Goshute Native American Tribe and Nuclear Waste: Complexities and Contradictions of a Bounded-Constitutive Relationship

This essay examines discourse from members of the Skull Valley Goshute Native American tribe about the nuclear-waste proposal and tribal controversy. Building from Kinsella's “bounded-constitutive” theoretical model of communication, I argue the environment (material) is more than a context where Goshute culture and policy development (symbolic) plays out. Rather, environment, culture, and policy mutually define each other, and the material environment constrains Goshute culture. Instead of the symbolic unilaterally influencing the material, the material responds and acts to influence the symbolic. The symbolic becomes responsible to the material and vice versa as the relationship is multi-influential and interactive creating political, cultural, and environmental complexities and contradictions while fueling intra-tribal conflict.     

Mobile fission and activation products in nuclear waste disposal

When disposing nuclear waste in clay formations it is expected that the most radiotoxic elements like Pu, Np or Am move only a few centimetres to meters before they decay. Only a few radionuclides are able to reach the biosphere and contribute to their long-term exposure risks, mainly anionic species like I129, Cl36, Se79 and in some cases C14 and Tc99, whatever the scenario considered. The recent OECD/NEA cosponsored international MOFAP workshop focussed on transport and chemical behaviour of these less toxic radionuclides. New research themes have been addressed, such as how to make use of molecular level information for the understanding of the problem of migration at large distances. Diffusion studies need to face mineralogical heterogeneities over tens to hundreds of meters. Diffusion rates are very low since the clay rock pores are so small (few nm) that electrostatic repulsion limits the space available for anion diffusion (anion exclusion). The large volume of traversed rock will provide so many retention sites that despite weak retention, even certain of these “mobile” nuclides may show significant retardation. However, the question how to measure reliably very low retention parameters has been posed. An important issue is whether redox states or organic/inorganic speciation change from their initial state at the moment of release from the waste during long term contact with surfaces, hydrogen saturated environments, etc.     

The bioeffects of extremely weak power-frequency alternating magnetic fields

We report the results of a study of the influence of extremely-weak alternating magnetic fields (EW AMF) directed co-linearly to the static Earth’s magnetic field on the rate of regeneration in planarians and also on the rate of gravitropic response in the stem segments of flax. In particular we obtained the data on the dependence of the value of bioeffects on the amplitude (at fixed 60 Hz—frequency) and on the frequency (at fixed 1.6 μT—amplitude) of the alternating component. Our data show unambiguously that EW AMF substantially affect the properties of the biosystems. The experimental data may be approximated by the theoretical expression following directly from a general formula, derived in the theory of magnetic parametric resonance. Our data indicate that the nuclear spins of hydrogen atoms serve as the primary targets for the action of the EW AMF on the biosystems. The values of bioeffects of combined magnetic fields with extremely weak alternating component are completely determined by the parameter , where γ = 42.578 Hz/μT—gyromagnetic ratio of the nuclear spins of hydrogen atoms, and and f correspond to magnetic induction and frequency of the alternating magnetic component. The dependence of bioeffect’s value on —parameter is polyextremal: well expressed maxima are observed at and minor maxima at . The bioeffects are absent at , 3.8, 5.3, 6.7. At the values of the bioeffect changes its sign—activation of planarian’s regeneration starts to be replaced by its inhibition. The inhibition takes place for the range of the amplitudes from 10 to 140 μT. The observed change in the sign of the effect may result to the prevalence of the effects caused by the induction of the alternating currents in the test-system at relatively high —amplitudes. These results provide the basis for planning of the epidemiological studies and interpretation of the corresponding results.     

A microcomputer-based emergency response system*

A microcomputer-based system was developed to provide local officials responsible for disaster management with assistance during the crucial period immediately following a disaster, a period when incorrect decisions could have an adverse impact on the surrounding community.
While the paper focuses on a potential disaster resulting from an accident at a commercial nuclear power generating facility, the system can be applied to other disastrous situations. Decisions involving evacuation, shelter and the deployment of resources must be made in response to floods, earthquakes, accidents in the transportation of hazardous materials, and hurricanes to name a few examples.
As a decision aid, the system was designed to enhance data display by presenting the data in the form of representations (i.e. road maps, evacuation routes, etc.) as well as in list or tabular form. The potential impact of the event (i.e. the release of radioactive material) was displayed in the form of a cloud, representing the dispersion of the radioactive material. In addition, an algorithm was developed to assist the manager in assigning response resources to demands.
The capability for modelling the impact of a disaster is discussed briefly, with reference to a system installed in the communities surrounding the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York State.
Results demonstrate both the technical feasibility of incorporating microcomputers indecision support systems for radiological emergency response, and the acceptance of such systems by those public officials responsible for implementing the response plans.     

Evacuation behavior and Three Mile Island

The responses of the residents to the nuclear power plant arcident at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania illustrate the factors influencing pre-impact coping responses of populations exposed to technological hazards. Confusion itnd ambiguous information influenced both the decision to evaluate and to remain in place. Proximity to the facility, stage in life cycle and the actions of friends and neighbors influenced the decision to evacuate.     

大型社会活动安全事故成因分析及预警组织模型构建

分析了我国大型社会活动安全事故的成因，研究了组织、环境、设备、人等因素在大型社会活动安全事故中的作用，得出了大型社会活动安全事故成因机理，在此基础上，介绍了大型社会活动安全事故预警模型的组织、监控系统，并规范了各组织的职责，最终设计了大型社会活动安全事故预警系统的工作流程。     

基于Internet的交通道口事故监测管理系统的研究

传统的道路交通监测存在不足之处 ,相应的路口自动监测力量犹显薄弱。对诸如闯红灯 ,闯单禁行线 ,超速等交通违章行为缺乏现代化的监测、取证等必要手段。笔者提出基于Internet的道路交通违章监测系统 ,有效地利用先进的通信及计算机技术 ,为提高交通道口的管理水平 ,确认违章事故提供了手段 ,并对此系统进行深入地分析和设计 ,同时通过实例证明 ,该系统违章监测和事故确认具有的有效性和可操作性。     

混沌理论在事故分析及预测中的应用

在对江苏常州市某公司安全事故资料进行大量调查与统计的基础上,应用混沌理论分析了该公司安全事故的混沌特征,指出了事故对初始条件的敏感依赖性和事故的长期不可预测性。应用重构相空间理论对安全事故次数的时间序列进行了分析和预测。同时,还对安全事故统计资料进行了R/S分析,得出该时间序列以2 0 0 1年6月为界限,存在两个Hurst指数,H1=1.6 82 8和H2 =0 .2 936 ,表明在以3个月为时间统计尺度的条件下,事故发生次数在前一时间段整体表现为持久相关性,而在后一时间段表现为反持久相关性。预测与分析结果与实际情况符合较好,表明应用混沌理论进行事故分析与预测是可行的,反映了事故的发展趋势。     

The unfolding of Bhopal disaster

As an employee of Union Carbide India at the Bhopal plant, I know how the disaster happened. The merciless cost-cutting severely affecting materials of construction, maintenance, training, manpower and morale resulted in the disaster that was waiting to happen. Significant differences between the West Virginia, USA plant and the Bhopal, India plant show the callous disregard of the corporation for the people of the developing countries. The narrative below, if given a proper thought by the management and governments, should help in significantly reducing industrial accidents.     

核电厂人因及组织行政管理安全审查体系

定期安全审查 (PSR)是国际原子能机构 (IAEA)近年推广的一种新的核电厂安全审查方式 ,它强调系统性、全面性和关键性。人因安全因素 (HF)、组织机构和行政管理安全因素 (OA)是PSR的重要组成部分 ,也是PSR中审查难度较大的部分之一。其难点主要在于如何用有限的评审指标去刻画出最能表征人因、OA对核电厂安全运行最具影响的特征因子 ,建立起科学的、系统化的审查体系 ,且该体系还需具有较强的可操作性。基于上述认识 ,笔者建立了核电厂人因及组织行政管理安全审查体系 ,它包含安全目标与方针、人员配备与资格、组织机构与管理、配置控制、培训、职业健康、运行经验反馈、质量保证、人 -机接口、遵章守法等 10类 19个要素。同时介绍了其评审指标、审查内容、审查方法和程序等。该体系已应用于秦山核电厂。