The history of liquid and atmospheric discharges from the Sellafield nuclear complex in Cumbria, UK over the period from 1951 (the start of operations at the site) to 1992 has been reviewed. The chronology of liquid effluent discharges is essentially unchanged from previously published figures, but the chronology of aerial effluent discharges has been very substantially amended, reflecting the results of experimental work to assess the efficiency of aerial effluent sampling systems on the site, the analysis of previously unreported data on plant based measurements of aerial effluents in the 1950s, and a number of other factors. The amended discharge chronologies have been validated by reference to the extensive environmental monitoring data which are available for the Sellafield site, comparing environmental concentrations predicted from the discharge chronology and environmental models with those actually measured. The revised discharge chronologies together with the model account for all the major features of spatial and temporal variations in environmental concentrations of radionuclides in the vicinity of the site, but overestimate the body content of plutonium in local residents compared to the limited number of available measurements. The revised discharge chronologies do not lead to any major changes in the assessed lifetime doses to local residents and do not alter the conclusion that doses from discharges appear to be far too small to account for the excess of childhood leukaemia in the local village of Seascale.

Liquid products from the SRC-II processing of a high volatile bituminous coal were distilled into narrow boiling range fractions with average boiling points ranging up to 800 K. Liquid density, thermal conductivity, and viscosity were measured at temperatures to 505 K, and specific heat was determined to 600 K. Other property determinations included molecular weight, pour point, elemental analyses, water content and solubility, and hydrocarbon types. Both organic oxygen content and water solubility showed a pronounced maximum for the fraction having an average boiling point of 470 K and significantly Influenced density. A secondary distillation on six different fractions spaced over the entire boiling range yielded heart cuts spanning 4-26 K that were used for measurement of surface tension, heat of vaporization, and vapor pressure at temperatures to 755 K. Property data for all the fractions are compared with other published data and existing property correlations.

The thaxtomins are a group of phytotoxins generated by the bacterium Streptomyces scabies (the main causal organism of potato common scab). Available members of the group were assessed for herbicidal activity by a variety of standard tests. Test results indicated that thaxtomin A, the predominant member, was also the most physiologically active. Injury symptoms in most instances were similar to those caused by known cellulose biosynthetic inhibitors such as dichlobenil and isoxaben. Although test results indicated that the thaxtomins had many of the biological properties desirable in a commercial herbicide, they nevertheless lacked the systemic phytotoxicity critical to deliver reliable weed control at low rates.

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Minimally invasive esophagectomy is feasible with a low conversion rate, acceptable morbidity, and low mortality. Our preferred operative approach is the laparoscopic\thoracoscopic Ivor Lewis resection, which provides a tension-free intrathoracic anastomosis.