Since the early 2000s, the US Government has made purposeful investments to help ensure medical preparedness should a radiological or nuclear incident occur within its borders. This focused support of products to diagnose, mitigate, and treat radiation-induced bodily injuries that would be anticipated during a radiation public health emergency has involved many departments, ranging from multiple agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Defense. The intent of this manuscript is to convey information both on products that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for radiation injuries during a radiation incident, as well as promising approaches under advanced stages of development. These products impact multiple organ systems (e.g., bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, kidneys, skin) and have been tested for efficacy in a number of different small and large preclinical animal models. The successful development of these models, methods, products, and devices discussed herein demonstrate the importance of an intentionally collaborative, “one-government” approach to fostering radiation research, while also showcasing the need for critical public-private partnerships – all to ensure the safety of the public should the unthinkable occur.

One of the biggest medical challenges after the detonation of a nuclear device will be implementing a strategy to assess the severity of radiation exposure among survivors and to triage them appropriately. Those found to be at significant risk for radiation injury can be prioritized to receive potentially lifesaving myeloid cytokines and to be evacuated to other communities with intact health care infrastructure prior to the onset of severe complications of bone marrow suppression. Currently, the most efficient and accessible triage method is the use of sequential complete blood counts to assess lymphocyte depletion kinetics that correlate with estimated whole-body dose radiation exposure. However, even this simple test will likely not be available initially on the scale required to assess the at-risk population. Additional variables such as geographic location of exposure, sheltering, and signs and symptoms may be useful for initial sorting. An interdisciplinary working group composed of federal, state, and local public health experts proposes an Exposure And Symptom Triage (EAST) tool combining estimates of exposure from maps with clinical assessments and single lymphocyte counts if available. The proposed tool may help sort survivors efficiently at assembly centers near the damage and fallout zones and enable rapid prioritization for appropriate treatment and transport. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018; 12: 386–395)

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi complex in Japan, resulting in radionuclide release. In response, US officials augmented existing radiological screening at its ports of entry (POEs) to detect and decontaminate travelers contaminated with radioactive materials. During March 12 to 16, radiation screening protocols detected 3 travelers from Japan with external radioactive material contamination at 2 air POEs. Beginning March 23, federal officials collaborated with state and local public health and radiation control authorities to enhance screening and decontamination protocols at POEs. Approximately 543 000 (99%) travelers arriving directly from Japan at 25 US airports were screened for radiation contamination from March 17 to April 30, and no traveler was detected with contamination sufficient to require a large-scale public health response. The response highlighted synergistic collaboration across government levels and leveraged screening methods already in place at POEs, leading to rapid protocol implementation. Policy development, planning, training, and exercising response protocols and the establishment of federal authority to compel decontamination of travelers are needed for future radiological responses. Comparison of resource-intensive screening costs with the public health yield should guide policy decisions, given the historically low frequency of contaminated travelers arriving during radiological disasters.

(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2012;6:291–296)

Electron beam physical-vapor-deposited Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 thermal barrier coating (TBC) samples were indented from room temperature to 900 °C using an instrumented high-temperature vacuum displacement-sensitive indenter. Hardness and elastic modulus were determined from the load–displacement curves recorded during indentation. Both the hardness and the elastic modulus of the TBCs were much lower than those of dense ceramics of a similar composition; this is attributed to the increased compliance that results from the porous columnar microstructure of the TBCs. In addition, the TBCs showed an unusual absence of elastic recovery at the residual indents compared to the dense ceramics.

Thin films were prepared from bulk targets by pulsed-laser deposition techniques. The targets were composed of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 with charge-compensated substitutions for Ti4+. Results of the dielectric characterization measurements will be discussed and compared to the results of similar measurements in bulk materials with the same composition.

A Doppler-based ultrasonic monitoring scheme was introduced to detect discontinuities on the surface of a rapidly moving object. Single-tone, continuous wave (CW) ultrasound was impinged onto the moving surface and the reflected signal was processed by a Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) algorithm to identify surface anomalies. By monitoring the peak magnitude of the STFT spectra within a specified window, it was possible to reconstruct a signal representing Doppler frequency shift continuously in the time domain.

Sinologists have long agreed that many aspects of Chinese culture vary widely from region to region and even from valley to valley and town to town. The question for contemporary scholars is why and with what consequences. The problem we face is that while evidence from widely scattered communities is adequate to demonstrate the fact of regional diversity, it is not adequate to test hypotheses concerning its causes and consequences. What we need are detailed maps of the distribution and frequency of such practices as male adoption, uxorilocal marriage, cash bride-price, double burial, and foot binding. The only chance we have of discovering why Chinese culture varies is to see how that variation relates to the location of such likely causes as relations with non-Han peoples, the strength of state control, and the balance of forces in local modes of production.