Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Open Access Articles

Risk Is More Than Just A Number, Wim F. Passchier, Wim C. Reij

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Summarizes efforts by the Health Council of the Netherlands to develop a national risk management approach.

The Normative Nature Of Risk Assessment: Features And Possibilities, Carl F. Cranor

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Cranor argues that appreciating risk assessment to be permeated with normative presuppositions, in contrast with being primarily objective, opens up unforeseen possibilities for risk management.

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Risk Assessment And Sustainable Development: Towards A Concept Of Sustainable Risk, Michael D. Mehta

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Mehta examines two dominant approaches for managing health and environmental risks and suggests that they would better serve if integrated.

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Environmental Decision Making And Risk Management For Groundwater Systems, Janet D. Gough

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

With an eye to a specific application in New Zealand, Ms. Gough explores the use of risk management approaches for environmental decision making at strategic, policy, management and operational levels.

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Book Review Of Jeffrey W. Vincoli, Risk Management For Hazardous Chemicals (1996) And Andre R. Cooper, Sr., Cooper's Toxic Exposures Desk Reference (1997), Thomas G. Field Jr.

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Book reviews for the following: Jeffrey W. Vincoli, Risk Management for Hazardous Chemicals (2 vols. CRC Lewis Publishers 1996). Acknowledgments, author, Chemical Abstracts Number index, chemical name index, introduction, preface, references, structure diagrams, tables. LC 96-35282, ISBN 1-56670-200-3 [3040+ pp. Cloth $297.00, $9.95 shipping. 2000 Corporate Blvd., N.W. Boca Raton, FL 33431.] Andr6 R. Cooper, Sr., Cooper's Toxic Exposures Desk Reference (CRC Lewis Publishers 1997). Chemical Abstracts Number index, chemical name index, introduction, synonyms and trade name index, tables. LC 96-35221, ISBN 1-56670-220-8 [2006+ pp. Cloth $199.00, $9.95 shipping.]

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A 200-Year 210pb Record From Greenland, Jack E. Dibb, Henrick B. Clausen

Earth Sciences

A continuous profile of ²¹⁰Pb activity extending back to 1766 has been developed for a firn/ice core collected at Site D in central Greenland in 1984. Unexpectedly high activities of ²¹⁰Pb were found at the base of this core (0.032 pCi kg⁻¹ in samples more than 200 years old), calling into question the common assumption that supported ²¹⁰Pb can be neglected when constructing chronologies in glacial snow and ice. It is problematic to assert that all of the ²¹⁰Pb measured at depth should be attributed to the supported fraction, given previous estimates of dust loading …

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Core-Log-Seismic Integration As A Framework For Determining The Basin-Wide Significance Of Regional Reflectors In The Eastern Equatorial Pacific, Stephen F. Bloomer, Larry A. Mayer

Affiliate Scholarship

ODP Leg 138 in the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) provided a unique opportunity to understand the paleoceanographic significance of seismic reflectors in this climatically sensitive region. Carefully offset multiple cores were spliced into a complete stratigraphic section for the upper 250 m at each site and accurate, astronomically tuned time scales were generated from these composites. Well log data provided a means to correct composite depths to true depths as well as density and velocity data for the generation of synthetic seismograms. These synthetic seismograms were used to determine the paleoceanographic significance of regionally traceable reflectors by linking variations in …

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Progress In The Study Of Cdznte Strip Detectors, O Tousignant, L A. Hamel, J F. Courville, P Paki, John R. Macri, K Larson, M Mayer, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan

Space Science Center

We report new performance measurements and computer simulations of a sub-millimeter pitch CdZnTe strip detector under study as a prototype imaging spectrometer for astronomical x-ray and gamma-ray observations. The prototype is 1.5 mm thick with 375 micron strip pitch in both the x and y dimensions. Previously reported work included demonstrations of half-pitch spatial resolution (approximately 190 microns) and good energy resolution and spectral uniformity. Strip detector efficiency measurements have also been presented. A model that includes the photon interaction, carrier transport and the electronics was developed that qualitatively reproduced the measurements. The new studies include measurements of the CdZnTe …

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Galactic Black Hole Binaries: High-Energy Radiation, J E. Grove, J E. Grindlay, B A. Harmon, X M. Hua, D Kazanas, Mark L. Mcconnell

Space Science Center

Observations of galactic black hole candidates made by the instruments aboard the Compton GRO in the hard X-ray and γ-ray bands have significantly enhanced our knowledge of the phenomenology of the emission from these objects. Understanding these observations presents a formidable challenge to theoretical models of the accretion flow onto the compact object and of the physical mechanisms that generate high-energy radiation. Here we summarize the current state of observations and theoretical interpretation of the emission from black holecandidates above 20 keV. The all-sky monitoring capability of BATSE allows, for the first time, nearly continuous studies of the high-energy emission …

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5 Years Of Crab Pulsar Observations With Comptel, R Much, K Bennett, C Winkler, R Diehl, G G. Lichti, V Schonfelder, H Steinle, A W. Strong, M Varendorff, W Hermsen, L Kuiper, R Van Der Meulen, A Connors, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan, R Buccheri

Space Science Center

Using the COMPTEL data of the first 5 years of the CGRO mission we have derived the average pulsed spectrum of the Crab Pulsar, as well as phase-resolved spectra of the pulsed emission of the Crab Pulsar. The spectra in the COMPTEL energy range (0.75 to 30 MeV) are compared to those in the neighboring energy bands. The pulsed flux has been examined for its stability. Pulsed lightcurves have been derived for different energy intervals. Preliminary results of this analysis are presented.

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Evidence For Γ-Ray Flares In 3c 279 And Pks 1622-297 At ∼10 Mev, W Collmar, V Schonfelder, H Bloemen, J J. Blom, W Hermsen, Mark L. Mcconnell, J G. Stacy, K Bennett, O R. Williams

Space Science Center

The EGRET experiment aboard the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) has observed at energies above 100 MeV strong gamma-ray flares with short-term time variability from thegamma-ray blazars 3C 279 [1] and PKS 1622-297 [2]. During these flaring periods both blazarshave been detected by the COMPTEL experiment aboard CGRO at photon energies of ∼10 MeV, revealing simultaneous γ-ray activity down to these energies. For both cases the derived fluxes exceed those measured in previous observations, and 3C 279 shows an indication for time variability within the observational period. Both sources show evidence for ‘hard’ MeV spectra. In general the behaviour of both …

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Improved Comptel 10–30 Mev Event Selections For Point Sources From Inflight Data, W Collmar, U Wessolowski, V Schonfelder, G Weidenspointer, S C. Kappadath, Mark L. Mcconnell, K Bennett

Space Science Center

After several years in orbit the COMPTEL experiment aboard the COMPTON Gamma-RayObservatory has collected a substantial amount of data from the MeV sky. We have used the inflight event data collected from the Crab, which is the brightest point source at MeV energies, to optimize our event selections for point sources. For the COMPTEL 10–30 MeV range we have derived a set of improved parameter selections, which leads to a reduction of background events and—at the same time—increases the number of source events, resulting in an obvious improvement in the signal-to-background ratio for point sources. Due to a revised cut …

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The Prompt Cosmic-Ray-Induced Background In The Orbiting Compton Telescope Comptel, James M. Ryan, S C. Kappadath, Mark L. Mcconnell, D Morris, V Schonfelder, M Varendorff, G Weidenspointer, W Hermsen, K Bennett

Space Science Center

The authors report the spectrum of background events that the COMPTEL instrument on ComptonGamma Ray Observatory experiences due to the instantaneous effects of cosmic rays. Otherbackgrounds are present in the data of this Compton telescope, but the components that closely follow the instantaneous flux of cosmic rays are the most identifiable. The background varies approximately linearly with the cosmic-ray intensity and exhibits a broad feature from about 1 to 10 MeV suggestive of the nuclear nature of the events. Above 10 MeV there is a marked change in the nature of thebackground that is not understood. It appears that the …

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How Some Risk Frameworks Disenfranchise The Public, Kristin Shrader-Frechette

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The author responds to recent characterizations of her work.

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The Decision To Reactivate A First-Generation Soviet Nuclear Power Plant: Conceptual And Decision-Analytic Frameworks, John M. Gleason

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Explores a variety of factors that led to reopening the Armenian Metsamor facility notwithstanding general agreement that this is unwarranted technologically.

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Book Review Of Bruce M. Owen Et Al., The Economics Of A Disaster - The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, William C. Shaw Ii

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of Bruce M. Owen, David A. Argue, Harold W. Furchtgott-Roth, Gloria J. Hurdle & Gale Mosteller, The Economics of a Disaster - The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (Quorum Books 1995). Acknowledgments, appendices, author index, figures, selected bibliography, subject index, tables. LC 95- 3782; ISBN 0-89930-987-9. [200 pp. Cloth $55.00. 88 Post Road West, Westport CT 06881.]

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Recurrent Geomagnetic Storms And Relativistic Electron Enhancements In The Outer Magnetosphere: Istp Coordinated Measurements, D. N. Baker, X. Li, N. Turner, J. H. Allen, L. F. Bargatze, J. B. Blake, R. B. Sheldon, Harlan E. Spence, R. D. Belian, G. D. Reeves, S. G. Kanekal, B. Klecker

Physics & Astronomy

New, coordinated measurements from the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) constellation of spacecraft are presented to show the causes and effects of recurrent geomagnetic activity during recent solar minimum conditions. It is found using WIND and POLAR data that even for modest geomagnetic storms, relativistic electron fluxes are strongly and rapidly enhanced within the outer radiation zone of the Earth's magnetosphere. Solar wind data are utilized to identify the drivers of magnetospheric acceleration processes. Yohkoh solar soft X-ray data are also used to identify the solar coronal holes that produce the high-speed solar wind streams which, in turn, cause the recurrent …

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The Total Cosmic Diffuse Gamma-Ray Spectrum From 9 To 30 Mev Measured With Comptel, S C. Kappadath, James M. Ryan, K Bennett, H Bloemen, R Diehl, W Hermsen, Mark L. Mcconnell, V Schonfelder, M Varendorff, G Weidenspointer, C Winkler

Space Science Center

A preliminary COMPTEL Cosmic Diffuse Gamma-Ray (CDG) spectrum from 800 keV to 30 MeV was presented earlier at the 3rd Compton Symposium. The COMPTEL results represent the first significant detection of the CDG radiation in the 9 to 30 MeV range. Using high-latitude data from the first 5 years of the mission we have performed a new detailed measurement of the 9 to 30 MeV spectrum with finer energy binning. The new improved results are in good agreement with our previous estimates and are compatible with power-law extrapolations from higher energies. The measured 9–30 MeV spectra from the Virgo and …

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The Mev Spectrum Of Cygnus X-1 As Observed With Comptel, Mark L. Mcconnell, K Bennett, H Bloemen, W Collmar, W Hermsen, L Kuiper, R Much, James M. Ryan, V Schonfelder, H Steinle, A W. Strong, R Vandijk

Space Science Center

The COMPTEL experiment on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) has observed the Cygnus region on several occasions since launch. These data represent the most sensitive observations to date of Cygnus X-1 in the 0.75–30 MeV range. The spectrum shows significant evidence for emission extending out to several MeV. These data alone suggest a need to modify the thermal Comptonization models or to incorporate some type of non-thermal emission mechanism. Here we report on the results of an analysis of selected COMPTEL data collected during the first three years of the CGRO mission. These data are then compared with contemporaneous data …

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A Search For Gamma-Ray Flares From Black-Hole Candidates On Time Scales Of ∼1.5 Hours, R Vandijk, K Bennett, H Bloemen, R Diehl, W Hermsen, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan, V Schonfelder

Space Science Center

Strong short-lived flares from black-hole candidates have been detected in the hard X-rayregime and possibly also at γ-ray energies. Here we present a search for short-lived flares in the 0.75–30 MeV COMPTEL data. No flares are found during the 5 viewing periods considered, with typical upper limits of a few times the Crab flux.

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Comptel All-Sky Imaging At 2.2 Mev, Mark L. Mcconnell, S Fletcher, K Bennett, H Bloemen, R Diehl, W Hermsen, James M. Ryan, V Schonfelder, A W. Strong, R Vandijk

Space Science Center

It is now generally accepted that accretion of matter onto a compact object (white dwarf, neutron star or black hole) is one of the most efficient processes in the universe for producing high energy radiations. Measurements of the γ-ray emission will provide a potentially valuable means for furthering our understanding of the accretion process. Here we focus on neutroncapture processes, which can be expected in any situation where energetic neutrons may be produced and where the liberated neutrons will interact with matter before they decay (where they have a chance of undergoing some type of neutron capture). Line emission at …

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Reassessment Of The 56co Emission From Sn 1991t, D Morris, K Bennett, H Bloemen, R Diehl, W Hermsen, G G. Lichti, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan, V Schonfelder

Space Science Center

The detection of 56Co emission from SN 1991T has been previously reported at a level near the COMPTEL sensitivity threshold. The spectral analysis method, fitting the count spectrum to a background model plus a 56Co emission template, is subject to possible systematic effects which had not been thoroughly studied at that time. To better evaluate the significance of that ∼3.3σ detection, the same method has been applied to a grid of points with 5° spacing, out to 35° from the pointing direction, in each of 103 observing periods from phases 1 through 3. A dozen instances were found with a …

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A Time Dependent Model For The Activation Of Comptel, M Varendorff, U Oberlack, G Weidenspointer, R Diehl, R Vandijk, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan

Space Science Center

The structure of the CGRO satellite is irradiated by cosmic rays and trapped particles fromradiation belts. These incident particles produce radioactive nuclei in nuclear reactions with the satellite structure. Most of the radiation dose can be attributed to the passages through the South Atlantic Anomaly. The incident particle flux on the COMPTEL instrument is estimated from the event rate of a plastic scintillation detector. This event rate is modeled with a Neural Network simulation. The increase of the event rate during SAA passages is taken as a measure for the amount of induced radioactivity. A Neural Network Model is used …

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Diffuse Galactic Continuum Emission: Recent Studies Using Comptel Data, A W. Strong, R Diehl, V Schonfelder, K Bennett, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan

Space Science Center

COMPTEL full sky maximum entropy maps using 5 years of data have been produced using background estimates based on high-latitude observations. The Galactic diffuse emission can be studied using latitude and longitude profiles from these maps. Direct comparison of profiles with theoretical models is illustrated for the 10–30 MeV range. We demonstrate the presence of a broad latitude component, consistent with results from model-fitting studies. The method is also used to obtain model-independent broad-band spectra of the Galactic emission.

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Table Of Contents Volume Eight, Number One, Winter 1997, Risk Editorial Board

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Table of contents for the journal RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (ISSN: 1073-8673)

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Maximum Individual & Vicinity-Average Dose For A Geologic Repository Containing Radioactive Waste, Thomas H. Pigford

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Explains the basis for his strong dissent to an NAS report on Yucca Mountain.

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Academy Recommendations On The Proposed Yucca Mountain Waste Repository: Overview And Criticisms, Kristin S. Shrader-Frechette

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Offers alternative criticism of the NAS report.

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Evaluation Of Siting Strategies: The Case Of Two Uk Waste Tire Incinerators, Ragnar E. Lofstedt

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Examines the circumstances that may have contributed to differing outcomes with respect to siting similar facilities in the UK.

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Book Review Of Amer Ei-Ahraf & William V. Willis, Management Of Animal Waste - Environmental Health Problems And Technological Solutions, Penny Dean

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of Amer El-Ahraf & William V. Willis, Management of Animal Waste - Environmental Health Problems and Technological Solutions (Praeger Publishers 1996). About the authors, bibliography, index, introduction, tables. LC 95-654; ISBN 0-275-93529-9 [185 pp. Cloth $65.00. 88 Post Road West, Westport CT 06881.]

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Risk Is More Than Just A Number, Wim F. Passchier, Wim C. Reij

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The Normative Nature Of Risk Assessment: Features And Possibilities, Carl F. Cranor

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Risk Assessment And Sustainable Development: Towards A Concept Of Sustainable Risk, Michael D. Mehta

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Environmental Decision Making And Risk Management For Groundwater Systems, Janet D. Gough

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Book Review Of Jeffrey W. Vincoli, Risk Management For Hazardous Chemicals (1996) And Andre R. Cooper, Sr., Cooper's Toxic Exposures Desk Reference (1997), Thomas G. Field Jr.

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

A 200-Year 210pb Record From Greenland, Jack E. Dibb, Henrick B. Clausen

Earth Sciences

Core-Log-Seismic Integration As A Framework For Determining The Basin-Wide Significance Of Regional Reflectors In The Eastern Equatorial Pacific, Stephen F. Bloomer, Larry A. Mayer

Affiliate Scholarship

Progress In The Study Of Cdznte Strip Detectors, O Tousignant, L A. Hamel, J F. Courville, P Paki, John R. Macri, K Larson, M Mayer, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan

Space Science Center

Galactic Black Hole Binaries: High-Energy Radiation, J E. Grove, J E. Grindlay, B A. Harmon, X M. Hua, D Kazanas, Mark L. Mcconnell

Space Science Center

5 Years Of Crab Pulsar Observations With Comptel, R Much, K Bennett, C Winkler, R Diehl, G G. Lichti, V Schonfelder, H Steinle, A W. Strong, M Varendorff, W Hermsen, L Kuiper, R Van Der Meulen, A Connors, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan, R Buccheri

Space Science Center

Evidence For Γ-Ray Flares In 3c 279 And Pks 1622-297 At ∼10 Mev, W Collmar, V Schonfelder, H Bloemen, J J. Blom, W Hermsen, Mark L. Mcconnell, J G. Stacy, K Bennett, O R. Williams

Space Science Center

Improved Comptel 10–30 Mev Event Selections For Point Sources From Inflight Data, W Collmar, U Wessolowski, V Schonfelder, G Weidenspointer, S C. Kappadath, Mark L. Mcconnell, K Bennett

Space Science Center

The Prompt Cosmic-Ray-Induced Background In The Orbiting Compton Telescope Comptel, James M. Ryan, S C. Kappadath, Mark L. Mcconnell, D Morris, V Schonfelder, M Varendorff, G Weidenspointer, W Hermsen, K Bennett

Space Science Center

How Some Risk Frameworks Disenfranchise The Public, Kristin Shrader-Frechette

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The Decision To Reactivate A First-Generation Soviet Nuclear Power Plant: Conceptual And Decision-Analytic Frameworks, John M. Gleason

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Book Review Of Bruce M. Owen Et Al., The Economics Of A Disaster - The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, William C. Shaw Ii

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Recurrent Geomagnetic Storms And Relativistic Electron Enhancements In The Outer Magnetosphere: Istp Coordinated Measurements, D. N. Baker, X. Li, N. Turner, J. H. Allen, L. F. Bargatze, J. B. Blake, R. B. Sheldon, Harlan E. Spence, R. D. Belian, G. D. Reeves, S. G. Kanekal, B. Klecker

Physics & Astronomy

The Total Cosmic Diffuse Gamma-Ray Spectrum From 9 To 30 Mev Measured With Comptel, S C. Kappadath, James M. Ryan, K Bennett, H Bloemen, R Diehl, W Hermsen, Mark L. Mcconnell, V Schonfelder, M Varendorff, G Weidenspointer, C Winkler

Space Science Center

The Mev Spectrum Of Cygnus X-1 As Observed With Comptel, Mark L. Mcconnell, K Bennett, H Bloemen, W Collmar, W Hermsen, L Kuiper, R Much, James M. Ryan, V Schonfelder, H Steinle, A W. Strong, R Vandijk

Space Science Center

A Search For Gamma-Ray Flares From Black-Hole Candidates On Time Scales Of ∼1.5 Hours, R Vandijk, K Bennett, H Bloemen, R Diehl, W Hermsen, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan, V Schonfelder

Space Science Center

Comptel All-Sky Imaging At 2.2 Mev, Mark L. Mcconnell, S Fletcher, K Bennett, H Bloemen, R Diehl, W Hermsen, James M. Ryan, V Schonfelder, A W. Strong, R Vandijk

Space Science Center

Reassessment Of The 56co Emission From Sn 1991t, D Morris, K Bennett, H Bloemen, R Diehl, W Hermsen, G G. Lichti, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan, V Schonfelder

Space Science Center

A Time Dependent Model For The Activation Of Comptel, M Varendorff, U Oberlack, G Weidenspointer, R Diehl, R Vandijk, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan

Space Science Center

Diffuse Galactic Continuum Emission: Recent Studies Using Comptel Data, A W. Strong, R Diehl, V Schonfelder, K Bennett, Mark L. Mcconnell, James M. Ryan

Space Science Center

Table Of Contents Volume Eight, Number One, Winter 1997, Risk Editorial Board

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Maximum Individual & Vicinity-Average Dose For A Geologic Repository Containing Radioactive Waste, Thomas H. Pigford

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Academy Recommendations On The Proposed Yucca Mountain Waste Repository: Overview And Criticisms, Kristin S. Shrader-Frechette

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Evaluation Of Siting Strategies: The Case Of Two Uk Waste Tire Incinerators, Ragnar E. Lofstedt

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Book Review Of Amer Ei-Ahraf & William V. Willis, Management Of Animal Waste - Environmental Health Problems And Technological Solutions, Penny Dean

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)