Publications by authors named "R F Whitcomb"

In 2016 the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established a Nuclear/Radiological Training and Exercise Preparedness (TEP) Program to better prepare its workforce to respond to a nuclear/radiological incident. The TEP program is comprised of staff across CDC programs with a variety of specialties such as epidemiologists, clinicians, data managers, communicators, environmental health specialists, at risk population specialists and health physicists. Key TEP activities include the preparation of the CDC Nuclear/Radiological Incident Response and Recovery Annex that describes CDC's roles and responsibilities in the event of a nuclear/radiological incident; establishment of an Incident Management System (IMS) structure to reflect an agency-wide response consistent with CDC's All Hazards Plan; and completion of nuclear/radiological public health preparedness and response training and exercises.

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In 2015-16, the US Department of Health and Human Services led 23 US Government (USG) agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more than 120 subject matter experts in conducting an in-depth review of the US core public health capacities and evaluation of the country's compliance with the International Health Regulations using the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) methodology. This two-part process began with a detailed 'self-assessment' followed by a comprehensive independent, external evaluation conducted by 15 foreign assessors. In the Radiation Emergencies Technical Area, on a scale from 1-lowest to 5-highest, the assessors concurred with the USG self-assessed score of 3 in both of the relevant indicators.

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The phase evolution and morphology of the solid state FeF2 conversion reaction with Li has been characterized using angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS). An epitaxial FeF2(110) film was grown on a MgF2(110) single crystal substrate and exposed to atomic lithium in an ultra-high vacuum chamber. A series of ARXPS spectra was taken after each Li exposure to obtain depth resolved chemical state information.

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On 11 March 2011, northern Japan was struck by first a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the eastern coast and then by an ensuing tsunami. At the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), these twin disasters initiated a cascade of events that led to radionuclide releases.

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Resilience and the ability to mitigate the consequences of a nuclear incident are enhanced by (1) effective planning, preparation and training; (2) ongoing interaction, formal exercises, and evaluation among the sectors involved; (3) effective and timely response and communication; and (4) continuous improvements based on new science, technology, experience, and ideas. Public health and medical planning require a complex, multi-faceted systematic approach involving federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments; private sector organizations; academia; industry; international partners; and individual experts and volunteers. The approach developed by the U.

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