��4 while PaCO2 dropped a further 6��3 mmHg to 21��3, and [Hb] rose 1.8��0.7 g/dL to 16��2 g/dL; 2) no AMS; 3) improved cognitive function; and 4) improved exercise performance by 8��8% (all changes p<0.01). Upon reascent, we observed retention of arterial oxygenation but not [Hb], protection from AMS, retention of exercise performance, less retention of cognitive function; and noted that some of these effects lasted for 21 days. Taken together, these findings reveal new information about retention of acclimatization, and can be used as a physiological foundation to explore the molecular mechanisms of acclimatization and its retention.

2014 Iowa Commercial Air Service Retention and Expansion Committee - Plan

Senate File 2355 Sec. 19 (Iowa Code ��328.13) created a commercial air service retention and expansion committee within the aviation office of the department of transportation. The membership of the committee consisted of the director or the director���s designee; the managers of each airport in Iowa with commercial air service; two members of the senate, one appointed by the majority leader of the senate and one appointed by the minority leader of the senate; and two members of the house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the house and one appointed by the minority leader of the house. The committee was to develop a plan by December 31, 2014 for the retention and expansion of passenger air service in Iowa. The committee is to meet as the committee deems necessary to assess progress in implementing the plan and, if necessary, to update the plan.

Long term retention of retigabine in a cohort of people with drug resistant epilepsy.

PURPOSE: To assess the utility of retigabine (RTG) for epilepsy in clinical practice at a single UK tertiary centre. METHODS: We identified all individuals who were offered RTG from April 2011 to May 2013. We collected demographics, seizure types, previous and current antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), starting and maximum attained daily dose of RTG, clinical benefits, side effects, and reason to discontinue RTG from in- and outpatient encounters until February 28, 2014. RESULTS: 145 people who had failed a median of 11 AEDs took at least one dose of RTG. One year retention was 32% and decreased following the safety alert by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2013. None became seizure free. 34 people (24%) reported a benefit that was ongoing at last assessment in five (3%). The most relevant benefit was the significant reduction or cessation of drop attacks or seizure-related falls in four women, this persisted at last assessment in two. The presence of simple partial seizures was associated with longer retention, as was a higher attained dose of RTG. Adverse effects were seen in 74% and largely CNS-related or nonspecific and affected the genitourinary system in 13%. CONCLUSION: Retention of RTG was less favourable compared to data from open label extension studies of the regulatory trials. In comparison with historical data on similar retention audits retention of RTG at one year appears to be less than lamotrigine, topiramate, levetiracetam, pregabalin, zonisamide, and lacosamide, and slightly higher than gabapentin.

Information retention during competitive interactions : siblings need to constantly repeat vocal displays

Memory is essential to adjust behaviour according to past experience. In societies where animals interact on numerous occasions, memory of previous social interactions may help optimise investment in competition. How long information about the resource holding potential and motivation to compete of conspecifics is retained depends on how fast the value of this information fades, but also on the cost and benefit of retaining information. Information retention has never been investigated in the context of interactions prevailing within the family and more specifically sibling competition. In the absence of parents, barn owl (Tyto alba) nestlings vocally compete for priority of access to the next indivisible food item brought by a parent. The finding that owlets eavesdrop on vocal interactions between siblings to adjust investment in vocalization once competing with them suggests that they memorize siblings' vocal interactions. Playback experiments showed that owlets take into account the past siblings' vocal performance that signals hunger for at least 15 min, but only if the performance was witnessed during a sufficiently long period of time (30 min). Moreover, using natural vocal exchanges in another set of individuals, we showed that sibling signalling was no more taken into account after a few minutes. This suggests that young barn owls need to continuously display their motivation to trigger siblings' withdrawal from the current competition. Repeating a vocal display may ensure its honesty. Studying the extent to which individuals retain past information is important to understand how individuals adjust their competitive investment over resources.

Separation mechanisms in nanofiltration and retention changes of organic compounds

Orgaanisten yhdisteiden negatiivinen retentio nanosuodatuksessa on ilmi��, jota eiole kovin paljon tutkittu. Negatiivisen retentioon vaikuttavat syyt tai tekij��teiv��t ole kovin hyvin tiedossa. Erotusmenetelm��n�� negatiivinen retentio voi olla k��ytt��kelpoinen tietyiss�� sovelluksissa. Ty��n kirjallisuusosa k��sittelee nanosuodatuksen erotusmekanismeja ja retentioon vaikuttavia tekij��it��. My��s joitakin malleja on esitetty. Nanosuodatus on monimutkainen prosessi, josta ei voida l��yt���� vain yht�� erotusmekanismia tai retentioon vaikuttavaa tekij����. Prosessit ovat kokonaisuuksia, joissa erottumiseen vaikuttavat sy��tt��liuoksen, erotettavan komponentin ja kalvon ominaisuudet, ja niiden v��liset vuorovaikutukset. Ty��n kokeellisessa osassa koottiin mahdollisimman paljon esimerkkej��, joissa monosakkaridien negatiivinen retentio ilmenee. Muita orgaanisia ja ep��orgaanisia yhdisteit�� k��ytettiin 'h��iri��yhdistein��' sy��tt��liuoksessa monosakkaridien kanssa. Kokeet suoritettiin kahdella laboratoriomittakaavan suodatuslaitteella k��ytt��en kahta kaupallista nanosuodatuskalvoa. Negatiivinen retentio ilmeni useissa tapauksissa. Permeaattivuon ja 'h��iri��yhdisteiden' pitoisuuksien havaittiin vaikuttavan voimakkaasti negatiivisen retention ilmenemiseen.

Effect of physico-chemical conditions and operating parameters on flux and retention of different components in ultrafiltration and nanofiltration fractionation of sweet whey

T��ss�� v��it��stutkimuksessa tutkittiin fysikaaliskemiallisten olosuhteiden ja toimintaparametrien vaikutusta juustoheran fraktiointiin. Kirjallisuusosassa on k��sitelty heran ymp��rist��vaikutusta, heran hy��dynt��mist�� ja heran k��sittely�� kalvotekniikalla. Kokeellinen osa on jaettu kahteen osaan, joista ensimm��inen k��sittelee ultrasuodatusta ja toinen nanosuodatusta juustoheran fraktioinnissa. Ultrasuodatuskalvon valinta tehtiin perustuen kalvon cut-off lukuun, joka oli m����ritetty polyetyleeniglykoliliuoksilla olosuhteissa, joissa konsentraatiopolariosaatioei h��iritse mittausta. Kriittisen vuon konseptia k��ytettiin sopivan proteiinikonsentraation l��yt��miseksi ultrasuodatuskokeisiin, koska heraproteiinit ovat tunnetusti kalvoa likaavia aineita. Ultrasuodatuskokeissa tutkittiin heran eri komponenttien suodattumista kalvon l��pi ja siihen vaikuttavia ominaisuuksia. Herapermeaattien peptidifraktiot analysoitiin kokoekskluusiokromatografialla ja MALDI-TOF massaspektrometrill��. Kokeissa k��ytett��vien nanosuodatuskalvojen keskim����r��inen huokoskoko analysoitiin neutraaleilla liukoisilla aineilla ja zeta-potentiaalit virtauspotentiaalimittauksilla. Aminohappoja k��ytettiin malliaineina tutkittaessa huokoskoon ja varauksen merkityst�� erotuksessa. Aminohappojen retentioon vaikuttivat pH ja liuoksen ionivahvuus sek�� molekyylien v��liset vuorovaikutukset. Heran ultrasuodatuksessa tuotettu permeaatti, joka sis��lsi pieni�� peptidej��, laktoosia ja suoloja, nanosuodatettiin happamassa ja em��ksisess�� pH:ssa. Em��ksisiss�� oloissa tehdyss�� nanosuodatuksessa foulaantumista tapahtui v��hemm��n ja permeaattivuo oli parempi. Em��ksisiss�� oloissa my��s selektiivisyys laktoosin erotuksessa peptideist�� oli parempi verrattuna selektiivisyyteen happamissa oloissa.