European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes tuesday february 14,1909 . To continue tritium sales to firms Washington a the Energy department has decided to continue Selling tritium to private companies despite what it Calls a serious Pinch on supplies of the radioactive Gas used to make nuclear warheads officials said monday. Last year the department through its Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee sold about 240 Grams of tritium to . And foreign companies and this year s sales Are projected at 230 Grams said department spokesman Phil Keif. This is a Small piece of the total production Keif said adding that the exact total is classified. Alan Kuperman issues director at the nuclear control Institute a private policy group said the govern ment probably uses Between 5,000 and 8,000 Grams of tritium a year to maintain its nuclear weapons. Commercial sales of tritium Date Back several dec Ades but they have come under review by the Energy department since production was halted last Spring at Savannah River Plant in South Carolina the government s sole source of the Gas. We looked it Over it s an option to Stop Commer Cial sales Keif said. But for the time being sales will continue he added since the squeeze on tritium sup plies is not critical. It s serious but it s not critical Keif said. This month Troy e. Wade Iii the acting assistant Secretary for defense programs told a Senate panel that the department hoped to get one of the three Savannah River production reactors Back in operation by the end of the year. If a reactor is not restarted this year then the sup ply of tritium could be reduced to  an extent that the nuclear stockpile May be affected he said. Last fall the Pentagon suggested a serious shortage would develop by summer if production were not resumed. The Savannah River reactors were shut Down be cause of technical and management flaws. Tritium used in nuclear warheads decays relatively rapidly and thus must be replenished. It is used commercially for a variety of research and for making self Luminous lights signs dials watches and gun sights. Last year the Energy department More than Dou bled the commercial sales Price of tritium from about $13,000 a Gram to about $28,000 a Gram. It said the increase reflected higher production costs not a desire to depress demand for the Gas. The Gas is shipped from stockpiles at the Savannah River Plant near Aiken s.c., to Oak Ridge which puts it into vials. Stress blamed for fraud in biomedical research big scale birthday gift Sam Matar 49, of Carmel Valley Send him on his birthday. The 118 calif., holds a scaly present that his Pound african Monitor Lizard s name is chicagoan brother John Hopes will puff. The Brothers always Send each surpass in imagination the one Sam will other far out birthday presents. Washington a new pres sures for funding Fame and profit have created an atmosphere that leads some scientists to c9mmit medical research fraud the chairman of an Institute of Medicine study committee reported monday. Arthur h. Rubenstein a University of Chicago professor said biomedical research has seen increased stresses from Competition for decreased fund ing. And he said the race to develop drugs makes scientific misconduct More Likely than a decade ago. All of these create new stresses herein people would be More Apt to get involved in misconduct Rubenstein said at a news conference. The traditional methods of guarding against research fraud May not be adequate at this  a report released by the committee monday said excessively permissive attitude by institutions tends to allow careless and sometimes fraudulent medical research. It said better research standards an systematic ways of investigating Laboratory irresponsibility Are needed. Although the committee believes that serious misconduct in science is rare. It concludes that institutions fail to detect and Correct Early deviant behaviour primarily because of an excessively permissive research Environ ment that tolerates careless practices the committee report said. Funding pressures and an overemphasis on publication of research in scientific journals also encourage what the com Mittee called substandard  the Institute of Medicine chartered by the National Academy of sciences organized the 17-member committee in 1987 after a series of fraudulent and careless Laboratory reports had come to Light. The committee was charged with developing proposals to strengthen professional standards in the nation s Federal and academic laboratories. Few institutions the report said have explicit research guidelines and this Al lows the system to tolerate substandard activities by a Small number of individual investigators who fail to observe generally accepted  the committee said that in the Pas decade there have been incidents of serious research misconduct at Massachusetts general Hospital Yale University Cornell University Harvard medical school and Boston University. These incidents the study said raised new questions about the ability of academic institutions to conduct objective investigations of misconduct by their own faculty members or research  a system of peer review and replication of research findings has been Standard Way to guard against science error in the past the committee said. But it said this system has failed be cause findings often Aren t checked by replication in other laboratories and the peer review system depends on Trust which can be misplaced. The committee noted that researchers Are pressured to build up a list of publications to which they have contributed. Academic advancement and salary in creases can depend upon the number of publications. Kitty Dukakis optimistic on recovery father says Boston up Kitty Dukakis is optimistic about getting better after her first week in an alcohol treatment Center her father said. Dukakis wife of gov. Michael Dukakis entered Edgehill Newport inc. In Rhode Island on feb. 5. Her Hus band said letdown after his nov. 8 loss to president Bush prompted her to turn to alcohol. The governor his two daughters and his father in Law Harry Ellis Dickson visited the Massachusetts first lady on saturday. She never looked better Dickson associate conductor of the Boston pops orchestra said in monday s bos ton Herald. Kitty is very optimistic about get Ting better. She has a very positive Atti tude and she seems very Happy. The mail has been  Reagan and Barbara Bush both wrote warm encouraging letters just As Many other people from All walks of life everywhere have. Everyone has been wonderful and Kitty is very  Dukakis is expected to remain at the facility for 30 Days. The visit Mark the second time she has sought formal care for addiction problems. In 1982, she entered the Hazeldon foundation in Minnesota for treat ment of a 26-year dependence on amphetamines. Boy spends 30 minutes submerged in icy River Dayton Ohio a an 11 year old boy who fell through ice on the great Miami River and was submerged for about 30 minutes could survive the ordeal according to doctors. Deon Jones of Dayton was listed in critical condition monday at children s medical Center. Doctors said he began breathing again after rescuers pulled him from the icy water just North of downtown on sunday afternoon. We believe he was under about 30 minutes said or. Richard Donnini who treated the boy before he was Tran feared to children s medical Center. He does have a pulse and he is starting to respond. He does have a  Jones fell through the ice sometime after 1 30 . Sunday according to Dayton police. Two other children who were with him ran to get help. Fire department divers used Exten Sion ladders Laid Over the ice to Rescue Jones who was about 50 feet from Shore authorities said. Jones was face Down in the water said firefighter Tom Bour Quin. His jacket was making him float a Little  officials said the cold water which can reduce Many body functions and thus limit the need for oxygen gave the boy a better Chance to survive