NOAA: 2012 hottest year on record in contiguous US

No matter what the climate change deniers refuse to accept the facts even though they have become so obvious especially the effects of burning fossil fuels! This is a good read: 2012 hottest year on record in contiguous U.S., NOAA says http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/2012-hottest-year-on-record-in-continental-us-noaa-says/2013/01/08/5c9dc1ae-55d9-11e2-8b9e-dd8773594efc_story.html ... from page 2: "In 2004, Princeton University professors Robert Socolow and Stephen Pacala wrote an influential paper outlining how the world could stabilize its greenhouse-gas emissions by mid-
century through a series of ­“wedges,” using current technology, such as sharply increasing nuclear power worldwide, eliminating deforestation and converting conventional plowing to no-tillage farming."

Graphene oxide soaks up radioactive waste

Well graphene just keeps getting better and better! Graphene oxide soaks up radioactive waste: http://news.rice.edu/2013/01/08/another-tiny-miracle-graphene-oxide-soaks-up-radioactive-waste-2/ "A collaborative effort by the Rice lab of chemist James Tour and the Moscow lab of chemist Stepan Kalmykov determined that microscopic, atom-thick flakes of graphene oxide bind quickly to natural and human-made radionuclides and condense them into solids. The flakes are soluble in liquids and easily produced in bulk.
The experimental results were reported in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.
The discovery, Tour said, could be a boon in the cleanup of contaminated sites like the Fukushima nuclear plants damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It could also cut the cost of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) for oil and gas recovery and help reboot American mining of rare earth metals, he said.
Graphene oxide’s large surface area defines its capacity to adsorb toxins, Kalmykov said. “So the high retention properties are not surprising to us,” he said. “What is astonishing is the very fast kinetics of sorption, which is key.”
“In the probabilistic world of chemical reactions where scarce stuff (low concentrations) infrequently bumps into something with which it can react, there is a greater likelihood that the ‘magic’ will happen with graphene oxide than with a big old hunk of bentonite,” said Steven Winston, a former vice president of Lockheed Martin and Parsons Engineering and an expert in nuclear power and remediation who is working with the researchers. “In short, fast is good.”"

Isotopes for heat

A great read by Steve Aplin: Isotopes for heat: http://canadianenergyissues.com/2013/01/04/isotopes-for-heat-an-old-new-idea-whose-time-came-went-and-has-come-again/

2012 Year in Review

Happy New Year everyone… Another year is behind us! 2012 was another eventful year starting with the Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) for the future of Chalk River Labs and continuing with a stream of announcements related to research funding cuts. After the sale of the CANDU branch of AECL in 2011, the RFEI was meant to gauge any stakeholder (members of the public, universities, private industries) interest in participating in the future of AECL's Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories. With the RFEI process completed by March 2012, the hope was that the government would announce its decision for the future of the lab by the fall 2012. We are already into the New Year and there is still no news as to when the government will make an announcement. One thing that is clear, and has been clear for many years, is that a replacement for the aging NRU reactor either at Chalk River Laboratories or at University of Saskatchewan (wouldn’t it be great if both would get one!!!) will guarantee the future of neutron scattering, nuclear research and isotope production in Canada and their many benefits to the country for many years to come! Once again as Theodore Roosevelt said: “In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”… Here is a look back at some highlights of the posts on the group wall (I have tested the links and they should all work) and let us hope 2013 brings more support and funding for basic research in Canada especially commitment to replace the aging NRU reactor. Here is the link to the document 2012 Year in Review: http://futureofneutronscatteringincanada.blogspot.ca/p/2012-year-in-review.html

Japan's cautious return to nuclear power

Japan's cautious return to nuclear power: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20130103f2.html "Japan appears to be heading toward a gradual revival of nuclear power generation under a new government supportive of retaining it, but the outlook for the industry in 2013 is unclear, with antinuclear sentiment still lingering among the public amid the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant.
The new government led by the Liberal Democratic Party has already signaled that it has no intention of following in the footsteps of the Democratic Party of Japan government, which was overthrown after the Dec. 16 election, when it comes to energy policy. The DPJ government aimed at phasing out nuclear power by the 2030s.
"We need to reconsider the previous government's policy of seeking zero operations of nuclear plants," Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told a press conference shortly after assuming the ministerial post.
He also said that completely giving up Japan's spent-fuel recycling policy, which would lose its role if nuclear power generation ends, is "currently not an option," and that the government backs the resumption of reactors as long as they are deemed safe by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, the new atomic watchdog.
The remarks are likely to encourage utilities, which have been desperate to restart idled reactors to boost their business. The minister's words also leave open the possibility of allowing utilities to install new reactors that have been planned but are not yet under construction."

The changing research climate in Canada by Béla Joós

More on the government's research cuts: The changing research climate in Canada by Béla Joós, Physics in Canada Editor-in-Chief: http://www.cap.ca/en/article/changing-research-climate-canada "The cancellation of NSERC’s Major Resources Support (MRS) program has broader implications, jeopardizing the future of many facilities, such as the Canadian Neutron Beam Centre at Chalk River and the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) [3,4]. Ironically, we were told by NSERC at the CAP Congress that the MRS program is the victim of its own popularity: too many applications led to a bureaucratic and financial burden on NSERC. This cancellation appears as an attempt to download financial responsibility to academic institutions with already strained resources. The impact of the elimination of the MRS program extends throughout the natural sciences. In biological- and environmental-related sciences, this decision coincided with significant cuts to federally-funded environmental research. Neglecting research that informs us about the state of our planet cannot lead to good policy decisions [6]. There is a widespread perception that, for our current federal government, ideology trumps evidence. This has led to the “Death of evidence” demonstration on Parliament Hill in June 2012 and an international call to the government to justify its decisions [6,7]." ... "Finally, the current preoccupation with technology transfer and innovation should not undermine the excellent fundamental curiosity-driven research that is present in Canada [1,2]. It is from that research that physical principles underlying new technologies will emerge. To maintain a diversified and thriving academic research environment, the DGP program should remain a priority and will need a healthy RTI program to support it."

Deep River: Almost the Perfect Place to Live

An entertaining must-read for those of you interested in the history of Deep River: Almost the Perfect Place to Live: http://www.sttranslation.com/deep-river/almost-perfect-place-live/ "This full-length article appeared in Maclean's Magazine, September 15, 1958, and was penned by up-and-coming journalist Peter C. Newman. Photographs by Sam Tata."

1984 in 2012 – The Assault on Reason by Allan R. Gregg

A must read by Allan R. Gregg, a well-known Canadian pundit and former Progressive Conservative pollster: "1984 in 2012 – The Assault on Reason": http://allangregg.com/?p=80 "Ok, so now the facts were beginning to tell a different story. This was no random act of downsizing, but a deliberate attempt to obliterate certain activities that were previously viewed as a legitimate part of government decision-making – namely, using research, science and evidence as the basis to make policy decisions. It also amounted to an attempt to eliminate anyone who might use science, facts and evidence to challenge government policies."

How U.S.-European cooperation can deliver cheaper, safer nuclear energy

How U.S.-European cooperation can deliver cheaper, safer nuclear energy by Barry Brook: http://bravenewclimate.com/2013/01/03/next-nukes/ "As the debate over climate policy picks up again in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and President Obama’s reelection, policymakers should prioritize efforts that will accelerate the adoption of zero-carbon technologies, especially the only proven baseload source available: next generation nuclear.
Whereas traditional nuclear reactors from the 1950s were designed in secret, advanced models are being researched, designed, and financed by innovative international collaborations. Take GE-Hitachi’s PRISM, a joint American-Japanese venture to construct a power plant in the United Kingdom capable of processing plutonium. Or the recent announcement that South Korea’s national electric utility, KEPCO, had been awarded a contract to build the first nuclear plant in the United Arab Emirates, using Australian-mined uranium for fuel.
An expanding international community recognizes the importance of developing advanced nuclear reactor designs to meet energy needs and address global warming. Thirteen countries have joined the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), for instance, a cooperative endeavor to encourage governments and industry to support advanced nuclear energy concepts. Member countries, which include the United States, Japan, Russia, and China, have agreed to expand R&D funding for advanced nuclear projects that meet stringent sustainability, economic, safety and nonproliferation goals.
Yet despite international agreement on the necessity of next generation nuclear systems, there is a dearth of support at the national level. In the US, annual federal RD&D spending for advanced fission reactors has not exceeded $200 million in the last 10 years, following much larger budgets through the 1970s to mid-1990s. The majority of research and investment in advanced nuclear systems today comes from Asia, and most new nuclear is constructed in developing nations. Yet many of the countries most interested in building more nuclear are largely stuck with old Generation II designs."

Happy Birthday Harriet Brooks

Happy Birthday Harriet Brooks! she was born in 1876 in Exeter, Ontario. Brooks studied physics at McGill University and became the first woman to earn a master's degree in any field. She worked with Ernest Rutherford discovering radon and helping to establish that radioactive decay entails the transmutation of one element into another: http://www.physics.ucla.edu/~cwp/Phase2/Brooks,_Harriet@842580299.html

Canada’s first female nuclear physicist: http://publications.mcgill.ca/reporter/2011/03/women%E2%80%99s-day-profile-remembering-harriet-brooks-canada%E2%80%99s-first-woman-nuclear-physicist/