GRS annual report 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

The report summarizes the tasks and objectives of the GRS and gives an account of the activities in the year under review, including a report of the managing board and the organizational tree. The various projects performed and activities accompanying research work are discussed in detail. Information is given on activities in cooperation with foreign organisations, and on publications and conference papers by members of the GRS. (DG) [de

IPSN activity report 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

The IPSN (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire) carries out for the Government, studies and inspections on nuclear installations at many life steps (design, realisation, exploitation, shutdown and dismantling). To obtain quality researches, the Institut performs studies in all domains concerned by the safety and its improvement. The main projects of the year 1999, in the following topics are presented: the nuclear installations and the radioactive wastes safety, the crisis and nuclear materials management, the human and the environment protection, the international activities and cooperation, the quality insurance. It provides also information on the cooperation, the budget, the human resource policy and the communication activities. (A.L.B.)

Report of Activity, 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacoste, Andre-Claude; Livolant, Michel

1998-01-01

The Institute of Nuclear Protection and Safety (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire) - IPSN carries out research and expert studies needed in managing nuclear risk and consequences of nuclear events on population and environment, i.e. supervises the safety of installations, the prevention and study of accidents, the human health and environmental conditions, the safety of transport and has also the task of organizing the management of the crisis situations. IPSN has the mission of informing the public and participates in numerous international actions. Thus, since 1989 IPSN and its German counterpart, GRS, co-operate towards improving of the nuclear safety in Europe and developing a common approach of international issues. As acting for public authorities (government departments in charge with industry, environment, health or labor), IPSN grants technical authorizations on request of DSIN exploiters. The IPSN personnel amounts up to 1300 employees of whom around two thirds are engineers, researchers, physicians, agronomists, and veterinarians. This IPSN annual report contains in the 'Free Tribune' section two general papers entitled: 'The federalist role of research at IPSN' by Catherine Lecompte and 'The dose, a central issue in radioprotection debates' by Annie Sugier. Then five sub-reports follow: 1.The safety of nuclear facilities and radioactive wastes; 2.Crisis management; 3. The management of sensitive materials (protection and control of sensitive materials and safety analysis of the radioactive materials transport); 4.Protection of human health; 5.Environment protection. The report also presents the international activities, the cooperation IPSN/GRS, the budget, the staff and the human resource policy and the communication activity

IPSN activity report 1999; Rapport d'activite de l'IPSN 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

The IPSN (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire) carries out for the Government, studies and inspections on nuclear installations at many life steps (design, realisation, exploitation, shutdown and dismantling). To obtain quality researches, the Institut performs studies in all domains concerned by the safety and its improvement. The main projects of the year 1999, in the following topics are presented: the nuclear installations and the radioactive wastes safety, the crisis and nuclear materials management, the human and the environment protection, the international activities and cooperation, the quality insurance. It provides also information on the cooperation, the budget, the human resource policy and the communication activities. (A.L.B.)

Scientific and technical report, 2000 of the IPSN; Rapport scientifique et technique 2000 de l'IPSN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

IPSN (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire) is responsible for dealing with all aspects in the evaluation of safety of nuclear installations involving the human factors. To achieve its objectives, it conducts its own research and development activities on these themes. This report highlights the most significant scientific and technical achievements of the Institut in 2000. Twenty eight reports are presented, grouped in eight sessions, each ones opened by a review paper: the reactors safety, the installations safety, the radioactive materials and transport safety, the public health, the environment protection, the radioactive wastes safety, the crisis management and the IPSN installations. The international research program Phebus PF is detailed, technical progresses concerning the steam generators nondestructive testing or the impact of automation on operator performance are also presented. One session deals with the criticality studies and risk assessment. The control and surveillance of nuclear materials form the subject of research programs and experiments as well as the transport safety. Concerning the public and environment protection inspections, epidemiological studies, radionuclides transportation and radio-contaminant behavior are reported. In the domain of the radioactive wastes safety, the deep underground storage and the model MELODIE are presented. Examples of accidents or the INEX2 exercise are also discussed. (A.L.B.)

Cabri - water loop a new IPSN-OECD international research program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2001-01-01

In 1993, the Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire (IPSN, the French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Institute) working with EDF (electric utilities) and backed by the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission, USA) launched a research program, dubbed Cabri REP Na addressing uranium oxide-based fuels and MOX fuels. So far twelve tests have been conducted including eight on UO 2 fuel and four on MOX fuel. More testing is now required to determine fuel performance at higher specific burn-up levels in typical PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) conditions, the purpose being to determine the acceptance criteria for tomorrow's fuels. IPSN has defined a new research program for the Cabri reactor. The OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency is quarterbacking the international program called 'Cabri-Water Loop'. (authors)

IPSN's experimental programmes on fires; Les recherches experimentales de l'IPSN sur les feux

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-06

Every year fires occur in nuclear installations as they do in any industrial facility. They feed on cables, electrical equipment cabinets, oils, solvents..., they might lead to the degradation of the safety standard of the installation or they might threaten the confinement of radioactive materials. In this document IPSN presents its experimental programmes and its facilities in Saclay and Cadarache designed to study the triggering and the propagation of fires and flames in closed and ventilated premises. (A.C.)

Report of Activity, 1997; Rapport d'activite, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lacoste, Andre-Claude; Livolant, Michel [eds.] [Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire, CEA Centre d' Etudes de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France)

1998-07-01

The Institute of Nuclear Protection and Safety (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire) - IPSN carries out research and expert studies needed in managing nuclear risk and consequences of nuclear events on population and environment, i.e. supervises the safety of installations, the prevention and study of accidents, the human health and environmental conditions, the safety of transport and has also the task of organizing the management of the crisis situations. IPSN has the mission of informing the public and participates in numerous international actions. Thus, since 1989 IPSN and its German counterpart, GRS, co-operate towards improving of the nuclear safety in Europe and developing a common approach of international issues. As acting for public authorities (government departments in charge with industry, environment, health or labor), IPSN grants technical authorizations on request of DSIN exploiters. The IPSN personnel amounts up to 1300 employees of whom around two thirds are engineers, researchers, physicians, agronomists, and veterinarians. This IPSN annual report contains in the 'Free Tribune' section two general papers entitled: 'The federalist role of research at IPSN' by Catherine Lecompte and 'The dose, a central issue in radioprotection debates' by Annie Sugier. Then five sub-reports follow: 1.The safety of nuclear facilities and radioactive wastes; 2.Crisis management; 3. The management of sensitive materials (protection and control of sensitive materials and safety analysis of the radioactive materials transport); 4.Protection of human health; 5.Environment protection. The report also presents the international activities, the cooperation IPSN/GRS, the budget, the staff and the human resource policy and the communication activity.

Scientific and technical report, 2000 of the IPSN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

IPSN (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire) is responsible for dealing with all aspects in the evaluation of safety of nuclear installations involving the human factors. To achieve its objectives, it conducts its own research and development activities on these themes. This report highlights the most significant scientific and technical achievements of the Institut in 2000. Twenty eight reports are presented, grouped in eight sessions, each ones opened by a review paper: the reactors safety, the installations safety, the radioactive materials and transport safety, the public health, the environment protection, the radioactive wastes safety, the crisis management and the IPSN installations. The international research program Phebus PF is detailed, technical progresses concerning the steam generators nondestructive testing or the impact of automation on operator performance are also presented. One session deals with the criticality studies and risk assessment. The control and surveillance of nuclear materials form the subject of research programs and experiments as well as the transport safety. Concerning the public and environment protection inspections, epidemiological studies, radionuclides transportation and radio-contaminant behavior are reported. In the domain of the radioactive wastes safety, the deep underground storage and the model MELODIE are presented. Examples of accidents or the INEX2 exercise are also discussed. (A.L.B.)

The missions of the IPSN in the event of a nuclear emergency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dallendre, R.

2001-01-01

Due to the potential consequences of an accident in a nuclear facility, a national emergency organization was constituted in France, in order to have the capacity to implement countermeasures necessary to protect the surrounding population from the consequences of radioactive releases. The Institute for Nuclear Safety and Protection (IPSN), the technical support of the French nuclear safety authority, provides the technical support needed in this decision-making process. So, in the event of an accident arising at a nuclear facility, the IPSN would set up an Emergency Response Technical Centre (ERTC) at Fontenay-aux-Roses (Hauts-de-Seine). The IPSN's objectives are: - to diagnose the state of the nuclear facility and to monitor its development, - to prepare prognosis for the evolution of the accident and to give an estimation of the associated consequences according to the situation evolution, - to estimate the risk of radioactive releases and the consequences on man and on the environment, mainly on the basis of weather forecasts and on the prognosis. This diagnosis-prognosis approach is build-up, in case of a PWR, with the information on the state of the installation given by the concerned site via audio-conference system and faxes and by the security panels of the nuclear power plant. To perform its missions, the ERTC, which has to be both safe (a failure must not prevent the management of crisis situation) and secure, uses multiple telecommunication resources to dialogue with partners and also mapping computer systems, data bases and software tools: - the SESAME system, which gives, during an accident of a PWR, a calculation method for the diagnosis-prognosis aforesaid, - the CONRAD system, which calculates the atmospheric dispersal of radioactive substances and consequences in the environment in the early phase of an accident, - the ASTRAL code, which allows to cope with long-lasting situations. In order to be operational, the IPSN experts regularly undergo

TOUGH2-GRS version 1. User manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Navarro, Martin; Eckel, Jens

2016-07-15

TOUGH2 is a code for the simulation of multi-phase flow processes in porous media that has been developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, California, USA. Since 1991, GRS has been using the code for process analyses and safety assessments for deep geological repositories and has extended the code by several processes that are relevant for repository systems. The TOUGH2 source code that has been developed further by GRS is referred to as TOUGH2-GRS. The present report presents code version 1.1.g, which was developed in project UM13 A 03400 sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB).

Nuclear safety in eastern countries. Background of IPSN's actions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

In this document, IPSN presents its opinion about the safety level that might be reached by the nuclear power plants situated in the former-USSR countries. In these countries 2 types of fission reactors are operating: VVER and RBMK with respectively 46 units and 14 units. 3 generations of VVER-type reactors are coexisting: 440 MWe-230, 440 MWe-213 and 1000 MWe-320. The first generation (440 MWe-230) which involves 11 operating units are the least safe and by no means is it possible to make them reach the western standard of safety. The second generation (440 MWe-213) require technical modifications to near western safety standards. The last generation (1000 MWe-320) has safety levels very similar to PWR's if operating procedures are modified and adapted. RBMK-type reactors have been designed in the years 60-70, they suffer from generic defects due to their design, the poor quality of materials and their low reliability. IPSN fears that any incident in such reactors might turn into a major accident. In order to improve nuclear safety in eastern countries, the European Union has launched an international cooperation, the programmes PHARE and TACIS are presented. (A.C.)

Methods and tools used at the IPSN for the safety assessment of critical software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regnier, P.; Henry, J.Y.

1998-01-01

A significant feature of EDF's latest 1400MWe ''N4'' generation of pressurized water reactor (PWR) is the extensive use of computerized instrumentation and control, including a fully digital system for the reactor protection function. For the safety assessment of the software driving the operation of this digital reactor protection called SPIN, IPSN has developed and implemented a set of methods and tools. Using the lessons learned from this experience, IPSN has worked at improving those methods and tools, mainly trying to make them more automatic to use, and has participated in an international assessment exercise to test some other methods and tools, either new products on the market or self-developed products. As a result of these works, this paper presents an up to date overview of the IPSN methods and tools used for the assessment of safety critical software. This assessment, which consists of an analysis of all the documentation associated with the technical specifications and of a representative set of functions, is usually carried out in five steps: (1) critical examination of the documents, (2) evaluation of the quality of the code, (3) determination of the critical software components, (4) development of test cases and choice of testing strategy, (5) dynamic analysis (consistency and robustness). This paper also presents methods and tools developed or implemented by IPSN in order to: evaluate the completeness and consistency of specification and design documents written in natural language; build a model and simulate specification or design items; evaluate the quality of the source code; carry out FMEA analysis; run the binary code and perform tests (CLAIRE); perform random or mutational tests. (author)

Status of the ASTEC integral code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Dorsselaere, J.P.; Jacq, F.; Allelein, H.J.

2000-01-01

The ASTEC (Accident Source Term Evaluation Code) integrated code is developed since 1997 in close collaboration by IPSN and GRS to predict an entire LWR severe accident sequence from the initiating event up to Fission Product (FP) release out of the containment. The applications of such a code are source term determination studies, scenario evaluations, accident management studies and Probabilistic Safety Assessment level 2 (PSA-2) studies. The version V0 of ASTEC is based on the RCS modules of the ESCADRE integrated code (IPSN) and on the upgraded RALOC and FIPLOC codes (GRS) for containment thermalhydraulics and aerosol behaviour. The latest version V0.2 includes the general feed-back from the overall validation performed in 1998 (25 separate-effect experiments, PHEBUS.FP FPT1 integrated experiment), some modelling improvements (i.e. silver-iodine reactions in the containment sump), and the implementation of the main safety systems for Severe Accident Management. Several reactor-applications are under way on French and German PWR, and on VVER-1000, all with a multi-compartment configuration of the containment. The total IPSN-GRS manpower involved in ASTEC project is today about 20 men/year. The main evolution of the next version V1, foreseen end of 2001, concerns the integration of the front-end phase and the improvement of the in-vessel degradation late-phase modelling. (author)

Nuclear knowledge management: The GRS realisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beraha, D.; Westerheide, P.

2004-01-01

Full text: Knowledge has become a crucial factor in our information society in deciding whether companies will last into the future. The aim of knowledge management is to promote systematically the acquisition, use, and distribution of knowledge in an organisation and to initiate measures for improving the knowledge processes. It therefore has a strategic significance for corporate decisions. The GRS faces the challenge of helping to shape the status and use of science and technology even in conditions in which many experts are retiring for age reasons. Knowledge management makes an essential contribution here. Methods and tools of knowledge management that support these activities will be outlined in the final paper. It will show also the ways of how systematic knowledge management in the GRS and its integration into projects is being performed. The approach of knowledge management for strengthening this factor consists in systematically analysing the knowledge-related processes in the identification, acquisition, sharing, distribution, use, retention, and growth of knowledge and in developing methods with the aim of managing knowledge processes better in the company. Advanced information technology enables knowledge-orientated methods ('enabling technologies') to be supported and put to good practical use. The acute lack of newcomers in the field of nuclear techniques and the narrowing financial situation are strengthening the GRS approach. To show the operational actions of knowledge management in a complete form a knowledge model has been introduced at GRS that puts the different fields of action into context with the normative and strategic goals. That model will be presented. A further section will illuminate the supporting means for practical knowledge management, whether these are procedures for the daily work or tools like the GRS Portal, the Document Management System or tools for online collaboration. Under its caption 'project oriented knowledge

Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS). Annual report 2010/2011; Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS). Jahresbericht 2010/2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

The annual report 2010/11 of the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) covers the following topics: organization, corporate development and public relations; reactor accident in Fukushima; Projects and work priorities (reactor safety; waste management; radiation and environmental protection; international projects); project management and project support; equity participations and subsidiaries (RISKAUDIT IRSN/GRS International; institute for safety technologies (ISTec), European Nuclear Safety Training and Tutoring Institute (ENSTTI)).

Annual report 1986 of Society for Reactor Safety (GRS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

The overall development of Society for Reactor Safety (GRS) is indicated by its annual volume of achievement. After initially high growth rates that achievement has come to stand at some 62 million marks or so over the last years. GRS today employs some 450 staff, of which 325 are scientific-technical experts representing altogether nearly 4000 man-years of experience in nuclear technology. The report presents essential results from the main points of activity of GRS over 10 years. In accordance with the aim of the institution they primarily cover projects in the sectors safety and radiation protection for nuclear facilities. Since 1985, since the extension of its contract of associates, GRS has also increasingly been concerned with safety questions in non-nuclear technology, concentrating mainly on the transfer of existing methods. (orig./DG) [de

Risks and safety perception. IPSN barometer october 1999. Synthesis; Perception des risques et de la securite barometre IPSN octobre 1999 synthese

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-10-01

An opinion investigation was realized in october 1999 by the IPSN to know the public opinion concerning the risks and safety perception. Five subjects were treated: the public care subjects (social and environment); the science and scientists image; the food risks; the opinion on the nuclear activities (interveners ability and credibility, nuclear controversy, radioactive wastes and nuclear accidents); the french people cares about the risks. The methodology and the analysis of the poll results are detailed. Tables of data investigation are also included. (A.L.B.)

GRS current activities in East-European countries overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teske, H.; Janke, R.

2001-01-01

This report presents the following items: agreement between the Federal Government and Utility Companies about the future utilization of the existing nuclear power plants in Germany, June 2001; GRS current activities in the Eastern European countries; science-technical co-operation with Russia; assessment of safety significance of the events for German NPP; Leningrad in-depth safety assessment, co-operation SEC NRS and GRS

The Management System of a TSO, the Example of GRS, Germany. Annex V

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2018-01-01

The Integrated Management System of GRS (Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit gGmbH) as well as its quality policy and the principles are described in the Management Manual with the current version being certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 by TÜV Rheinland Cert (Germany) and in the Organization Manual of GRS. The Management Manual of Quality (QMM) comprises process descriptions, technical instructions, and standard documents. The Management Manual is accessible via the intranet of GRS. The QMM as well as other information and support services can be delivered upon request to the following email-address: scc@grs.de. The central GRS intranet website of the Integrated Management System gives all staff at GRS quick access to all internal management documents. Through the internal online news bulletin the staff of GRS is informed by the Key Quality Manager (KQM) about the release of new versions of the QMM which is structured according to the table of contents provided.

Present status of iodine research at IPSN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bardelay, J [IPSN/DPEA/SEAC (France)

1996-12-01

Since several years, IPSN has conducted an effort in order to evaluate the release of radioactive iodine in case of hypothetical severe accident in a realistic manner. This source-term evaluation is performed with IODE code which is a module of the EXCADRE system of codes. This code is validated against: -analytical experiments: in these experiments, IPSN studies radiolytic effects and chemical processes in the sump, organic formation, mass transfer, effect of spray (CARAIDAS experiment), - the CAIMAN semi global experiment; this experiment will allow to study the phenomena linked to iodine behavior under representative containment geometry in the presence of painted surfaces and global irradiation, - the PHEBUS FP program. The paper consists to describe succinctly the current status of IODE and the various experiments for its validation. In case of hypothetical severe accident iodine can induce important perturbations of human organism. The effects are principally radiological, in particular on the thyroid. At short term, radioactive iodine is the most important contributor for the sanitary risk. It represents 55% of effective dose and 92% of thyroid dose at 10 km in case of controlled rejects with current assumptions. This is the reason why it must be actively studied. In France, the safety evaluations are performed with mechanistic codes or lumped parameter codes like EXCADRE which contains a module devoted to iodine studies: IODINE. The objective of the French experimental program on iodine is to understand and quantify important phenomena in order to put kinetic parameters in IODE module. The experiments can be classified in analytical experiments, the semi-global experiment CAIMAN which takes into account different phenomena studied in analytical experiments and the global experiment PHEBUS PF, not only devoted to iodine behavior study. In the following text we will present the needs of IODINE code and these different experiments. (author).

Present status of iodine research at IPSN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bardelay, J.

1996-01-01

Since several years, IPSN has conducted an effort in order to evaluate the release of radioactive iodine in case of hypothetical severe accident in a realistic manner. This source-term evaluation is performed with IODE code which is a module of the EXCADRE system of codes. This code is validated against: -analytical experiments: in these experiments, IPSN studies radiolytic effects and chemical processes in the sump, organic formation, mass transfer, effect of spray (CARAIDAS experiment), - the CAIMAN semi global experiment; this experiment will allow to study the phenomena linked to iodine behavior under representative containment geometry in the presence of painted surfaces and global irradiation, - the PHEBUS FP program. The paper consists to describe succinctly the current status of IODE and the various experiments for its validation. In case of hypothetical severe accident iodine can induce important perturbations of human organism. The effects are principally radiological, in particular on the thyroid. At short term, radioactive iodine is the most important contributor for the sanitary risk. It represents 55% of effective dose and 92% of thyroid dose at 10 km in case of controlled rejects with current assumptions. This is the reason why it must be actively studied. In France, the safety evaluations are performed with mechanistic codes or lumped parameter codes like EXCADRE which contains a module devoted to iodine studies: IODINE. The objective of the French experimental program on iodine is to understand and quantify important phenomena in order to put kinetic parameters in IODE module. The experiments can be classified in analytical experiments, the semi-global experiment CAIMAN which takes into account different phenomena studied in analytical experiments and the global experiment PHEBUS PF, not only devoted to iodine behavior study. In the following text we will present the needs of IODINE code and these different experiments. (author)

Risks and safety perception. IPSN barometer october 1999. Synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-10-01

An opinion investigation was realized in october 1999 by the IPSN to know the public opinion concerning the risks and safety perception. Five subjects were treated: the public care subjects (social and environment); the science and scientists image; the food risks; the opinion on the nuclear activities (interveners ability and credibility, nuclear controversy, radioactive wastes and nuclear accidents); the french people cares about the risks. The methodology and the analysis of the poll results are detailed. Tables of data investigation are also included. (A.L.B.)

National campaign of measurement of domestic exposure to radon IPSN-DGS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gailliez, E.

2000-10-01

The radon atlas in accommodation, published by the Institute of Nuclear Protection and Safety (I.P.S.N.) and the General Direction of Health (D.G.S.), and available from http://www.ipsn.fr, presents maps and statistical elements from 12 641 measures made in 10013 communes, from 1982 up to and including 1999. The objective pursued is to estimate in an overall way the French population exposure to domestic radon. An update is planned regularly (every two years). In its present version, the modesty of the measures number and the local strong disparities make very difficult the identification of risk areas at the communal level: high voluminal activities can be noticed in any commune; whereas a housing situated in a commune classified in the highest group will not show inescapably a strong concentration in radon leading to take rapid measures. The average value of radon voluminal activity measured in France is 90 Bq. by m 3 . For the risk management, the authorities have kept the value of 400 Bq. by m 3 as caution objective and this one of 1000 Bq. by m 3 as alert threshold, in yearly average value. (N.C.)

Goals, organisation and means of the French IPSN emergency technical center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chauliac, C.; Manesse, D.; Crabol, B.; Ney, J.

1990-01-01

In France, in case of an accident in a nuclear installation, a national emergency organization would be set up. It involves close collaboration between the safety authorities and the operating utility. The above arrangement consists mainly in a decision-making level (the Emergency Centre of the SCSIN) and a think tank (the Emergency Technical Centre of the IPSN). During the early phase of the accident (corresponding to the off-site emergency response plan, or PPI in french), the IPSN Emergency Technical Center (ETC) is organized round a management unit receiving analysis data from two working parties, one studying the situation within the damaged plant (plant assessment unit) and the other concerned with assessing the radiological consequences of the accident (radiological consequence unit). During the intermediate phase of the accident (corresponding to the off-site post-accident response plan, or PPA in french), the plant assessment unit is removed from the organization and the radiological consequence unit is transformed in a post-accident unit with the presence of new experts in the fields of agriculture, hydrology, hydrogeology,.... In both phases, an other unit of the ETC (the operational unit) is in charge of the co-ordination of the intervention means of the CEA which are, on request, placed at the public authorities disposal

The outburst duration and duty cycle of GRS1915+105

Science.gov (United States)

Deegan, Patrick; Combet, Céline; Wynn, Graham A.

2009-12-01

The extraordinarily long outburst of GRS1915+105 makes it one of the most remarkable low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). It has been in a state of constant outburst since its discovery in 1992, an eruption which has persisted ~100 times longer than those of more typical LXMBs. The long orbital period of GRS1915+105 implies that it contains large and massive accretion disc which is able to fuel its extreme outburst. In this paper, we address the longevity of the outburst and quiescence phases of GRS1915+105 using smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of its accretion disc through many outburst cycles. Our model is set in the two-α framework and includes the effects of the thermoviscous instability, tidal torques, irradiation by central X-rays and wind mass loss. We explore the model parameter space and examine the impact of the various ingredients. We predict that the outburst of GRS1915+105 should last a minimum of 20yr and possibly up to ~100yr if X-ray irradiation is very significant. The predicted recurrence times are of the order of 104yr, making the X-ray duty cycle a few 0.1 per cent. Such a low duty cycle may mean that GRS1915+105 is not an anomaly among the more standard LMXBs and that many similar, but quiescent, systems could be present in the Galaxy.

Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS). Annual report 2010/2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

The annual report 2010/11 of the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) covers the following topics: organization, corporate development and public relations; reactor accident in Fukushima; Projects and work priorities (reactor safety; waste management; radiation and environmental protection; international projects); project management and project support; equity participations and subsidiaries (RISKAUDIT IRSN/GRS International; institute for safety technologies (ISTec), European Nuclear Safety Training and Tutoring Institute (ENSTTI)).

Multi-Wavelength Monitoring of GRS 1915+105

Science.gov (United States)

Bandyopadhyay, R.; Martini, P.; Gerard, E.; Charles, P. A.; Wagner, R. M.; Shrader, C.; Shahbaz, T.; Mirabel, I. F.

1997-01-01

Since its discovery in 1992, the superluminal X-ray transient GRS 1915+105 has been extensively observed in an attempt to understand its behaviour. We present here first results from a multi-wavelength campaign undertaken from July to September 1996. This study includes X-ray data from the RXTE All Sky Monitor and BATSE, two-frequency data from the Nancay radio telescope, and infrared photometry from the 1.8 m Perkins telescope at Lowell Observatory. The first long-term well-sampled IR light curve of GRS 1915+105 is presented herein and is consistent with the interpretation of this source as a long-period binary. We compare the various light curves, searching for correlations in the behaviour of the source at differing wavelengths and for possible periodicities.

The I.P.S.N. barometer on the risk perception and the safety, a tool of opinion follow up on the risks in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charron, S.; Mansoux, H.

2001-01-01

The risk perception by the public is one of the policy elements of management, information, communication on the nuclear. the I.P.S.N. is working since 1977 on the psycho-social aspects of the risk. It makes inquiries about public opinion, attitudes, credibility of diffused information. The results of these polls are gathered in the I.P.S.N. barometer of the risk and safety perception and constitutes an unique tool in France by the number of data and their follow up in time. (N.C.)

Suspicion of radiological accident in Georgia. The role of the IPSN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voisin, P.; Lebaron-Jacobs, L.; Bottollier-Depois, J.-F.; Gourmelon, P.

2000-01-01

At the end of July '98, three sources of 137 Cs (between 0.17 and 150 GBq) were found in the vicinity of the village of Matkhoji, located at 300 km in the West of Tbilissi. They would come from an old Russian military base, abandoned since 1992 and used now as pasture and playground for the children. The Georgian Ecological Department consequently required assistance to IAEA which sent a mission to the site. It is come out from these investigations that a chronic exposure of a part of the population of the village was not to exclude. Thus, the IAEA asked for the technical assistance of the IPSN. A mission, made up of 4 people of the IPSN and a representative of the IAEA, went to the site from 12 to 17 October 1998. This mission collected information on the circumstances of the exposure and selected a potentially involved cohort of 112 people, in three groups: children of more than five years and adults of less than 50 years attending the site, members of the family who had a source in their cattle shed. An analysis of hematologic parameters was performed on these people and 85 blood samples were taken for a biological dosimetry. The hematologic analysis carried out on the spot did not show any particular anomaly. The biological dosimetry by scoring of unstable chromosome aberrations (dicentric, rings centric, fragments) in blood peripheral lymphocytes was performed on blood samples after air transportation to the specialised laboratory (LDBM) of the IPSN. Two successive procedures were initiated. The first one is a quick phase of triage not very precise but intended to check if some out of these people presented obvious signs of irradiation. Only 50 cells were observed by individuals. Seven days were needed to complete this phase. Dicentrics were found in three people only for a whole-body dose not exceeding 0.5 Gy on average. This triage was followed of a more complete but longer expertise, since the chromosome aberrations were searched in 250 cells. Two months

International activities of the GRS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antoni, R.; Hachenberg, G.; Schally, P.

1990-01-01

The individual activities fall into three main subject areas, each with differing objectives and functions: Cooperation in multilateral and bilateral bodies and organizations, cooperation in international research projects, performance of safety analyses. In addition to describing the international activities of GRS, the paper also shows how complexly interwoven the safety of nuclear facilities is at the international level, and how varied initiatives are required in order to ensure effective cooperation in the various fields. (orig.) [de

Communications in case of radiological emergency: expertise exchange between IPSN and two agricultural branches of the region Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berthier, Laure; Pupin, Vincent

1997-01-01

A patrimonial audit organized by the 'Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire' (IPSN) has mobilized the expertise of specialists in the nuclear sector and two sensible agricultural branches (salads and sheep) in Province-Alpes-Cote d'Azur (PACA) on the topic of communications among them in case of contamination of region (radiological emergency situation). Having in view their offers and requests of information we have identified the common fields of action involving the four concerned high-ranking actors of different culture: agricultural Administration, agricultural professionals, nuclear sector authorities and elected persons. We have analyzed the actions already completed in this field and established that the Chernobyl accident was a graveyard from the point of view of mobilization and awareness of actors. A project in the future allowed the determination of the stake implied in the relation between IPSN and the two branches and thus to establish the conditions of reaction in case of radiological emergency. Hence, we were able to make propositions to IPSN for building a French agro-nuclear expertise based upon a relation network covering (and even surpassing) the studied agricultural branches

Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS). Annual report 2013/14; Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS). Jahresbericht 2013/14

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2016-02-15

The annual report 2013/14 of the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) includes projects and key activities on the following issues: reactor safety, waste disposal, radiation protection, environmental protection and the support of foreign authorities and TSO. The project executing organizations, the governmental funding, share holding and subsidiaries are summarized.

Scientific codes developed and used at GRS. Nuclear simulation chain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaffrath, Andreas; Sonnenkalb, Martin; Sievers, Juergen; Luther, Wolfgang; Velkov, Kiril [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, Garching/Muenchen (Germany). Forschungszentrum

2016-05-15

Over 60 technical experts of the reactor safety research division of the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH are developing and validating reliable methods and computer codes - summarized under the term nuclear simulation chain - for the safety-related assessment for all types of nuclear power plants (NPP) and other nuclear facilities considering the current state of science and technology. This nuclear simulation chain has to be able to simulate and assess all relevant physical processes and phenomena for all operating states and (severe) accidents. In the present contribution, the nuclear simulation chain developed and applied by GRS as well as selected examples of its application are presented. The latter demonstrate impressively the width of its scope and its performance. The GRS codes can be passed on request to other (national as well as international) organizations. This contributes to a worldwide increase of the nuclear safety standards. The code transfer is especially important for developing and emerging countries lacking the financial means and/or the necessary know-how for this purpose. At the end of this contribution, the respective course of action is described.

GRS annual report 1991/92

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

Even in the year under report, the publications of the Society for Reactor Safety (GRS) - a consulting firm in matters of science and technology - were a substantial contribution to the further optimization of safety in nuclear installations. The basic principle in this respect is that statements made with regard to safety should be backed by comprehensive research and development (R+D) done by the society itself. The centralized registration, assessment and utilization of operationa experience, incidents and accidents consitute the essential element of the safety-relevant evaluation of nuclear power stations. (orig./HP) [de

Safety significance of component ageing, exemplary for MOV, based on French and German operating experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morlent, O. [CEA Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France). Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire; Michel, F. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Garching (Germany)

2001-07-01

An outline is given of how IPSN and GRS assess the effects of physical ageing on the safety of French and German Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) on the basis of the available knowledge and how investigations are carried out. The presentation is focused exemplary on a preliminary study illustrating approaches for the evaluation of the ageing behaviour of active components, the motor-operated valves (MOV). The results so far seems to demonstrate that the developed methodological approaches are suitable to obtain qualitative evidence with regard to the ageing behaviour of technical facilities such as MOV. The evaluation of the operating experience with French 900 MWe plants seems to reveal, for MOV of one system, a trend similar to some international findings about ageing-related events with increasing operating time; this trend will have to be confirmed. For the German NPPs so far, there appears to be no significant increase of ageing-related events concerning MOV as the plants get older. Future work on ageing scheduled at IPSN and GRS includes further cooperation on this issue, too; a deep analysis is necessary to explain the reasons of such apparent differences before any conclusion. (authors)

Safety significance of component ageing, exemplary for MOV, based on French and German operating experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morlent, O.

2001-01-01

An outline is given of how IPSN and GRS assess the effects of physical ageing on the safety of French and German Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) on the basis of the available knowledge and how investigations are carried out. The presentation is focused exemplary on a preliminary study illustrating approaches for the evaluation of the ageing behaviour of active components, the motor-operated valves (MOV). The results so far seems to demonstrate that the developed methodological approaches are suitable to obtain qualitative evidence with regard to the ageing behaviour of technical facilities such as MOV. The evaluation of the operating experience with French 900 MWe plants seems to reveal, for MOV of one system, a trend similar to some international findings about ageing-related events with increasing operating time; this trend will have to be confirmed. For the German NPPs so far, there appears to be no significant increase of ageing-related events concerning MOV as the plants get older. Future work on ageing scheduled at IPSN and GRS includes further cooperation on this issue, too; a deep analysis is necessary to explain the reasons of such apparent differences before any conclusion. (authors)

Parameters of the CGCS 2000 Ellipsoid and Comparisons with GRS 80 and WGS 84

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CHENG Pengfei

2016-02-01

Full Text Available According to the definition of China Geodetic Coordinate System 2000(CGCS 2000 and defined constants of the ellipsoid adopted by CGCS 2000,the other geometrical and physical parameters of this ellipsoid are derived and compared with that from GRS 80 and WGS 84,respectively.Meanwhile the coordinates and normal gravity on the CGCS 2000 ellipsoid are compared with that on WGS 84 and GRS 80.The difference between the normal gravity on CGCS 2000 ellipsoid and that on GRS 80 is about -143.54×10-8 m/s2,while it is 0.02×10-8 m/s2 compared to WGS 84.The longitudes of a point on these three ellipsoids are the same,but the maximum difference of latitude between CGCS 2000 and GRS 80 is 8.26×10-11 arc seconds,which is about 2.5×10-6 mm,and the maximum difference of latitude between CGCS 2000 and WGS 84 is 3.6×10-6 arc seconds,which is about 0.11 mm.

GRS annual report 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Society and its staff have contributed to further improving the high degree of the achieved safety in nuclear engineering. On the national and international level the GRS keeps a steady position among the leading organizations for safety in nuclear engineering. Its main activities are: thermohydraulics, structural dynamics, reliability, man/machine communication and operating experiences. This technical orientation is supplemented by the overlapping effort of creating a balanced safety level in all fields of nuclear engineering. The technical control equipment has been considerably developed and improved during the past years. Emphasis has been laid on increased safety in the quality of the components and on the continued training and advanced training of the staff. (orig./HSCH) [de

Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS). Annual report 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butz, H.P.; Monheimius, I.; Berberich, G.

2000-01-01

The aim is to place GRS in a position to be able to adapt to the changed tasks in the nuclear sector, remain competent in all relevant issues of nuclear safety, and maintain an adequate number of qualified staff in spite of the extremely difficult situation with regard to finding junior nuclear engineers. Key elements of this concept are - an adaptation to the expected medium-term reduction of nuclear tasks by socially acceptable cuts in the number of staff over the coming five years, - a concentration of our own competencies, - partnerships with other capable organisations at home and abroad. The major tasks of GRS will remain to perform safety analyses and assessments in the fields of reactor safety, fuel supply, spent fuel management and disposal as well as to carry out nuclear and final repository safety research. (orig.) [de

QPO detection in superluminal black hole GRS 1915+105

Science.gov (United States)

Bhulla, Yashpal; Jaaffrey, S. N. A.

2018-05-01

We report on the first superluminal Black Hole GRS 1915+105 observed by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer - Proportion Counter Array (RXTE/PCA). We detect the Quasi Periodic Oscillations (QPOs) in the Power Density Spectrum (PDS) of source which have luminosity very near to Eddington limit and long variability in X-ray light curve. In power density spectrum, we deal with the study of highly variability amplitude, time evolution of the characteristic timescale, Quality Factor and Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM). We find significant QPOs in 15 different observation IDs with frequency around 67 Hz although quality factor nearly 20 but in two IDs frequency is found just double. Typical fractional rms for GRS 1915+105 is dominating the hard band increasing steeply with energy more than 13% at 20-40 keV band.

Validation of the RALOC-mod.4 thermal-hydraulics code on evaporation transients in the Phebus containment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spitz, P.B.; Lemoine, F.; Tirini, S.

1997-01-01

IPSN (Nuclear Protection and Safety Institute) and GRS (Gesellschaft fur Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit Schwertnergasse 1) are developing the ESCADRE-ASTEC systems of codes devoted to the prediction of the behaviour of water-cooled reactors during a severe accident. The RALOC-mod 4 code belongs to this system and is specifically devoted to containment thermal-hydraulics studies. IPSN has designed a Thermal Hydraulic Containment Test Program in support to the Phebus Fission Product Test Program/2/. Evaporation tests have been recently performed in the Phebus containment test facility. The objective of this work is to assess against these tests the capability of the RALOC -mod 4 code to capture the phenomena observed in these experiments and more particularly the evaporation heat transfer and wall heat transfers. (DM)

Application of NASVD method in the CE1-GRS spectra analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Jia; Ge Liangquan; Xiong Shengqing

2010-01-01

From the spectral shape features of the Chang'e-1 gamma-ray spectrometer (CE1-GRS) spectra data of level 3, it is difficult to identify elemental composition of the lunar surface. The paper proposes using Noise Adjusted Singular Value Decomposition (NASVD) method to qualitative analysis of CE1-GRS spectra. The result shows that a number of possible elements such as U, Th, K, Fe, Ti, Si, O, Al, Mg and Ca are qualitatively determined by this method.On the other hand, for each measured spectrum, the absolute value of the amplitude corresponding to the first spectral component indicates the total activity of its corresponding lunar surface region's radioactivity. (authors)

Preservation of competence within the framework of knowledge management of GRS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beraha, D.; Erven, U.; Puhr-Westerheide, P.

2006-01-01

As a consequence of the loss of competence threatening to arise from the retirement of many experts, countermeasures in the form of expanded and improved training schemes and the development of knowledge management have been introduced by the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH. The new modules of basic as well as specialized training are described. A brief outline is given of the GRS Intranet portal with its integrated document management. The development of a portal for each project allows all project-related information to be combined. An account is presented of initial experience in using methods of knowledge representation and display, and an outlook is given into expected further developments. (orig.)

TSO Study Project on Development of a Common Safety Approach in the EU for Large Evolutionary Pressurised Water Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-10-01

In pursuance of the objectives of the Council Resolutions of 1975 and 1992 on the technological issues of nuclear safety, the European Commission (EC) is seeking to promote a sustained joint in-depth study on possible significant future nuclear power reactor safety cases. To that end the EC decided to support financially a study by the grouping of the European Union Technical Safety Organisations (TSOG). The general objective of the study programme was to promote, through a collaboration of European Union Technical Safety Organisations (TSOs), common views on technical safety issues related to large evolutionary PWRs in Europe, which could be ready for operation during the next decade. AVN (Belgium) (Technical project leader), AEA Technology (United Kingdom), ANPA (Italy) CIEMAT (Spain), GRS (Germany), IPSN (France), were the TSOs participating in the study which was co-ordinated by RISKAUDIT. The study focused notably on the EPR project initiated by the French and German utilities and vendors. It also considered relevant projects, even of plants of different size, developed outside the European Union in order to provide elements important for the safety characterisation and which could contribute to the credibility and confidence of EPR. It is expected that this study will constitute a significant step towards the development of a common safety approach in EU countries. The study constitutes an important step forward in the development of a common approach of the TSOs to the safety of advanced evolutionary pressurised water reactors. This goal was mainly achieved by an in-depth analysis of the key safety issues, taking into account new developments in the national technical safety objectives and in the EPR design. For this reason the Commission has decided to publish at least the present summary report containing the main outcomes of the TSO study. Confidentiality considerations unfortunately prevent the open publication of the full series of reports. (author)

2017 Laser Diagnostics in Combustion GRC/GRS

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-06

scientists and engineers . The goal of GRC was to bring together scientists and engineers with a strong interest in laser-based combustion diagnostics to...processes. The GRS, held the weekend before the GRC, was organized to bring together emerging leaders in the field at an early stage in their careers ...coupled multi-scale combustion processes. The GRC on Laser Diagnostics in Combustion was designed to bring together scientists and engineers working at

The quiescent state of the neutron-star X-ray transient GRS 1747-312 in the globular cluster Terzan 6

Science.gov (United States)

Vats, Smriti; Wijnands, Rudy; Parikh, Aastha S.; Ootes, Laura; Degenaar, Nathalie; Page, Dany

2018-04-01

We studied the transient neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary GRS 1747-312, located in the globular cluster Terzan 6, in its quiescent state after its outburst in August 2004, using an archival XMM-Newton observation. A source was detected in this cluster and its X-ray spectrum can be fitted with the combination of a soft, neutron-star atmosphere model and a hard, power-law model. Both contributed roughly equally to the observed 0.5-10 keV luminosity (˜4.8 × 1033 erg s-1). This type of X-ray spectrum is typically observed for quiescent neutron-star X-ray transients that are perhaps accreting in quiescence at very low rates. Therefore, if this X-ray source is the quiescent counterpart of GRS 1747-312, then this source is also accreting at low levels in-between outbursts. Since source confusion a likely problem in globular clusters, it is quite possible that part, if not all, of the emission we observed is not related to GRS 1747-312, and is instead associated with another source or conglomeration of sources in the cluster. Currently, it is not possible to determine exactly which part of the emission truly originates from GRS1747-312, and a Chandra observation (when no source is in outburst in Terzan 6) is needed to be conclusive. Assuming that the detected emission is due to GRS 1747-312, we discuss the observed results in the context of what is known about other quiescent systems. We also investigated the thermal evolution of the neutron-star in GRS 1747-312, and inferred that GRS 1747-312 can be considered a typical quiescent system under our assumptions.

The quiescent state of the neutron-star X-ray transient GRS 1747-312 in the globular cluster Terzan 6

Science.gov (United States)

Vats, Smriti; Wijnands, Rudy; Parikh, Aastha S.; Ootes, Laura; Degenaar, Nathalie; Page, Dany

2018-06-01

We studied the transient neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary GRS 1747-312, located in the globular cluster Terzan 6, in its quiescent state after its outburst in August 2004, using an archival XMM-Newton observation. A source was detected in this cluster and its X-ray spectrum can be fitted with the combination of a soft, neutron-star atmosphere model and a hard, power-law model. Both contributed roughly equally to the observed 0.5-10 keV luminosity (˜4.8 × 1033 erg s-1). This type of X-ray spectrum is typically observed for quiescent neutron-star X-ray transients that are perhaps accreting in quiescence at very low rates. Therefore, if this X-ray source is the quiescent counterpart of GRS 1747-312, then this source is also accreting at low levels in-between outbursts. Since source confusion is a likely problem in globular clusters, it is quite possible that part, if not all, of the emission we observed is not related to GRS 1747-312, and is instead associated with another source or conglomeration of sources in the cluster. Currently, it is not possible to determine exactly which part of the emission truly originates from GRS 1747-312, and a Chandra observation (when no source is in outburst in Terzan 6) is needed to be conclusive. Assuming that the detected emission is due to GRS 1747-312, we discuss the observed results in the context of what is known about other quiescent systems. We also investigated the thermal evolution of the neutron star in GRS 1747-312, and inferred that GRS 1747-312 can be considered a typical quiescent system under our assumptions.

Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS). Annual report 2013/14

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-02-01

The annual report 2013/14 of the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) includes projects and key activities on the following issues: reactor safety, waste disposal, radiation protection, environmental protection and the support of foreign authorities and TSO. The project executing organizations, the governmental funding, share holding and subsidiaries are summarized.

GRS - Guarantee of results for grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems; GRS - Garantierte Resultate von Solarstromanlagen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meier, Ch.; Frei, R.

2001-07-01

This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy describes the development of a performance guarantee for the power delivered by grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) power plant. This is important for investors, who need to be able to calculate the price of the energy produced by the PV plant. The report examines the results of various case studies and experience gained with GRS contracts developed in different countries including Switzerland, the Netherlands, France and Germany. The problems encountered, which provided feedback for the further development of the contract presented in the report, are discussed. The model contract, which proposes a framework which provides many possible variations and adaptations, is presented in detail. Various problem areas such as guaranteed energy yield, meteorological references, correction methods, failure detection, dispute settlement and many other points are covered.

An international assistance example. The Bulgaria case. Action of the Consortium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milhem, J.L.; Mattei, J.M.

1993-01-01

The approach used by the Consortium (IPSN, GRS, AVN, AEA, NII) in order to judge on the acceptability of the assistance programme to the Bulgarian Nuclear Safety Authority (BNSA) and of its fulfillment, is presented. Examples of improvements analysis at the Kozloduy unit 2 nuclear plant are given: preventive measures analysis (reactor protection system, control of the pressure), development of procedures for design basis accident, beyond design accident analysis (treatment of a break on the HPIS header, emergency feed water system)

Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, Germany. Annex I [Example of TSOs and their Interaction with Key Stakeholders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2018-01-01

The State, Federal States and TÜVs signed the Shareholders Agreement for the Company for Reactor Safety (GRS) mbH on 26th of May 1976. GRS is a private non-profit, non-governmental organization, established as a private limited company with shareholders. All services of GRS to the regulatory authorities are provided through projects based on both long term and task specific contracts within framework agreements.

PHASE-RESOLVED TIMING ANALYSIS OF GRS 1915+105 IN ITS ρ STATE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Shu-Ping; Wang, Na; Ding, Guo-Qiang; Qu, Jin-Lu

2013-01-01

We made a phase-resolved timing analysis of GRS 1915+105 in its ρ state and obtained detailed ρ cycle evolutions of the frequency, amplitude, and coherence of the low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillation (LFQPO). We combined our timing results with the spectral study by Neilsen et al. to perform an elaborate comparison analysis. Our analyses show that the LFQPO frequency does not scale with the inner disk radius, but it is related to the spectral index, indicating a possible correlation between the LFQPO and the corona. The LFQPO amplitude spectrum and other results are naturally explained by tying the LFQPO to the corona. The similarities of the spectra of variability parameters between the LFQPOs from ρ state and those from more steady states indicate that the LFQPOs of GRS 1915+105 in very different states seem to share the same origin.

PHASE-RESOLVED TIMING ANALYSIS OF GRS 1915+105 IN ITS {rho} STATE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Shu-Ping; Wang, Na; Ding, Guo-Qiang [Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 150 Science 1-Street, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011 (China); Qu, Jin-Lu, E-mail: yanshup@xao.ac.cn, E-mail: na.wang@xao.ac.cn [Key Laboratory for Particle Astrophysics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19B Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049 (China)

2013-04-10

We made a phase-resolved timing analysis of GRS 1915+105 in its {rho} state and obtained detailed {rho} cycle evolutions of the frequency, amplitude, and coherence of the low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillation (LFQPO). We combined our timing results with the spectral study by Neilsen et al. to perform an elaborate comparison analysis. Our analyses show that the LFQPO frequency does not scale with the inner disk radius, but it is related to the spectral index, indicating a possible correlation between the LFQPO and the corona. The LFQPO amplitude spectrum and other results are naturally explained by tying the LFQPO to the corona. The similarities of the spectra of variability parameters between the LFQPOs from {rho} state and those from more steady states indicate that the LFQPOs of GRS 1915+105 in very different states seem to share the same origin.

The GRS Emergency Centre during the Fukushima NPS Accident: Communicating Radiological Information to the Public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sentuc, F.N.; Dokter, S.

2012-01-01

During Fukushima 2011, the GRS Emergency Centre continuously analysed the situation and provided detailed information on the current plant status and the radiological consequences, not only for the German government but also for the worried public. The expert team primarily informed the competent authority about on-going developments in Japan via status reports. The status reports provided technical and radiological information promptly and were updated several times a day at the beginning and towards the end twice a week until July 1 2011. Additionally, these reports were translated into English and published on the web-site. In the course of the event, approximately 200 reports were issued by the GRS-EC. It became clear through media and public enquires that information, even at a very basic level, was needed in the field of nuclear technology and radiation protection. Therefore, technical experts and public relation team members worked together to prepare explanatory and background material. Owing to this strong interest, GRS established a special Fukushima portal on its web-site, to meet the need for information. As well as the technical aspects, which dominated the expert's work in the GRS Emergency Centre, one challenge was communicating the radiological information to the public in a comprehensible yet professional way. The media and the public appear to be very interested in getting information about the exposure of workers at the plant, the dose limits, the release of radioactive material in the atmosphere and the long-term effects of the contamination. The article is followed by the slides of the presentation

Functioning of the IPSN Crisis Technical Center (CTC) inside the Crisis National Organisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cernes, A.

1995-01-01

A forethought about the organization and counter-actions to follow in case of reactor accident crisis has been carried out by the French nuclear partners (operators and public authorities). This forethought has led to the creation of a Crisis National Organization which determines the responsibilities and missions of each partner. Inside this organization, the IPSN (Institute for Nuclear Protection and Safety) plays the role of technical support and expert for the Safety Authority. To carry out these missions, a Crisis Technical Center has been installed for ten years in Fontenay-aux-Roses CEA center. This document is a presentation of the CTC activities and evolutions in the framework of the existing National Organization. The main axes along which this activity will evolve in the future are summarized. (J.S.). 3 figs

Revelations of X-ray spectral analysis of the enigmatic black hole binary GRS 1915+105

Science.gov (United States)

Peris, Charith; Remillard, Ronald A.; Steiner, James; Vrtilek, Saeqa Dil; Varniere, Peggy; Rodriguez, Jerome; Pooley, Guy

2016-01-01

Of the black hole binaries discovered thus far, GRS 1915+105 stands out as an exceptional source primarily due to its wild X-ray variability, the diversity of which has not been replicated in any other stellar-mass black hole. Although extreme variability is commonplace in its light-curve, about half of the observations of GRS1915+105 show fairly steady X-ray intensity. We report on the X-ray spectral behavior within these steady observations. Our work is based on a vast RXTE/PCA data set obtained on GRS 1915+105 during the course of its entire mission and 10 years of radio data from the Ryle Telescope, which overlap the X-ray data. We find that the steady observations within the X-ray data set naturally separate into two regions in a color-color diagram, which we refer to as steady-soft and steady-hard. GRS 1915+105 displays significant curvature in the Comptonization component within the PCA band pass suggesting significantly heating from a hot disk present in all states. A new Comptonization model 'simplcut' was developed in order to model this curvature to best effect. A majority of the steady-soft observations display a roughly constant inner radius; remarkably reminiscent of canonical soft state black hole binaries. In contrast, the steady-hard observations display a growing disk truncation that is correlated to the mass accretion rate through the disk, which suggests a magnetically truncated disk. A comparison of X-ray model parameters to the canonical state definitions show that almost all steady-soft observations match the criteria of either thermal or steep power law state, while the thermal state observations dominate the constant radius branch. A large portion (80%) of the steady-hard observations matches the hard state criteria when the disk fraction constraint is neglected. These results suggest that within the complexity of this source is a simpler underlying basis of states, which map to those observed in canonical black hole binaries. When

THE VARIABLE NEAR-INFRARED COUNTERPART OF THE MICROQUASAR GRS 1758–258

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luque-Escamilla, Pedro L.; Martí, Josep; Muñoz-Arjonilla, Álvaro J.

2014-01-01

We present a new study of the microquasar system GRS 1758–258 in the near-infrared domain based on archival observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and the NICMOS camera. In addition to confirming the near-infrared counterpart pointed out by Muñoz-Arjonilla et al., we show that this object displays significant photometric variability. From its average magnitudes, we also find that GRS 1758–258 fits well within the correlation between the optical/near-infrared and X-ray luminosity known to exist for low-mass, black-hole candidate X-ray binaries in a hard state. Moreover, the spectral energy distribution built using all radio, near-infrared, and X-ray data available closest in time to the NICMOS observations can be reasonably interpreted in terms of a self-absorbed radio jet and an irradiated accretion disk model around a stellar-mass black hole. All these facts match the expected behavior of a compact binary system and strengthen our confidence in the counterpart identification

Inner disc obscuration in GRS 1915+105 based on relativistic slim disc model

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vierdayanti, K.; Sądowski, A.; Mineshige, L.S.; Bursa, Michal

2013-01-01

Roč. 436, č. 1 (2013), s. 71-81 ISSN 0035-8711 Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : accretion discs * black hole physics * GRS 1915+105 Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 5.226, year: 2013

Newspaper: Files. Radiotherapy and accidental radiation protection. Scientific management between I.G.R. and I.P.S.N; Presse dossiers. Radiotherapie et radioprotection accidentelle. Partenariat scientifique entre l'IGR et l'IPSN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-02-01

The Gustave-Roussy Institute (I.G.R.), the biggest european center of cancer treatment, and the Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (I.P.S.N.) that lead important researches and expertise in accidental radiation protection have established an agreement for a research program for six years. The objective is to speed up the researches in radio-pathology and radiobiology to improve the techniques used to treat the irradiated persons, for therapeutic or accidental reasons. Three principal themes have been chosen as starting point: Diagnosis and prognosis bio-indicators of irradiation effects on the digestive system, biological dosimetry and long term effects of a high dose irradiation. New themes will be tackled in function of the results or new needs. (N.C.)

Fast Transition between High-soft and Low-soft States in GRS 1915 ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

for extended periods. ... have been made to connect the observed radio characteristics in GRS 1915 + 105 like .... with low value of hard X-ray photon flux with BATSE in detail. ..... estimation and response matrix generation have been applied. ..... readjustment of the accretion disk at the outer edge to create a significant ...

GRS 1758–258: RXTE Monitoring of a Rare Persistent Hard State Black Hole

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Obst

2011-01-01

Full Text Available GRS 1758–258 is the least studied of the three persistent black hole X-ray binaries in our Galaxy. It is also one of only two known black hole candidates, including all black hole transients, which shows a decrease of its 3-10 keV flux when entering the thermally dominated soft state, rather than an increase.We present the spectral evolution of GRS 1758–258 from RXTE-PCA observations spanning a time of about 11 years from 1996 to 2007. During this time, seven dim soft states are detected. We also consider INTEGRAL monitoring observations of the source and compare the long-term behavior to that of the bright persistent black hole X-ray binary Cygnus X-1. We discuss the observed state transitions in the light of physical scenarios for black hole transitions.

Critical review of the >>Stellungnahme zur 'deutschen Risikostudie' der Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit (GRS)<< by the Bremer Arbeits- und Umweltschutz-Zentrum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danzmann, H.J.

1981-08-01

In August 1979, the German Risk Study was presented to the public by the Federal Minister of Research and Technology. The main contractor to prepare the German Risk Study is the Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit (GRS). The objective of the Study is to investigate the collective risk involved in accidents at nuclear power plants. The essential results and statements of the Study are comprised in a Summary submitted to the public in August 1979, too. In September 1979, the 'Bremer Arbeits- und Umweltschutz-Zentrum' ('BAUZ') published a 'Stellungnahme zur 'deutschen Risikostudie' der Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit (GRS)' (Review of the German Risk Study of the Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit), dealing only with the summary of this study, however. The BAUZ review is extremely critical of the German Risk Study and ends in condemning the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy as well as the competent authorities. The GRS review critique in hand scrutinizes the BAUZ paper according to the run of the text. Deliberately, one has renounced a comment in such cases where the reproaches slip in the political or ideological field. The object of the BAUZ review as well as of the GRS critique is the matter to be investigated, aim and methods of the investigations and the results of the German Risk Study. The revision of the review acknowledges that in some cases the tendency of criticism is justified. Often, however, the critique is only a sharpened repetition of what the GRS itself has identified as restrictions of accuracy and inherent significance of the results. In most items, however, the critique is rejected as to be wrong or not proof. (orig./HP) [de

Environmental measurement-while-drilling-gamma ray spectrometer (EMWD-GRS) system technology demonstration plan for use at the Savannah River Site F-Area Retention Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, C.V.; Lockwood, G.J.; Normann, R.A.; Gruebel, R.D.

1996-08-01

The Environmental Measurement-While-Drilling-Gamma Ray Spectrometer (EMWD-GRS) system represents an innovative blend of new and existing technology that provides the capability of producing real-time environmental and drillbit data during drilling operations. This demonstration plan presents information on the EMWD-GRS technology, demonstration design, Cs-137 contamination at the Savannah River Site F-Area Retention Basin, responsibilities of demonstration participants, and the policies and procedures for the demonstration to be conducted at the Savannah River Site F-Area Retention Basin. The EMWD-GRS technology demonstration will consist of continuously monitoring for gamma-radiation contamination while drilling two horizontal boreholes below the backfilled retention basin. These boreholes will pass near previously sampled vertical borehole locations where concentrations of contaminant levels are known. Contaminant levels continuously recorded by the EMWD-GRS system during drilling will be compared to contaminant levels previously determined through quantitative laboratory analysis of soil samples

Environmental measurement-while-drilling-gamma ray spectrometer (EMWD-GRS) system technology demonstration plan for use at the Savannah River Site F-Area Retention Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, C.V.; Lockwood, G.J.; Normann, R.A. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Gruebel, R.D. [Tech Reps, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1996-08-01

The Environmental Measurement-While-Drilling-Gamma Ray Spectrometer (EMWD-GRS) system represents an innovative blend of new and existing technology that provides the capability of producing real-time environmental and drillbit data during drilling operations. This demonstration plan presents information on the EMWD-GRS technology, demonstration design, Cs-137 contamination at the Savannah River Site F-Area Retention Basin, responsibilities of demonstration participants, and the policies and procedures for the demonstration to be conducted at the Savannah River Site F-Area Retention Basin. The EMWD-GRS technology demonstration will consist of continuously monitoring for gamma-radiation contamination while drilling two horizontal boreholes below the backfilled retention basin. These boreholes will pass near previously sampled vertical borehole locations where concentrations of contaminant levels are known. Contaminant levels continuously recorded by the EMWD-GRS system during drilling will be compared to contaminant levels previously determined through quantitative laboratory analysis of soil samples.

Radon in the environment and the dwellings - a review of measurements carried out in France by IPSN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robe, M.C.; Rannou, A.; Le Bronec, J.

1992-01-01

Over the last decade, the monitoring of radon gas in various natural environments and regions of France has allowed the IPSN to construct a radon data base. In holes drilled in soils and in underground cavities, radon concentrations between a few hundred Bq.m -3 and many thousands Bq.m -3 were measured. Exhalation rates between 10 -3 and 50 mBq.m -2 .s -1 were measured in different regions and for different types of soil. In the open air, mean levels were observed in the range of a few Bq.m -3 to several hundred Bq.m -3 and concentrations as high as one thousand Bq.m -3 were measured over short periods. (author)

Major results and lessons learned for performance assessments of spent fuel geological disposal: the SPA project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baudoin, P.; Serres, C.; Certes, C.; Gay, D.

2001-01-01

This paper presents a summary of the results obtained in the framework of the SPA (spent fuel disposal performance assessment) project. The project was undertaken by ENRESA, E; GRS, D; IPSN, F; NRG, NL; SCK.CEN, B and VTT, FIN between May 1996 and April 1999. Devoted to the study of spent fuel disposal in various host rock formations (clay, crystalline rocks and salt formation), it notably had the objective to evaluate the long-term performance of different repository systems and to identify the most influential elements. The variety of concepts, sites and scenarios considered in the framework of this project provides a wide range of information from which some general conclusions can be drawn. Focusing on the work done in the case of granite host rock formations, this paper describes the various approaches adopted and states the main sources of differences. It particularly stresses the differences related to the geosphere and biosphere modelling. For the geosphere modelling, ENRESA, GRS and VTT use one dimensional discrete approaches to model the migration of contaminants through the geosphere taking into account for matrix diffusion, whereas IPSN uses a three dimensional continuum approach based on a single porosity model. The comparison of the biosphere conversion factors shows the high influence on the calculated radionuclide dose contributions that can results from biosphere modelling assumptions. It notably points out the differences existing between a simplified ''water drinking'' approach as implemented by VTT and a more classical one in which a wider range of exposure pathways are taken into account. (orig.)

Simulation approaches for the two-phase flow in saline repositories using the code TOUGH2-GRS. Report in the frame of the project ZIESEL. Two-phase flow in a saline repository using the example ERAM; Ansaetze zur Simulation der Zweiphasenstroemung in salinaren Endlagern mit dem Code TOUGH2-GRS. Bericht im Vorhaben ZIESEL. Zweiphasenfluss in einem salinaren Endlager am Beispiel des ERAM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Navarro, Martin; Fischer, Heidemarie; Seher, Holger; Weyand, Torben

2016-10-15

The simulation approaches for the two-phase flow in saline repositories using the code TOUGH2-GRS cover the following issues: simulation of gravitational flows in horizontal galleries without vertical discretization, homogenization approach for the simulation of the two-phase flow in converging partly backfilled galleries, qualification of the convergence approach implemented by GRS into the code TOUGH2-GRS, discretization effects during replacement of liquid by gas, consequences for the system analyses in the frame of the project ZIESEL.

Accretion States of the Galactic Micro Quasar GRS 1758-258

Science.gov (United States)

Soria, Roberto; Mehdipour, Missagh; Broderick, Jess W.; Hao, JingFang; Hannikainen, Diana C.; Pottschmidt, Katja; Zhang, Shuang-Nan

2011-01-01

We present the results of a radio and X-ray study of the Galactic micro quasar GRS 1758-258, using unpublished archival data and new observations. We focus in particular on the 2000-2002 state transitions, and on its more quiet behaviour in 2008-2009. Our spectral and timing analysis of the XMM-Newton data shows that the source was in the canonical intermediate, soft and hard states in 2000 September 19,2001 March 22 and 2002 September 28, respectively. We estimate the disk size, luminosity and temperature, which are consistent with a black hole mass approx.10 Solar Mass, There is much overlap between the range of total X-ray luminosities (on average approx. 0.02L(sub Edd)) in the hard and soft states, and probably between the corresponding mass accretion rates; in fact, the hard state is often more luminous. The extended radio lobes seen in 1992 and 1997 are still present in 2008-2009. The 5-GHz radio core flux density has shown variability between approx. 0.1-0.5 mJy over the last two decades. This firmly places GRS 1758-258 in the radio-quiet sequence of Galactic black holes, in the radio/X-ray plane. We note that this dichotomy is similar to the dichotomy between the radio/X-ray sequences of Seyfert and radio galaxies. We propose that the different radio efficiency of the two sequences is due to relativistic electron/positron jets in radio-loud black holes, and sub-relativistic, thermally dominated outflows in radio-quiet sources.

An overview of IPSN research on the evolution of the natural systems in support of the French methodology for the safety evaluation of radwaste disposal in deep geological formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escalier des Orres, P.; Granier, T.; Mohammadioun, B.

1992-01-01

A regulatory guidance has been recently set up in France for the safety assessment of radwaste deep geological disposal: the present paper concerns the requirements related to bedrock stability issues and their technical background. This regulation relies in particular on a long term effort of the Protection and Nuclear Safety Institute (IPSN) of the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), which ensures two main duties: it carries out research programs in the area of protection and nuclear safety and provides expertise to the safety authorities. It should be noted that ANDRA (the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency) is responsible for the safety of radioactive waste management and relies, for safety demonstration purposes, on its research programs. IPSN, in support of the safety authorities, is in charge of the verification of the applicant's safety demonstration and develops its own research programs in order to achieve an independent capability in safety analysis expertise. We present here the major axes of the Institute research program devoted to the assessment of seismic events consequences on the groundwater system. 19 refs., 8 figs

An overview of IPSN research on the evolution of the natural systems in support of the French methodology for the safety evaluation of radwaste disposal in deep geological formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escalier des Orres, P.; Granier, T.; Mohammadioun, B.

1992-01-01

A regulatory guidance has been recently set up in France for the safety assessment of radwaste deep in geological disposal: the present paper concerns the requirements related to bedrock stability issues and their technical background. This regulation relies in particular on a long term effort of the Protection and Nuclear Safety Institute (IPSN) of the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), which ensures two main duties: it carries out research programs in the area of protection and nuclear safety and provides expertise to the safety authorities. It should be noted that ANDRA (the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency) is responsible for the safety of radioactive waste management and relies, for safety demonstration purposes, on its research programs. IPSN, in support of the safety authorities, is in charge of the verification of the applicant's safety demonstration and develops its own research programs in order to achieve an independent capability in safety analysis expertise. We present here the major axes of the Institute research program devoted to the assessment of seismic events consequences on the groundwater system. 19 refs., 8 figs

Energy scaling of the "heartbeat" pulse width of GRS 1915+105, IGR J17091-3624, and MXB 1730-335 from Rossi-XTE observations

Science.gov (United States)

Maselli, A.; Capitanio, F.; Feroci, M.; Massa, F.; Massaro, E.; Mineo, T.

2018-04-01

We investigate some key aspects of the "heartbeat" variability consisting of series of bursts with a slow rise and a fast decay, thus far detected only in GRS 1915+105, IGR J17091-3624, and MXB 1730-335. A previous analysis based on BeppoSAX data of GRS 1915+105 revealed a hard-X delay (HXD), that is a lag of the burst rise at higher energies with respect to lower ones; this leads to narrower pulse widths, w, at higher energies. We here use some light curves of Rossi-XTE observations of GRS 1915+105 for a deeper analysis of this effect and search for its presence in those extracted from some IGR J17091-3624 and MXB 1730-335 observations performed with the same satellite. Our results show that, at variance with GRS 1915+105, no HXD is evident in the light curves of MXB 1730-335 and only a marginal HXD may be argued for IGR J17091-3624. For GRS 1915+105 we find a decreasing trend of the pulse width with energy following a power law w = A ṡ E-s with an index s ≈ 0.8. Furthermore, we confirm the increase of the HXD with the recurrence time Trec of the bursts in each series that was already found in previous works using BeppoSAX data. Based on a spectral analysis of these three sources we conclude that the differences highlighted in the properties of the "heartbeat" variability are probably related to the different accreting compact object and the eventual presence of a corona in these binary interacting systems.

NuSTAR spectroscopy of GRS 1915+105: Disk reflection, spin, and connections to jets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Miller, J. M.; Parker, M. L.; Fuerst, F.

2013-01-01

We report on the results of spectral fits made to a NuSTAR observation of the black hole GRS 1915+105 in a “plateau” state. This state is of special interest because it is similar to the “low/hard” state seen in other black holes, especially in that compact, steady jets are launched in this phase...

Recent developments in matter of strong motions data bank creation held by ENEA (Rome), Imperial College (London) and CEA/IPSN (Paris)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goula, X.; Mohammadioun, G.; Bommer, J.

1988-03-01

A pooling of strong motion data held by ENEA (Rome), Imperial College (London) and CEA/IPSN (Paris) will, in the future, give rise to a unified set of data, accessible from any one of the three centers, composed of a data bank of uncorrected accelerograms associated with an accessory data base containing as ample information as possible concerning the earthquake itself and the recording conditions. All three centers are equipped with VAX computer material, and a DECNET link is currently under consideration. The data thus structured is destined to form the basis of a European strong-motion data bank [fr

Newspaper: Files. Radiotherapy and accidental radiation protection. Scientific management between I.G.R. and I.P.S.N

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-02-01

The Gustave-Roussy Institute (I.G.R.), the biggest european center of cancer treatment, and the Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (I.P.S.N.) that lead important researches and expertise in accidental radiation protection have established an agreement for a research program for six years. The objective is to speed up the researches in radio-pathology and radiobiology to improve the techniques used to treat the irradiated persons, for therapeutic or accidental reasons. Three principal themes have been chosen as starting point: Diagnosis and prognosis bio-indicators of irradiation effects on the digestive system, biological dosimetry and long term effects of a high dose irradiation. New themes will be tackled in function of the results or new needs. (N.C.)

X-Ray Transient in Musca (GRS 1121-68 = GS 1124-683)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Niels; Brandt, Søren; Makino, F.

1991-01-01

Research Institute, Lyngby; and Space Research Institute, Moscow), report: "A new x-ray source in Musca, GRS 1121-68, has been discovered in data obtained by the WATCH detectors on Jan. 9. The spectrum of the source was harder than that of the Crab nebula, and the flux was about twice that from t...... was taken as La Silla, showing no new object in the 2 x 2 deg field brighter than mag 7-8; a search plate will be taken with the Schmidt telescope at La Silla....

Survey of radiation protection programmes for transport; Etude des programmes de radioprotection pour les transports de matieres radioactives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lizot, M.T.; Perrin, M.L.; Sert, G. [CEA Fontenay-aux-Roses, Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire, Dept. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire, 92 (France); Lange, F.; Schwarz, G.; Feet, H.J.; Christ, R. [Gesellschaft fur Anlagen-und Reaktorsicherheit, GRS, mbH, Cologne (Germany); Shaw, K.B.; Hughes, J.S.; Gelder, R. [National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), Oxon, OX (United Kingdom)

2001-07-01

The survey of radiation protection programmes for transport has been jointly performed by three scientific organisations I.P.S.N. (France), G.R.S. ( Germany), and N.R.P.B. (United kingdom) on behalf of the European Commission and the pertaining documentation summarises the findings and conclusions of the work that was undertaken with the principal objectives to provide guidance on the establishment, implementation and application of radiation protection programmes for the transport of radioactive materials by operators and the assessment and evaluation of such programmes by the competent authority and to review currently existing radiation protection programmes for the transport of radioactive materials. (N.C.)

Survey of radiation protection programmes for transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lizot, M.T.; Perrin, M.L.; Sert, G.; Lange, F.; Schwarz, G.; Feet, H.J.; Christ, R.; Shaw, K.B.; Hughes, J.S.; Gelder, R.

2001-07-01

The survey of radiation protection programmes for transport has been jointly performed by three scientific organisations I.P.S.N. (France), G.R.S. ( Germany), and N.R.P.B. (United kingdom) on behalf of the European Commission and the pertaining documentation summarises the findings and conclusions of the work that was undertaken with the principal objectives to provide guidance on the establishment, implementation and application of radiation protection programmes for the transport of radioactive materials by operators and the assessment and evaluation of such programmes by the competent authority and to review currently existing radiation protection programmes for the transport of radioactive materials. (N.C.)

Radiological impact of a spent fuel disposal in a deep geological granite formation - results of the european spa project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baudoin, P.; Gay, D.; Certes, C.; Serres, C.

2000-01-01

The SPA project (Spent fuel disposal Performance Assessment) is the latest of four integrated performance assessment exercises on nuclear waste disposal in geological formations, carried out in the framework of the European Community 'Nuclear Fission' Research Programmes. The SPA project, which was undertaken by ENRESA, GRS, IPSN, NRG, SCK.CEN and VTT between May 1996 and April 1999, was devoted to the study of disposal of spent fuel in various host rock formations (clay, crystalline rocks and salt formation). This project is a direct continuation of the efforts made by the European Community since 1982 to build a common understanding of the methods applicable to deep disposal performance assessment. (authors)

Progress report within the series of GRS-F progress reports on reactor safety, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour. Period: 1 January - 30 June 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of the investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index'' of the CEC (commission of the european communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. (orig.) [de

Progress report within the series of GRS-F progress reports on reactor safety, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour. Period: 1 July - 31 December 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of the investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index'' of the CEC (commission of the european communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. (orig.) [de

Evaluation of the 3D high resolution seismic method at the Tournemire site around the IPSN experimental station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabrera Nunez, J.

2003-01-01

The IPSN experimental station of Tournemire is localized at a 200 m depth inside an abandoned railway tunnel dug in a Jurassic clayey formation. The a priori knowledge of the existing geologic structures of the clayey formations allows to test the reliability of the 3D high resolution seismic survey technique and its capability to detect these structures and discontinuities. This test study is reported in this technical note. It comprises several steps: a bibliographic synthesis and a state-of-the-art of the 3D seismic survey technique, the construction of a velocity model for the different strata of the site, a simulation of the possible seismic response of these strata with respect to the velocities chosen, the processing of the data and finally their interpretation. (J.S.)

Infrared spectroscopy of the superluminal Galactic source GRS 1915+105 during the 1994 September outburst

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

CastroTirado, A.J.; Geballe, T.R.; Lund, Niels

1996-01-01

observed in SS 433, suggesting that the ionized regions in the new source are not related to the twin beams of energetic particles that are believed to be responsible for the observed radio lobes. In contrast to Cygnus X-3, where the companion is likely to be a Wolf-Rayet star, we suggest that GRS 1915...

Participation of the GRS in the 'Degraded piping program' of the USNRC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azodi, D.; Hoefler, A.; Sievers, J.

1989-01-01

During the course of the Degraded Piping Program, Battelle was the organizer of three round-robin activities for advanced elasto-plastic fracture mechanics calculations (e.g. finite element method and J-estimation scheme). GRS participated in all of them and submitted finite element and J-estimation scheme results. As a main result of round-robin on elasto-plastic fracture mechanics calculations: Based on finite element calculations, the J-integral method (energy release rate) provided the ability to describe the fracture behaviour of flawed piping even in a very ductile material. (orig./HP) [de

TACIS Belarus - an overview of results and planned activities in the field of radiation protection, emergency preparedness and waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackermann, L.

2006-01-01

Since 1996 the nuclear safety authorities of the Republic of Belarus were assisted with TACIS activities entitled: 'Transfer of Western European Regulatory Methodology and Practices to the Nuclear Safety Authorities of Belarus'. Considering the results of the Exploratory Mission which was arranged in 1996 the Regulatory Assistance Projects BE/RA/01 and BE/RA/02 were successful realised in 1998/1999 and in 2003/2004, respectively. These projects were financed by the Commission of the European Communities (EC) and implemented by a consortium of Technical Support Organisations (TSOs) from France (IRSN (former IPSN)), Germany (GRS) and Sweden (SSI) led by Riskaudit IRSN/GRS International. Beneficiary of the projects were Promatomnadzor at the beginning and later the Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus each in connection with the Republican Centre of Radiation Control and Monitoring (RCRCM). The actual project BE/RA/03 'Regulatory Assistance to Belarus in the Field of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection including Radiological Emergency Preparedness' was started by the end of August 2006. (author)

TACIS Belarus - an overview of results and planned activities in the field of radiation protection, emergency preparedness and waste management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ackermann, L. [Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Berlin (Germany)

2006-07-01

Since 1996 the nuclear safety authorities of the Republic of Belarus were assisted with TACIS activities entitled: 'Transfer of Western European Regulatory Methodology and Practices to the Nuclear Safety Authorities of Belarus'. Considering the results of the Exploratory Mission which was arranged in 1996 the Regulatory Assistance Projects BE/RA/01 and BE/RA/02 were successful realised in 1998/1999 and in 2003/2004, respectively. These projects were financed by the Commission of the European Communities (EC) and implemented by a consortium of Technical Support Organisations (TSOs) from France (IRSN (former IPSN)), Germany (GRS) and Sweden (SSI) led by Riskaudit IRSN/GRS International. Beneficiary of the projects were Promatomnadzor at the beginning and later the Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus each in connection with the Republican Centre of Radiation Control and Monitoring (RCRCM). The actual project BE/RA/03 'Regulatory Assistance to Belarus in the Field of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection including Radiological Emergency Preparedness' was started by the end of August 2006. (author)

Comparison of Time/Phase Lags in the Hard State and Plateau State of GRS 1915+105

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pahari, M.; Neilsen, J.; Yadav, J.S.; Misra, R.; Uttley, P.

2013-01-01

We investigate the complex behavior of energy- and frequency-dependent time/phase lags in the plateau state and the radio-quiet hard (χ) state of GRS 1915+105. In our timing analysis, we find that when the source is faint in the radio, quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are observed above 2 Hz and

Mapping jet-ISM interactions in X-ray binaries with ALMA: a GRS 1915+105 case study

Science.gov (United States)

Tetarenko, A. J.; Freeman, P.; Rosolowsky, E. W.; Miller-Jones, J. C. A.; Sivakoff, G. R.

2018-03-01

We present Atacama Large Millimetre/Sub-Millimetre Array (ALMA) observations of IRAS 19132+1035, a candidate jet-interstellar medium (ISM) interaction zone near the black hole X-ray binary (BHXB) GRS 1915+105. With these ALMA observations (combining data from the 12 m array and the Atacama Compact Array), we map the molecular line emission across the IRAS 19132+1035 region. We detect emission from the 12CO [J = 2 - 1], 13CO [ν = 0, J = 2 - 1], C18O [J = 2 - 1], H2CO [J = 30, 3 - 20, 2], H2CO [J = 32, 2 - 22, 1], H2CO [J = 32, 1 - 22, 0], SiO [ν = 0, J = 5 - 4], CH3OH [J = 42, 2 - 31, 2], and CS [ν = 0, J = 5 - 4] transitions. Given the morphological, spectral, and kinematic properties of this molecular emission, we present several lines of evidence that support the presence of a jet-ISM interaction at this site, including a jet-blown cavity in the molecular gas. This compelling new evidence identifies this site as a jet-ISM interaction zone, making GRS 1915+105, the third Galactic BHXB with at least one conclusive jet-ISM interaction zone. However, we find that this interaction occurs on much smaller scales than was postulated by previous work, where the BHXB jet does not appear to be dominantly powering the entire IRAS 19132+1035 region. Using estimates of the ISM conditions in the region, we utilize the detected cavity as a calorimeter to estimate the time-averaged power carried in the GRS 1915+105 jets of (8.4^{+7.7}_{-8.1})× 10^{32} erg s^{-1}. Overall, our analysis demonstrates that molecular lines are excellent diagnostic tools to identify and probe jet-ISM interaction zones near Galactic BHXBs.

Recent achievement within the French-German safety approach for future PWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gros, G.; Rollinger, F.; Frisch, W.; Simon, M.

1999-12-01

The development of the common French-German safety approach was accomplished on three working levels: the technical safety organisations GRS and IPSN provided the technical basis, the advisory groups GPR and RSK developed common recommendations, and the authorities BMU and DSIN adopted and issued the recommendations. The general safety approach issued in May 1993 contains safety objectives, general principles and some technical principles for future PWRs. Based on this general approach, more detailed recommendations have been developed in 1994 on key issues. The following period from 1995 on was characterised by a further refinement of the recommendations and the treatment of some new subjects such as digital I and C, man-machine-interface and core design. (authors)

RISKAUDIT Report no. 7, Vol. 1: Safety evaluation of VVER 440/213 and VVER 1000/320 reactors in Rovno NPP Units 1, 2 and 3. Final Report by AIB-Vincotte Nuclear, CIEMAT, ANPA, GRS, IPSN, AEA-T

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-07-15

The Riskaudit 7 report has been made by a group of independent experts from Western European countries representing technical organizations specialized in the support of regulatory bodies of those countries. It represents a preliminary estimation of the Ukrainian WWER B 213 and B 320 reactors, based on the example of Rovno NPP, analysed with a Western practice. The first part of the document covers the following aspects of the report: core design and fuel management; pressurized components; electrical supply; instrumentation and control; containment; internal events; site conditions and external events.

RISKAUDIT Report no. 7, Vol. 1: Safety evaluation of VVER 440/213 and VVER 1000/320 reactors in Rovno NPP Units 1, 2 and 3. Final Report by AIB-Vincotte Nuclear, CIEMAT, ANPA, GRS, IPSN, AEA-T

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-07-01

The Riskaudit 7 report has been made by a group of independent experts from Western European countries representing technical organizations specialized in the support of regulatory bodies of those countries. It represents a preliminary estimation of the Ukrainian WWER B 213 and B 320 reactors, based on the example of Rovno NPP, analysed with a Western practice. The first part of the document covers the following aspects of the report: core design and fuel management; pressurized components; electrical supply; instrumentation and control; containment; internal events; site conditions and external events

RISKAUDIT Report no. 7, Vol. 2: Safety evaluation of VVER 440/213 and VVER 1000/320 reactors in Rovno NPP Units 1, 2 and 3. Final Report by AIB-Vincotte Nuclear, CIEMAT, ANPA, GRS, IPSN, AEA-T

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-07-01

The Riskaudit 7 report has been made by a group of independent experts from Western European countries representing technical organizations specialized in the support of regulatory bodies of those countries. It represents a preliminary estimation of the Ukrainian WWER B 213 and B 320 reactors, based on the example of Rovno NPP, analysed with a Western practice. The second part of the document covers the following aspects of the report: accident analysis; systems analysis; plant operation; operating experience feedback; radio protection and health; probabilistic safety assessment; summary and future plans

RISKAUDIT Report no. 7, Vol. 2: Safety evaluation of VVER 440/213 and VVER 1000/320 reactors in Rovno NPP Units 1, 2 and 3. Final Report by AIB-Vincotte Nuclear, CIEMAT, ANPA, GRS, IPSN, AEA-T

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-07-15

The Riskaudit 7 report has been made by a group of independent experts from Western European countries representing technical organizations specialized in the support of regulatory bodies of those countries. It represents a preliminary estimation of the Ukrainian WWER B 213 and B 320 reactors, based on the example of Rovno NPP, analysed with a Western practice. The second part of the document covers the following aspects of the report: accident analysis; systems analysis; plant operation; operating experience feedback; radio protection and health; probabilistic safety assessment; summary and future plans.

X-Ray Spectral Analysis of the Steady States of GRS1915+105

Science.gov (United States)

Peris, Charith S.; Remillard, Ronald A.; Steiner, James F.; Vrtilek, Saeqa D.; Varnière, Peggy; Rodriguez, Jerome; Pooley, Guy

2016-05-01

We report on the X-ray spectral behavior within the steady states of GRS1915+105. Our work is based on the full data set of the source obtained using the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) on the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and 15 GHz radio data obtained using the Ryle Telescope. The steady observations within the X-ray data set naturally separated into two regions in the color-color diagram and we refer to these regions as steady-soft and steady-hard. GRS1915+105 displays significant curvature in the coronal component in both the soft and hard data within the RXTE/PCA bandpass. A majority of the steady-soft observations displays a roughly constant inner disk radius ({R}{{in}}), while the steady-hard observations display an evolving disk truncation which is correlated to the mass accretion rate through the disk. The disk flux and coronal flux are strongly correlated in steady-hard observations and very weakly correlated in the steady-soft observations. Within the steady-hard observations, we observe two particular circumstances when there are correlations between the coronal X-ray flux and the radio flux with log slopes η ˜ 0.68+/- 0.35 and η ˜ 1.12+/- 0.13. They are consistent with the upper and lower tracks of Gallo et al. (2012), respectively. A comparison of the model parameters to the state definitions shows that almost all of the steady-soft observations match the criteria of either a thermal or steep power-law state, while a large portion of the steady-hard observations match the hard-state criteria when the disk fraction constraint is neglected.

NuSTAR SPECTROSCOPY OF GRS 1915+105: DISK REFLECTION, SPIN, AND CONNECTIONS TO JETS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, J. M.; King, A. L. [Department of Astronomy, The University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1046 (United States); Parker, M. L.; Fabian, A. C. [Institute of Astronomy, The University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OHA (United Kingdom); Fuerst, F.; Walton, D. J. [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125 (United States); Bachetti, M.; Harrison, F. A.; Barret, D.; Grefenstette, B. W. [Universite de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, F-31400 Toulouse (France); Boggs, S. E.; Tomsick, J. A. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450 (United States); Chakrabarty, D. [Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 70 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Christensen, F. E. [Danish Technical University, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Craig, W. W. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Hailey, C. J. [Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Stern, D. K. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Zhang, W. W., E-mail: jonmm@umich.edu [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

2013-10-01

We report on the results of spectral fits made to a NuSTAR observation of the black hole GRS 1915+105 in a 'plateau' state. This state is of special interest because it is similar to the 'low/hard' state seen in other black holes, especially in that compact, steady jets are launched in this phase. The 3-79 keV bandpass of NuSTAR, and its ability to obtain moderate-resolution spectra free from distortions such as photon pile-up, are extremely well suited to studies of disk reflection in X-ray binaries. In only 15 ks of net exposure, an extraordinarily sensitive spectrum of GRS 1915+105 was measured across the full bandpass. Ionized reflection from a disk around a rapidly spinning black hole is clearly required to fit the spectra; even hybrid Comptonization models including ionized reflection from a disk around a Schwarzschild black hole proved inadequate. A spin parameter of a = 0.98 ± 0.01 (1σ statistical error) is measured via the best-fit model; low spins are ruled out at a high level of confidence. This result suggests that jets can be launched from a disk extending to the innermost stable circular orbit. A very steep inner disk emissivity profile is also measured, consistent with models of compact coronae above Kerr black holes. These results support an emerging association between the hard X-ray corona and the base of the relativistic jet.

Investigation on the anisotropic mechanical behaviour of the Callovo-Oxfordian clay rock within the framework of ANDRA/GRS cooperation programme. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Chun-Liang [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH (GRS), Koeln (Germany); Armand, Gilles; Conil, Nathalie [French Agence Nationale Pour la Gestion de Dechets Radioactifs (ANDRA), Chatenay-Malabry (France)

2015-01-15

An underground repository for disposal of radioactive waste is planned to be constructed in the sedimentary Callovo-Oxfordian argillaceous formation (COX) in France /AND 05/. The clay rock exhibits inherent anisotropy with bedding structure, which leads to directional dependences of the rock properties (e.g. mineralogical, physical, mechanical, hydraulic, thermal, etc.) with respect to the bedding planes. For the design of the repository and the assessment of its safety during the operation and post-closure phases it is necessary to characterise and predict the anisotropic properties and processes in the host rock, particularly in the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) near the openings. Within the framework of the bilateral cooperation agreement between the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (ANDRA) and the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), concerning the research activities in the Meuse/Haute-Marne Underground Research Laboratory (MHM-URL), a joint research programme was initiated by ANDRA and GRS in 2013 to investigate mechanical anisotropy of the COX clay rock for the purpose of precise characterization, better understanding and reliable prediction of the development of EDZ around the repository. This programme was funded by ANDRA under contract number 059844 and performed by GRS during the time period of November 2013 to December 2014. GRS gratefully acknowledges the financial support from and the fruitful cooperation with ANDRA.

Immobilization of alpha-amylase produced by Bacillus circulans GRS 313

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gargi Dey

2003-03-01

Full Text Available A maltooligosaccharide-forming amylase from B circulans GRS 313 was immobilized by entrapment in calcium alginate beads. The immobilized activity was affected by the size of the bead and bead size of 2mm was found to be most effective for hydrolysis. Kinetics constants, Km and Vmax were estimated and were found to be affected by the bead size. The catalytic activity of the enzyme was studied in presence of various starchy residues and metal ions. HgCl2, CuSO4 and FeCl3 caused inhibition of the enzyme. The reaction conditions, pH and temperature, was optimized using response surface methodology. At the optimum pH and temperature of 4.9 and 57ºC, the apparent activity was 25.6U/g of beads, resulting in almost 2-fold increase in activity. The immobilized enzyme showed a high operational stability by retaining almost 85% of the initial activity after seventh use.Um maltooligossacarideo obtido a partir de amilase produzida por B. circulans GRS 313 foi imobilizada em alginato de sódio. A atividade enzimática foi afetada pelo tamanho da partícula. Partículas com 2mm foram as mais efetivas na hidrólise. Constantes cinética Km e Vmax foram estimadas e afetadas pelo tamanho das partículas. A atividade catalítica da enzima foi estuda na presença de diferentes tipos de amido e íons metálicos. HgCl2, CuSO4 e FeCl3 provocaram inibição na enzima. As condições de reação (temperatura e pH foram otimizadas utilizando a metodologia da superfície de resposta. Em pH ótimo de 4,9 e temperatura de 57 ºC, a atividade aparente foi de 25.6 U/g de partículas, resultando num acréscimo de mais de 2 vezes na atividade da enzima. A imobilização da enzima mostrou uma alta estabilidade operacional pela retenção de 85% de sua atividade inicial após sete ciclos de utilização.

GRS' research on clay rock in the Mont Terri underground laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wieczorek, Klaus; Czaikowski, Oliver [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit gGmbH, Braunschweig (Germany)

2016-07-15

For constructing a nuclear waste repository and for ensuring the safety requirements are met over very long time periods, thorough knowledge about the safety-relevant processes occurring in the coupled system of waste containers, engineered barriers, and the host rock is indispensable. For respectively targeted research work, the Mont Terri rock laboratory is a unique facility where repository research is performed in a clay rock environment. It is run by 16 international partners, and a great variety of questions are investigated. Some of the work which GRS as one of the Mont Terri partners is involved in is presented in this article. The focus is on thermal, hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of host rock and/or engineered barriers.

European Program 'EVEREST'. Evaluation of the elements producing the effective doses associated to a radioactive waste disposal in deep underground geological formations. Comparative study of the results obtained by IPSN concerning the sedimentary and granite formations; Programme europeen 'EVEREST'. Evaluation des elements responsables des doses efficaces associees a un stockage de dechets radioactifs en formations geologiques profondes. Etude comparative des resultats obtenus par l'IPSN concernant les formations sedimentaire et granitique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baudoin, Patrick; Serres, Christophe; Certes Catherine [Departement d' evaluation de surete, Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire, CEA Centre d' Etudes de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France)

1996-09-01

The European exercise EVEREST that was run from 1991 to 1995 was a means of training for IPSN, having in view the expertise studies of ANDRA on the safety of radioactive waste geological disposal. The exercise implied two fictitious waste disposal sites, one inside a granite massif and the other in a clay formation, and had as principal objective identification and establishing a hierarchy of the radiological risk parameters important after the disposal closing. The study has considered the most likely scenario for evolution of the geological environment. As computing tools three codes were utilized: MELODIE, assuming a continuous 2D water flow and transfer of radionuclides from waste disposal to biosphere; TRISEC, assuming a continuous 3D water flow and NEWSAM, assuming a transient water flow in a multi-shell geometry. Results for the water circulation in different geological environment as well as the flux curves of soluble radionuclides are presented. Twenty seven radionuclides were retained as important by their radiological impact in assessing the influential EVEREST parameters. The EVEREST exercise does not prove the feasibility of a given geological disposal. It only contributes to the comprehension of the mechanisms controlling the radionuclide migration and gives a hierarchy of the questions which IPSN must answer in approaching the safety demonstrations required by ANDRA.

Enhancing co-operation between AVN, IRSN and GRS: the junior staff pilot project on the comparative testing of IPA codes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoyos, A. de; Keesmann, S.; Smidts, O.

2006-01-01

- Objectives: The project takes place within the framework of the Junior Staff Program of AVN, GRS and IRSN which aims at creating a junior staff network among European TSOs. The objective of this project is to apply integrated performance assessment (IPA) tools used by AVN, IRSN and GRS to two generic and simplified models (Bure site in France and Mol site in Belgium) for disposal systems in argillaceous formations. The comparison of the results from different codes applied to the disposal systems of the two mentioned sites aims at a better understanding of the confinement capabilities of the considered geological formations and of the IPA methodology in general. The incentive is a common understanding of approaches developed by each partner and the improvement of this expertise. More specifically, this pilot project aims at enhancing exchanges of views and mutual experiences in the field of understanding major safety functions. - Tools and Methods: A new code for the assessment of barrier systems in argillaceous formations has only recently been developed at GRS, as in the past such formations played a minor role as a possible hosting environment for a repository in Germany. The project also serves as a test case for this code. The considered disposal systems are defined on the basis of the concepts and data available for Mol and Bure. The program packages used for the performance assessment calculations are: HYDRUS-1D with source term module (AVN), GoldSim (IRSN) and EMOS-modules CLAYPOS and CHET (GRS). While the coupling of HYDRUS-1D with a source term module and the EMOS-modules are FORTRAN77- coded programs specifically developed for the simulation of parts of a barrier system of a final repository, GoldSim is a general purpose simulation environment with an integrated graphical user interface for modelling and data output. Models realized in GoldSim are flexible and can be easily adapted to new requirements. The software also offers an intrinsic

Progress report within the series of GRS-F progress reports on reactor safety, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. Period: 1 January - 30 June, 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

Within its competence for energy research, the Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Technologie (BMWi) (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology) sponsors investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants. The objective of these investigations is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order to the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such investigations by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Managment Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system 'Joint Safety Research Index' of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.) [de

Progress report within the series of GRS-F progress reports on reactor safety, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. Period: 1 July - 31 December 2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

Within its competence for energy research, the Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Technologie (BMWi) (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology) sponsors investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants. The objective of these investigations is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order to the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such investigations by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Managment Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system 'Joint Safety Research Index' of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.) [de

ASTEC V2. Overview of code development and application at GRS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reinke, N.; Nowack, H.; Sonnenkalb, M.

2011-01-01

The integral code ASTEC (Accident Source Term Evaluation Code) commonly developed since 1996 by the French IRSN and the German GRS is a fast running programme, which allows the calculation of entire sequences of severe accidents (SA) in light water reactors from the initiating event up to the release of fission products into the environment, thereby covering all important in-vessel and containment phenomena. Thus, the main ASTEC application fields are intended to be accident sequence studies, uncertainty and sensitivity studies, probabilistic safety analysis level 2 as well as support to experiments. The modular structure of ASTEC allows running each module independently and separately, e.g. for separate effects analyses as well as a combination of multiple modules for coupled effects testing and integral analyses. Subject of this paper is an overview of the new V2 series of the ASTEC code system and presentation of exemplary results for the application to severe accidents sequences at PWRs. (orig.)

Immobilization of alpha-amylase from Bacillus circulans GRS 313 on coconut fiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Dey, Gargi; Nagpal, Varima; Banerjee, Rintu

2002-01-01

A simple and inexpensive method for immobilizing alpha-amylase from Bacillus circulans GRS 313 on coconut fiber was developed. The immobilization conditions for highest efficiency were optimized with respect to immobilization pH of 5.5, 30 degrees C, contact time of 4 h, and enzyme to support a ratio of 1:1 containing 0.12 mg/mL of protein. The catalytic properties of the immobilized enzyme were compared with that of the free enzyme. The activity of amylase adsorbed on coconut fiber was 38.7 U/g of fiber at its optimum pH of 5.7 and 48 degrees C, compared with the maximum activity of 40.2 U/mL of free enzyme at the optimum pH of 4.9 and 48 degrees C. The reutilization capacity of the immobilized enzyme was up to three cycles.

GRS Method for Uncertainty and Sensitivity Evaluation of Code Results and Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glaeser, H.

2008-01-01

During the recent years, an increasing interest in computational reactor safety analysis is to replace the conservative evaluation model calculations by best estimate calculations supplemented by uncertainty analysis of the code results. The evaluation of the margin to acceptance criteria, for example, the maximum fuel rod clad temperature, should be based on the upper limit of the calculated uncertainty range. Uncertainty analysis is needed if useful conclusions are to be obtained from best estimate thermal-hydraulic code calculations, otherwise single values of unknown accuracy would be presented for comparison with regulatory acceptance limits. Methods have been developed and presented to quantify the uncertainty of computer code results. The basic techniques proposed by GRS are presented together with applications to a large break loss of coolant accident on a reference reactor as well as on an experiment simulating containment behaviour

First insights from common GRS and IRSN evaluations of operational experiences for the European Clearinghouse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maqua, M.; Bertrand, R.

2012-01-01

The European Clearinghouse on Operating Experience Feedback (OEF) for NPPs was established in 2008 by several European Nuclear Safety Regulators. The technical work on common operational experience evaluation was launched at the Joint Research Center of the European Union. Main goals of the European Clearinghouse include promotion of collaboration on OEF, dissemination of the lessons learnt from NPP operational experience and promoting advanced event assessment approaches and methods. The extended knowledge of both IRSN and GRS in the evaluation of the national operating experiences in France and Germany, respectively, is used by the European Clearinghouse with the objective of receiving detailed insights on safety related topics. IRSN and GRS develop common reports on safety issues upon request of the Clearinghouse that involve a detailed review of their national event databases, and that are combined afterwards in a European Clearinghouse report including also the review carried out by the JRC on the basis of the Incident Report System (IRS) database and the US NRC Licensee Event Reports (LERs) database. The aim is to perform in-depth analyses (causes, root causes, contributing factors, actual and potential consequences, and lessons learnt) of specific OEF topics. 3 topics have been already analyzed: -) external events (Serious accidents caused by external hazards were not found in the German and French operating experience), -) ageing of components (it can be concluded that ageing management in French and German NPP is basically effective), and -) component supply (the main cause for events related to the supply of components was insufficiency during manufacturing or testing). This paper is followed by the slides of the presentation

Act No. 61 of 21 January 1994-Transformation into law, with amendments, of Decree-Law No. 496 of 4 December 1996 laying down urgent provisions on reorganising environmental controls and creating the National Environmental Protection Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

This Act sets up the National Environmental Protection Agency-ANPA which replaces the Nuclear Safety and Health Protection Directorate (ENEA/DISP) of the National Agency for New Technology, Energy and the Environment (ENEA). The ENEA/DISP's tasks, staff, structures, technical equipment and financial resources are transferred to the new Agency. ANPA is responsible for all the national technical and scientific activities and co-ordinates the working methods of the above-mentioned regional and provincial agencies. It also provides consultation and support services to the Ministry of the environment. In particular, ANPA is competent for supervising activities related to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and analysing the impact of radiation on the environment. (NEA)

Safety assessments relating to the use of new fuels in research reactors: application to the case of FRM 2 reactor fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou Yehia, H.; Bars, G.; Tran Dai

2001-01-01

After giving a brief reminder of the procedure applied in France for the licensing of the use of a new fuel type or design in a research reactor, we outline the main safety aspects associated with such a modification. Finally, by way of an example, we focus on the safety assessment relating to the IRIS irradiation device used in SILOE reactor, in particular for the qualification of the fuel dedicated to FRM II reactor of the Technical University of Munich. This qualification was carried out on a U 3 Si 2 fuel plate enriched to about 90 % in weight of 235 U and containing 1.5 g of uranium per cm 3 . The evaluation performed by the IPSN for GRS did not call into question the choice of U 3 Si 2 fuel plates for the FRM-II reactor. (authors)

Franco-German cooperation for the physical protection of the EPR reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jalouneix, J.; Hagemann, A.

2001-01-01

This article presents the proceeding that has been followed in the EPR (European pressurized water reactor) project concerning physical protection against malevolent actions and robbery of nuclear materials. Before the different options of the nuclear island were definitely set, a task group had been constituted to examine if these options could hamper the setting of physical protection measures that are required by the legislation of the 2 countries. Another group composed of experts from IPSN/GRS (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire / Gesellschaft fur Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit) had the task to define common requirements concerning the physical protection of reactors in Germany and in France. In this framework the EPR project team has prepared a technical document reviewing the different dispositions that have been retained to assure the physical protection of the reactor. (A.C.)

The Y2K problem; assessment of the safety of nuclear facilities by IPSN (France)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henry, J.Y.

1999-01-01

The millennium bug (or Y2K problem) could lead to a common cause failure of the Nuclear Power Plant computer based systems. This report discusses Y2K related issues with respect to the safety of the nuclear power plants. The consequences of failures must be estimated to assess the impact on the safety of the installation, taking into account that these installations were designed with due allowance for the possibility of failure of equipment or components. The main objective of the work done by operators and licensees is aimed at ensuring the millennium bug could not cause failure or unavailability of equipment or components which are needed for the safety of the installation. The obvious solution is to correct the sensitive systems so that the potential failures could not occur. Moreover, the risk of a loss of grid should be taken into account as the safety of nuclear power plants depends upon plant resources and consequently the delay necessary to recover external electrical sources. Safety authority (DSIN) has issued recommendations asking for reporting periodically the progress and results of the Y2K plan the licensees and operators have to implement for Y2K readiness. The analysis done by IPSN the technical support of the safety authority, is presented as the majority of the Y2K related activities have been done by the licensee (EDF). Up to now, France is on the tracks. If some works are still ahead, the results shown today are rather reflecting the readiness of the nuclear installations in due time. (author)

Detection of X-ray spectral state transitions in mini-outbursts of black hole transient GRS 1739-278

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Zhen; Yu, Wenfei

2017-10-01

We report the detection of the state transitions and hysteresis effect in the two mini-outbursts of the black hole (BH) transient GRS 1739-278 following its 2014 major outburst. The X-ray spectral evolutions in these two mini-outbursts are similar to the major outburst in spite of their peak luminosities and the outburst durations are one order of magnitude lower. We found L_hard{-to-soft} and Lpeak,soft of the mini-outbursts also follow the correlation previously found in other X-ray binaries. L_hard{-to-soft} of the mini-outbursts is still higher than that of the persistent BH binary Cyg X-1, which supports that there is a link between the maximum luminosity a source can reach in the hard state and the corresponding non-stationary accretion represented by substantial rate of change in the mass accretion rate during flares/outbursts. The detected luminosity range of these two mini-outbursts is roughly in 3.5 × 10-5 to 0.015 (D/7.5 kpc)2(M/8M⊙) LEdd. The X-ray spectra of other BH transients at such low luminosities are usually dominated by a power-law component, and an anti-correlation is observed between the photon index and the X-ray luminosity below 1 per cent LEdd. So, the detection of X-ray spectral state transitions indicates that the accretion flow evolution in these two mini-outbursts of GRS 1739-278 are different from other BH systems at such low-luminosity regime.

Analysis of a large break LOCA in the cold leg of the WWER-440/W-213 plant Griefswald, Unit 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horche, W.

1993-01-01

The Gessellschaft fur Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) has performed a safety evaluation of the nuclear power plant (NPP) Greifswald, unit 5, of the Soviet type WWER-440/W-213, in cooperation with the French Institute de Protection of de Surete Nucleaire (IPSN) and other partners. Within this project an independent accident analysis is performed by GRS in order to assess the results of existing analysis and to supplement them. In this paper the analysis of the double-ended guillotine break (DEGB) of one cold leg of the main circulation pipe is described. The major objective of the calculation was the investigation of the accident sequence with reduced availability of the emergency core cooling system (single failure criterion). In addition, the simultaneous loss of onsite and offsite power and the failure of scram were assumed. The thermal-hydraulic system code ATHLET/FLUT, developed at GRS and already applied for the safety analysis of several WWER plants, was chosen again. The pressure in the confinement, the back pressure for the discharge model, was calculated as a function of time for this accident separately with GRS-Code RALOC. Furthermore, it was necessary to model the local concentration of direct accumulator injection into the reactor vessel with the help of a special two-channel model of the core and upper plenum. For this model, results were considered obtained from the 1:1 scaled test facility UPTF. It was assumed that only 25% of the upper plenum and core volume is directly penetrated by the injected water. The DEGB was defined in that loop, which is connected with one of three low-pressure injection subsystems. This means that this injected water flows towards the leak without passing the core. As single failure the failure of one of three diesel generators was assumed. The full paper will contain nodalization schemes, which are generated by the ATHLET-Input-Grafic

International standard problem (ISP) no. 41 follow up exercise: Containment iodine computer code exercise: parametric studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ball, J.; Glowa, G.; Wren, J. [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Ontario (Canada); Ewig, F. [GRS Koln (Germany); Dickenson, S. [AEAT, (United Kingdom); Billarand, Y.; Cantrel, L. [IPSN (France); Rydl, A. [NRIR (Czech Republic); Royen, J. [OECD/NEA (France)

2001-11-01

This report describes the results of the second phase of International Standard Problem (ISP) 41, an iodine behaviour code comparison exercise. The first phase of the study, which was based on a simple Radioiodine Test Facility (RTF) experiment, demonstrated that all of the iodine behaviour codes had the capability to reproduce iodine behaviour for a narrow range of conditions (single temperature, no organic impurities, controlled pH steps). The current phase, a parametric study, was designed to evaluate the sensitivity of iodine behaviour codes to boundary conditions such as pH, dose rate, temperature and initial I{sup -} concentration. The codes used in this exercise were IODE(IPSN), IODE(NRIR), IMPAIR(GRS), INSPECT(AEAT), IMOD(AECL) and LIRIC(AECL). The parametric study described in this report identified several areas of discrepancy between the various codes. In general, the codes agree regarding qualitative trends, but their predictions regarding the actual amount of volatile iodine varied considerably. The largest source of the discrepancies between code predictions appears to be their different approaches to modelling the formation and destruction of organic iodides. A recommendation arising from this exercise is that an additional code comparison exercise be performed on organic iodide formation, against data obtained front intermediate-scale studies (two RTF (AECL, Canada) and two CAIMAN facility, (IPSN, France) experiments have been chosen). This comparison will allow each of the code users to realistically evaluate and improve the organic iodide behaviour sub-models within their codes. (author)

International standard problem (ISP) no. 41 follow up exercise: Containment iodine computer code exercise: parametric studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, J.; Glowa, G.; Wren, J.; Ewig, F.; Dickenson, S.; Billarand, Y.; Cantrel, L.; Rydl, A.; Royen, J.

2001-11-01

This report describes the results of the second phase of International Standard Problem (ISP) 41, an iodine behaviour code comparison exercise. The first phase of the study, which was based on a simple Radioiodine Test Facility (RTF) experiment, demonstrated that all of the iodine behaviour codes had the capability to reproduce iodine behaviour for a narrow range of conditions (single temperature, no organic impurities, controlled pH steps). The current phase, a parametric study, was designed to evaluate the sensitivity of iodine behaviour codes to boundary conditions such as pH, dose rate, temperature and initial I - concentration. The codes used in this exercise were IODE(IPSN), IODE(NRIR), IMPAIR(GRS), INSPECT(AEAT), IMOD(AECL) and LIRIC(AECL). The parametric study described in this report identified several areas of discrepancy between the various codes. In general, the codes agree regarding qualitative trends, but their predictions regarding the actual amount of volatile iodine varied considerably. The largest source of the discrepancies between code predictions appears to be their different approaches to modelling the formation and destruction of organic iodides. A recommendation arising from this exercise is that an additional code comparison exercise be performed on organic iodide formation, against data obtained front intermediate-scale studies (two RTF (AECL, Canada) and two CAIMAN facility, (IPSN, France) experiments have been chosen). This comparison will allow each of the code users to realistically evaluate and improve the organic iodide behaviour sub-models within their codes. (author)

AECL international standard problem ISP-41 FU/1 follow-up exercise (Phase 1): Containment Iodine Computer Code Exercise: Parametric Studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, J.; Glowa, G.; Wren, J.; Ewig, F.; Dickenson, S.; Billarand, Y.; Cantrel, L.; Rydl, A.; Royen, J.

2001-06-01

This report describes the results of the second phase of International Standard Problem (ISP) 41, an iodine behaviour code comparison exercise. The first phase of the study, which was based on a simple Radioiodine Test Facility (RTF) experiment, demonstrated that all of the iodine behaviour codes had the capability to reproduce iodine behaviour for a narrow range of conditions (single temperature, no organic impurities, controlled pH steps). The current phase, a parametric study, was designed to evaluate the sensitivity of iodine behaviour codes to boundary conditions such as pH, dose rate, temperature and initial I- concentration. The codes used in this exercise were IODE (IPSN), IODE (NRIR), IMPAIR (GRS), INSPECT (AEAT), IMOD (AECL) and LIRIC (AECL). The parametric study described in this report identified several areas of discrepancy between the various codes. In general, the codes agree regarding qualitative trends, but their predictions regarding the actual amount of volatile iodine varied considerably. The largest source of the discrepancies between code predictions appears to be their different approaches to modelling the formation and destruction of organic iodides. A recommendation arising from this exercise is that an additional code comparison exercise be performed on organic iodide formation, against data obtained from intermediate-scale studies (two RTF (AECL, Canada) and two CAIMAN facility (IPSN, France) experiments have been chosen). This comparison will allow each of the code users to realistically evaluate and improve the organic iodide behaviour sub-models within their codes. (authors)

Progress report within the series of GRS-F progress reports on reactor safety, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour. Period: 1 July - 31 December 2003; Berichte ueber vom Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Arbeit gefoerderte Forschungsvorhaben auf dem Gebiet der Reaktorsicherheit. Berichtszeitraum: 01. Juli - 31. Dezember 2003

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of the investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index'' of the CEC (commission of the european communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. (orig.) [German] Die Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH informiert im Auftrag des BMWi halbjaehrlich und jaehrlich ueber den Stand der Untersuchungen zur Sicherheit von Kernreaktoren in den Fortschrittsberichten der GRS-F-Berichtsreihe. Jeder Fortschrittsbericht stellt eine Sammlung von Einzelberichten ueber Zielsetzung, durchgefuehrte Arbeiten, erzielte Ergebnisse, geplante Weiterarbeit etc. dar, die von den Forschungsstellen selbst als Dokumentation ihres Arbeitsfortschritts in einheitlicher Form erstellt und von der Forschungsbetreuung (FB) in der GRS im Rahmen der allgemeinen Information ueber die Fortschritte von Untersuchungen zur Reaktorsicherheit herausgegeben werden. Die inhaltliche Gliederung der Berichtssammlung erfolgt durch sachliche Zuordnung der Vorhaben zu uebergeordneten Themenbereichen der Reaktorsicherheitsforschung, ferner nach dem Klassifikationsschema

Annotated Bibliography of the Army Research Institute’s Training Research Supporting the Land Warrior and Ground Soldier Systems: 1998-2009

Science.gov (United States)

2009-07-01

AN/ PAQ -4C and AN-PEQ-2A) which were used in conjunction with night vision goggles (NVGs, AN/PVS-7B), the thermal weapon sight (TWS, AN/PAS-13), and...lights (AN/ PAQ -4C and AN-PEQ-2A) which were used in conjunction with night vision goggles (NVGs, AN/PVS-7B), and the thermal weapon sight (TWS, AN/PAS

NuSTAR OBSERVATION OF A TYPE I X-RAY BURST FROM GRS 1741.9-2853

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrière, Nicolas M.; Krivonos, Roman; Tomsick, John A.; Boggs, Steven E.; Craig, William W.; Bachetti, Matteo; Chakrabarty, Deepto; Christensen, Finn E.; Hailey, Charles J.; Mori, Kaya; Harrison, Fiona A.; Hong, Jaesub; Stern, Daniel; Zhang, William W.

2015-01-01

We report on two NuSTAR observations of GRS 1741.9-2853, a faint neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binary burster located 10' away from the Galactic center. NuSTAR detected the source serendipitously as it was emerging from quiescence: its luminosity was 6 × 10 34  erg s –1 on 2013 July 31 and 5 × 10 35  erg s –1 in a second observation on 2013 August 3. A bright, 800 s long, H-triggered mixed H/He thermonuclear Type I burst with mild photospheric radius expansion (PRE) was present during the second observation. Assuming that the luminosity during the PRE was at the Eddington level, an H mass fraction X = 0.7 in the atmosphere, and an NS mass M = 1.4 M ☉ , we determine a new lower limit on the distance for this source of 6.3 ± 0.5 kpc. Combining with previous upper limits, this places GRS 1741.9-2853 at a distance of 7 kpc. Energy independent (achromatic) variability is observed during the cooling of the NS, which could result from the disturbance of the inner accretion disk by the burst. The large dynamic range of this burst reveals a long power-law decay tail. We also detect, at a 95.6% confidence level (1.7σ), a narrow absorption line at 5.46 ± 0.10 keV during the PRE phase of the burst, reminiscent of the detection by Waki et al. We propose that the line, if real, is formed in the wind above the photosphere of the NS by a resonant Kα transition from H-like Cr gravitationally redshifted by a factor 1 + z = 1.09, corresponding to a radius range of 29.0-41.4 km for a mass range of 1.4-2.0 M ☉

Monitoring the Black Hole Binary GRS 1758-258 with INTEGRAL and RXTE

Science.gov (United States)

Pottschmidt, Katja; Chernyakova, Masha; Lubinski, Piotr; Migliari, Simone; Smith, David M.; Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Tomsick, John A.; Bezayiff, N.; Kreykenbohm, Ingo; Kretschmar, Peter;

Report on the uncertainty methods study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-06-01

The Uncertainty Methods Study (UMS) Group, following a mandate from CSNI, has compared five methods for calculating the uncertainty in the predictions of advanced 'best estimate' thermal-hydraulic codes: the Pisa method (based on extrapolation from integral experiments) and four methods identifying and combining input uncertainties. Three of these, the GRS, IPSN and ENUSA methods, use subjective probability distributions, and one, the AEAT method, performs a bounding analysis. Each method has been used to calculate the uncertainty in specified parameters for the LSTF SB-CL-18 5% cold leg small break LOCA experiment in the ROSA-IV Large Scale Test Facility (LSTF). The uncertainty analysis was conducted essentially blind and the participants did not use experimental measurements from the test as input apart from initial and boundary conditions. Participants calculated uncertainty ranges for experimental parameters including pressurizer pressure, primary circuit inventory and clad temperature (at a specified position) as functions of time

Different Types of X-Ray Bursts from GRS 1915+105 and Their Origin

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, J. S.; Rao, A. R.; Agrawal, P. C.; Paul, B.; Seetha, S.; Kasturirangan, K.

1999-06-01

We report X-ray observations of the Galactic X-ray transient source GRS 1915+105 with the pointed proportional counters of the Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment (IXAE) onboard the Indian satellite IRS-P3, which show remarkable richness in temporal variability. The observations were carried out on 1997 June 12-29 and August 7-10, in the energy range of 2-18 keV and revealed the presence of very intense X-ray bursts. All the observed bursts have a slow exponential rise, a sharp linear decay, and broadly can be put in two classes: irregular and quasi-regular bursts in one class, and regular bursts in the other. The regular bursts are found to have two distinct timescales and to persist over extended durations. There is a strong correlation between the preceding quiescent time and the burst duration for the quasi-regular and irregular bursts. No such correlation is found for the regular bursts. The ratio of average flux during the burst time to the average flux during the quiescent phase is high and variable for the quasi-regular and irregular bursts, while it is low and constant for the regular bursts. We present a comprehensive picture of the various types of bursts observed in GRS 1915+105 in the light of the recent theories of advective accretion disks. We suggest that the peculiar bursts that we have seen are characteristic of the change of state of the source. The source can switch back and forth between the low-hard state and the high-soft state near critical accretion rates in a very short timescale, giving rise to the irregular and quasi-regular bursts. The fast timescale for the transition of the state is explained by invoking the appearance and disappearance of the advective disk in its viscous timescale. The periodicity of the regular bursts is explained by matching the viscous timescale with the cooling timescale of the postshock region. A test of the model is presented using the publicly available 13-60 keV RXTE/PCA data for irregular and regular bursts

THE ENERGY DEPENDENCE OF THE CENTROID FREQUENCY AND PHASE LAG OF THE QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS IN GRS 1915+105

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qu, J. L.; Lu, F. J.; Lu, Y.; Song, L. M.; Zhang, S.; Wang, J. M.; Ding, G. Q.

2010-01-01

We present a study of the centroid frequencies and phase lags of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) as functions of photon energy for GRS 1915+105. It is found that the centroid frequencies of the 0.5-10 Hz QPOs and their phase lags are both energy dependent, and there exists an anticorrelation between the QPO frequency and phase lag. These new results challenge the popular QPO models, because none of them can fully explain the observed properties. We suggest that the observed QPO phase lags are partially due to the variation of the QPO frequency with energy, especially for those with frequency higher than 3.5 Hz.

Lessons learned from accident simulation exercises and their implications for operation of the IPSN Centre Technique de Crise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manesse, D.; Ney, J.; Crabol, B.; Ginot, P.

1990-01-01

The Centre Technique de Crise (CTC) of the Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire (IPSN) has an important role to play in the event of an accident at a nuclear installation of Electricite de France (EdF) concerning diagnosis of the situation and forecasting its evolution. For this purpose the CTS is organized into various groups; only that responsible for the evaluation of the radiological consequences is considered in the present paper. Since the beginning of the eighties numerous simulations of nuclear accidents have been organized both by the public authorities and by the nuclear operators. These exercises, of growing complexity, are distinguished according to the type of installation concerned, the scenario (with and without a simulator), the equipment involved, the participants (local and national officials), the accident phase used (at the time of the accident or post-accident), the use of actual or pre-determined meteorological conditions etc.. Different combinations are imposed as a function of the specific aims of each exercise. Numerous lessons have been drawn progressively from these very varied exercises for the operation of the CTC and, in particular, of the Radiological Consequences Group. The principal Lessons concern: development of calculation and mapping tools, specific liaison with the national meteorological services, modification of the centre's facilities, composition of the team and definition of the role of each of its members, improved liaison with the Site Evaluation Group and the provision of appropriate documentation. The need for continuous training of duty teams in the form of presentations and exercises has also been confirmed

Selection of the situations taken into account for the safety demonstration of a repository in deep geological formations - French regulatory guidance and IPSN modelling experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escalier des Orres, P.; Greneche, D.

1993-01-01

A regulatory guidance has been recently set up in France for the safety assessment of radwaste deep geological disposal: the present paper deals with the methodology related to the safety demonstration of such a disposal, particularly the situations to be taken into account to address the potential evolution of the repository under natural or human induced events. This approach, based on a selection of events considered as reasonably envisageable, relies on a reference scenario characterized by a great stability of the geological formation and on hypothetical situations corresponding to the occurrence of random events of natural origin or of conventional nature. The implementation of this methodology within the framework of the IPSN (Protection and Nuclear Safety Institute, CEA) participation in the CEC EVEREST project is addressed. This programme consists in the evaluation of the sensitivity of the radiological consequences associated to deep radwaste disposal systems to the different elements of the performance assessment (scenario characteristics, phenomena, physico-chemical parameters) in three types of geological formations (granite, salt and clay).(author). 11 refs., 3 tabs

A low-order coupled chemistry meteorology model for testing online and offline data assimilation schemes: L95-GRS (v1.0)

Science.gov (United States)

Haussaire, J.-M.; Bocquet, M.

2016-01-01

Bocquet and Sakov (2013) introduced a low-order model based on the coupling of the chaotic Lorenz-95 (L95) model, which simulates winds along a mid-latitude circle, with the transport of a tracer species advected by this zonal wind field. This model, named L95-T, can serve as a playground for testing data assimilation schemes with an online model. Here, the tracer part of the model is extended to a reduced photochemistry module. This coupled chemistry meteorology model (CCMM), the L95-GRS (generic reaction set) model, mimics continental and transcontinental transport and the photochemistry of ozone, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. Its numerical implementation is described. The model is shown to reproduce the major physical and chemical processes being considered. L95-T and L95-GRS are specifically designed and useful for testing advanced data assimilation schemes, such as the iterative ensemble Kalman smoother (IEnKS), which combines the best of ensemble and variational methods. These models provide useful insights prior to the implementation of data assimilation methods into larger models. We illustrate their use with data assimilation schemes on preliminary yet instructive numerical experiments. In particular, online and offline data assimilation strategies can be conveniently tested and discussed with this low-order CCMM. The impact of observed chemical species concentrations on the wind field estimate can be quantitatively assessed. The impacts of the wind chaotic dynamics and of the chemical species non-chaotic but highly nonlinear dynamics on the data assimilation strategies are illustrated.

Optimization of extraction parameters for recovery of a-amylase from the fermented bran of Bacillus circulans GRS313

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Palit Soumen

2001-01-01

Full Text Available The extraction of alpha-amylase in the solid state fermentation of wheat bran by Bacillus circulans GRS313 was optimized. Among various solvents tested, maximum extraction was achieved when 2.5% (v/v glycerol was added. The optimum conditions for extraction were 2.5 hrs soaking time at 30° C under recirculation and agitated condition, which yielded 590 U/g bran of enzyme activity. Whereas under stationary soaking condition the activity of the enzyme was 439.58U/g bran. With repeated wash under the above optimum conditions showed that 600 U/g and 184.2 U/g of enzyme extracted in the 1st and 2nd washes respectively and only 36.84 U/g was recovered in the 3rd wash

Methodology developed at the CEA/IPSN for logn term performance assessment of nuclear waste repositories in geological formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raimbault, P.; Lewi, J.

1985-05-01

The CEA/ISPN is currently developing a methodology for safety evaluation of disposal site projects in granite, clay and bedded salt, host rocks formations. In the Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety, the Department of Safety Analysis (DAS) is responsible for the coordination of the modeling effort which is performed in several specialized groups. The models are commissionned and utilized at the IPSN for specific safety evaluations. They are improved as needed and validated through international exercices (INTRACOIN-HYDROCOIN-ATKINS) and experimental programs. The DAS develops as well a global performance assessment code named MELODIE which structure allows to couple the individual models. This code participates to international joint studies such as PAGIS, in order to test its ability to model specific sites. This should help to control the adequation of the individual models to the risk assessment evaluation in order to insure the availability of specific data and to identify the most sensitive parameters. This approach should allow to coordinate the action between experimentation, code development and safety rules determination in order to be ready to perform safety assessment on chosen sites. The current status of the different aspects of this work is presented. The model development concerns mainly: transport, hydrogeology, source term, dose calculation and sensitivity studies. Its connection with data collection and model validation is stressed in the field of source modeling, hydrogeology, geochemistry and geoprospective. The description of the first version of MELODIE is presented. Some results of the interactive evaluation of the source term, the groundwater flow and the transport of radionuclides in a granite site are presented as well

GRS/ISTec strategy for the treatment of gas-related issues for repositories located in rock salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muller-Lyda, I.; Javeri, V.; Muller, W.

2001-01-01

The treatment of gas-related issues for repositories located in rock salt by GRS and ISTec has followed a strategy which has been developed with increasing complexity and degree of detail in the past. The strategy today clearly indicates the direction to establish a comprehensive safety case and the work that remains to be done. For gas generation mainly long-term aspects are an issue to increase accuracy of predictions. Physical modelling especially for HLW is still incomplete with regard to the coupling of fluid flow with geomechanics, solution/precipitation effects and geochemistry. The appropriate tools to transform the physical models into numerical solutions are at hand in principle but have to be further developed collaterally to the physical modelling. The first full-scale demonstration of safety regarding gas issues in rock salt will have to be provided for the licensing of the Morsleben repository shut-down in the near future. (authors)

DISK–WIND CONNECTION DURING THE HEARTBEATS OF GRS 1915+105

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zoghbi, Abderahmen; Miller, J. M. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); King, A. L. [KIPAC, Stanford University, 452 Lomita Mall, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Miller, M. C.; Reynolds, C. S. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States); Proga, D. [Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154 (United States); Kallman, T.; Zhang, W. W. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greedbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Fabian, A. C. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OHA (United Kingdom); Harrison, F. A. [Space Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Kaastra, J. [SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Sorbonnelaan 2, 3584 CA Utrecht (Netherlands); Raymond, J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Boggs, S. E.; Craig, W. [Space Science Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Christensen, F. E. [DTU Space, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Hailey, C. J. [Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027 (United States); Stern, D., E-mail: abzoghbi@umich.edu [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States)

2016-12-20

Disk and wind signatures are seen in the soft state of Galactic black holes, while the jet is seen in the hard state. Here we study the disk–wind connection in the ρ class of variability in GRS 1915+105 using a joint NuSTAR – Chandra observation. The source shows 50 s limit cycle oscillations. By including new information provided by the reflection spectrum and using phase-resolved spectroscopy, we find that the change in the inner disk inferred from the blackbody emission is not matched by reflection measurements. The latter is almost constant, independent of the continuum model. The two radii are comparable only if the disk temperature color correction factor changes, an effect that could be due to the changing opacity of the disk caused by changes in metal abundances. The disk inclination is similar to that inferred from the jet axis, and oscillates by ∼10°. The simultaneous Chandra data show the presence of two wind components with velocities between 500 and 5000 km s{sup −1}, and possibly two more with velocities reaching 20,000 km s{sup −1} (∼0.06 c ). The column densities are ∼5 × 10{sup 22} cm{sup −2}. An upper limit to the wind response time of 2 s is measured, implying a launch radius of <6 × 10{sup 10} cm. The changes in wind velocity and absorbed flux require the geometry of the wind to change during the oscillations, constraining the wind to be launched from a distance of 290–1300 r{sub g} from the black hole. Both data sets support fundamental model predictions in which a bulge originates in the inner disk and moves outward as the instability progresses.

Disk-Wind Connection During the Heartbeats of GRS 1915+105

Science.gov (United States)

Zoghbi, Abderahmen; Miller, J. M.; King, A. L.; Miller, M. C.; Proga, D.; Kallman, T.; Fabian, A. C.; Harrison, F. A.; Kaastra, J.; Raymond, J.;

Integrity of the reactor coolant boundary of the European pressurized water reactor (EPR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goetsch, D.; Bieniussa, K.; Schulz, H.; Jalouneix, J.

1997-04-01

This paper is an abstract of the work performed in the frame of the development of the IPSN/GRS approach in view of the EPR conceptual safety features. EPR is a pressurized water reactor which will be based on the experience gained by utilities and designers in France and in Germany. The reactor coolant boundary of a PWR includes the reactor pressure vessel (RPV), those parts of the steam generators (SGs) which contain primary coolant, the pressurizer (PSR), the reactor coolant pumps (RCPs), the main coolant lines (MCLs) with their branches as well as the other connecting pipes and all branching pipes including the second isolation valves. The present work covering the integrity of the reactor coolant boundary is mainly restricted to the integrity of the main coolant lines (MCLs) and reflects the design requirements for the main components of the reactor coolant boundary. In the following the conceptual aspects, i.e. design, manufacture, construction and operation, will be assessed. A main aspect is the definition of break postulates regarding overall safety implications.

Integrity of the reactor coolant boundary of the European pressurized water reactor (EPR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goetsch, D.; Bieniussa, K.; Schulz, H.; Jalouneix, J.

1997-01-01

This paper is an abstract of the work performed in the frame of the development of the IPSN/GRS approach in view of the EPR conceptual safety features. EPR is a pressurized water reactor which will be based on the experience gained by utilities and designers in France and in Germany. The reactor coolant boundary of a PWR includes the reactor pressure vessel (RPV), those parts of the steam generators (SGs) which contain primary coolant, the pressurizer (PSR), the reactor coolant pumps (RCPs), the main coolant lines (MCLs) with their branches as well as the other connecting pipes and all branching pipes including the second isolation valves. The present work covering the integrity of the reactor coolant boundary is mainly restricted to the integrity of the main coolant lines (MCLs) and reflects the design requirements for the main components of the reactor coolant boundary. In the following the conceptual aspects, i.e. design, manufacture, construction and operation, will be assessed. A main aspect is the definition of break postulates regarding overall safety implications

The Accretion Disk Wind in the Black Hole GRS 1915 + 105

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, J.M.; Raymond, J.; Fabian, A. C.; Gallo, E.; Kaastra, J.; Kallman, T.; King, A. L.; Proga, D.; Reynolds, C. S.; Zoghbi, A.

2016-01-01

We report on a 120 kiloseconds Chandra/HETG spectrum of the black hole GRS 1915+105. The observation was made during an extended and bright soft state in 2015 June. An extremely rich disk wind absorption spectrum is detected, similar to that observed at lower sensitivity in 2007. The very high resolution of the third-order spectrum reveals four components to the disk wind in the Fe K band alone; the fastest has a blueshift of v = 0.03 c (velocity equals 0.03 the speed of light). Broadened reemission from the wind is also detected in the first-order spectrum, giving rise to clear accretion disk P Cygni profiles. Dynamical modeling of the re-emission spectrum gives wind launching radii of r approximately equal to 10 (sup 2-4) GM (Gravitational constant times Mass) divided by c (sup 2) (the speed of light squared). Wind density values of n approximately equal to 10 (sup 13-16) per cubic centimeter are then required by the ionization parameter formalism. The small launching radii, high density values, and inferred high mass outflow rates signal a role for magnetic driving. With simple, reasonable assumptions, the wind properties constrain the magnitude of the emergent magnetic field to be B approximately equal to 10 (sup 3-4) G (Gravitational constant) if the wind is driven via magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure from within the disk and B approximately equal to 10 (sup 4-5) G (Gravitational constant) if the wind is driven by magnetocentrifugal acceleration. The MHD estimates are below upper limits predicted by the canonical alpha-disk model. We discuss these results in terms of fundamental disk physics and black hole accretion modes.

Separate collection of MSW. Technical and economical survey; Evoluzione e mercato della ricerca differenziata. Aspetti tecnici ed economici

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Riganti, V. [Pavia Univ., Pavia (Italy). Dipt. di Chimica Generale, Cattedra di Chimica Merceologica; Vaccari, V. [Pavia Univ., Pavia (Italy). Dipt. di Ricerche Aziendali, Cattedra di Tecnologia dei Cicli Produttivi; Miranda, S. [CISPEL Lombardia, Segreteria Tecnica del Gruppo di Lavoro Ambiente, Milan (Italy)

2000-01-01

In this work the increasing of the separate collection of MSW (Municipal Solid Wastes) in Italy, has been studied, in terms of environmental improving, materials recycling and energy recovery, developing the concerning technical and economical aspects. The national situation has been evaluated too, on the basis of a statistical approach, carried out using data from reports of: CRS-Pro Acqua, ANPA, Federambiente. [Italian] Lo sviluppo della raccolta differenziata in Italia viene delineato in funzione della tutela ambientale e del recupero di materie e di energia, sviluppandone gli aspetti tecnici ed economici. Viene altresi' presentato un quadro statistico delle raccolte differenziate sulla base di elaborazioni da varie fonti (CRS-Pro Acqua, ANPA, Federambiente).

Energy and Pitch Distribution of Spontaneously-generated High-energy Bulk Ions in the RFP

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jungha; Anderson, Jay; Reusch, Joshua; Eilerman, Scott; Capecchi, William

2014-10-01

Magnetic reconnection events in the reversed field pinch (RFP) are known to heat bulk and impurity ions. Runaway due to a parallel electric field has recently been confirmed as an important acceleration mechanism for high energy test ions supplied by a neutral beam. This effect does not, however, explain the change in distribution of nearly Maxwellian bulk ions at a reconnection event. By operating MST near maximum current and low electron density, significant fusion neutron flux can be generated without neutral beam injection. The bulk ion distribution created in these plasmas is well-confined, non-Maxwellian, and can be measured by the Advanced Neutral Particle Analyzer (ANPA) placed at a radial or tangential porthole. Data show a high energy tail up to 25 keV with a relatively higher signal in the low energy channels (8-15 keV) at the radial port following a reconnection event. Analysis of the energy dependence of trapped orbits sampled by the ANPA at the radial view implies an abundance of lower energy particles in regions of higher neutral density. This mandates a careful deconvolution of the measured ANPA signal to compute the fast ion distribution. This work is supported by the US DOE and NSF.

Preliminary GRS Measurement of Chlorine Distribution on Surface of Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, J. M.; Boynton, W. V.; Taylor, G. J.; Hamara, D.; Janes, D. M.; Kerry, K.

2003-12-01

Ongoing measurements with the Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) aboard Mars Odyssey provide preliminary detection of chlorine at the surface of Mars. Summing all data since boom deployment and using a forward calculation model, we estimate values for chlorine concentration at 5° resolution. Rebinning this data and smoothing with a 15-degree-radius boxcar filter reveal regions of noticeable chlorine enrichment at scales larger than the original 5° resolution and allow for preliminary comparison with previous Mars datasets. Analyzing chlorine concentrations within 30 degrees of the equator, we find a negative correlation with thermal inertia (R2=0.55) and positive correlation with albedo (R2=0.52), indicating that chlorine is associated with fine, non-rock surface materials. Although possibly a smoothing artifact, the spatial correlation is more noticeable in the region covering Tharsis and Amazonis than around Arabia and Elysium. Additionally, a noticeable region of chlorine enrichment appears west of Tharsis Montes ( ˜0 to 20N, ˜110 to 150W) and chlorine concentration is estimated to vary in the equatorial region by over a factor of two. A simplified two-component model involving chlorine-poor rocks and a homogenous chlorine-rich fine material requires rock abundance to vary from zero to over 50%, a result inconsistent with previous measurements and models. In addition to variations in rock composition and distribution, substantial variations in chlorine content of various types of fine materials including dust, sand, and duricrust appear important in explaining this preliminary observation. Surprisingly, visual comparison of surface units mapped by Christensen and Moore (1992) does not show enrichment in chlorine associated with regions of indurated surfaces, where cementation has been proposed. Rather, Tharsis, a region of active deposition with proposed mantling of 0.1 to 2 meters of recent dust (Christensen 1986), shows the greatest chlorine signal. In light of

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN X-RAY LUMINOSITY AND MAJOR FLARE LAUNCHING IN GRS 1915+105

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Punsly, Brian; Rodriguez, Jérôme

2013-01-01

We perform the most detailed analysis to date of the X-ray state of the Galactic black hole candidate GRS 1915+105 just prior to (0-4 hr) and during the brief (1-7 hr) ejection of major (superluminal) radio flares. A very strong model independent correlation is found between the 1.2 keV-12 keV X-ray flux 0-4 hr before flare ejections with the peak optically thin 2.3 GHz emission of the flares. This suggests a direct physical connection between the energy in the ejection and the luminosity of the accretion flow preceding the ejection. In order to quantify this concept, we develop techniques to estimate the intrinsic (unabsorbed) X-ray luminosity, L intrinsic , from RXTE All Sky Monitor data and to implement known methods to estimate the time-averaged power required to launch the radio emitting plasmoids, Q (sometimes called jet power). We find that the distribution of intrinsic luminosity from 1.2 keV-50 keV, L intrinsic (1.2-50), is systematically elevated just before ejections compared to arbitrary times when there are no major ejections. The estimated Q is strongly correlated with L intrinsic (1.2-50) 0-4 hr before the ejection, the increase in L intrinsic (1.2-50) in the hours preceding the ejection and the time-averaged L intrinsic (1.2-50) during the flare rise. Furthermore, the total time-averaged power during the ejection (Q + the time average of L intrinsic (1.2-50) during ejection) is strongly correlated with L intrinsic (1.2-50) just before launch with near equality if the distance to the source is ≈10.5 kpc.

Evidence of elevated X-ray absorption before and during major flare ejections in GRS 1915+105

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Punsly, Brian [1415 Granvia Altamira, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274 (United States); Rodriguez, Jérôme [Laboratoire AIM, CEA/DSM-CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, IRFU SAp, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Trushkin, Sergei A., E-mail: brian.punsly1@verizon.net, E-mail: brian.punsly@comdev-usa.com [Special Astrophysical Observatory RAS, Nizhnij Arkhyz, 369167 (Russian Federation)

2014-03-10

We present time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy of the microquasar GRS 1915+105 with the MAXI observatory in order to study the accretion state just before and during the ejections associated with its major flares. Radio monitoring with the RATAN-600 radio telescope from 4.8-11.2 GHz has revealed two large, steep-spectrum major flares in the first eight months of 2013. Since the RATAN has received one measurement per day, we cannot determine the jet-forming time without more information. Fortunately, this is possible since a distinct X-ray light curve signature that occurs preceding and during major ejections has been determined in an earlier study. The X-ray luminosity spikes to very high levels in the hours before ejection, then becomes variable (with a nearly equal X-ray luminosity when averaged over the duration of the ejection) during a brief 3-8 hr ejection process. By comparing this X-ray behavior with MAXI light curves, we can estimate the beginning and end of the ejection episode of the strong 2013 flares to within ∼3 hr. Using this estimate in conjunction with time-resolved spectroscopy from the data in the MAXI archives allows us to deduce that the X-ray absorbing hydrogen column density increases significantly in the hours preceding the ejections and remains elevated during the ejections responsible for the major flares. This finding is consistent with an outflowing wind or enhanced accretion at high latitudes.

PSA data base, comparison of the German and French approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kreuser, A.; Tirira, J.

2001-01-01

The results of probabilistic safety assessments (PSA) of nuclear power plants strongly depend on the reliability data used. This report describes coarsely the general process to generate reliability data for components and resumes the differences between the German and French approaches. As has been shown in former studies which compared international PSA data, PSA data are closely related to the model definitions of the PSA. Therefore single PSA data cannot be compared directly without regard e.g. to the corresponding fault trees. These findings are confirmed by this study. The comparison of German and French methods shows a lot of differences concerning various details of the data generation process. Some differences between single reliability data should be eliminated when taking into account the complete fault tree analysis. But there are some other differences which have a direct impact on the obtained results of a PSA. In view of the all differences between both approaches concerning the definition of data and the data collection process, it is not possible to compare directly German and French PSA data. However, the database differences give no indication on the influence on the PSA results. Therefore, it is a need to perform a common IPSN/GRS assessment on how the different databases impact the PSA results. (orig.)

EPR design: A combined approach on safety and economic competitiveness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griedl, R.; Sturm, J.; Degrave, C.; Kappler, F.; Martin-Onraet, M.

2001-01-01

Starting in 1991, the French and German cooperation led to common work based on the experience of the two designers FRAMATOME and SIEMENS KWU with all their know how, the most important utilities in France and Germany operating NPP and the technical supports of the Licensing Authorities GRS and IPSN. The conclusion of that work was the issue in November 1997 and February 1999 respectively of two Basic Design reports for a European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) with a power of 4250 MWth and 4900 MWth. The Basic Design approach was led under two key items: Enhancement of the overall safety level by implementation of design measures to: make the plant less dependant to common cause failures; practically eliminate all high pressure core melt sequences which could lead to important radioactive releases to the environment; implement specific systems to face severe accident situation with low-pressure core melt. Use of the many years of experiences in two different nuclear designs is to reach an overall availability figure over 91%, partly due to design improvements on the safety level. With such an objective, demonstrated by feedback of experience on already operating plants, the EPR project can be proposed as a competitive alternative to the most recent fossil plants. (author)

Analysis techniques for diagnosing runaway ion distributions in the reversed field pinch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, J., E-mail: jkim536@wisc.edu; Anderson, J. K.; Capecchi, W.; Bonofiglo, P. J.; Sears, S. H. [University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States)

2016-11-15

An advanced neutral particle analyzer (ANPA) on the Madison Symmetric Torus measures deuterium ions of energy ranges 8-45 keV with an energy resolution of 2-4 keV and time resolution of 10 μs. Three different experimental configurations measure distinct portions of the naturally occurring fast ion distributions: fast ions moving parallel, anti-parallel, or perpendicular to the plasma current. On a radial-facing port, fast ions moving perpendicular to the current have the necessary pitch to be measured by the ANPA. With the diagnostic positioned on a tangent line through the plasma core, a chord integration over fast ion density, background neutral density, and local appropriate pitch defines the measured sample. The plasma current can be reversed to measure anti-parallel fast ions in the same configuration. Comparisons of energy distributions for the three configurations show an anisotropic fast ion distribution favoring high pitch ions.

Comparison of time/phase lags in the hard state and plateau state of GRS 1915+105

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pahari, Mayukh; Yadav, J. S. [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai, India (MP) (India); Neilsen, Joseph [Boston University, Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Misra, Ranjeev [Inter University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune (India); Uttley, Phil, E-mail: mp@tifr.res.in [Astronomical Institute, " Anton Pannekoek," University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098-XH Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2013-12-01

We investigate the complex behavior of energy- and frequency-dependent time/phase lags in the plateau state and the radio-quiet hard (χ) state of GRS 1915+105. In our timing analysis, we find that when the source is faint in the radio, quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are observed above 2 Hz and typically exhibit soft lags (soft photons lag hard photons), whereas QPOs in the radio-bright plateau state are found below 2.2 Hz and consistently show hard lags. The phase lag at the QPO frequency is strongly anti-correlated with that frequency, changing sign at 2.2 Hz. However, the phase lag at the frequency of the first harmonic is positive and nearly independent of that frequency at ∼0.172 rad, regardless of the radio emission. The lag energy dependence at the first harmonic is also independent of radio flux. However, the lags at the QPO frequency are negative at all energies during the radio-quiet state, but lags at the QPO frequency during the plateau state are positive at all energies and show a 'reflection-type' evolution of the lag energy spectra with respect to the radio-quiet state. The lag energy dependence is roughly logarithmic, but there is some evidence for a break around 4-6 keV. Finally, the Fourier-frequency-dependent phase lag spectra are fairly flat during the plateau state, but increase from negative to positive during the radio-quiet state. We discuss the implications of our results in light of some generic models.

ICARE/CATHARE and ASTEC code development trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chatelard, P.; Dorsselaere, J.-P. van

2000-01-01

Regarding the computer code development for simulation of LWR severe accidents, IPSN developed a two-tier approach based on detailed codes such as ICARE/CATHARE and simplified models to be assembled in the ASTEC integral code. The ICARE/CATHARE code results from the coupling between the ICARE2 code modelling the core degradation phenomena and the thermalhydraulics code CATHARE2. It allows to calculate PWR and VVER severe accident sequences in the whole RCS. The modelling of the early degradation phase can be considered as rather complete in the ICARE/CATHARE V1 mod1 version (to be released by mid-2000) whereas some models are still missing for the late phase. The main future developments (ICARE/CATHARE V2) will concern the multi-dimensional thermalhydraulics, the quenching of partially damaged cores (mechanical and chemical effects), the debris bed two-phase thermalhydraulics (including reflooding) and the corium behaviour in the lower head. The main other physical improvements should concern the behaviour of boron carbide control rods, the processes governing the core loss of geometry (transition phase) and the oxidation of relocated melts. The ASTEC (Accident Source Term Evaluation Code) integral code, commonly developed by IPSN and GRS, aims to predict an entire LWR (PWR, VVER and BWR) severe accident sequence from the initiating event through to FP release out of the containment, for source term, PSA level 2, or accident management studies. The version ASTEC VO.3 to be released by mid-2000 can be considered now as robust and fast-running enough (between 2 and 12 hours for a one day accident) and allows to perform, with a containment multi-compartment configuration, any scenario accident study accounting for the main safety systems and operator procedures (spray, recombiner, etc.). The next version ASTEC V1, to be released beginning of 2002, will include the frontend simulation and improve modelling of in-vessel core degradation. A large validation activity will

Joint research and evaluation work in the field of fire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonzalez, R.; Such, J.M.; Casselman, C. [CEA Cadarache, Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire, Dept. de Recherches en Securite, 13 - Saint Paul Lez Durance (France); Laborde, J.C. [CEA Saclay, Dept. de Prevention et d' Etudes des Accidents, 91 - Gif sur Yvette (France); Bertrand, R.; Blot, M.; Chaussard, M.; Lacoue, J.; Mattei, J.M. [CEA Fontenay-aux-Roses, Dept d' Evaluation de Surete, 92 (France)

2001-07-01

In general, any assessment concerning the safety of nuclear facilities is based on acquired scientific knowledge. Nevertheless, some areas related to safety remain still inadequately explored, knowledge in these areas needs to be further developed either through the results obtained from studies or from experimental research. With the aim of achieving an optimal safety level, one of IPSN's main tasks is to highlight these gags in current knowledge and point out to nuclear facility operators the need to fill them. These general considerations are pertinent to the particular field of fire. At IPSN, safety assessment activities and research are carried out side-by-side, thus facilitating the implementation of corresponding research programs. This ability to orient research with respect to safety assessment requirements, the contribution of research scientists to safety assessment or the formulation of safety problems, are today counted among the strong points of IPSN operation. This paper presents also the present main fire risk safety concerns for Nuclear Power Plants and the associated research carried out by IPSN (past, underway and future) to improve the scientific knowledge in the related areas. (authors)

Joint research and evaluation work in the field of fire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, R.; Such, J.M.; Casselman, C.; Laborde, J.C.; Bertrand, R.; Blot, M.; Chaussard, M.; Lacoue, J.; Mattei, J.M.

2001-01-01

In general, any assessment concerning the safety of nuclear facilities is based on acquired scientific knowledge. Nevertheless, some areas related to safety remain still inadequately explored, knowledge in these areas needs to be further developed either through the results obtained from studies or from experimental research. With the aim of achieving an optimal safety level, one of IPSN's main tasks is to highlight these gags in current knowledge and point out to nuclear facility operators the need to fill them. These general considerations are pertinent to the particular field of fire. At IPSN, safety assessment activities and research are carried out side-by-side, thus facilitating the implementation of corresponding research programs. This ability to orient research with respect to safety assessment requirements, the contribution of research scientists to safety assessment or the formulation of safety problems, are today counted among the strong points of IPSN operation. This paper presents also the present main fire risk safety concerns for Nuclear Power Plants and the associated research carried out by IPSN (past, underway and future) to improve the scientific knowledge in the related areas. (authors)

Lessons learned from exchanges between the french and german safety authorities. Comparison of the safety levels achieved for reactors built in these two countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Droulers, Y.

1988-12-01

It is important to emphasize, right at the beginning, the exceptional extent of the assessment work performed over several years on the nuclear power plants in each country (exchange of confidential documents, communication of incidents during the plant building stage, specialist visits to the site, joint reports by the Franco-German Commission on all important safety problems). The D.F.K. (Franco-German Commission) has been the official framework for these exchanges since 1976 (the exchanges relating to FESSENHEIM and its ''twin'' plant NECKARWESTHEIM 1 began as far back as 1973 and were pursued, when construction of CATTENOM began, by a comparison with PHILIPPSBURG). Apart from its annual plenary session, it presently comprises 6 standing working groups dealing respectively with general safety problems (including primary system technology problems and exchanges on incidents discussed by two subcommittees), emergency plans, radiation protection problems, radioactive waste, fuel cycle installations, fast breeder reactors. It is also worth noting the regular meetings held by the standing groups of experts (GPR and RSK), which have enabled periodical assessment of the extent to which the approaches of the two countries to the main safety problems are tending to converge (severe accidents, operating feedback, containment, followup on the TMI and CHERNOBYL accidents, etc) and the exchanges between the IPSN and the GRS on the corresponding research programs

Cooperation between the French and German safety authorities: a process of progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacoste, A.C.; Hennenhoefer, G.

1996-01-01

Considerable efforts are devoted in several countries worldwide for the designing of a new generation of electro-nuclear reactors with noticeable safety improvements with respect to the existing units. The EPR (European Pressurized water Reactor) project is the first example of a joint survey and collaboration effort between two countries, France and Germany, both characterized by a strong nuclear industry and competence. Franco-German relations have considerably expanded in recent years, enabling the French and German electricians, manufacturers (EDF, Siemens, Framatome..), and safety authorities (DSIN, IPSN, BMU, GRS..) to adopt common positions and decisions on fundamental topics about technical aspects of safety. This kind of collaboration and alignment was obviously only possible because two conditions were fulfilled: the discussion concerned future reactors and not those already built for which safety rules and provisions are not easily modified; and a common industrial project existed and had consequently to comply with jointly defined safety objectives. These two conditions are still fulfilled, so it should be possible for the work between French and German safety authorities to continue successfully, even in the next more delicate stage, involving definition of common positions on more detailed technical provisions. Finally, it is unthinkable that this important work undertaken by France and Germany could be carried out without frequent consultation of the safety authorities of other nuclear countries, notably in Europe. (J.S.). 1 fig

Activity report 1998; Rapport d'activite 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-07-01

The ''Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire'' (IPSN), carries out researches and expert studies needed to manage nuclear risks and their consequences on people and environment. These activities cover the installation safety, the radioactive matter transport, the public health and environmental control, the nuclear matters safety and control and the crisis situation management. The IPSN have got also a mission of public information and participates to international actions in the domain of scientific researches or expert's report. This annual report presents the highlights of the year 1998, information on staff, budgets and geographical situation. Then technical and scientific papers gathers the activities of the year covered by the IPSN: the ''Free Tribune'', installations and radioactive wastes safety, crisis and nuclear matter management, public health and environment control, international cooperation. (A.L.B.)

Activity report 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The ''Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire'' (IPSN), carries out researches and expert studies needed to manage nuclear risks and their consequences on people and environment. These activities cover the installation safety, the radioactive matter transport, the public health and environmental control, the nuclear matters safety and control and the crisis situation management. The IPSN have got also a mission of public information and participates to international actions in the domain of scientific researches or expert's report. This annual report presents the highlights of the year 1998, information on staff, budgets and geographical situation. Then technical and scientific papers gathers the activities of the year covered by the IPSN: the ''Free Tribune'', installations and radioactive wastes safety, crisis and nuclear matter management, public health and environment control, international cooperation. (A.L.B.)

Assessment of ICARE/CATHARE V1mod1 and V1 applications to full scale studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chatelard, P.; Barre, F.; Mutelle, H.

2001-01-01

The objective initially assigned to the ICARE/CATHARE V1mod1 validation task was to draw a synthesis of the ability of the code to correctly reproduce the main physical processes occurring during severe accidents. Therefore, both the domain in which the ICARE/CATHARE V1mod1 predictions are satisfactory (good confidence level) and, conversely, the identification of the main code deficiencies have to be highlighted. After a brief recall of the validation strategy and the current status of the work, this paper summarizes the main lessons which were drawn by IPSN from the validation activity which was conducted during the last two years (in 2000-2001) in the particular framework of the Users' Club (both IPSN and several foreign partners were involved in this task, under the management of IPSN). (authors)

The year 2000 and the French nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henry, Jean Yves; Regnier, Pascal; Daumas, Frederic; Manners, Simeon

1999-03-01

This report deals with the millennium problem from the point of view of French Nuclear Activities. The paper presents the millennium problem and its causes as well as the difficulties in achieving millennium compliance. The relationship between the computer systems and the safety of nuclear installations is addressed and, in this respect, the question of determining the analysis strategy at the IPSN is discussed. The necessity to set up a specific organisational system having tasks related to analysis of installation sensitivity, study of resources, tests, and contingency measures is maintained. Particularly, an analysis of PWR of EDF and other nuclear installations is presented. Also mentioned are the IPSN initiatives in support of its assessment as well as the IPSN's international actions to cope with the millennium bug challenge

Transfer process studies through a toarcian argilite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boisson, J.Y.

1996-01-01

Concerning long lived and high level radioactive wastes, the French Wastes Management Research Act (30th December 1991) has set three ways to be studied: separation and/or transmutation, conditioning processes and volumes reduction, and feasibility of geological disposal. ANDRA, in charge of this last point; has the responsibility to create and develop underground laboratories, to elaborate and propose the concept of the future disposal installations with safety demonstration, to be submitted to the French safety governmental authorities (Direction de la Surete des Installations Nucleaires). In order to asses these safety demonstrations, to build up its judgement, DSIN will ask technical advice, from Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire (IPSN). To be able to meet these requirements, IPSN is developing, in the framework of its research and development safety programs, in situ research concerning the confining properties of geological formations. In order to perform experiments in representative conditions concerning mainly geotechnical and hydrogeological properties of very low permeability rocks, appropriate underground sites have been selected in the past in granite and shale formations. IPSN activities at the Tournemire site are the most important activities regarding specifically research about characterization of transfers through an argilite formation. This programme is developed in the framework of a cost sharing research contract between IPSN and EC. (author)

Activity report 1998; Rapport d'activite 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-07-01

The ''Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire'' (IPSN), carries out researches and expert studies needed to manage nuclear risks and their consequences on people and environment. These activities cover the installation safety, the radioactive matter transport, the public health and environmental control, the nuclear matters safety and control and the crisis situation management. The IPSN have got also a mission of public information and participates to international actions in the domain of scientific researches or expert's report. This annual report presents the highlights of the year 1998, information on staff, budgets and geographical situation. Then technical and scientific papers gathers the activities of the year covered by the IPSN: the ''Free Tribune'', installations and radioactive wastes safety, crisis and nuclear matter management, public health and environment control, international cooperation. (A.L.B.)

The impact of automation on operator performance. An explorative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tasset, Daniel; Charron, Sylvie; Miberg, Ann-Britt; Hollnagel, Erik

1999-01-01

This study addresses the issue of human-automation interaction in nuclear power plant control rooms. It was initiated by the Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire (IPSN - France) in 1996, and has been carried out in a co-operation between the Institutt for Energiteknikk (IFE) and IPSN, 1996-1998. The purpose of the study is to contribute to the understanding of how automatic systems affect operator performance in nuclear power plants. The results of the project will be used in two ways. First, they will support the identification of particular human-automation issues of interest for future human-automation studies. Second, they will be used by IPSN to initiate the development of a knowledge-based aimed at supporting the conduction of comparative analyses between different human-automation set-ups in French nuclear power plants (author) (ml)

Constitution of an incident database suited to statistical analysis and examples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verpeaux, J.L.

1990-01-01

The Nuclear Protection and Safety Institute (IPSN) has set up and is developing an incidents database, which is used for the management and analysis of incidents encountered in French PWR plants. IPSN has already carried out several incidents or safety important events statistical analysis, and is improving its database on the basis of the experience it gained from this various studies. A description of the analysis method and of the developed database is presented

Automated Acoustic Identification of Bats

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-01

long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris yerbabuenae Maca California leaf-nosed bat, Macrotus californicus Myca California myotis, M. californicus Myci western...californicus ( Maca ) Nyctinomops femorosaccus (Nyfe) Leptonycteris yerbabuenae (Leye) N. macrotis (Nyma) Lasiurus blossevillii (Labl) / L. borealis (Labo...Myve Myar Chme Maca Maca Maca Leye Leye Pahe Pahe Pahe Pahe Labl Labl Labl Labl Laxa Laxa Laxa Myev Myev Anpa

Involving International Student Teams in GPS and GRS Surveys to Study Cryospheric Change in Greenland and the Colorado Front Range

Science.gov (United States)

Herzfeld, U. C.; Mayer, H.

2009-12-01

In the course of research programs to develop a methodology for the study of microtopography of ice and snow surfaces, we placed a strong emphasis on the involvement of students. This project provided the opportunity to engage students in every step from building the instrument through development of the data processing, the actual field measurements, processing of the resultant data, their evaluation and interpretation to the final publication in scientific journals. The development of the Glacier Roughness Sensor (GRS) incorporating Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and the fieldwork on the Greenland Inland Ice were particularly fascinating and instructive for students. In a related snow-hydrological research project on Niwot Ridge in the Colorado Front Range, we involved students in two season-long measurement campaigns in a high alpine environment. Students from the Universität Trier, Germany, and the University of Colorado Boulder participated in this project to learn about the value of international collaboration in science. Funding was provided by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Antarctic and Arctic Program) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (Hydrological Sciences Program). Students participated in preparatory classes and field camps, selected their own research projects and received university credit towards their degrees in geography or environmental sciences. All student participants in the MICROTOP projects have gone on to higher university education and become professionally exceptionally successful. Students setting up camp on the Greenland Ice Sheet during expedition MICROTOP 99.

Fire probability safety analysis in France for 900 MWe nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertrand, R.; Bonneval, F.; Mattei, J.M.

2000-01-01

This paper describes the methodology implemented by the Institute for Nuclear Safety and Protection (IPSN) to carry out the Fire Probabilistic Safety Assessment (Fire PSA) for French 900 MWe pressurised water reactors. The initial results obtained are presented. Additional research and development activities are indicated which IPSN carried out or decided to perform in order to reduce the amount of uncertainty associated with the data or to confirm hypotheses that can impact significantly the study results. (orig.) [de

The multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene polymorphism G-rs3789243-A is not associated with disease susceptibility in Norwegian patients with colorectal adenoma and colorectal cancer; a case control study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, V.; Agerstjerne, L.; Jensen, D.

2009-01-01

Background: Smoking, dietary factors, and alcohol consumption are known life style factors contributing to gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. Genetic variations in carcinogen handling may affect cancer risk. The multidrug resistance 1(MDR1/ABCB1) gene encodes the transport protein P-glycoprotein (a...... in inflammation, and may thereby affect the risk of malignity. Hence, genetic variations that modify the function of P-glycoprotein may be associated with the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). We have previously found an association between the MDR1 intron 3 G-rs3789243-A polymorphism and the risk of CRC...... of colorectal carcinomas and adenomas in the Norwegian population was assessed in 167 carcinomas, 990 adenomas, and 400 controls. Genotypes were determined by allelic discrimination. Odds ratio (OR) and 95 confidence interval (95% CI) were estimated by binary logistic regression. Results: No association...

Environmental radioactivity networks in Italy, 1994-1997; Reti nazionali di sorveglianza della radioattivita' ambientale in Italia: 1994-1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belli, M; Notaro, M; Rosamilia, S; Sansone, U [Agenzia Nazionale per la Protezione dell' Ambiente, Rome (Italy). Dipt. StatoAmbiente, Controlli e Sistemi Informativi, Unita' Interdipartimentale di Metrologia Ambientale

1999-07-01

This report contains the environmental radioactivity data collected in Italy from 1994 to 1997 by the National Environmental Radioactivity Networks of Italy. The National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPA) is law-fully responsible for publishing the environmental and dietary contamination data, provided by the organisations participating to the National Environmental Radioactivity Networks. The complete list of the participants is reported at the end of the present document. The National Environmental Radioactivity Networks of Italy are aimed at survey of the pattern of environmental and dietary contamination in order to assess the radiation doses which the Italian population may receive. The sampling networks have been designed on regional basis, to provide information on the average extent of environmental and dietary contamination. The sampling programmes are planned to obtain representative samples able to reveal the average situation both in time and space. To guarantee that the laboratories of the organisations participating to the National Environmental Radioactivity Networks, perform measurements with a certain degree of accuracy and maintain the quality of their systems, the National Environmental Protection Agency organises yearly an intercalibration programme of the analytical methods used for measuring radioactivity in food and environmental samples. The calibration programme is performed with the collaboration of the National Institute of Ionising Radiation Metrology (ENEA). Routine tests with transfer standards are used for accurate calibration, so that the results can be traceable to a common reference point. [Italian] Il presente rapporto contiene una sintesi dei dati di radioattivita' ambientale raccolti in Italia dal 1994 al 1997 nell'ambito delle Reti Nazionali di Sorveglianza della Radioattivita' Ambientale. Obiettivo principale delle Reti Nazionali e' il rilevamento dell'andamento della radioattivita' ambientale sul territorio nazionale, al

Environmental radioactivity networks in Italy, 1994-1997; Reti nazionali di sorveglianza della radioattivita' ambientale in Italia: 1994-1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belli, M.; Notaro, M.; Rosamilia, S.; Sansone, U. [Agenzia Nazionale per la Protezione dell' Ambiente, Rome (Italy). Dipt. StatoAmbiente, Controlli e Sistemi Informativi, Unita' Interdipartimentale di Metrologia Ambientale

1999-07-01

This report contains the environmental radioactivity data collected in Italy from 1994 to 1997 by the National Environmental Radioactivity Networks of Italy. The National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPA) is law-fully responsible for publishing the environmental and dietary contamination data, provided by the organisations participating to the National Environmental Radioactivity Networks. The complete list of the participants is reported at the end of the present document. The National Environmental Radioactivity Networks of Italy are aimed at survey of the pattern of environmental and dietary contamination in order to assess the radiation doses which the Italian population may receive. The sampling networks have been designed on regional basis, to provide information on the average extent of environmental and dietary contamination. The sampling programmes are planned to obtain representative samples able to reveal the average situation both in time and space. To guarantee that the laboratories of the organisations participating to the National Environmental Radioactivity Networks, perform measurements with a certain degree of accuracy and maintain the quality of their systems, the National Environmental Protection Agency organises yearly an intercalibration programme of the analytical methods used for measuring radioactivity in food and environmental samples. The calibration programme is performed with the collaboration of the National Institute of Ionising Radiation Metrology (ENEA). Routine tests with transfer standards are used for accurate calibration, so that the results can be traceable to a common reference point. [Italian] Il presente rapporto contiene una sintesi dei dati di radioattivita' ambientale raccolti in Italia dal 1994 al 1997 nell'ambito delle Reti Nazionali di Sorveglianza della Radioattivita' Ambientale. Obiettivo principale delle Reti Nazionali e' il rilevamento dell'andamento della radioattivita

Polyacrylonitrile Fibers Anchored Cobalt/Graphene Sheet Nanocomposite: A Low-Cost, High-Performance and Reusable Catalyst for Hydrogen Generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Fei; Huang, Guoji; Hou, Chengyi; Wang, Hongzhi; Zhang, Qinghong; Li, Yaogang

2016-06-01

Cobalt and its composites are known to be active and inexpensive catalysts in sodium borohydride (NaBH4) hydrolysis to generate clean and renewable hydrogen energy. A novel fiber catalyst, cobalt/graphene sheet nanocomposite anchored on polyacrylonitrile fibers (Co/GRs-PANFs), which can be easily recycled and used in any reactor with different shapes, were synthesized by anchoring cobalt/graphene (Co/GRs) on polyacrylonitrile fibers coated with graphene (GRs-PANFs) at low temperature. The unique structure design effectively prevents the inter-sheet restacking of Co/GRs and fully exploits the large surface area of novel hybrid material for generate hydrogen. And the extra electron transfer path supplied by GRs on the surface of GRs-PANFs can also enhance their catalysis performances. The catalytic activity of the catalyst was investigated by the hydrolysis of NaBH4 in aqueous solution with GRs-PANFs. GRs powders and Co powders were used as control groups. It was found that both GRs and fiber contributed to the hydrogen generation rate of Co/GRs-PANFs (3222 mL x min(-1) x g(-1)), which is much higher than that of cobalt powders (915 mL x min(-1) x g(-1)) and Co/GRs (995 mL x min(-1) x g(-1)). The improved hydrogen generation rate, low cost and uncomplicated recycling make the Co/GRs-PANFs promising candidate as catalysts for hydrogen generation.

An evaluation about the tools of doses calculation and future needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomassin, A.; Merle-Szeremeta, A.

1999-01-01

The purpose of this communication is to give an image of the situation in tools for doses calculation, and to look to the future. The Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety, with its mission of dosimetric impact evaluation of any radioactive release or radioactive contamination is led to use numerous calculation tools. It appeared useful to take the stock of the situation on tools used at the I.P.S.N. but also out of the I.P.S.N.. (N.C.)

Regulating nuclear and radiation safety in the frame of the Chernobyl shelter Implementation Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bykov, V.; Demchyuk, A.; Kilochitska, T.; Redko, V. [State Nuclear Regulatory Committee of Ukraine, SNRCU, Arsenalna St. 9/11, Kyiv (Ukraine); Bogorinski, P. [GRS/IPSN-RISKAUDIT, Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Koeln (Germany); Vasilchenko, V.; Erickson, L.; Kadkin, E.; Kondratyev, S.; Kutina, L.; Smyshliaeva, S. [SSTC NRS, Stusa St. 35-37, 03142, Kyiv (Ukraine)

2003-07-01

Since 1998 the Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP) has been carried out on the Chernobyl NPP Unit 4 (the object Shelter - OS). The State Nuclear Regulatory Committee of Ukraine (SNRCU) recognizes the exceptional importance of successful and efficient SIP implementation and acts accordingly in regulation, licensing, and inspection. Technical support of the SNRCU in SIP licensing are provided by the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC) and the SIP Licensing Consultant (LC) representing RISKAUDIT IPSN/GRS International and SCIENTECH, Inc. Support of the SNRCU is also provided by the International Consultative Committee of Regulatory Bodies (ICCRB). ICCRB members represent regulatory authorities from nine European countries, Canada and the U.S. Summarizing the information above, it can be stated that a sound basis has been created for the licensing process for SIP. The approach for using the regulatory base has been determined. It ensures the establishment of safety objectives and gives ChNPP the freedom of optimal choice of specific technical decisions. The License has been issued for OS-related activities and a number of documents have been developed to conduct an effective and high quality authorization process: the Licensing Process; Recommendations on single SSR, Licensing Plan for SIP. The Order of State Safety Supervision for SIP has been approved. Working groups are functioning, whose purposes are to coordinate actions of participants in authorization activities, including ChNPP, SNRCU, and other RA.

Regulating nuclear and radiation safety in the frame of the Chernobyl shelter Implementation Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bykov, V.; Demchyuk, A.; Kilochitska, T.; Redko, V.; Bogorinski, P.; Vasilchenko, V.; Erickson, L.; Kadkin, E.; Kondratyev, S.; Kutina, L.; Smyshliaeva, S.

2003-01-01

Since 1998 the Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP) has been carried out on the Chernobyl NPP Unit 4 (the object Shelter - OS). The State Nuclear Regulatory Committee of Ukraine (SNRCU) recognizes the exceptional importance of successful and efficient SIP implementation and acts accordingly in regulation, licensing, and inspection. Technical support of the SNRCU in SIP licensing are provided by the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC) and the SIP Licensing Consultant (LC) representing RISKAUDIT IPSN/GRS International and SCIENTECH, Inc. Support of the SNRCU is also provided by the International Consultative Committee of Regulatory Bodies (ICCRB). ICCRB members represent regulatory authorities from nine European countries, Canada and the U.S. Summarizing the information above, it can be stated that a sound basis has been created for the licensing process for SIP. The approach for using the regulatory base has been determined. It ensures the establishment of safety objectives and gives ChNPP the freedom of optimal choice of specific technical decisions. The License has been issued for OS-related activities and a number of documents have been developed to conduct an effective and high quality authorization process: the Licensing Process; Recommendations on single SSR, Licensing Plan for SIP. The Order of State Safety Supervision for SIP has been approved. Working groups are functioning, whose purposes are to coordinate actions of participants in authorization activities, including ChNPP, SNRCU, and other RA

Phebus FPT-O. Exploratory containment iodine chemistry calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fermandjian, J.; Dickinson, S.; Edward, J.B.; Ewig, F.J.; Funke, F.; Hueber, C.; Rodriguez-Maroto, J.J.; Sims, H.E.

1994-01-01

The results of the exploratory containment iodine chemistry calculations related to the first Phebus-FP test (benchmark exercise for explaining the reasons for code inconsistencies and realistic calculation for test preparation) are reported. Calculations have been performed by CEA/IPSN/DRS/SEMAR-Cadarache (France), CIEMAT-Madrid (Spain), GRS-Koeln and SIEMENS/KWU, Erlangen (Germany), AEA-Harwell (UK), Ontario Hydro-Toronto, University of Toronto and AECL-Whiteshell (Canada). The code benchmark results show that mechanistic codes (INSPECT and LIRIC) are in agreement for molecular iodine concentration in the gaseous phase, whereas empirical codes (IODE and IMPAIR) are in disagreement because they model differently HOI disproportionation and use different radiolytic constant values (iodide/iodate radiolysis). Furthermore, the molecular iodine concentrations in the gaseous phase are 10 to 100 times higher at acid pH (pH - 5) than at neutral pH (pH - 7), and the presence of organic radicals in water does not change the concentrations of inorganic iodine species. Concerning the realistic calculation, the iodine mass distribution in the containment differ from one code to another, but all codes predict that the iodine concentration in the gaseous phase is high enough to be detected by foreseen instrumentation (as was verified during the test). FPT-0 test has been performed in December 1993. Analysis of experimental results is underway and result interpretation will be available at the beginning of 1995. (author). 11 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs

Nuclear Protection and Safety Institute R and D activities in the field of plant ageing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deletre, G; Henry, J Y; Miannay, D; Olivera, J J; Horowitz, H; Barrachin, B

1991-11-01

A part of the work carried out by the CEA's Nuclear Protection and Safety Institute (IPSN) is devoted to revealing possible modifications in nuclear reactor materials under the combined effects of time, temperature and irradiation. The current R and D programme being carried out by the IPSN in collaboration with various specialized CEA departments concentrates on three main fields: - Reactor coolant system materials, - Polymerbased materials, - Coatings and paintings used inside pressurized water reactor containments. These activities are, of course, part of a much wider context which includes operating experience feedback, particularly as regards deterioration already observed in pressurized water reactors; this deterioration is usually the result of phenomena which were overlooked or inadequately studied at the design stage (corrosion, erosion, vibratory or thermal fatigue, cavitation, etc.). With his perspective in view, the IPSN is also undertaking a number of activities to develop powerful inspection methods and increase the effectiveness of preventive maintenance programmes.

Nuclear Protection and Safety Institute R and D activities in the field of plant aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deletre, G.; Henry, J.Y.; Miannay, D.; Olivera, J.J.; Horowitz, H.; Barrachin, B.

1991-01-01

A part of the work carried out by the CEA's Nuclear Protection and Safety Institute (IPSN) is devoted to revealing possible modifications in nuclear reactor materials under the combined effects of time, temperature and irradiation. The current R and D programme being carried out by the IPSN is collaboration with various specialized CEA departments concentrates on three main fields: Reactor coolant system materials, Polymerbased materials, Coatings and paintings used inside pressurized water reactor containments. These activities are, of course, part of a much wider context which includes operating experience feedback, particularly as regards deterioration already observed in pressurized water reactors; this deterioration is usually the result of phenomena which were overlooked or inadequately studied at the design stage (corrosion, erosion, vibratory or thermal fatigue, cavitation, etc). With this perspective in view, the IPSN is also undertaking a number of activities to develop powerful inspection methods and increase the effectiveness of preventive maintenance programmes. (author)

A short introduction to bit-string physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noyes, H.P.

1997-06-01

This paper starts with a personal memoir of how some significant ideas arose and events took place during the period from 1972, when the author first encountered Ted Bastin, to 1979, when the author proposed the foundation of ANPA. He then discusses program universe, the fine structure paper and its rejection, the quantitative results up to ANPA 17 and take a new look at the handy-dandy formula. Following the historical material is a first pass at establishing new foundations for bit-string physics. An abstract model for a laboratory notebook and a historical record are developed, culminating in the bit-string representation. The author set up a tic-toc laboratory with two synchronized clocks and shows how this can be used to analyze arbitrary incoming data. This allows him to discuss (briefly) finite and discrete Lorentz transformations, commutation relations, and scattering theory. Earlier work on conservation laws in 3- and 4-events and the free space Dirac and Maxwell equations is cited. The paper concludes with a discussion of the quantum gravity problem from his point of view and speculations about how a bit-string theory of strong, electromagnetic, weak and gravitational unification could take shape

Comparison of weighting approaches for genetic risk scores in gene-environment interaction studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hüls, Anke; Krämer, Ursula; Carlsten, Christopher; Schikowski, Tamara; Ickstadt, Katja; Schwender, Holger

2017-12-16

Weighted genetic risk scores (GRS), defined as weighted sums of risk alleles of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), are statistically powerful for detection gene-environment (GxE) interactions. To assign weights, the gold standard is to use external weights from an independent study. However, appropriate external weights are not always available. In such situations and in the presence of predominant marginal genetic effects, we have shown in a previous study that GRS with internal weights from marginal genetic effects ("GRS-marginal-internal") are a powerful and reliable alternative to single SNP approaches or the use of unweighted GRS. However, this approach might not be appropriate for detecting predominant interactions, i.e. interactions showing an effect stronger than the marginal genetic effect. In this paper, we present a weighting approach for such predominant interactions ("GRS-interaction-training") in which parts of the data are used to estimate the weights from the interaction terms and the remaining data are used to determine the GRS. We conducted a simulation study for the detection of GxE interactions in which we evaluated power, type I error and sign-misspecification. We compared this new weighting approach to the GRS-marginal-internal approach and to GRS with external weights. Our simulation study showed that in the absence of external weights and with predominant interaction effects, the highest power was reached with the GRS-interaction-training approach. If marginal genetic effects were predominant, the GRS-marginal-internal approach was more appropriate. Furthermore, the power to detect interactions reached by the GRS-interaction-training approach was only slightly lower than the power achieved by GRS with external weights. The power of the GRS-interaction-training approach was confirmed in a real data application to the Traffic, Asthma and Genetics (TAG) Study (N = 4465 observations). When appropriate external weights are unavailable, we

Functional Properties of Glutinous Rice Flour by Dry-Heat Treatment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Qin

Full Text Available Glutinous rice flour (GRF and glutinous rice starch (GRS were modified by dry-heat treatment and their rheological, thermal properties and freeze-thaw stability were evaluated. Compared with the native GRF and GRS, the water-holding ability of modified GRF and GRS were enhanced. Both the onset and peak temperatures of the modified samples increased while the endothermic enthalpy change decreased significantly (p < 0.05. Meanwhile, dry heating remarkably increased the apparent viscosities of both GRF and GRS. Importantly, compared with GRS samples, the storage modulus (G' and loss modulus (G" values of modified GRF increased more greatly and the tanδ values decreased more remarkably, indicating that the dry-heat treatment showed more impact on the GRF and a higher viscoelasticity compared with GRS. Our results suggest the dry-heat treatment of GRF is a more effective method than that of GRS, which omits the complex and tedious process for purifying GRS, and thereby has more practical applications in the food industry.

Functional Properties of Glutinous Rice Flour by Dry-Heat Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Yang; Liu, Chengzhen; Jiang, Suisui; Cao, Jinmiao; Xiong, Liu; Sun, Qingjie

2016-01-01

Glutinous rice flour (GRF) and glutinous rice starch (GRS) were modified by dry-heat treatment and their rheological, thermal properties and freeze-thaw stability were evaluated. Compared with the native GRF and GRS, the water-holding ability of modified GRF and GRS were enhanced. Both the onset and peak temperatures of the modified samples increased while the endothermic enthalpy change decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, dry heating remarkably increased the apparent viscosities of both GRF and GRS. Importantly, compared with GRS samples, the storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G") values of modified GRF increased more greatly and the tanδ values decreased more remarkably, indicating that the dry-heat treatment showed more impact on the GRF and a higher viscoelasticity compared with GRS. Our results suggest the dry-heat treatment of GRF is a more effective method than that of GRS, which omits the complex and tedious process for purifying GRS, and thereby has more practical applications in the food industry.

Experiment on safety software evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soubies, B.; Henry, J.Y.

1994-06-01

The licensing procedures process of nuclear plants includes compulsory steps which bring about a thorough exam of the commands control system. In this context the IPSN uses a tool called MALPAS to carry out an analysis of the quality of the software involved in safety control. The IPSN also try to obtain the automation of the generation of test games necessary for dynamical analysis. The MALPAS tool puts forward the particularities of programing which can influence the testability and the upholding of the studied software. (TEC). 4 refs

Risks associated to the depleted uranium in the piercing shells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Following the complaints lodged by military personnel against the consequences of the utilization of depleted uranium in weapons during the Balkans war (1995-1999), the governments of six concerned countries asked information to the NATO. In this paper the IPSN gives its own opinion on this problem: the characteristics of the uranium and the depleted uranium, the impacts of the shell fires on the human and the environment. To establish the risks in terms of leukemia and the liabilities the IPSN advises more biological tests and more information on the shells utilization. (A.L.B.)

Integration and evaluation of a position sensor with continuous read-out for use with the Environmental Measurement-While-Drilling Gamma Ray Spectrometer system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Normann, R.A.; Lockwood, G.J.; Williams, C.V.; Selph, M.M.

1998-02-01

The Environmental Measurement-While-Drilling-Gamma Ray Spectrometer (EMWD-GRS) system represents an innovative blend of new and existing technology that provides real-time environmental and drill bit data during drilling operations. The EMWD-GRS technology was demonstrated at Savannah River Site (SRS) F-Area Retention Basin. The EMWD-GRS technology demonstration consisted of continuously monitoring for gamma-radiation-producing contamination while drilling two horizontal boreholes below the backfilled waste retention basin. These boreholes passed near previously sampled locations where concentrations of contaminant levels of cesium had been measured. Contaminant levels continuously recorded by the EMWD-GRS system during drilling were compared to contaminant levels previously determined through quantitative laboratory analysis of soil samples. The results show general agreement between the soil sampling and EMWD-GRS techniques for Cs-137. The EMWD-GRS system has been improved by the integration of an orientation sensor package for position sensing (PS) (EMWD-GRS/PS). This added feature gives the capability of calculating position, which is tied directly to EMWD-GRS sensor data obtained while drilling. The EMWD-GRS/PS system is described and the results of the field tests are presented

The endoscopy Global Rating Scale-Canada: development and implementation of a quality improvement tool.

Science.gov (United States)

MacIntosh, Donald; Dubé, Catherine; Hollingworth, Roger; Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Sander; Daniels, Sandra; Ghattas, George

2013-02-01

Increasing use of gastrointestinal endoscopy, particularly for colorectal cancer screening, and increasing emphasis on health care quality highlight the need for endoscopy facilities to review the quality of the service they offer. To adapt the United Kingdom Global Rating Scale (UK-GRS) to develop a web-based and patient-centred tool to assess and improve the quality of endoscopy services provided. Based on feedback from 22 sites across Canada that completed the UK endoscopy GRS, and integrating results of the Canadian consensus on safety and quality indicators in endoscopy and other Canadian consensus reports, a working group of endoscopists experienced with the GRS developed the GRS-Canada (GRS-C). The GRS-C mirrors the two dimensions (clinical quality and quality of the patient experience) and 12 patient-centred items of the UK-GRS, but was modified to apply to Canadian health care infrastructure, language and current practice. Each item is assessed by a yes⁄no response to eight to 12 statements that are divided into levels graded D (basic) through A (advanced). A core team consisting of a booking clerk, charge nurse and the physician responsible for the unit is recommended to complete the GRS-C twice yearly. The GRS-C is intended to improve endoscopic services in Canada by providing endoscopy units with a straightforward process to review the quality of the service they provide.

Strong influence of dietary intake and physical activity on body fatness in elderly Japanese men: age-associated loss of polygenic resistance against obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanisawa, Kumpei; Ito, Tomoko; Sun, Xiaomin; Ise, Ryuken; Oshima, Satomi; Cao, Zhen-Bo; Sakamoto, Shizuo; Tanaka, Masashi; Higuchi, Mitsuru

2014-09-01

Genome-wide association studies identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with body mass index (BMI) in middle-aged populations; however, it is unclear whether these SNPs are associated with body fatness in elderly people. We examined the association between genetic risk score (GRS) from BMI-associated SNPs and body fatness in elderly Japanese men. We also examined the contribution of GRS, dietary macronutrient intake, and physical activity to body fatness by different age groups. GRS was calculated from 10 BMI-associated SNPs in 84 middle-aged (30-64 years) and 97 elderly (65-79 years) Japanese men; subjects were divided into low, middle, and high GRS groups. Dietary macronutrient intake was assessed using a questionnaire, and physical activity was evaluated using both a questionnaire and an accelerometer. The middle-aged individuals with a high GRS had greater BMI; waist circumference; and total abdominal fat, visceral fat, and subcutaneous fat areas than the middle-aged individuals with low GRS, whereas the indicators were not different between the GRS groups in elderly individuals. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that GRS was the strongest predictor of BMI, total abdominal fat, and visceral fat in the middle-aged group, whereas fat, alcohol, and protein intakes or vigorous-intensity physical activity were more strongly associated with these indicators than was GRS in the elderly group. These results suggest that GRS from BMI-associated SNPs is not predictive of body fatness in elderly Japanese men. The stronger contribution of dietary macronutrient intake and physical activity to body fatness may attenuate the genetic predisposition in elderly men.

Operator support systems in NPPs. Summary of the activities in the period 1993-1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silvani, V.

1996-01-01

The report presents an overview of major activities performed in ENEA and ANPA in the period 1993-1995 related to CRP subject. Being in Italy the Nuclear Power Plant not in operation since 1987, studied and research under development related to the CRP subject make reference to technological themes such as the methods to improve the software quality in critical application and the methods to improve the operator training. (author). 5 refs

The endoscopy Global Rating Scale – Canada: Development and implementation of a quality improvement tool

Science.gov (United States)

MacIntosh, Donald; Dubé, Catherine; Hollingworth, Roger; van Zanten, Sander Veldhuyzen; Daniels, Sandra; Ghattas, George

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Increasing use of gastrointestinal endoscopy, particularly for colorectal cancer screening, and increasing emphasis on health care quality highlight the need for endoscopy facilities to review the quality of the service they offer. OBJECTIVE: To adapt the United Kingdom Global Rating Scale (UK-GRS) to develop a web-based and patient-centred tool to assess and improve the quality of endoscopy services provided. METHODS: Based on feedback from 22 sites across Canada that completed the UK endoscopy GRS, and integrating results of the Canadian consensus on safety and quality indicators in endoscopy and other Canadian consensus reports, a working group of endoscopists experienced with the GRS developed the GRS-Canada (GRS-C). RESULTS: The GRS-C mirrors the two dimensions (clinical quality and quality of the patient experience) and 12 patient-centred items of the UK-GRS, but was modified to apply to Canadian health care infrastructure, language and current practice. Each item is assessed by a yes/no response to eight to 12 statements that are divided into levels graded D (basic) through A (advanced). A core team consisting of a booking clerk, charge nurse and the physician responsible for the unit is recommended to complete the GRS-C twice yearly. CONCLUSION: The GRS-C is intended to improve endoscopic services in Canada by providing endoscopy units with a straightforward process to review the quality of the service they provide. PMID:23472242

Where does Chlorine-36 go?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2000-01-01

Chlorine-36 and Iodine-129 are the unique long-life radionuclides in the halogen family and halogens are known to be very mobile in the environment. Chlorine-36 is present in slight quantities in radioactive wastes containing carbon or issued from spent fuel reprocessing. The migration of Chlorine-36 in the environment has been very little studied, so a collaboration between the French institute of protection and nuclear safety (IPSN) and the Ukrainian institute for agricultural radioecology (UIAR) has been launched. IPSN will study the migration of Chlorine-36 in soils and UIAR will be in charge of studying the transfer of Chlorine-36 from soil to plants. (A.C.)

Ramanujan sums via generalized Möbius functions and applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vichian Laohakosol

2006-01-01

Full Text Available A generalized Ramanujan sum (GRS is defined by replacing the usual Möbius function in the classical Ramanujan sum with the Souriau-Hsu-Möbius function. After collecting basic properties of a GRS, mostly containing existing ones, seven aspects of a GRS are studied. The first shows that the unique representation of even functions with respect to GRSs is possible. The second is a derivation of the mean value of a GRS. The third establishes analogues of the remarkable Ramanujan's formulae connecting divisor functions with Ramanujan sums. The fourth gives a formula for the inverse of a GRS. The fifth is an analysis showing when a reciprocity law exists. The sixth treats the problem of dependence. Finally, some characterizations of completely multiplicative function using GRSs are obtained and a connection of a GRS with the number of solutions of certain congruences is indicated.

Ground Receiving Station Reference Pair Selection Technique for a Minimum Configuration 3D Emitter Position Estimation Multilateration System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdulmalik Shehu Yaro

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Multilateration estimates aircraft position using the Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA with a lateration algorithm. The Position Estimation (PE accuracy of the lateration algorithm depends on several factors which are the TDOA estimation error, the lateration algorithm approach, the number of deployed GRSs and the selection of the GRS reference used for the PE process. Using the minimum number of GRSs for 3D emitter PE, a technique based on the condition number calculation is proposed to select the suitable GRS reference pair for improving the accuracy of the PE using the lateration algorithm. Validation of the proposed technique was performed with the GRSs in the square and triangular GRS configuration. For the selected emitter positions, the result shows that the proposed technique can be used to select the suitable GRS reference pair for the PE process. A unity condition number is achieved for GRS pair most suitable for the PE process. Monte Carlo simulation result, in comparison with the fixed GRS reference pair lateration algorithm, shows a reduction in PE error of at least 70% for both GRS in the square and triangular configuration.

A genetic risk score of 45 coronary artery disease risk variants associates with increased risk of myocardial infarction in 6041 Danish individuals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krarup, N T; Borglykke, A; Allin, K H

2015-01-01

with age as time scale was adjusted for sex, BMI, type 2 diabetes mellitus and smoking status. Analyses were also stratified either by sex or median age (below or above 45 years of age). We estimated GRS contribution to MI prediction by assessing net reclassification index (NRI) and integrated...... discrimination improvement (IDI) added to the European SCORE for 10-year MI risk prediction. RESULTS: The GRS associated significantly with risk of incident MI (allele-dependent hazard ratio (95%CI): 1.06 (1.02-1.11), p = 0.01) but not with CAD (p = 0.39). Stratification revealed association of GRS with MI...... in men (1.06 (1.01-1.12), p = 0.02) and in individuals above the median of 45.11 years of age (1.06 (1.00-1.12), p = 0.03). There was no interaction between GRS and gender (p = 0.90) or age (p = 0.83). The GRS improved neither NRI nor IDI. CONCLUSION: The GRS of 45 GWAS identified risk variants increase...

Inauguration of the Moscow-based office of GRS/IPSN-RISKAUDIT by the Federal German Minister of the Environment, Mr. Klaus Toepfer, and the Minister of Industry, Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-02-01

The German and the French Government as well as the EC are taking particular interest in cooperative activities with the Russian Federation in the field of reactor safety enhancement and protection of the environment. The existing cooperation is expected to be intensified by the establishment of a common office in Moscow. The organisation, tasks and financing scheme of the RISKAUDIT office are explained in the languages German, Russian and French. (HP) [de

An Improved Isotropic Periodic Sum Method That Uses Linear Combinations of Basis Potentials

KAUST Repository

Takahashi, Kazuaki Z.; Narumi, Tetsu; Suh, Donguk; Yasuoka, Kenji

2012-01-01

Isotropic periodic sum (IPS) is a technique that calculates long-range interactions differently than conventional lattice sum methods. The difference between IPS and lattice sum methods lies in the shape and distribution of remote images for long-range interaction calculations. The images used in lattice sum calculations are identical to those generated from periodic boundary conditions and are discretely positioned at lattice points in space. The images for IPS calculations are "imaginary", which means they do not explicitly exist in a simulation system and are distributed isotropically and periodically around each particle. Two different versions of the original IPS method exist. The IPSn method is applied to calculations for point charges, whereas the IPSp method calculates polar molecules. However, both IPSn and IPSp have their advantages and disadvantages in simulating bulk water or water-vapor interfacial systems. In bulk water systems, the cutoff radius effect of IPSn strongly affects the configuration, whereas IPSp does not provide adequate estimations of water-vapor interfacial systems unless very long cutoff radii are used. To extend the applicability of the IPS technique, an improved IPS method, which has better accuracy in both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems has been developed and named the linear-combination-based isotropic periodic sum (LIPS) method. This improved IPS method uses linear combinations of basis potentials. We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of bulk water and water-vapor interfacial systems to evaluate the accuracy of the LIPS method. For bulk water systems, the LIPS method has better accuracy than IPSn in estimating thermodynamic and configurational properties without the countercharge assumption, which is used for IPSp. For water-vapor interfacial systems, LIPS has better accuracy than IPSp and properly estimates thermodynamic and configurational properties. In conclusion, the LIPS method can successfully estimate

An Improved Isotropic Periodic Sum Method That Uses Linear Combinations of Basis Potentials

KAUST Repository

Takahashi, Kazuaki Z.

2012-11-13

Isotropic periodic sum (IPS) is a technique that calculates long-range interactions differently than conventional lattice sum methods. The difference between IPS and lattice sum methods lies in the shape and distribution of remote images for long-range interaction calculations. The images used in lattice sum calculations are identical to those generated from periodic boundary conditions and are discretely positioned at lattice points in space. The images for IPS calculations are "imaginary", which means they do not explicitly exist in a simulation system and are distributed isotropically and periodically around each particle. Two different versions of the original IPS method exist. The IPSn method is applied to calculations for point charges, whereas the IPSp method calculates polar molecules. However, both IPSn and IPSp have their advantages and disadvantages in simulating bulk water or water-vapor interfacial systems. In bulk water systems, the cutoff radius effect of IPSn strongly affects the configuration, whereas IPSp does not provide adequate estimations of water-vapor interfacial systems unless very long cutoff radii are used. To extend the applicability of the IPS technique, an improved IPS method, which has better accuracy in both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems has been developed and named the linear-combination-based isotropic periodic sum (LIPS) method. This improved IPS method uses linear combinations of basis potentials. We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of bulk water and water-vapor interfacial systems to evaluate the accuracy of the LIPS method. For bulk water systems, the LIPS method has better accuracy than IPSn in estimating thermodynamic and configurational properties without the countercharge assumption, which is used for IPSp. For water-vapor interfacial systems, LIPS has better accuracy than IPSp and properly estimates thermodynamic and configurational properties. In conclusion, the LIPS method can successfully estimate

20. ATSR congress - Book of abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

This document brings together the abstracts of all presentations given at the 20. congress of the French association for radiation protection techniques and sciences (ATSR). Content: - Use of radioactive sources: 1 - Role of the inter-ministry Commission of artificial radioelements (CIREA) in the medical, research and industry domains (Denis-Philippe Fages, CIREA Fontenay-aux-Roses); 2 - Radiation protection and ionic smoke detectors (Catherine Bougie, labour inspection DDTE, Montigny-Le-Bretonneux); 3 - radioactive wastes and effluents management in hospitals (Vincent Carlier, ANDRA Chatenay-Malabry); - Nuclear law and its applications: 4 - environmental effects on public health and why the environment health safety system needs to be reformed (Andre Aschieri, House of Commons); 5 - Radiation sources safety and radioactive materials security: IAEA's action plan (Robert Ouvrard, IAEA, Austria); - Radon risk: 6 - Radon risk epidemiology in France (Margot Tirmarche, Helene Baysson, Dominique Laurier, IPSN - Fontenay-aux-Roses); 7 - Radon risk: polonium effects (Jacques Pradel, Gr.COM/AEPN, Paris); 8 Training of civil engineering and public work professionals with regards to radon and its decay products (Marc Ammerich, CEA Saclay, F. Gauffre, Montpellier 2 Univ., M-C. Robe, IPSN); - Radioactive wastes: 9 - Radio-elements transmutation, status and perspectives (Thomas Kirchner - Ecole des Mines Nantes); 10 - Management of low-level radioactive wastes generated by accelerators (Manfred Hoefert, Doris Forkel-Wirth, Claude Lamberet, CERN Switzerland); 11 - Summary of the French legislation about wastes (Christian Bataille, House of Commons); - Impact on the public: 12 - Use of radionuclides in environmental studies (Xavier Vitart - CEA/DAMRI/SAR); 13 - Energy and environment (Jacques Frot - GR.COM/AEPN); - Impacts on public and on the environment: 14 - Low dose effects (Roland Masse, Academy of Sciences); 15 - The stakes of radioactivity measurements (Jean Charles Abbe

Impact of a Genetic Risk Score for Coronary Artery Disease on Reducing Cardiovascular Risk: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshua W. Knowles

2017-08-01

Full Text Available PurposeWe tested whether providing a genetic risk score (GRS for coronary artery disease (CAD would serve as a motivator to improve adherence to risk-reducing strategies.MethodsWe randomized 94 participants with at least moderate risk of CAD to receive standard-of-care with (N = 49 or without (N = 45 their GRS at a subsequent 3-month follow-up visit. Our primary outcome was change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C between the 3- and 6-month follow-up visits (ΔLDL-C. Secondary outcomes included other CAD risk factors, weight loss, diet, physical activity, risk perceptions, and psychological outcomes. In pre-specified analyses, we examined whether there was a greater motivational effect in participants with a higher GRS.ResultsSixty-five participants completed the protocol including 30 participants in the GRS arm. We found no change in the primary outcome between participants receiving their GRS and standard-of-care participants (ΔLDL-C: −13 vs. −9 mg/dl. Among participants with a higher GRS, we observed modest effects on weight loss and physical activity. All other secondary outcomes were not significantly different, including anxiety and worry.ConclusionAdding GRS to standard-of-care did not change lipids, adherence, or psychological outcomes. Potential modest benefits in weight loss and physical activity for participants with high GRS need to be validated in larger trials.

Prototype Environmental Assessment of the impacts of siting and construction of an SPS ground receiving station

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, J.

1980-01-01

A prototype assessment of the environmental impacts of siting and constructing a Satellite Power System (SPS) Ground Receiving Station (GRS) is reported. The objectives of the study were: (1) to develop an assessment of the nonmicrowave related impacts of the reference system SPS GRS on the natural environment; (2) to assess the impacts of GRS construction and operations in the context of actual baseline data for a site in the California desert; and (3) to identify critical GRS characteristics or parameters that are most significant in terms of the natural environment.

Odorant and gustatory receptors in the tsetse fly Glossina morsitans morsitans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George F O Obiero

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Tsetse flies use olfactory and gustatory responses, through odorant and gustatory receptors (ORs and GRs, to interact with their environment. Glossina morsitans morsitans genome ORs and GRs were annotated using homologs of these genes in Drosophila melanogaster and an ab initio approach based on OR and GR specific motifs in G. m. morsitans gene models coupled to gene ontology (GO. Phylogenetic relationships among the ORs or GRs and the homologs were determined using Maximum Likelihood estimates. Relative expression levels among the G. m. morsitans ORs or GRs were established using RNA-seq data derived from adult female fly. Overall, 46 and 14 putative G. m. morsitans ORs and GRs respectively were recovered. These were reduced by 12 and 59 ORs and GRs respectively compared to D. melanogaster. Six of the ORs were homologous to a single D. melanogaster OR (DmOr67d associated with mating deterrence in females. Sweet taste GRs, present in all the other Diptera, were not recovered in G. m. morsitans. The GRs associated with detection of CO2 were conserved in G. m. morsitans relative to D. melanogaster. RNA-sequence data analysis revealed expression of GmmOR15 locus represented over 90% of expression profiles for the ORs. The G. m. morsitans ORs or GRs were phylogenetically closer to those in D. melanogaster than to other insects assessed. We found the chemoreceptor repertoire in G. m. morsitans smaller than other Diptera, and we postulate that this may be related to the restricted diet of blood-meal for both sexes of tsetse flies. However, the clade of some specific receptors has been expanded, indicative of their potential importance in chemoreception in the tsetse.

Influence of acid mine drainage on microbial communities in stream and groundwater samples at Guryong Mine, South Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jaisoo; Koo, So-Yeon; Kim, Ji-Young; Lee, Eun-Hee; Lee, Sang-Don; Ko, Kyung-Seok; Ko, Dong-Chan; Cho, Kyung-Suk

2009-10-01

The effects of acid mine drainage (AMD) in a stream and groundwater near an abandoned copper mine were characterized by physicochemical properties, bacterial community structure using denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (DGGE), and microbial activity/diversity using Ecoplate technique. Based on DGGE fingerprints, the eubacterial community structures grouped into the stream water (GRS1, GRS2 and GRS3) and groundwater samples (GW1 and GW2), apparently based on differences in water temperature and the concentrations of dissolved oxygen, nitrate and sulfate. The most highly AMD-contaminated sample (GRS1) had additional α-Proteobacteria whereas the groundwater samples included additional β-Proteobacteria, suggesting the development of populations resistant to AMD toxicity under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. Community level physiological activities on the 31 Ecoplate substrates suggested that the activities decreased with increasing concentrations of sulfate and heavy metals derived from AMD. The Shannon index showed that microbial diversity was greatest in GRS2, and lowest in GRS1, and was probably related to the level of AMD.

Rationale for the implementation of hydrogen mitigation techniques on French PWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duco, J.; Durin, M.; Lecomte, C.

1997-01-01

The actual benefit, in terms of improved safety, of implementing specific counter-measures to deal with the issue of hydrogen in the containment of a given type of PWR, under severe accident conditions, should be assessed in as realistic a way as feasible before a decision is finalized. Existing methodologies, based on current codes and data bases, are expected to provide a first-degree assessment, with specific input data and models intended to compensate for physical uncertainties. The IPSN has launched a comprehensive research and assessment program on such key hydrogen behavior uncertainties. A state-of-the-art realistic assessment of hydrogen production has been recently prepared by the Institute. Regarding hydrogen evolution and distribution in the containment, priority is placed on subcompartments, where high hydrogen concentrations could result in detonation, either directly or through a deflagration-to-detonation transition. In a first step, efforts are being directed towards setting criteria which delimit the non-transition realm for representative air steam-hydrogen mixtures at high temperature. IPSN participation in the RUT experiments is expected to provide relevant data. As to a better assessment of the hydrogen distribution between sub-compartments, as well as to the pressure-time history onto the walls in the event of either a deflagration or a detonation, the new 3-D, meshed TONUS code is currently being developed at CEA for IPSN, partially based on models already existing in the TRIO-EF/VF, CASTEM 2000 and PLEXUS codes. Some highly important thermalhydraulic models, like those for wail condensation and aspersion, will be validated by various analytical experiments and by specific tests under representative severe accident conditions in the projected IPSN TOSQAN facility at Saclay. The TONUS code should also provide guidance for an optimized positioning of hydrogen measuring devices and/or of hydrogen depleting devices like recombiners, should the

International technical assistance example. Consortium action in Bulgaria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattei, J.M.; Milhem, J.L.

1993-03-01

The safety status achieved last year at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and the capability of the Bulgarian Nuclear Safety Authority (BNSA) to assess the safety of the plant and the adequacy of proposed improvements have been matters of international concern. However, the Kozloduy NPP contributes 35-40 per cent of the electrical generating capacity in Bulgaria. For further operation of the plants, it is therefore, essential that safety is improved. In july 1991, the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) instituted a Six Months Emergency Action Programme for Bulgaria under the PHARE regional nuclear safety programme. The programme consisted of three parts: - an industrial emergency programme supporting the utility of the Kozloduy NPP, - a study to evaluate Bulgaria's electricity needs, - technical assistance for reinforcement of the Bulgarian Nuclear Safety Authority. For the third part, complementary to the industrial emergency programme carried out by the WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators), a Consortium of expert institutions and regulatory from EC member states was established by CEC for assistance to BNSA. The Consortium consisted of: - Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire (IPSN), France, technical support of the French regulatory body, - Gesellschaft fur Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Germany, an organization in safety engineering, technical support of governmental regulatory body, - AIB-Vincotte Nuclear (AVN), Belgium, the organization authorized by the Belgian Government for licensing and inspection of nuclear power plants, - UK Atomic Energy Authority (AEA Technology), an independent UK Government owned nuclear R and D and consultancy organization, - Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) of the Health and Safety Executive, United Kingdom, the nuclear regulatory body for the United Kingdom

ASTEC participation in the international standard problem on KAEVER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spitz, P.; Van Dorsselaere, J.P.; Schwinges, B.; Schwarz, S.

2001-01-01

The objectives of the International Standard Problem no 44 was aerosol depletion behaviour under severe accident conditions in a LWR containment examined in the KAEVER test facility of Battelle (Germany). Nine organisations participated with 5 different codes in the ISP44, including a joint participation of GRS and IPSN with the integral code ASTEC (and in particular the CPA module) they have commonly developed. Five tests were selected from the KAEVER test matrix: K123, K148, K186 and K188 as open standard problems and the three-component test K187 as blind standard problem. All these tests were performed in supersaturated conditions and with slight fog formation, which are the most ambitious conditions for the coupled problem of thermal hydraulics and aerosol processes. The comparison between calculation and test showed a good agreement for all the tests with respect to the thermal-hydraulic conditions in the vessel, i.e. total pressure, atmosphere temperature, sump water and nitrogen mass, etc.... As for aerosol depletion, the ASTEC results were in a good overall agreement with the measured data. The code in particular predicted well the fast depletion of the hygroscopic and mixed aerosols and the slow depletion of insoluble silver aerosol. The important effects of bulk condensation, solubility and the Kelvin effect on the aerosol depletion were well predicted. However the code overestimation of steam condensation on hygroscopic aerosols in supersaturated conditions indicates that some slight improvements of the appropriate ASTEC models are needed in the future. In the final ISP44 workshop, the deviations of the ASTEC results with respect to the experiments were considered to be small compared to those of most other codes. (authors)

International technical assistance example. Consortium action in Bulgaria; Exemple d`assistance internationale. Cas de la Bulgarie, action du consortium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mattei, J M; Milhem, J L [CEA Centre d` Etudes de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France). Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire; Heuser, F W; Kelm, P [Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH (GRS), Koeln (Germany)

1993-03-01

The safety status achieved last year at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and the capability of the Bulgarian Nuclear Safety Authority (BNSA) to assess the safety of the plant and the adequacy of proposed improvements have been matters of international concern. However, the Kozloduy NPP contributes 35-40 per cent of the electrical generating capacity in Bulgaria. For further operation of the plants, it is therefore, essential that safety is improved. In july 1991, the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) instituted a Six Months Emergency Action Programme for Bulgaria under the PHARE regional nuclear safety programme. The programme consisted of three parts: - an industrial emergency programme supporting the utility of the Kozloduy NPP, - a study to evaluate Bulgaria`s electricity needs, - technical assistance for reinforcement of the Bulgarian Nuclear Safety Authority. For the third part, complementary to the industrial emergency programme carried out by the WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators), a Consortium of expert institutions and regulatory from EC member states was established by CEC for assistance to BNSA. The Consortium consisted of: - Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire (IPSN), France, technical support of the French regulatory body, - Gesellschaft fur Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Germany, an organization in safety engineering, technical support of governmental regulatory body, - AIB-Vincotte Nuclear (AVN), Belgium, the organization authorized by the Belgian Government for licensing and inspection of nuclear power plants, - UK Atomic Energy Authority (AEA Technology), an independent UK Government owned nuclear R and D and consultancy organization, - Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) of the Health and Safety Executive, United Kingdom, the nuclear regulatory body for the United Kingdom.

Integration and Evaluation of a Position Sensor with Continuous Read-Out for use with the Environmental Measurement-While-Drilling Gamma Ray Spectrometer System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lockwood, G.J.; Normann, R.A.; Selph, M.M.; Williams, C.V.

1999-01-01

The Environmental Measurement-While-Drilling-Gamma Ray Spectrometer (EMWD-GRS) system represents an innovative blend of new and existing technology that provides real-time environmental and drill bit data during drilling operations. The EMWD-GRS technology was demonstrated at Savannah River Site (SRS) F-Area Retention Basin. The EMWD-GRS technology demonstration consisted of continuously monitoring for gamma-radiation-producing contamination while drilling two horizontal boreholes below the backfilled waste retention basin. These boreholes passed near previously sampled locations where concentrations of contaminant levels of cesium had been measured. Contaminant levels continuously recorded by the EMWD-GRS system during drilling were compared to contaminant levels previously determined through quantitative laboratory analysis of soil samples. The demonstration of the EMWD-GRS was a complete success. The results show general agreement between the soil sampling and EMWD-GRS techniques for CS-137. It was recognized that the EMWD-GRS tool would better satisfy our customers' needs if the instrument location could be continuously monitored. During the demonstration at SRS, an electromagnetic beacon with a walkover monitor (Subsitereg s ign) was used to measure bit location at depth. To use a beacon locator drilling must be stopped, thus it is normally only used when a new section of pipe was added. The location of contamination could only be estimated based on the position of the EMED-GRS package and the distance between locator beacon readings. A continuous location system that would allow us to know the location of each spectrum as it is obtained is needed

Genetic burden of MS risk variants distinguish patients from healthy individuals but are not associated with disease activity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Helle Bach; Petersen, Eva Rosa; Magyari, Melinda

2017-01-01

Weighted genetic risk score (wGRS) was analysed for association with disease activity in more than 500 MS patients before and during interferon-beta treatment. The wGRS was higher in MS patients than in healthy controls when analysing eight HLA - and 109 non-HLA MS risk gene variants....... No significant associations were observed between number of relapses prior to or during treatment with interferon-beta, both with and without HLA risk alleles included in the wGRS. In conclusion, among Danes the wGRS was higher in MS patients than controls but was not associated with the overall disease activity...

BiEntropy for Python v. 1.0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2018-03-15

This Python package provides high-performance implementations of the functions and examples presented in "BiEntropy - The Approximate Entropy of a Finite Binary String" by Grenville J. Croll, presented at ANPA 34 in 2013. https://arxiv.org/abs/1305.0954 According to the paper, BiEntropy is "a simple algorithm which computes the approximate entropy of a finite binary string of arbitrary length" using "a weighted average of the Shannon Entropies of the string and all but the last binary derivative of the string."

Contribution to the safety assessment of instrumentation and control software for nuclear power plants. Application to spin N4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soubies, B.; Boulc'h, J.; Elsensohn, O.; Le Meur, M.; Henry, J.Y.

1994-01-01

The process of licensing nuclear power plants for operation consists of mandatory steps featuring detailed examination of the instrumentation and control system. Significant changes were introduced by the operator in the process of designing and producing 1400 MWe pressurized water reactor safety systems and, in particular, in the case of the Digital Integrated Protection System, (French abbreviation SPIN). The methodology applied by the Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (IPSN) to examine the software of this system is described. It consists of the methods used by the manufacturer to develop SPIN software for the 1400 MWe PWRs, and the approach adopted by the IPSN to evaluate SPIN safety softwares of the protection system for the N4 series of reactors. (R.P.). 2 refs

A genetic risk score combining ten psoriasis risk loci improves disease prediction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haoyan Chen

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated skin disease affecting 2-3% of Caucasians. Recent genetic association studies have identified multiple psoriasis risk loci; however, most of these loci contribute only modestly to disease risk. In this study, we investigated whether a genetic risk score (GRS combining multiple loci could improve psoriasis prediction. Two approaches were used: a simple risk alleles count (cGRS and a weighted (wGRS approach. Ten psoriasis risk SNPs were genotyped in 2815 case-control samples and 858 family samples. We found that the total number of risk alleles in the cases was significantly higher than in controls, mean 13.16 (SD 1.7 versus 12.09 (SD 1.8, p = 4.577×10(-40. The wGRS captured considerably more risk than any SNP considered alone, with a psoriasis OR for high-low wGRS quartiles of 10.55 (95% CI 7.63-14.57, p = 2.010×10(-65. To compare the discriminatory ability of the GRS models, receiver operating characteristic curves were used to calculate the area under the curve (AUC. The AUC for wGRS was significantly greater than for cGRS (72.0% versus 66.5%, p = 2.13×10(-8. Additionally, the AUC for HLA-C alone (rs10484554 was equivalent to the AUC for all nine other risk loci combined (66.2% versus 63.8%, p = 0.18, highlighting the dominance of HLA-C as a risk locus. Logistic regression revealed that the wGRS was significantly associated with two subphenotypes of psoriasis, age of onset (p = 4.91×10(-6 and family history (p = 0.020. Using a liability threshold model, we estimated that the 10 risk loci account for only 11.6% of the genetic variance in psoriasis. In summary, we found that a GRS combining 10 psoriasis risk loci captured significantly more risk than any individual SNP and was associated with early onset of disease and a positive family history. Notably, only a small fraction of psoriasis heritability is captured by the common risk variants identified to date.

The use of global rating scales for OSCEs in veterinary medicine.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emma K Read

Full Text Available OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations are widely used in health professions to assess clinical skills competence. Raters use standardized binary checklists (CL or multi-dimensional global rating scales (GRS to score candidates performing specific tasks. This study assessed the reliability of CL and GRS scores in the assessment of veterinary students, and is the first study to demonstrate the reliability of GRS within veterinary medical education. Twelve raters from two different schools (6 from University of Calgary [UCVM] and 6 from Royal (Dick School of Veterinary Studies [R(DSVS] were asked to score 12 students (6 from each school. All raters assessed all students (video recordings during 4 OSCE stations (bovine haltering, gowning and gloving, equine bandaging and skin suturing. Raters scored students using a CL, followed by the GRS. Novice raters (6 R(DSVS were assessed independently of expert raters (6 UCVM. Generalizability theory (G theory, analysis of variance (ANOVA and t-tests were used to determine the reliability of rater scores, assess any between school differences (by student, by rater, and determine if there were differences between CL and GRS scores. There was no significant difference in rater performance with use of the CL or the GRS. Scores from the CL were significantly higher than scores from the GRS. The reliability of checklist scores were .42 and .76 for novice and expert raters respectively. The reliability of the global rating scale scores were .7 and .86 for novice and expert raters respectively. A decision study (D-study showed that once trained using CL, GRS could be utilized to reliably score clinical skills in veterinary medicine with both novice and experienced raters.

Agricultural impacts of glyphosate-resistant soybean cultivation in South America.

Science.gov (United States)

Cerdeira, Antonio L; Gazziero, Dionsio L P; Duke, Stephen O; Matallo, Marcus B

2011-06-08

In the 2009/2010 growing season, Brazil was the second largest world soybean producer, followed by Argentina. Glyphosate-resistant soybeans (GRS) are being cultivated in most of the soybean area in South America. Overall, the GRS system is beneficial to the environment when compared to conventional soybean. GRS resulted in a significant shift toward no-tillage practices in Brazil and Argentina, but weed resistance may reduce this trend. Probably the highest agricultural risk in adopting GRS in Brazil and South America is related to weed resistance due to use of glyphosate. Weed species in GRS fields have shifted in Brazil to those that can more successfully withstand glyphosate or to those that avoid the time of its application. Five weed species, in order of importance, Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronquist, Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist, Lolium multiflorum Lam., Digitaria insularis (L.) Mez ex Ekman, and Euphorbia heterophylla L., have evolved resistance to glyphosate in GRS in Brazil. Conyza spp. are the most difficult to control. A glyphosate-resistant biotype of Sorghum halepense L. has evolved in GRS in Argentina and one of D. insularis in Paraguay. The following actions are proposed to minimize weed resistance problem: (a) rotation of GRS with conventional soybeans in order to rotate herbicide modes of action; (b) avoidance of lower than recommended glyphosate rates; (c) keeping soil covered with a crop or legume at intercrop intervals; (d) keeping machinery free of weed seeds; and (d) use of a preplant nonselective herbicide plus residuals to eliminate early weed interference with the crop and to minimize escapes from later applications of glyphosate due to natural resistance of older weeds and/or incomplete glyphosate coverage.

Genetic predisposition to coronary heart disease and stroke using an additive genetic risk score: A population-based study in Greece

Science.gov (United States)

Yiannakouris, N.; Katsoulis, M.; Dilis, V.; Parnell, L.D.; Trichopoulos, D.; Ordovas, J.M.; Trichopoulou, A.

2012-01-01

Objective To determine the extent to which the risk for incident coronary heart disease (CHD) increases in relation to a genetic risk score (GRS) that additively integrates the influence of high-risk alleles in nine documented single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for CHD, and to examine whether this GRS also predicts incident stroke. Methods Genotypes at nine CHD-relevant SNPs were determined in 494 cases of incident CHD, 320 cases of incident stroke and 1345 unaffected controls drawn from the population-based Greek component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC) cohort. An additive GRS was calculated for each study participant by adding one unit for the presence of each high-risk allele multiplied by the estimated effect size of that allele in the discovery samples. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic regression. Results The GRS was significantly associated with the incidence of CHD where the odds of CHD incidence in the highest quintile of the GRS were 1.74 times higher (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.25–2.43, p for trend = 0.0004), compared to the lowest quintile. With respect to stroke, a weaker and non-significant positive association with GRS was apparent as the odds of stroke incidence in the highest quintile of the GRS were 1.36 times higher (95% CI = 0.90–2.06, p for trend = 0.188), compared to the lowest quintile. Conclusion A GRS relying on nine documented “CHD-specific” SNPs is significantly predictive of CHD but it was not found to be statistically significantly associated with incident stroke. PMID:22429504

THEREDA. Thermodynamic reference data base. Phase II. Release of thermodynamic data. Summary and final report; THEREDA. Thermodynamische Referenz-Datenbasis. Phase II. Freigabe thermodynamischer Daten. Zusammenfassung der Abschlussberichte

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Altmaier, Marcus; Gaona, Xavier; Marquardt, Christian; Montoya, Vanessa [Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany). Institut fuer Nukleare Entsorgung; Bok, Frank; Richter, Anke [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Dresden (Germany). Inst. of Resource Ecology; Moog, Helge C.; Scharge, Tina [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH (GRS), Koeln (Germany); Voigt, Wolfgang [Technische Univ. Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany); Wilhelm, Stefan [AF Consult AG, Baden-Daettwil (Switzerland)

2015-12-15

The final report on the thermodynamic reference data base THEREDA covers the following issues: project management, quality management (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf HZDR and GRS), data base interfaces, documentation, uranium (HZDR), other nuclides (Karlsruhe Institute for technology, KIT), data for cement minerals and their reaction products (AF-Consult, GRS), phosphate (GRS), systems with CO2 and carbonate at variable temperatures and pressure (Bergakademie Freiberg, TUBAF).

GRS annual report 1982

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

The report contains, among other things, the ''Risk-Orientated Analysis for the SNR-300''. Moreover, current work in the fields of projects, data processing, procedures (simulation, PKL experiment E 1), and systems (ergonomics) are described. The field of dynamics and radiation protection dealt with the aspects of disturbances and activity releases in heavy accidents of the SNR-300. In the field of operation recurrent tests in npps and studies in plant safety were made. The programme ''Research on the Safety of LWR'' was technically supervised together with the project. (DG) [de

Fast voltage-sensitive dye imaging of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in the rat granular retrosplenial cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Nixima, Ken'ichi; Okanoya, Kazuo; Ichinohe, Noritaka; Kurotani, Tohru

2017-09-01

Rodent granular retrosplenial cortex (GRS) has dense connections between the anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) and hippocampal formation. GRS superficial pyramidal neurons exhibit distinctive late spiking (LS) firing property and form patchy clusters with prominent apical dendritic bundles. The aim of this study was to investigate spatiotemporal dynamics of signal transduction in the GRS induced by ATN afferent stimulation by using fast voltage-sensitive dye imaging in rat brain slices. In coronal slices, layer 1a stimulation, which presumably activated thalamic fibers, evoked propagation of excitatory synaptic signals from layers 2-4 to layers 5-6 in a direction perpendicular to the layer axis, followed by transverse signal propagation within each layer. In the presence of ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists, inhibitory responses were observed in superficial layers, induced by direct activation of inhibitory interneurons in layer 1. In horizontal slices, excitatory signals in deep layers propagated transversely mainly from posterior to anterior via superficial layers. Cortical inhibitory responses upon layer 1a stimulation in horizontal slices were weaker than those in the coronal slices. Observed differences between coronal and horizontal planes suggest anisotropy of the intracortical circuitry. In conclusion, ATN inputs are processed differently in coronal and horizontal planes of the GRS and then conveyed to other cortical areas. In both planes, GRS superficial layers play an important role in signal propagation, which suggests that superficial neuronal cascade is crucial in the integration of multiple information sources. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Superficial neurons in the rat granular retrosplenial cortex (GRS) show distinctive late-spiking (LS) firing property. However, little is known about spatiotemporal dynamics of signal transduction in the GRS. We demonstrated LS neuron network relaying thalamic inputs to deep layers and anisotropic distribution of

Incremental value of a genetic risk score for the prediction of new vascular events in patients with clinically manifest vascular disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Weijmans, Maaike; de Bakker, Paul I W; van der Graaf, Yolanda; Asselbergs, Folkert W; Algra, Ale; Jan de Borst, Gert; Spiering, Wilko; Visseren, Frank L J

2015-04-01

Several genetic markers are related to incidence of cardiovascular events. We evaluated whether a genetic risk score (GRS) based on 30 single-nucleotide-polymorphisms associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) can improve prediction of 10-year risk of new cardiovascular events in patients with clinical manifest vascular disease. In 5742 patients with symptomatic vascular disease enrolled in the SMART study, we developed Cox regression models based on the SMART Risk Score (SRS) and based on the SRS plus the GRS in all patients, in patients with a history of acute arterial thrombotic events and in patients with a history of more stable atherosclerosis and without CAD. The discriminatory ability was expressed by the c-statistic. Model calibration was evaluated by calibration plots. The incremental value of adding the GRS was assessed by net reclassification index (NRI) and decision curve analysis. During a median follow-up of 6.5 years (IQR4.0-9.5), the composite outcome of myocardial infarction, stroke, or vascular death occurred in 933 patients. Hazard ratios of GRS ranging from 0.86 to 1.35 were observed. The discriminatory capacity of the SRS for prediction of 10-year risk of cardiovascular events was fairly good (c-statistic 0.70, 95%CI 0.68-0.72), similar to the model based on the SRS plus the GRS. Calibration of the models based on SRS and SRS plus GRS was adequate. No increase in c-statistics, categorical NRIs and decision curves was observed when adding the GRS. The continuous NRI improved only in patients with stable atherosclerosis (0.14, 95%CI 0.03-0.25), increasing further excluding patients with a history of CAD (0.21, 95%CI 0.06-0.36). In patients with symptomatic vascular disease, a GRS did not improve risk prediction of 10-year risk of cardiovascular events beyond clinical characteristics. The GRS might improve risk prediction of first vascular events in the subgroup of patients with a history of stable atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier

Review of potential environmental impacts of transgenic glyphosate-resistant soybean in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Cerdeira, Antonio L; Gazziero, Dionsio L P; Duke, Stephen O; Matallo, Marcus B; Spadotto, Claudio A

2007-01-01

Transgenic glyphosate-resistant soybeans (GRS) have been commercialized and grown extensively in the Western Hemisphere, including Brazil. Worldwide, several studies have shown that previous and potential effects of glyphosate on contamination of soil, water, and air are minimal, compared to those caused by the herbicides that they replace when GRS are adopted. In the USA and Argentina, the advent of glyphosate-resistant soybeans resulted in a significant shift to reduced- and no-tillage practices, thereby significantly reducing environmental degradation by agriculture. Similar shifts in tillage practiced with GRS might be expected in Brazil. Transgenes encoding glyphosate resistance in soybeans are highly unlikely to be a risk to wild plant species in Brazil. Soybean is almost completely self-pollinated and is a non-native species in Brazil, without wild relatives, making introgression of transgenes from GRS virtually impossible. Probably the highest agricultural risk in adopting GRS in Brazil is related to weed resistance. Weed species in GRS fields have shifted in Brazil to those that can more successfully withstand glyphosate or to those that avoid the time of its application. These include Chamaesyce hirta (erva-de-Santa-Luzia), Commelina benghalensis (trapoeraba), Spermacoce latifolia (erva-quente), Richardia brasiliensis (poaia-branca), and Ipomoea spp. (corda-de-viola). Four weed species, Conyza bonariensis, Conyza Canadensis (buva), Lolium multiflorum (azevem), and Euphorbia heterophylla (amendoim bravo), have evolved resistance to glyphosate in GRS in Brazil and have great potential to become problems.

The effect of thai glutinous rice starch on the synthesis of lead zirconate (PbZrO3) nanofibers via the electrospinning method.

Science.gov (United States)

Nawanil, Chanisa; Vittayakorn, Wanwilai; Muanghua, Rangson; Niemcharoen, Surasak; Prachayawarakorn, Jutarat; Vittayakorn, Naratip

2013-05-01

This study synthesized blended lead zirconate (PbZrO3;PZ)/poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO)/Glutinous rice starch (GRS) nanofibers by the electrospinning method. A number of parameters such as the ratio between PEO and GRS and calcination temperature have been studied. The as-spun PZ/PEO/GRS composite and PZ fibers were characterized by TG-DTA, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR and SEM, respectively. SEM results showed that smooth and continuous fibers were obtained at the volume ratio of 10:2:1, PZ/PEO/GRS. After calcination of the as-spun PZ/PEO/GRS composite nanofibers at 650 degrees C for 4 h, PZ nanofibers with perovskite structure were obtained successfully. The fibers had a uniform and smooth surface without grain boundaries. However, when the calcination temperature increased to 750 degrees C and 850 degrees C, the fiber represented a necklace-like structure with grain boundaries arranged by grain to grain unit cell clusters.

A comparison of global rating scale and checklist scores in the validation of an evaluation tool to assess performance in the resuscitation of critically ill patients during simulated emergencies (abbreviated as "CRM simulator study IB").

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, John; Neilipovitz, David; Cardinal, Pierre; Chiu, Michelle

2009-01-01

Crisis resource management (CRM) skills are a set of nonmedical skills required to manage medical emergencies. There is currently no gold standard for evaluation of CRM performance. A prior study examined the use of a global rating scale (GRS) to evaluate CRM performance. This current study compared the use of a GRS and a checklist as formal rating instruments to evaluate CRM performance during simulated emergencies. First-year and third-year residents participated in two simulator scenarios each. Three raters then evaluated resident performance in CRM using edited video recordings using both a GRS and a checklist. The Ottawa GRS provides a seven-point anchored ordinal scale for performance in five categories of CRM, and an overall performance score. The Ottawa CRM checklist provides 12 items in the five categories of CRM, with a maximum cumulative score of 30 points. Construct validity was measured on the basis of content validity, response process, internal structure, and response to other variables. T-test analysis of Ottawa GRS scores was conducted to examine response to the variable of level of training. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) scores were used to measure inter-rater reliability for both scenarios. Thirty-two first-year and 28 third-year residents participated in the study. Third-year residents produced higher mean scores for overall CRM performance than first-year residents (P CRM checklist (P CRM checklist. Users indicated a strong preference for the Ottawa GRS given ease of scoring, presence of an overall score, and the potential for formative evaluation. Construct validity seems to be present when using both the Ottawa GRS and CRM checklist to evaluate CRM performance during simulated emergencies. Data also indicate the presence of moderate inter-rater reliability when using both the Ottawa GRS and CRM checklist.

Saturated fat intake modulates the association between an obesity genetic risk score and body mass index in two US populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Casas-Agustench, Patricia; Arnett, Donna K; Smith, Caren E; Lai, Chao-Qiang; Parnell, Laurence D; Borecki, Ingrid B; Frazier-Wood, Alexis C; Allison, Matthew; Chen, Yii-Der Ida; Taylor, Kent D; Rich, Stephen S; Rotter, Jerome I; Lee, Yu-Chi; Ordovás, José M

2014-12-01

Combining multiple genetic variants related to obesity into a genetic risk score (GRS) might improve identification of individuals at risk of developing obesity. Moreover, characterizing gene-diet interactions is a research challenge to establish dietary recommendations to individuals with higher predisposition to obesity. Our objective was to analyze the association between an obesity GRS and body mass index (BMI) in the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) population, focusing on gene-diet interactions with total fat and saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake, and to replicate findings in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) population. Cross-sectional analyses included 783 white US participants from GOLDN and 2,035 from MESA. Dietary intakes were estimated with validated food frequency questionnaires. Height and weight were measured. A weighted GRS was calculated on the basis of 63 obesity-associated variants. Multiple linear regression models adjusted by potential confounders were used to examine gene-diet interactions between dietary intake (total fat and SFA) and the obesity GRS in determining BMI. Significant interactions were found between total fat intake and the obesity GRS using these variables as continuous for BMI (P for interaction=0.010, 0.046, and 0.002 in GOLDN, MESA, and meta-analysis, respectively). These association terms were stronger when assessing interactions between SFA intake and GRS for BMI (P for interaction=0.005, 0.018, and obesity GRS in modulating BMI in two US populations. Although determining the causal direction requires further investigation, these findings suggest that potential dietary recommendations to reduce BMI effectively in populations with high obesity GRS would be to reduce total fat intake mainly by limiting SFAs. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modelling the genetic risk in age-related macular degeneration.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix Grassmann

Full Text Available Late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD is a common sight-threatening disease of the central retina affecting approximately 1 in 30 Caucasians. Besides age and smoking, genetic variants from several gene loci have reproducibly been associated with this condition and likely explain a large proportion of disease. Here, we developed a genetic risk score (GRS for AMD based on 13 risk variants from eight gene loci. The model exhibited good discriminative accuracy, area-under-curve (AUC of the receiver-operating characteristic of 0.820, which was confirmed in a cross-validation approach. Noteworthy, younger AMD patients aged below 75 had a significantly higher mean GRS (1.87, 95% CI: 1.69-2.05 than patients aged 75 and above (1.45, 95% CI: 1.36-1.54. Based on five equally sized GRS intervals, we present a risk classification with a relative AMD risk of 64.0 (95% CI: 14.11-1131.96 for individuals in the highest category (GRS 3.44-5.18, 0.5% of the general population compared to subjects with the most common genetic background (GRS -0.05-1.70, 40.2% of general population. The highest GRS category identifies AMD patients with a sensitivity of 7.9% and a specificity of 99.9% when compared to the four lower categories. Modeling a general population around 85 years of age, 87.4% of individuals in the highest GRS category would be expected to develop AMD by that age. In contrast, only 2.2% of individuals in the two lowest GRS categories which represent almost 50% of the general population are expected to manifest AMD. Our findings underscore the large proportion of AMD cases explained by genetics particularly for younger AMD patients. The five-category risk classification could be useful for therapeutic stratification or for diagnostic testing purposes once preventive treatment is available.

Genetic and clinic predictors of new onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Saigi-Morgui, Núria; Quteineh, Lina; Bochud, Pierre-Yves; Crettol, Severine; Kutalik, Zoltán; Mueller, Nicolas J; Binet, Isabelle; Van Delden, Christian; Steiger, Jürg; Mohacsi, Paul; Dufour, Jean-Francois; Soccal, Paola M; Pascual, Manuel; Eap, Chin B

2017-12-27

New Onset Diabetes after Transplantation (NODAT) is a frequent complication after solid organ transplantation, with higher incidence during the first year. Several clinical and genetic factors have been described as risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). Additionally, T2DM shares some genetic factors with NODAT. We investigated if three genetic risk scores (w-GRS) and clinical factors were associated with NODAT and how they predicted NODAT development 1 year after transplantation. In both main (n = 725) and replication (n = 156) samples the clinical risk score was significantly associated with NODAT (OR main : 1.60 [1.36-1.90], p = 3.72*10 -8 and OR replication : 2.14 [1.39-3.41], p = 0.0008, respectively). Two w-GRS were significantly associated with NODAT in the main sample (OR w-GRS 2 :1.09 [1.04-1.15], p = 0.001 and OR w-GRS 3 :1.14 [1.01-1.29], p = 0.03) and a similar OR w-GRS 2 was found in the replication sample, although it did not reach significance probably due to a power issue. Despite the low OR of w-GRS on NODAT compared to clinical covariates, when integrating w-GRS 2 and w-GRS 3 in the clinical model, the Area under the Receiver Operating Characteristics curve (AUROC), specificity, sensitivity and accuracy were 0.69, 0.71, 0.58 and 0.68, respectively, with significant Likelihood Ratio test discrimination index (p-value 0.0004), performing better in NODAT discrimination than the clinical model alone. Twenty-five patients needed to be genotyped in order to detect one misclassified case that would have developed NODAT 1 year after transplantation if using only clinical covariates. To our knowledge, this is the first study extensively examining genetic risk scores contributing to NODAT development.

Thermohydraulic accident behavior of reactors. Thermohydraulisches Stoerfallverhalten der Reaktoren in Greifswald

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horche, W.; Kirmse, R.; Reichenbach, D.; Weber, J.P. (Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Garching (Germany))

1992-12-01

GRS, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, conducted an assessment of the technical safety of the Greifswald nuclear generating units of the Soviet WWER-440/W-230 and W-213 reactor lines, respectively. The evaluation of existing accident analyses and the execution of some first calculations by GRS added to the know-how of GRS. This is reflected in the increased participation by GRS in international expert bodies investigating safety problems of WWER-440 plants. The contributions made towards international WWER projects within the framework of IAEA missions or as a result of bilateral consultations strengthen international partnership in the field of reactor safety in Central and Eastern Europe. (orig.).

Thermohydraulic accident behavior of reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horche, W.; Kirmse, R.; Reichenbach, D.; Weber, J.P.

1992-01-01

GRS, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, conducted an assessment of the technical safety of the Greifswald nuclear generating units of the Soviet WWER-440/W-230 and W-213 reactor lines, respectively. The evaluation of existing accident analyses and the execution of some first calculations by GRS added to the know-how of GRS. This is reflected in the increased participation by GRS in international expert bodies investigating safety problems of WWER-440 plants. The contributions made towards international WWER projects within the framework of IAEA missions or as a result of bilateral consultations strengthen international partnership in the field of reactor safety in Central and Eastern Europe. (orig.) [de

Gravitational Reference Sensor Front-End Electronics Simulator for LISA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meshksar, Neda; Ferraioli, Luigi; Mance, Davor; Zweifel, Peter; Giardini, Domenico; Ten Pierick, Jan

2017-01-01

At the ETH Zurich we are developing a modular simulator that provides a realistic simulation of the Front End Electronics (FEE) for LISA Gravitational Reference Sensor (GRS). It is based on the GRS FEE-simulator already implemented for LISA Pathfinder. It considers, in particular, the non-linearity and the critical details of hardware, such as the non-linear multiplicative noise caused by voltage reference instability, test mass charging and detailed actuation and sensing algorithms. We present the simulation modules, considering the above-mentioned features. Based on the ETH GRS FEE-simulator for LISA Pathfinder we aim to develop a modular simulator that provides a realistic simulation of GRS FEE for LISA. (paper)

Final report of the environmental measurement-while-drilling-gamma ray spectrometer system technology demonstration at the Savannah River Site F-Area Retention Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lockwood, G.J.; Normann, R.A.; Williams, C.V.

1997-08-01

The environmental measurement-while-drilling-gamma ray spectrometer (EMWD-GRS) system represents an innovative blend of new and existing technology that provides real-time environmental and drill bit data during drilling operations. The EMWD-GRS technology was demonstrated at Savannah River Site F-Area Retention Basin. The EMWD-GRS technology demonstration consisted of continuously monitoring for gamma-radiation-producing contamination while drilling two horizontal boreholes below the backfilled retention basin. These boreholes passed near previously sampled vertical borehole locations where concentrations of contaminant levels of cesium had been measured. Contaminant levels continuously recorded by the EMWD-GRs system during drilling are compared to contaminant levels previously determined through quantitative laboratory analysis of soil samples.

Final report of the environmental measurement-while-drilling-gamma ray spectrometer system technology demonstration at the Savannah River Site F-Area Retention Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lockwood, G.J.; Normann, R.A.; Williams, C.V.

1997-08-01

The environmental measurement-while-drilling-gamma ray spectrometer (EMWD-GRS) system represents an innovative blend of new and existing technology that provides real-time environmental and drill bit data during drilling operations. The EMWD-GRS technology was demonstrated at Savannah River Site F-Area Retention Basin. The EMWD-GRS technology demonstration consisted of continuously monitoring for gamma-radiation-producing contamination while drilling two horizontal boreholes below the backfilled retention basin. These boreholes passed near previously sampled vertical borehole locations where concentrations of contaminant levels of cesium had been measured. Contaminant levels continuously recorded by the EMWD-GRs system during drilling are compared to contaminant levels previously determined through quantitative laboratory analysis of soil samples

Emergency medicine resident crisis resource management ability: a simulation-based longitudinal study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Clarke

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Simulation has been identified as a means of assessing resident physicians’ mastery of technical skills, but there is a lack of evidence for its utility in longitudinal assessments of residents’ non-technical clinical abilities. We evaluated the growth of crisis resource management (CRM skills in the simulation setting using a validated tool, the Ottawa Crisis Resource Management Global Rating Scale (Ottawa GRS. We hypothesized that the Ottawa GRS would reflect progressive growth of CRM ability throughout residency. Methods: Forty-five emergency medicine residents were tracked with annual simulation assessments between 2006 and 2011. We used mixed-methods repeated-measures regression analyses to evaluate elements of the Ottawa GRS by level of training to predict performance growth throughout a 3-year residency. Results: Ottawa GRS scores increased over time, and the domains of leadership, problem solving, and resource utilization, in particular, were predictive of overall performance. There was a significant gain in all Ottawa GRS components between postgraduate years 1 and 2, but no significant difference in GRS performance between years 2 and 3. Conclusions: In summary, CRM skills are progressive abilities, and simulation is a useful modality for tracking their development. Modification of this tool may be needed to assess advanced learners’ gains in performance.

Behaviour of French electrical cables under fire conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bertrand, R.; Chaussard, M.; Gonzalez, R.; Lacoue, J.; Mattei, J.M.; Such, J.M

2001-12-01

A fire Probabilistic Safety Assessment - called fire PSA - is being carried out by the French Institute of Nuclear Safety and Protection (IPSN) to be used in the framework of the safety assessment of operating 900 MWe PWRs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the core damage conditional probability which could result from a fire. A fire can induce unavailability of safety equipment notably damaging electrical cables that are a significant risk contributor. The purpose of this communication is to present the electrical cable fire tests carried out by IPSN to identify the failure modes and to determine the cable damage criteria. Moreover, are indicated the impact of each kind of cable failure mode and the methodology used to estimate the conditional probability of a failure mode when cable damage occurred. (authors)

Contribution to the evaluation of safety of software used in command control systems in nuclear plants: application to the SPIN N4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soubies, B.; Boulc'h, J.; Elsensohn, O.; Le Meur, M.; Henry, J.Y.

1994-06-01

The licensing procedures process of nuclear plants features compulsory steps which bring about a thorough exam of the commands control system. This analysis accounts for the aspects linked to technologies (integrated circuits, software packages) which have been chosen by the manufacturer for the programmed systems in charge of safety functions. Important innovations have been introduced in terms of design and manufacturing processes of safety systems of 1400 MWe pressurized water reactors, more precisely for the integrated numerical protection system (SPIN). The methodology used by the IPSN for the exam of the software of this system is presented in the communication. This methodology leads the IPSN to carry out studies and developments of tools keeping in sight as their main goal to bring substantial help to analysis. (authors). 2 refs

Behaviour of electrical cables under fire conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertrand, R.; Chaussard, M.; Gonzalez, R.; Lacoue, J.; Mattei, J.M.; Such, J.M.

2002-01-01

A Fire Probabilistic Safety Assessment - called the Fire PSA - is being carried out by the French Institute of Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IPSN) to be used in the framework of the safety assessment of operating 900 MWe PWRs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the core damage conditional probability which could result from a fire. A fire can induce unavailability of safety equipment, notably damaging electrical cables introducing a significant risk contributor. The purpose of this paper is to present the electrical cable fire tests carried out by IPSN to identify the failure modes and to determine the cable damage criteria. The impact of each kind of cable failure mode and the methodology used to estimate the conditional probability of a failure mode when cable damage occurred is also discussed. (orig.) [de

Pleiotropy of genetic variants on obesity and smoking phenotypes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Tao; Moon, Jee-Young; Wu, Yiqun

2017-01-01

) consortium data and calculated a BMI genetic risk score (BMI-GRS) for 17,037 individuals of European descent from the Oncoarray Project of the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO). Smokers had a significantly higher BMI-GRS than never-smokers (p = 0.016 and 0.010 before and after adjustment for BMI......, respectively). The BMI-GRS was also positively correlated with pack-years of smoking (p... associated with smoking status and pack-years (p

Nuclear risks perception and information; Perception des risques nucleaires et information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brenot, J; Bonnefous, S; Hubert, P

1994-12-31

In this text we present the studies made by the IPSN (Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety) on the nuclear risks perception by the public and we compare this perception of risks with other industries.

Nuclear risks perception and information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brenot, J.; Bonnefous, S.; Hubert, P.

1994-01-01

In this text we present the studies made by the IPSN (Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety) on the nuclear risks perception by the public and we compare this perception of risks with other industries

The Faint "Heartbeats" of IGR J17091-3624: An Exceptional Black Hole Candidate

Science.gov (United States)

Altamirano, D.; Belloni, T.; Linares, M.; VanDerKlis, M.; Wunands, R.; Curran, P. A.; Kalamkar, M.; Stiele, H.; Motta, S.; Munoz-Darias, T.;

THE FAINT 'HEARTBEATS' OF IGR J17091-3624: AN EXCEPTIONAL BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Altamirano, D.; Van der Klis, M.; Wijnands, R.; Kalamkar, M. [Astronomical Institute, ' Anton Pannekoek' , University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Belloni, T.; Stiele, H.; Motta, S.; Munoz-Darias, T. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (Italy); Linares, M. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Curran, P. A. [Laboratoire AIM, CEA DSM/IRFU/SAp, Centre de Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Casella, P. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom); Krimm, H., E-mail: d.altamirano@uva.nl [CRESST and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

2011-12-15

We report on the first 180 days of Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer observations of the outburst of the black hole candidate IGR J17091-3624. This source exhibits a broad variety of complex light curve patterns including periods of strong flares alternating with quiet intervals. Similar patterns in the X-ray light curves have been seen in the (up to now) unique black hole system GRS 1915+105. In the context of the variability classes defined by Belloni et al. for GRS 1915+105, we find that IGR J17091-3624 shows the {nu}, {rho}, {alpha}, {lambda}, {beta}, and {mu} classes as well as quiet periods which resemble the {chi} class, all occurring at 2-60 keV count rate levels which can be 10-50 times lower than observed in GRS 1915+105. The so-called {rho} class 'heartbeats' occur as fast as every few seconds and as slow as {approx}100 s, tracing a loop in the hardness-intensity diagram which resembles that previously seen in GRS 1915+105. However, while GRS 1915+105 traverses this loop clockwise, IGR J17091-3624 does so in the opposite sense. We briefly discuss our findings in the context of the models proposed for GRS 1915+105 and find that either all models requiring near Eddington luminosities for GRS 1915+105-like variability fail, or IGR J17091-3624 lies at a distance well in excess of 20 kpc, or it harbors one of the least massive black holes known (<3 M{sub Sun }).

Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Genetic Background Roles within a Web-Based Nutritional Intervention: The Food4Me Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo San-Cristobal

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet adherence has been proven to produce numerous health benefits. In addition, nutrigenetic studies have explained some individual variations in the response to specific dietary patterns. The present research aimed to explore associations and potential interactions between MedDiet adherence and genetic background throughout the Food4Me web-based nutritional intervention. Dietary, anthropometrical and biochemical data from volunteers of the Food4Me study were collected at baseline and after 6 months. Several genetic variants related to metabolic risk features were also analysed. A Genetic Risk Score (GRS was derived from risk alleles and a Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS, based on validated food intake data, was estimated. At baseline, there were no interactions between GRS and MDS categories for metabolic traits. Linear mixed model repeated measures analyses showed a significantly greater decrease in total cholesterol in participants with a low GRS after a 6-month period, compared to those with a high GRS. Meanwhile, a high baseline MDS was associated with greater decreases in Body Mass Index (BMI, waist circumference and glucose. There also was a significant interaction between GRS and the MedDiet after the follow-up period. Among subjects with a high GRS, those with a high MDS evidenced a highly significant reduction in total carotenoids, while among those with a low GRS, there was no difference associated with MDS levels. These results suggest that a higher MedDiet adherence induces beneficial effects on metabolic outcomes, which can be affected by the genetic background in some specific markers.

CEA-IPSN Participation in the MSLB Benchmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Royer, E.; Raimond, E.; Caruge, D.

2001-01-01

The OECD/NEA Main Steam Line Break (MSLB) Benchmark allows the comparison of state-of-the-art and best-estimate models used to compute reactivity accidents. The three exercises of the MSLB benchmark are defined with the aim of analyzing the space and time effects in the core and their modeling with computational tools. Point kinetics (exercise 1) simulation results in a return to power (RTP) after scram, whereas 3-D kinetics (exercises 2 and 3) does not display any RTP. The objective is to understand the reasons for the conservative solution of point kinetics and to assess the benefits of best-estimate models. First, the core vessel mixing model is analyzed; second, sensitivity studies on point kinetics are compared to 3-D kinetics; third, the core thermal hydraulics model and coupling with neutronics is presented; finally, RTP and a suitable model for MSLB are discussed

MESSENGER E/V/H GRNS 2 GAMMA RAY SPECTROMETER RAW DATA V1.0

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Abstract ======== This data set consists of the MESSENGER GRS uncalibrated observations, also known as EDRs. The GRS experiment is a gamma ray spectrometer designed...

Reactor safety in Eastern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-02-01

The papers presented to the GRS colloquium refer to the cooperative activities for reactor accident analysis and modification of the GRS computer codes for their application to reactors of the Russian design types of WWER or RBMK. Another topic is the safety of RBMK reactors in particular, and the current status of investigations and studies addressing the containment of unit 4 of the Chernobyl reactor station. All papers are indexed separately in report GRS--117. (HP)

MESSENGER E/V/H GRNS 3 GAMMA RAY SPECTROMETER CALIBDATA V1.0

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Abstract ======== This data set consists of the MESSENGER GRS calibrated observations (CDRs) and the reduced data product (RDR). The GRS experiment is a gamma ray...

Effect of Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. leaf pigment on the thermal, pasting, and textural properties and microstructure characterization of rice starch.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yuan; Fan, Mingcong; Zhou, Sumei; Wang, Li; Qian, Haifeng; Zhang, Hui; Qi, Xiguang

2017-08-01

In this study, the thermal, pasting and gel textural properties of japonica rice starch (JRS) and glutinous rice starch (GRS) fortified with Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. leaf pigment (VBTLP) were investigated. The results showed that VBTLP facilitated the gelatinization of JRS and GRS with earlier onsets of onset temperature (T o ), peak temperature (T p ), conclusion temperature (T c ), and lower values of gelatinization enthalpy (ΔH g ), and retrogradation enthalpy (ΔH r ), as the VBTLP level increased. For JRS, VBTLP increased the peak viscosity and breakdown, reduced the final viscosity and setback, but for GRS it increased the peak viscosity, final viscosity, breakdown and setback. VBTLP also reduced the hardness and adhesiveness of the JRS gel. The values of lightness (L ∗ ) for JRS and GRS with VBTLP decreased by 47.60 and 49.56%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that VBTLP caused looser matrices in dried JRS and GRS gels which had lower crystallinities compared with the control. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simple, standardized incorporation of genetic risk into non-genetic risk prediction tools for complex traits: coronary heart disease as an example

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin A Goldstein

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Genetic risk assessment is becoming an important component of clinical decision-making. Genetic Risk Scores (GRSs allow the composite assessment of genetic risk in complex traits. A technically and clinically pertinent question is how to most easily and effectively combine a GRS with an assessment of clinical risk derived from established non-genetic risk factors as well as to clearly present this information to patient and health care providers. Materials & Methods: We illustrate a means to combine a GRS with an independent assessment of clinical risk using a log-link function. We apply the method to the prediction of coronary heart disease (CHD in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC cohort. We evaluate different constructions based on metrics of effect change, discrimination, and calibration.Results: The addition of a GRS to a clinical risk score (CRS improves both discrimination and calibration for CHD in ARIC. Results are similar regardless of whether external vs. internal coefficients are used for the CRS, risk factor SNPs are included in the GRS, or subjects with diabetes at baseline are excluded. We outline how to report the construction and the performance of a GRS using our method and illustrate a means to present genetic risk information to subjects and/or their health care provider. Conclusion: The proposed method facilitates the standardized incorporation of a GRS in risk assessment.

Parent Involvement in the Getting Ready for School Intervention Is Associated With Changes in School Readiness Skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Marti

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The role of parent involvement in school readiness interventions is not well-understood. The Getting Ready for School (GRS intervention is a novel program that has both home and school components and aims to improve early literacy, math, and self-regulatory skills in preschool children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. In this study, we first examined associations between family characteristics and different indices of parent involvement in the GRS intervention. We then examined associations between parent involvement and change in children's school readiness skills over time. Participants were 133 preschool children attending Head Start and their parents who participated in the GRS intervention during the academic year 2014–2015. Parent involvement was operationalized as attendance to GRS events at the school, time spent at home doing GRS activities, and usage of digital program materials, which included a set of videos to support the implementation of parent-child activities at home. Although few family characteristics were significantly associated with parent involvement indices, there was a tendency for some markers of higher socioeconomic status to be linked with greater parent involvement. In addition, greater parent involvement in the GRS intervention was significantly associated with greater gains in children's early literacy, math, and self-regulatory skills. These findings suggest that parent involvement in comprehensive early interventions could be beneficial in terms of improving school readiness for preschoolers from disadvantaged families.

Parent Involvement in the Getting Ready for School Intervention Is Associated With Changes in School Readiness Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Marti, Maria; Merz, Emily C.; Repka, Kelsey R.; Landers, Cassie; Noble, Kimberly G.; Duch, Helena

2018-01-01

The role of parent involvement in school readiness interventions is not well-understood. The Getting Ready for School (GRS) intervention is a novel program that has both home and school components and aims to improve early literacy, math, and self-regulatory skills in preschool children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. In this study, we first examined associations between family characteristics and different indices of parent involvement in the GRS intervention. We then examined associations between parent involvement and change in children's school readiness skills over time. Participants were 133 preschool children attending Head Start and their parents who participated in the GRS intervention during the academic year 2014–2015. Parent involvement was operationalized as attendance to GRS events at the school, time spent at home doing GRS activities, and usage of digital program materials, which included a set of videos to support the implementation of parent-child activities at home. Although few family characteristics were significantly associated with parent involvement indices, there was a tendency for some markers of higher socioeconomic status to be linked with greater parent involvement. In addition, greater parent involvement in the GRS intervention was significantly associated with greater gains in children's early literacy, math, and self-regulatory skills. These findings suggest that parent involvement in comprehensive early interventions could be beneficial in terms of improving school readiness for preschoolers from disadvantaged families. PMID:29904362

Validity evidence of non-technical skills assessment instruments in simulated anaesthesia crisis management.

Science.gov (United States)

Jirativanont, T; Raksamani, K; Aroonpruksakul, N; Apidechakul, P; Suraseranivongse, S

2017-07-01

We sought to evaluate the validity of two non-technical skills evaluation instruments, the Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) behavioural marker system and the Ottawa Global Rating Scale (GRS), to apply them to anaesthesia training. The content validity, response process, internal structure, relations with other variables and consequences were described for validity evidence. Simulated crisis management sessions were initiated during which two trained raters evaluated the performance of postgraduate first-, second- and third-year (PGY-1, PGY-2 and PGY-3) anaesthesia residents. The study included 70 participants, composed of 24 PGY-1, 24 PGY-2 and 22 PGY-3 residents. Both instruments differentiated the non-technical skills of PGY-1 from PGY-3 residents ( P skills were 0.86, 0.83, 0.84, 0.87, 0.80 and 0.86, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency of the ANTS instrument was 0.93, and was 0.96 for the Ottawa GRS. There was a high correlation between the ANTS and Ottawa GRS. The raters reported the ease of use of the Ottawa GRS compared to the ANTS. We found sufficient evidence of validity in the ANTS instrument and the Ottawa GRS for the evaluation of non-technical skills in a simulated anaesthesia setting, but the Ottawa GRS was more practical and had higher reliability.

Development and Testing of Screen-Based and Psychometric Instruments for Assessing Resident Performance in an Operating Room Simulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard R. McNeer

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Medical simulators are used for assessing clinical skills and increasingly for testing hypotheses. We developed and tested an approach for assessing performance in anesthesia residents using screen-based simulation that ensures expert raters remain blinded to subject identity and experimental condition. Methods. Twenty anesthesia residents managed emergencies in an operating room simulator by logging actions through a custom graphical user interface. Two expert raters rated performance based on these entries using custom Global Rating Scale (GRS and Crisis Management Checklist (CMC instruments. Interrater reliability was measured by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC, and internal consistency of the instruments was assessed with Cronbach’s alpha. Agreement between GRS and CMC was measured using Spearman rank correlation (SRC. Results. Interrater agreement (GRS: ICC = 0.825, CMC: ICC = 0.878 and internal consistency (GRS: alpha = 0.838, CMC: alpha = 0.886 were good for both instruments. Subscale analysis indicated that several instrument items can be discarded. GRS and CMC scores were highly correlated (SRC = 0.948. Conclusions. In this pilot study, we demonstrated that screen-based simulation can allow blinded assessment of performance. GRS and CMC instruments demonstrated good rater agreement and internal consistency. We plan to further test construct validity of our instruments by measuring performance in our simulator as a function of training level.

Evolution of ligand specificity in vertebrate corticosteroid receptors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deitcher David L

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Corticosteroid receptors include mineralocorticoid (MR and glucocorticoid (GR receptors. Teleost fishes have a single MR and duplicate GRs that show variable sensitivities to mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. How these receptors compare functionally to tetrapod MR and GR, and the evolutionary significance of maintaining two GRs, remains unclear. Results We used up to seven steroids (including aldosterone, cortisol and 11-deoxycorticosterone [DOC] to compare the ligand specificity of the ligand binding domains of corticosteroid receptors between a mammal (Mus musculus and the midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus, a teleost model for steroid regulation of neural and behavioral plasticity. Variation in mineralocorticoid sensitivity was considered in a broader phylogenetic context by examining the aldosterone sensitivity of MR and GRs from the distantly related daffodil cichlid (Neolamprologus pulcher, another teleost model for neurobehavioral plasticity. Both teleost species had a single MR and duplicate GRs. All MRs were sensitive to DOC, consistent with the hypothesis that DOC was the initial ligand of the ancestral MR. Variation in GR steroid-specificity corresponds to nine identified amino acid residue substitutions rather than phylogenetic relationships based on receptor sequences. Conclusion The mineralocorticoid sensitivity of duplicate GRs in teleosts is highly labile in the context of their evolutionary phylogeny, a property that likely led to neo-functionalization and maintenance of two GRs.

Tests of the gravitational redshift effect in space-born and ground-based experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Vavilova, I. B.

2018-02-01

This paper provides a brief overview of experiments as concerns with the tests of the gravitational redshift (GRS) effect in ground-based and space-born experiments. In particular, we consider the GRS effects in the gravitational field of the Earth, the major planets of the Solar system, compact stars (white dwarfs and neutron stars) where this effect is confirmed with a higher accuracy. We discuss availabilities to confirm the GRS effect for galaxies and galaxy clusters in visible and X-ray ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Automated tools for safety-critical software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lapassat, A.M.

1993-01-01

The regulatory (DSIN), the utilities (EDF, CEA..) and the CEA-Institute for Protection and Nuclear Safety (IPSN) work together at the French nuclear safety. This paper presents a tool, called CLAIRE, for simulation and tests of different nuclear safety system. (TEC)

Additive influence of genetic predisposition and conventional risk factors in the incidence of coronary heart disease: a population-based study in Greece

Science.gov (United States)

Yiannakouris, Nikos; Katsoulis, Michail; Trichopoulou, Antonia; Ordovas, Jose M; Trichopoulos, Dimitrios

2014-01-01

Objectives An additive genetic risk score (GRS) for coronary heart disease (CHD) has previously been associated with incident CHD in the population-based Greek European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC) cohort. In this study, we explore GRS-‘environment’ joint actions on CHD for several conventional cardiovascular risk factors (ConvRFs), including smoking, hypertension, type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), body mass index (BMI), physical activity and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Design A case–control study. Setting The general Greek population of the EPIC study. Participants and outcome measures 477 patients with medically confirmed incident CHD and 1271 controls participated in this study. We estimated the ORs for CHD by dividing participants at higher or lower GRS and, alternatively, at higher or lower ConvRF, and calculated the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) as a measure of deviation from additivity. Results The joint presence of higher GRS and higher risk ConvRF was in all instances associated with an increased risk of CHD, compared with the joint presence of lower GRS and lower risk ConvRF. The OR (95% CI) was 1.7 (1.2 to 2.4) for smoking, 2.7 (1.9 to 3.8) for hypertension, 4.1 (2.8 to 6.1) for T2DM, 1.9 (1.4 to 2.5) for lower physical activity, 2.0 (1.3 to 3.2) for high BMI and 1.5 (1.1 to 2.1) for poor adherence to the Mediterranean diet. In all instances, RERI values were fairly small and not statistically significant, suggesting that the GRS and the ConvRFs do not have effects beyond additivity. Conclusions Genetic predisposition to CHD, operationalised through a multilocus GRS, and ConvRFs have essentially additive effects on CHD risk. PMID:24500614

Reports on the projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-06-01

Investigations on the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of the Research Program Reactor Safety (RS-projects) are sponsored by the BMFT (Federal Minister for Research and Technology), Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie. Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear energy plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of these investigations within the series 'GRS-F-Forschrittsberichte' (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the different projects of the search program. The individual reports are prepared by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the GRS-FB (Research Coordination Department), Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, within the framework of general information of the progress in reactor safety research. Each report describes the work performed, the results and the next steps of the work. The individual reports are attached to the classification system established by the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The GRS-F-Progress Reports also include a list of the current investigations arranged according to the projects of the BMFT-Research Program Reactor Safety. This compilation, in addition to the LWR-investigations, also contains first contributions on the safety of advanced reactors. (orig.) [de

Reports on the projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-11-01

Investigations on the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of the Research Program Reactor Safety (RS-projects) are sponsored by the BMFT (Federal Minister for Research and Technology), Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie. Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear energy plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of BMFT, informs continuously of the status of these investigations within the series 'GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte' (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the different projects of the search program. The individual reports are prepared by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the GRS-FB (Research Coordination Department), Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, within the framework of general information of the progress in reactor safety research. Each report describes the work performed, the results and the next steps of the work. The individual reports are attached to the classification system established by the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The GRS-F-Progress Reports also include a list of the current investigations arranged according to the projects of the BMFT-Research Program Reactor Safety. This compilation, in addition to the LWR-investigations, also contains first contributions on the safety of advanced reactors. (orig.) [de

Reports on the projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-12-01

Investigations on the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of the Research Program Reactor Safety (RS-projects) are sponsored by the BMFT (Federal Minister for Research and Technology), Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie. Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear energy plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of these investigations within the series 'GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte' (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the different projects of the search program. The individual reports are prepared by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the GRS-FB (Research Coordination Department), Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, within the framework of general information of the progress in reactor safety research. Each report describes the work performed, the results and the next steps of the work. The individual reports are attached to the classification system established by the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The GRS-F-Progress Reports also include a list of the current investigations arranged according to the projects of the BMFT-Research Program Reactor Safety. This compilation, in addition to the LWR-investigations, also contains first contributions on the safety of advanced reactors. (orig.) [de

Phylogenetic heritability of geographic range size in haematophagous ectoparasites: time of divergence and variation among continents.

Science.gov (United States)

Krasnov, Boris R; Shenbrot, Georgy I; van der Mescht, Luther; Warburton, Elizabeth M; Khokhlova, Irina S

2018-04-12

To understand existence, patterns and mechanisms behind phylogenetic heritability in the geographic range size (GRS) of parasites, we measured phylogenetic signal (PS) in the sizes of both regional (within a region) and continental (within a continent) geographic ranges of fleas in five regions. We asked whether (a) GRS is phylogenetically heritable and (b) the manifestation of PS varies between regions. We also asked whether geographic variation in PS reflects the effects of the environment's spatiotemporal stability (e.g. glaciation disrupting geographic ranges) or is associated with time since divergence (accumulation differences among species over time). Support for the former hypothesis would be indicated by stronger PS in southern than in northern regions, whereas support for the latter hypothesis would be shown by stronger PS in regions with a large proportion of species belonging to the derived lineages than in regions with a large proportion of species belonging to the basal lineages. We detected significant PS in both regional and continental GRSs of fleas from Canada and in continental GRS of fleas from Mongolia. No PS was found in the GRS of fleas from Australia and Southern Africa. Venezuelan fleas demonstrated significant PS in regional GRS only. Local Indicators of Phylogenetic Association detected significant local positive autocorrelations of GRS in some clades even in regions in which PS has not been detected across the entire phylogeny. This was mainly characteristic of younger taxa.

TOUGH2 modeling. Pre- and post processing; TOUGH2 Modellierungen. Prae- und Postprozessing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frieling, Gerd; Bracke, Guido

2013-12-15

GRS is modeling the two-phase flow in porous media using the program TOUGH2. The report describes the TOUGH2 program structure and the essential input parameters. Some of the important physical models are discussed for better understanding of the required data input. The data processing and visualization that is very specific for the GRS work flow Is described in detail. GRS has refined the standard modules EOS7 and EOS7R, the model extensions consider the rock convergence, time dependent boundary conditions and include the direction dependent diffusion or dispersion.

A combined analysis of 48 type 2 diabetes genetic risk variants shows no discriminative value to predict time to first prescription of a glucose lowering drug in Danish patients with screen detected type 2 diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hornbak, Malene; Allin, Kristine Højgaard; Jensen, Majken Linnemann

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic influence of 48 type 2 diabetes susceptibility variants on disease progression measured as risk of early prescription redemption of glucose lowering drugs in screen-detected patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We studied type 2 diabetes progression in 1...... according to either a conventional or a multifactorial intensive treatment algorithm. We investigated the genetic influence on diabetes progression by constructing a genetic risk score (GRS) of all 48 validated type 2 diabetes susceptibility variants, a GRS of 11 variants linked to β-cell function and a GRS...

Genetic risk scores and family history as predictors of schizophrenia in Nordic registers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lu, Y.; Pouget, J. G.; Andreassen, O. A.

2017-01-01

through the quality control procedures used by the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Using external training data, GRS were estimated for SCZ, bipolar disorder (BIP), major depression, autism, educational attainment, and body mass index. Multivariable modeling was used to estimate effect sizes. Results......: Using harmonized genomic and national register data from Denmark, Estonia, Norway, and Sweden, we confirmed that family history of SCZ and GRS for SCZ and BIP were risk factors for SCZ. In a joint model, the effects of GRS for SCZ and BIP were essentially unchanged, and the effect of family history...

Chernobyl, 13 years after

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regniault-Lacharme, Mireille; Metivier, Henri

1999-04-01

This is an annual report, regularly issued by IPSN, that presents the ecological and health consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident. The present status of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant, which Ukraine engaged to stop definitively in year 2000, is summarized. The only reactor unit now in operation is Chernobylsk-3 Reactor which poses two safety questions: evolution of cracks in part of the tubing and behaviour of the pressure tubes. Although, some improvements in the RBMK reactor types were introduced, problems remain that make IPSN to stress the requirement of stopping this NPP completely. In the contaminated territories surrounding Chernobyl incidence rate of infant thyroid cancers continues to grow, reaching values 10 to 100 times higher than the natural rate. In France the IPSN analyzed 60,000 records carried out in 17 sites during May 1986 and April 1989. It was estimated that the individual dose received during 60 years (1986-2046) by the inhabitants of the most affected zone (eastern France) is lower than 1.5 mSv, a value lower than 1% of the natural cosmic and telluric radioactivity exposure for the same period. For the persons assumed to live in the most attacked forests (from eastern France) and nourishing daily with venison and mushrooms the highest estimate is 1 mSv a year. Concerning the 'hot spots', identified in mountains by IPSN and CRIIRAD, the doses received by excursionists are around 0.015 mSv. For an average inhabitant of the country the dose piled up in the thyroid due to iodine-131 fallout is estimated to 0.5-2 mSv for an adult and 6.5-16 mSv for an infant. These doses are 100 to 1000 times lower than the ones to which the infants living in the neighbourhood of Chernobyl are exposed to. The contents of the report is displayed in the following six chapters: 1. Chernobyl in some figures; 2. The 'sarcophagus' and the reactors of the Chernobyl NPP; 3. Health consequences of the Chernobyl accident;. 4. The impact of Chernobyl fallout in France

Chernobyl, 13 years after; Tchernobyl, 13 ans apres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Regniault-Lacharme, Mireille; Metivier, Henri [Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire, CEA Centre d' Etudes de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France)

1999-04-01

This is an annual report, regularly issued by IPSN, that presents the ecological and health consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident. The present status of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant, which Ukraine engaged to stop definitively in year 2000, is summarized. The only reactor unit now in operation is Chernobylsk-3 Reactor which poses two safety questions: evolution of cracks in part of the tubing and behaviour of the pressure tubes. Although, some improvements in the RBMK reactor types were introduced, problems remain that make IPSN to stress the requirement of stopping this NPP completely. In the contaminated territories surrounding Chernobyl incidence rate of infant thyroid cancers continues to grow, reaching values 10 to 100 times higher than the natural rate. In France the IPSN analyzed 60,000 records carried out in 17 sites during May 1986 and April 1989. It was estimated that the individual dose received during 60 years (1986-2046) by the inhabitants of the most affected zone (eastern France) is lower than 1.5 mSv, a value lower than 1% of the natural cosmic and telluric radioactivity exposure for the same period. For the persons assumed to live in the most attacked forests (from eastern France) and nourishing daily with venison and mushrooms the highest estimate is 1 mSv a year. Concerning the 'hot spots', identified in mountains by IPSN and CRIIRAD, the doses received by excursionists are around 0.015 mSv. For an average inhabitant of the country the dose piled up in the thyroid due to iodine-131 fallout is estimated to 0.5-2 mSv for an adult and 6.5-16 mSv for an infant. These doses are 100 to 1000 times lower than the ones to which the infants living in the neighbourhood of Chernobyl are exposed to. The contents of the report is displayed in the following six chapters: 1. Chernobyl in some figures; 2. The 'sarcophagus' and the reactors of the Chernobyl NPP; 3. Health consequences of the Chernobyl accident;. 4. The impact of

Technical organization of safety authorities in case of accident in a nuclear installation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scherrer, J.; Evrard, J.M.; Ney, J.

1985-11-01

The Central safety Service of Nuclear Facilities of the French industry Department and the CEA Protection and Nuclear Safety Institut (IPSN) are organized to estimate in real time, the evolution of an accidental situation with a sufficient margin in time to allow the local government representative to develop, in case of necessity, efficient procedures for the protection of the population. This paper presents the principles of this organization and the precautions taken to cope as well with problems of mobilization of experts as the full occupation of current telecommunication lines. The example of the organization concerning the installations of Electricite de France is detailed. The CEA IPSN has developed means widely advanced, concerning the atmospheric transfer of radioactivity. For PWRs, a method allowing to forecast releases in case of accidental situation is presented. Finally, the knowledge acquired with the accident simulations realized during the last years is described [fr

A randomized trial on mineralocorticoid receptor blockade in men: effects on stress responses, selective attention, and memory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cornelisse, S.; Joëls, M.; Smeets, T.

2011-01-01

Corticosteroids, released in high amounts after stress, exert their effects via two different receptors in the brain: glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) and mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs). GRs have a role in normalizing stress-induced effects and promoting consolidation, while MRs are thought to be

Annual progress report 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

The technical support activities of the IPSN to competent administrations in 1980 has been marked: namely by the authorizations of divergence for 9 units EdF-PWR of 900 MW, the authorization project of creation and extension of reprocessing plant of COGEMA at the Hague UP 2 -800 and the authorization of starting up of the third unit of production of the EURODIF enrichment plant at Tricastin. On the other hand, IPSN has participated at the elaboration of a certain number of legislative and regulation texts relative to the control of nuclear matter, to radioprotection standards and to criteria of safety. For the safety of breeder, the test made at CABRI pile, in the international research program has given confirmation of the validity of theoretical models used in accidents calculations, hypothetical accidents which has allowed to reactualize safety criteria which have to be used for the development of this type of reactor. In worker radioprotection the results obtained in laboratory on the effect of radon, the progress made in personal dosimetry and the action of radioprotection undertaken in uranium mines constitutes a coherent effort. The deep drilling in granit (1000 m) and the experimental associated program which has finished the indispensable scientific data for the future policy in matter of storage of radioactives wastes. IPSN has contributed to progress made in the rules of exploitation of reactors, in the definition of wastes containment -specially at the output of reprocessing plant- in handling machines in hazardeous areas and in the study of environment [fr

Increasing insulin resistance accentuates the effect of triglyceride-associated loci on serum triglycerides during 5 years

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Justesen, Johanne M; Andersson, Ehm Astrid; Allin, Kristine H

2016-01-01

Blood concentrations of triglycerides are influenced by genetic factors as well as a number of environmental factors, including adiposity and glucose homeostasis. The aim was to investigate the association between a serum triglyceride weighted genetic risk score (wGRS) and changes in fasting serum...... triglyceride level over 5 years and to test whether the effect of the wGRS was modified by 5 year changes of adiposity, insulin resistance, and lifestyle factors. A total of 3,474 nondiabetic individuals from the Danish Inter99 cohort participated in both the baseline and 5 year follow-up physical examinations...... and had information on the wGRS comprising 39 genetic variants. In a linear regression model adjusted for age, sex, and baseline serum triglyceride, the wGRS was associated with increased serum triglyceride levels over 5 years [per allele effect = 1.3% (1.0-1.6%); P = 1.0 × 10(-17)]. This triglyceride...

Prospective associations of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and CRP genetic risk scores with risk of total knee and hip replacement for osteoarthritis in a diverse cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Shadyab, A H; Terkeltaub, R; Kooperberg, C; Reiner, A; Eaton, C B; Jackson, R D; Krok-Schoen, J L; Salem, R M; LaCroix, A Z

2018-05-22

To examine associations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and polygenic CRP genetic risk scores (GRS) with risk of end-stage hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA), defined as incident total hip (THR) or knee replacement (TKR) for OA. This study included a cohort of postmenopausal white, African American, and Hispanic women from the Women's Health Initiative. Women were followed from baseline to date of THR or TKR, death, or December 31, 2014. Medicare claims data identified THR and TKR. Hs-CRP and genotyping data were collected at baseline. Three CRP GRS were constructed: 1) a 4-SNP GRS comprised of genetic variants representing variation in the CRP gene among European populations; 2) a multilocus 18-SNP GRS of genetic variants significantly associated with CRP levels in a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies; and 3) a 5-SNP GRS of genetic variants significantly associated with CRP levels among African American women. In analyses conducted separately among each race and ethnic group, there were no significant associations of ln hs-CRP with risk of THR or TKR, after adjusting for age, body mass index, lifestyle characteristics, chronic diseases, hormone therapy use, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use. CRP GRS were not associated with risk of THR or TKR in any ethnic group. Serum levels of ln hs-CRP and genetically-predicted CRP levels were not associated with risk of THR or TKR for OA among a diverse cohort of women. Copyright © 2018 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Velocity-space observation regions of high-resolution two-step reaction gamma-ray spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salewski, Mirko; Nocente, M.; Gorini, G.

2015-01-01

High-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy (GRS) measurements resolve spectral shapes of Dopplerbroadened γ-rays. We calculate weight functions describing velocity-space sensitivities of any two-step reaction GRS measurements in magnetized plasmas using the resonant nuclear reaction 9Be(α, nγ)12C...

Fast-ion energy resolution by one-step reaction gamma-ray spectrometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salewski, Mirko; Nocente, M.; Gorini, G.

2016-01-01

The spectral broadening of γ-rays from fusion plasmas can be measured in high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS). We derive weight functions that determine the observable velocity space and quantify the velocity-space sensitivity of one-step reaction high-resolution GRS measurements in magne...

Software testing and source code for the calculation of clearance values. Final report; Erprobung von Software und Quellcode zur Berechnung von Freigabewerten. Abschlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Artmann, Andreas; Meyering, Henrich

2016-11-15

The GRS research project was aimed to the test the appropriateness of the software package ''residual radioactivity'' (RESRAD) for the calculation of clearance values according to German and European regulations. Comparative evaluations were performed with RESRAD-OFFSITE and the code SiWa-PRO DSS used by GRS and the GRS program code ARTM. It is recommended to use RESRAD-OFFSITE for comparative calculations. The dose relevant air-path dispersion of radionuclides should not be modeled using RESRAD-OFFSITE, the use of ARTM is recommended. The sensitivity analysis integrated into RESRAD-OFFSITE allows a fast identification of crucial parameters.

Standardized models for atmospheric diffusion applied to an highly industrialized area (Taranto, Italy): results, comparisons and future trends; Applicazione di modelli standardizzati di diffusione atmosferica all`area ad elevata concentrazione industriale di Taranto: confronti e linee di sviluppo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brofferio, C.; Racalbuto, S. [ENEA, Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Rome (Italy). Dip. Ambiente; Desiato, F. [ANPA, Rome (Italy); Del Buono, P.

1998-12-31

In this paper the authors present and discuss the results obtained running the DIMULA code (DIffusion MULtisources in Atmosphere), the model has been applied to the industrial area of Taranto (Puglia, Italy), characterized by a large number of air emission sources of SO{sub 2} NOx, PST. Due to the lack of controlled data on emission and air concentrations outputs, the DIMULA code outputs were compared with those obtained from others dispersion models such as CDM (Climatological Dispersion Model) by EPA and AMETISTA (Air Quality based on MEteorological TIme Series and Turbolence Analysis) by ANPA. The air concentration values estimated by the three models are similar comparing the order of magnitude; only under specific meteo conditions (such as wind calm conditions) and near the emission sources, the three models lead to different results. [Italiano] Nel presente lavoro sono presentati e discussi i risultati ottenuti applicando il codice DIMULA (DIffusione MULtisorgente Atmosferica) dell`ENEA all`area industriale di Taranto (Puglia), caratterizzata da un elevato numero di sorgenti emissive in aria di SO{sub 2} NOx, PST. In mancanza di dati controllati di emissione e di concentrazione che fornissero indicazioni sulla validita` dei valori ottenuti, le valutazioni del DIMULA sono state confrontate con quelle fornite da altri modelli quali il CDM (Climatological Dispersion Model) dell`EPA e l`AMETISTA (Air Quality based on MEteorological TIme Series and Turbolence Analysis) dell`ANPA. Lo studio ha mostrato che le stime dei valori di concentrazione ottenute con i tre modelli sono in generale simili in ordine di grandezza tranne che in prossimita` delle sorgenti e in particolari condizioni meteorologiche quali la calma di vento.

Genetic Variations of Circulating Adiponectin Levels Modulate Changes in Appetite in Response to Weight-Loss Diets.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Wenjie; Huang, Tao; Heianza, Yoriko; Wang, Tiange; Sun, Dianjianyi; Tong, Jenny; Williamson, Donald A; Bray, George A; Sacks, Frank M; Qi, Lu

2017-01-01

Adiponectin plays key roles in regulating appetite and food intake. To investigate interactions between the genetic risk score (GRS) for adiponectin levels and weight-loss diets varying in macronutrient intake on long-term changes in appetite and adiponectin levels. A GRS was calculated based on 5 adiponectin-associated variants in 692 overweight adults from the 2-year Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies trial. Repeated measurements of plasma adiponectin levels and appetite-related traits, including cravings, fullness, prospective consumption, and hunger. Dietary fat showed nominally significant interactions with the adiponectin GRS on changes in appetite score and prospective consumption from baseline to 6 months (P for interaction = 0.014 and 0.017, respectively) after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, baseline body mass index, and baseline respective outcome values. The GRS for lower adiponectin levels was associated with a greater decrease in appetite (P appetite and adiponectin levels to weight-loss diets varying in fat intake. Copyright © 2017 by the Endocrine Society

Annual report on reactor safety research projects sponsored by the Ministry of Economics and Labour of the Federal Republic of Germany. Reporting period 2003. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of the investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index'' of the CEC (commission of the european communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers

Annual report on reactor safety research projects sponsored by the Ministry for Research and Technology of the Federal Republic of Germany. Reporting period 1993. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-10-01

The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of semi-annual and annual publication of progress reports within the series GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, (FB) (Research Coordination Department), within the framework of general information of progress in reactor safety research. The individual reports are classified according to the same classification system as applied in the nuclear index of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities) and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. (orig./HP)

Genetic risk of progression to type 2 diabetes and response to intensive lifestyle or metformin in prediabetic women with and without a history of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, Shannon D; Jablonski, Kathleen A; Florez, Jose C; Dabelea, Dana; Franks, Paul W; Dagogo-Jack, Sam; Kim, Catherine; Knowler, William C; Christophi, Costas A; Ratner, Robert

2014-04-01

OBJECTIVE The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) trial investigated rates of progression to diabetes among adults with prediabetes randomized to treatment with placebo, metformin, or intensive lifestyle intervention. Among women in the DPP, diabetes risk reduction with metformin was greater in women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) compared with women without GDM but with one or more previous live births. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We asked if genetic variability could account for these differences by comparing β-cell function and genetic risk scores (GRS), calculated from 34 diabetes-associated loci, between women with and without histories of GDM. RESULTS β-Cell function was reduced in women with GDM. The GRS was positively associated with a history of GDM; however, the GRS did not predict progression to diabetes or modulate response to intervention. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that a diabetes-associated GRS is associated with development of GDM and may characterize women at risk for development of diabetes due to β-cell dysfunction.

Sealing performance of fractured claystone and clay-based materials. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Chun-Liang

2017-03-15

The geological disposal concepts for radioactive waste are generally based on a multibarrier system comprising the natural geological formations and engineered barriers. After waste emplacement, disposal cells, access drifts and shafts will be backfilled and sealed with suitable materials to prevent release of radionuclides into the biosphere. In the framework of the THM-TON project during the last ten years from 2007 to 2016, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) under contract number 02E10377, GRS investigated the thermo-hydro-mechanical properties and responses of clay rocks and clay-based backfill/seal materials. The results obtained during the first time period of 2007 to 2013 are summarized in the GRS report ''Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Processes in the Nearfield around a HLW Repository in Argillaceous Formations'' with two volumes: Volume I - Laboratory Investigations (GRS-312) /ZHA 13a/ and Volume II - In-situ-Investigations and Interpretative Modelling (GRS-313) /ZHA 14a/.

Genetic risk analysis of coronary artery disease in Pakistani subjects using a genetic risk score of 21 variants.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahid, Saleem Ullah; Shabana; Cooper, Jackie A; Beaney, Katherine E; Li, Kawah; Rehman, Abdul; Humphries, Steve E

2017-03-01

Conventional coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors like age, gender, blood lipids, hypertension and smoking have been the basis of CAD risk prediction algorithms, but provide only modest discrimination. Genetic risk score (GRS) may provide improved discrimination over and above conventional risk factors. Here we analyzed the genetic risk of CAD in subjects from Pakistan, using a GRS of 21 variants in 18 genes and examined whether the GRS is associated with blood lipid levels. 625 (405 cases and 220 controls) subjects were genotyped for variants, NOS3 rs1799983, SMAD3 rs17228212, APOB rs1042031, LPA rs3798220, LPA rs10455872, SORT1 rs646776, APOE rs429358, GLUL rs10911021, FTO rs9939609, MIA3 rs17465637, CDKN2Ars10757274, DAB2IP rs7025486, CXCL12 rs1746048, ACE rs4341, APOA5 rs662799, CETP rs708272, MRAS rs9818870, LPL rs328, LPL rs1801177, PCSK9 rs11591147 and APOE rs7412 by TaqMan and KASPar allele discrimination techniques. Individually, the single SNPs were not associated with CAD except APOB rs1042031 and FTO rs993969 (p = 0.01 and 0.009 respectively). However, the combined GRS of 21 SNPs was significantly higher in cases than controls (19.37 ± 2.56 vs. 18.47 ± 2.45, p = 2.9 × 10 -5 ), and compared to the bottom quintile, CAD risk in the top quintile of the GRS was 2.96 (95% CI 1.71-5.13). Atherogenic blood lipids showed significant positive association with GRS. The GRS was quantitatively associated with CAD risk and showed association with blood lipid levels, suggesting that the mechanism of these variants is likely to be, in part at least, through creating an atherogenic lipid profile in subjects carrying high numbers of risk alleles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strong movement data currently available at IPSN/DAS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamaide, D.; Mohammadioun, B.; Mohammadioun, G.

1986-01-01

The collection of recordings and other data on strong seismic motion compiled by the Departement d'Analyse de Surete de l'Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire (Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique) to form a data base known as ''sismotheque'' are presented. Following an introduction wherein the necessity of creating such a repertory for evaluating seismic hazard on the sites of nuclear facilities is explained, a description is given of the means engaged, i.e. motion recorded by the DAS's own laboratory or data procured from other research units in France or abroad. The quantity and quality of the data now available are summarized, as well as the techniques designed to gain access to desired information, illustrated by concrete examples. The paper concludes with recommendations for future developments [fr

Scientific evaluation at the CEA; Evaluation scientifique au CEA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-11-01

This report presents a statement of the scientific and technical activity of the French atomic energy commission (CEA) for the year 1998. This evaluation is made by external and independent experts and requires some specific dispositions for the nuclear protection and safety institute (IPSN) and for the direction of military applications (DAM). The report is divided into 5 parts dealing successively with: part 1 - the CEA, a public research organization (civil nuclear research, technology research and transfers, defence activities); the scientific and technical evaluation at the CEA (general framework, evaluation of the IPSN and DAM); part 2 - the scientific and technical councils (directions of fuel cycle, of nuclear reactors, and of advanced technologies); part 3 - the scientific councils (directions of matter and of life sciences); the nuclear protection and safety institute; the direction of military applications; part 4 - the corresponding members of the evaluation; part 5 - the list of scientific and technical councils and members. (J.S.)

Scientific evaluation at the CEA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

This report presents a statement of the scientific and technical activity of the French atomic energy commission (CEA) for the year 1998. This evaluation is made by external and independent experts and requires some specific dispositions for the nuclear protection and safety institute (IPSN) and for the direction of military applications (DAM). The report is divided into 5 parts dealing successively with: part 1 - the CEA, a public research organization (civil nuclear research, technology research and transfers, defence activities); the scientific and technical evaluation at the CEA (general framework, evaluation of the IPSN and DAM); part 2 - the scientific and technical councils (directions of fuel cycle, of nuclear reactors, and of advanced technologies); part 3 - the scientific councils (directions of matter and of life sciences); the nuclear protection and safety institute; the direction of military applications; part 4 - the corresponding members of the evaluation; part 5 - the list of scientific and technical councils and members. (J.S.)

Status and prospects of safety research about fuel cycle facilities in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auchere, H.; Mercier, J.P.

1996-01-01

Although there is a good knowledge of the risks and no major accident occurred in France, as in other OECD countries, it remains useful to complete basic knowledge and to allow the quality of fuel cycle plants safety assessments to be improved further, particularly in countries equipped with a 'complete' nuclear fuel cycle (France, Japan and U.K.). The scope of the current and future IPSN ('Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire': institute for protection and nuclear safety) research deals with the whole fuel cycle. The overview presented here in NUCEF'95 symposium contains a number of specific themes, some of which have already been started. Successful conclusion of the safety researches will allow the IPSN to have a more precise understanding about specific phenomena and notably to replace 'engineer judgements', though they may be based on a lot of experience and competence, by more scientifically established basic data. (J.P.N.)

Progress in radiation protection techniques for workers in the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pradel, J.; Zettwoog, P.; Rouyer, J.L.

1982-01-01

The increasingly stringent safety requirements of workers and the general public in the face of occupational and in particular nuclear risks call for continual improvements in radiation protection techniques. The Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (IPSN), especially the Technical Protection Services belonging to the Protection Department, and also the various radiation protection services of the French Atomic Energy Commission's nuclear centres and Electricite de France (EDF) are carrying out substantial research and development programmes on the subject. For this reason, IPSN organized a specialists' meeting to take stock of the efforts being made and to try to identify what steps seem most promising or should have priority at the national level. The authors summarize the presentations and discussions on three topics: (1) Progress in the analysis of the mechanism of exposure of workers; (2) Progress achieved from the radiation protection standpoint in the field of facility design and instrumentation; and (3) Application of the optimization principle

Thermal-hydraulic analysis of total loss of steam generator feed water in WWER-440

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabotinov, L.; Cadet-Mercier, S.

2001-01-01

The analysis is carried out for a WWER-440/V270 with upgraded primary safety valves (replacement of the existing PRZ safety valves with Pilot Operated Relief Valves (PORV) of the type SEBIM (France)) The current analysis is focused on the scenario 'Total Loss of SGs Feed Water' with application of the operator action of primary system 'Feed and Bleed' in order to check the effectiveness of the installed pressurizer SEBIM valves and to verify that the operator can cool down the reactor system and cope with this accident. The calculations have been performed at the Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (IPSN) in Fontenay-aux-Roses with the computer code CATHARE 2 Version 1.3L1. CATHARE is a French best estimate thermal-hydraulic program for accident analysis in the light water nuclear reactors, developed with the participation of the IPSN (Institut de Protection et Surete Nucleaire), CEA (Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique), Framatome and EdF (Electricite de France). (author)

RainMan - A methodology for the evaluation of decommissioning waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bitetti, B.; Mantero, G.; Orlandi, S.; Scarsi, G.; Brusa, L.; Ruggeri, G.; Dionisi, M.; Farina, A.; Grossi, G.

2002-01-01

The main objective of this study, promoted by ANPA, the Italian Nuclear Regulatory Body, carried out with ANSALDO and in close co-operation with SOGIN, was to define a methodology for the evaluation of the inventory of the amount of radioactive waste produced during the NPPs decommissioning activities, in terms of both volume and radioactivity content, and estimate the solid materials suitable for release from the regulatory control. The simulation code RainMan, developed within this project, allows, according to a selected scenario, for the evaluation of the solid materials that could be cleared and the volumes of the L-MLW that should be sent to a disposal facility. (author)

Disclosing Genetic Risk for Coronary Heart Disease: Attitudes Toward Personal Information in Health Records.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Sherry-Ann; Jouni, Hayan; Marroush, Tariq S; Kullo, Iftikhar J

2017-04-01

Incorporating genetic risk information in electronic health records (EHRs) will facilitate implementation of genomic medicine in clinical practice. However, little is known about patients' attitudes toward incorporation of genetic risk information as a component of personal health information in EHRs. This study investigated whether disclosure of a genetic risk score (GRS) for coronary heart disease influences attitudes toward incorporation of personal health information including genetic risk in EHRs. Participants aged 45-65 years with intermediate 10-year coronary heart disease risk were randomized to receive a conventional risk score (CRS) alone or with a GRS from a genetic counselor, followed by shared decision making with a physician using the same standard presentation and information templates for all study participants. The CRS and GRS were then incorporated into the EHR and made accessible to both patients and physicians. Baseline and post-disclosure surveys were completed to assess whether attitudes differed by GRS disclosure. Data were collected from 2013 to 2015 and analyzed in 2015-2016. GRS and CRS participants reported similar positive attitudes toward incorporation of genetic risk information in the EHR. Compared with CRS participants, participants with high GRS were more concerned about the confidentiality of genetic risk information (OR=3.67, 95% CI=1.29, 12.32, p=0.01). Post-disclosure, frequency of patient portal access was associated with positive attitudes. Participants in this study of coronary heart disease risk disclosure overall had positive attitudes toward incorporation of genetic risk information in EHRs, although those who received genetic risk information had concerns about confidentiality. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Methodological guide: management of industrial sites potentially contaminated by radioactive substances; Guide methodologique: gestion des sites industriels potentiellement contamines par des substances radioactives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

At the request of the Ministries of Health and the Environment, IPSN is preparing and publishing the first version of the methodological guide devoted to managing industrial sites potentially contaminated by radioactive substances. This guide describes a procedure for defining and choosing strategies for rehabilitating such industrial sites. (author)

Diagnosis and prognosis of the source term by the French Safety Institut during an emergency on a PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chauliac, C.; Janot, L.; Jouzier, A.; Rague, B.

1992-01-01

The French approach for the diagnosis and the prognosis of the source term during an accident on a PWR is presented and the tools which have been developed to implement this approach at the Institute for Nuclear Protection and Safety (IPSN) are described. (author). 2 refs, 3 figs

Methodological guide: management of industrial sites potentially contaminated by radioactive substances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

At the request of the Ministries of Health and the Environment, IPSN is preparing and publishing the first version of the methodological guide devoted to managing industrial sites potentially contaminated by radioactive substances. This guide describes a procedure for defining and choosing strategies for rehabilitating such industrial sites. (author)

Mediterranean Dietary Pattern Adherence Modify the Association between FTO Genetic Variations and Obesity Phenotypes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Firoozeh Hosseini-Esfahani

2017-09-01

Full Text Available There is increasing interest of which dietary patterns can modify the association of fat mass and obesity associated (FTO variants with obesity. This study was aimed at investigating the interaction of the Mediterranean dietary pattern (Med Diet with FTO polymorphisms in relation to obesity phenotypes. Subjects of this nested case-control study were selected from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study participants. Each case was individually matched with a normal weight control (n = 1254. Selected polymorphisms (rs1421085, rs1121980, rs17817449, rs8050136, rs9939973, and rs3751812 were genotyped. Genetic risk score (GRS were calculated using the weighted method. The Mediterranean dietary score (MDS was computed. Individuals with minor allele carriers of rs9939973, rs8050136, rs1781749, and rs3751812 had lower risk of obesity when they had higher MDS, compared to wild-type homozygote genotype carriers. The obesity risk was decreased across quartiles of MDS in participants with high GRS (OR: 1, 0.8, 0.79, 0.67 compared to individuals with low GRS (OR: 1.33, 1.06, 0.97, 1.12 (Pinteraction < 0.05. No significant interaction between the GRS and MDS on abdominal obesity was found. A higher Med Diet adherence was associated with lower obesity risk in subjects with more genetic predisposition to obesity, compared to those with lower adherence to the Med Diet and lower GRS.

Chromophores from photolyzed ammonia reacting with acetylene: Application to Jupiters Great Red Spot

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Robert W.; Baines, Kevin H.; Anderson, M. S.; Filacchione, G.; Simon, A. A.

2016-01-01

The high altitude of Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) may enhance the upward flux of gaseous ammonia (NH3 ) into the high troposphere, where NH3 molecules can be photodissociated and initiate a chain of chemical reactions with downwelling acetylene molecules (C2H2 ). These reactions, experimentally studied earlier by (Ferris and Ishikawa [1987] Nature 326, 777-778) and (Ferris and Ishikawa [1988] J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 110, 4306-4312), produce chromophores that absorb in the visible and ultraviolet regions. In this work we photolyzed mixtures of NH3 and C2H2 using ultraviolet radiation with a wavelength of 214 nm and measured the spectral transmission of the deposited films in the visible region (400-740 nm). From these transmission data we estimated the imaginary indices of refraction. Assuming that ammonia grains at the top of the GRS clouds are coated with this material, we performed layered sphere and radiative transfer calculations to predict GRS reflection spectra. Comparison of those results with observed and previously unreported Cassini visible spectra and with true-color images of the GRS show that the unknown GRS chromophore is spectrally consistent with the coupled NH3-C2H2 photochemical products produced in our laboratory experiments. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy we infer that the chromophore-containing residue is composed of aliphatic azine, azo, and diazo compounds.

Diagnosis of myocardial infarction using the new universal definition: is it enough for risk stratification and guiding decision for revascularization?

Science.gov (United States)

Calé, Rita; Ferreira, Jorge; Aguiar, Carlos; Santos, Nuno; Carmo, Pedro; Figueira, João; Raposo, Luis; Gonçalves, Pedro; Silva, José Aniceto

2010-12-01

Abstract Objectives: Evaluate the new ESC/ACCF/AHA/WHF universal definition of myocardial infarction (MI) in relation to its prognostic implications and the role for guiding decision for revascularization. It was also compared with the multivariable based GRACE Risk Score (GRS). Single centre registry of 389 consecutive patients admitted with non-ST-segment elevation (NSTE) ACS. We calculated the adjusted HR & 95%CI for death/MI at 30-days and one-year follow-up, between the presence or absence of MI using: (1) universal definition: > 99th URL for cTnI (> 0.06 ng/ml) or MBm (> 3.2 ng/ml); (2) MBm > 2 × URL (> 12.2 ng/ml); 3) old WHO: MBact > 2 × URL (> 32U/l). Logistic analysis was performed to test the interaction between tertiles of biomarkers or GRS and the effect of revascularization on the outcome. The universal definition increased the incidence of MI in 3.5-fold for cTnI, but was not an independent predictor of outcome. The GRS was the only independent predictor of prognosis at 30-days and one-year. The interaction with the prognostic impact of revascularization was only present for the GRS categorized by tertiles. In a contemporary unselected population with NSTE-ACS, the universal definition of MI alone was not adequate for risk assessment and revascularization decision making. These purposes were fully addressed with the GRS.

Extensive Reading for Second Language Learners of Japanese in Higher Education: Graded Readers and Beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Nakano, Teiko

2016-01-01

This paper reports on the implementation of Japanese extensive reading with international students studying at a Japanese university using graded readers (GRs). GRs chosen for the present study were simplified versions of original Japanese literature and were used to support students in acquiring a top-down reading strategy, a wide range of…

Safety analysis for boiling water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kersting, E.; Linden, J. von; Mueller-Ecker, D.; Werner, W.

1993-07-01

This report is the translation of GRS-95 'Sicherheitsanalyse fuer Siedewasserreaktoren - Zusammenfassende Darstellung'. Recent analysis results -concerning the chapters on accident management, fire and earthquake - that were not included in the German text have been added to this translation. In cases of doubt, GRS-102 (main volume) is the factually correct version. (orig.)

A genetic risk score is associated with polycystic ovary syndrome-related traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyejin; Oh, Jee-Young; Sung, Yeon-Ah; Chung, Hye Won

2016-01-01

Is a genetic risk score (GRS) associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its related clinical features? The GRS calculated by genome-wide association studies (GWASs) was significantly associated with PCOS status and its related clinical features. PCOS is a heterogeneous disorder and is characterized by oligomenorrhea, hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovary morphology. Although recent GWASs have identified multiple genes associated with PCOS, a comprehensive genetic risk study of these loci with PCOS and related traits (e.g. free testosterone, menstruation number/year and ovarian morphology) has not been performed. This study was designed as a cross-sectional case-control study. We recruited 862 women with PCOS and 860 controls. Women with PCOS were divided into four subgroups: (1) oligomenorrhea + hyperandrogenism + polycystic ovary, (2) oligomenorrhea + hyperandrogenism, (3) oligomenorrhea + polycystic ovary and (4) hyperandrogenism + polycystic ovary. Genomic DNA was genotyped for the PCOS susceptibility loci using the HumanOmni1-Quad v1 array. Venous blood was drawn in the early follicular phase to measure baseline metabolic and hormonal parameters. A GRS was calculated by summing the number of risk alleles from 11 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were identified in previous GWASs on PCOS. A weighted GRS (wGRS) was calculated by multiplying the number of risk alleles for each SNP by its estimated effect (beta) obtained from the association analysis. The GRS was higher in women with PCOS than in controls (8.8 versus 8.2, P treatment approaches, which could potentially improve health outcomes. None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to declare. No funding was obtained for the study. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Muscle Dysmorphia, Gender Role Stress, and Sociocultural Influences: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Readdy, Tucker; Watkins, Patti Lou; Cardinal, Bradley J.

2011-01-01

Our study explored the contribution of gender role stress (GRS) and sociocultural appearance demands to symptoms of muscle dysmorphia (MD) in a college sample of 219 women and 154 men. For women, five GRS subscales, sociocultural appearance demands, age, and frequency of aerobic exercise predicted MD symptoms (model R[superscript 2] = 0.33;…

Reports on research projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by the Federal Minister for Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-03-01

The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of quarterly and annually publication of progress reports within the series GRS-F-Fortschrittsbericht (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the FB (Research Coordination Department), Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, within the framework of general information of progress in reactor safety research. The individual reports are arranged according to the Research Program on the Safety of LWRs 1977-1980 of the BMFT. Another table of contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities) and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). The reports are marked by current numbers in sequence of their arrangement in this compilation. (orig./HP) [de

Reports on research projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by BMFT (Federal Ministry for Science and Technology)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-03-01

The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of semi-annual and annual publication of progress reports within the series GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the FB (Research Coordination Department), Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, within the framework of general information of progress in reactor safety research. The individual reports are classified according to the Research Program on the Safety of LWRs 1977-1980 of the BMFT. Another table of contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities) and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). The reports are arranged in the sequence of their project numbers. (orig.) [de

Annual report on reactor safety research projects sponsored by the Ministry for Research and Technology of the Federal Republic of Germany 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of semi-annual and annual publication of progress reports within the series GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress-Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the FB (Research Coordination Department), Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, within the framework of general information of progress in reactor safety research. The individual reports are classified according to the Research Program on the Safety of LWRs of the BMFT. Another table of contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities) and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). The report are arranged in the sequence of their project numbers. (orig./HP) [de

Annual report on reactor safety research projects sponsored by the Ministry for Research and Technology of the Federal Republic of Germany 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-06-01

The GRS (Society for Reactor Safety), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of semi-annual and annual publication of progress reports within the series GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the FB (Research Coordination Department) Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, within the framework of general information of progress in the reactor safety research. The individual reports are classified according to the same classification system as applied in the nuclear index of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities) and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. Besides the progress reports, lists of reports exchanged under international exchange agreements by the BMFT are published within this series. (orig./HP)

Reports on research projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by the Federal Minister for Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-06-01

The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of quarterly and annually publication of progress reports within the series GRS-F-Fortschrittsbericht (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the FB (Research Coordination Department), Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, within the framework of general information of progress in reactor safety research. The individual reports are arranged according to the Research Program on the Safety of LWRs 1977-1980 of the BMFT. Another table of contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities) and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). The reports are marked by current numbers in sequence of their arrangement in this compilation. (orig./HP) [de

Pilot ETSON/JSP Summer School succeeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoyos, A. de; Weber, S.

2013-01-01

The ETSON Summer School on 'nuclear reactor safety assessment' took place on 25 to 29 August 2008 at the GRS premises in Garching near Munich. The lecturers, coming from IRSN, GRS, Bel V and NNL, brought the participants insights in the similarities, as well as differences in European reactor concepts and their safety assessments. The most technical presentations dealt with the safety of nuclear reactors, nuclear accidents and their analysis, safety assessment and multilateral tools. 45 participants attended this summer school. Besides the lectures and group work, an optional technical visit of the new research reactor FRM-II (Heinz Maier-Leibnitz research neutron source) or a presentation of the GRS Simulation Centre was offered

Expression map of a complete set of gustatory receptor genes in chemosensory organs of Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Huizhen; Cheng, Tingcai; Chen, Zhiwei; Jiang, Liang; Guo, Youbing; Liu, Jianqiu; Li, Shenglong; Taniai, Kiyoko; Asaoka, Kiyoshi; Kadono-Okuda, Keiko; Arunkumar, Kallare P; Wu, Jiaqi; Kishino, Hirohisa; Zhang, Huijie; Seth, Rakesh K; Gopinathan, Karumathil P; Montagné, Nicolas; Jacquin-Joly, Emmanuelle; Goldsmith, Marian R; Xia, Qingyou; Mita, Kazuei

2017-03-01

Most lepidopteran species are herbivores, and interaction with host plants affects their gene expression and behavior as well as their genome evolution. Gustatory receptors (Grs) are expected to mediate host plant selection, feeding, oviposition and courtship behavior. However, due to their high diversity, sequence divergence and extremely low level of expression it has been difficult to identify precisely a complete set of Grs in Lepidoptera. By manual annotation and BAC sequencing, we improved annotation of 43 gene sequences compared with previously reported Grs in the most studied lepidopteran model, the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and identified 7 new tandem copies of BmGr30 on chromosome 7, bringing the total number of BmGrs to 76. Among these, we mapped 68 genes to chromosomes in a newly constructed chromosome distribution map and 8 genes to scaffolds; we also found new evidence for large clusters of BmGrs, especially from the bitter receptor family. RNA-seq analysis of diverse BmGr expression patterns in chemosensory organs of larvae and adults enabled us to draw a precise organ specific map of BmGr expression. Interestingly, most of the clustered genes were expressed in the same tissues and more than half of the genes were expressed in larval maxillae, larval thoracic legs and adult legs. For example, BmGr63 showed high expression levels in all organs in both larval and adult stages. By contrast, some genes showed expression limited to specific developmental stages or organs and tissues. BmGr19 was highly expressed in larval chemosensory organs (especially antennae and thoracic legs), the single exon genes BmGr53 and BmGr67 were expressed exclusively in larval tissues, the BmGr27-BmGr31 gene cluster on chr7 displayed a high expression level limited to adult legs and the candidate CO 2 receptor BmGr2 was highly expressed in adult antennae, where few other Grs were expressed. Transcriptional analysis of the Grs in B. mori provides a valuable new reference for

Detection of gene-environment interactions in the presence of linkage disequilibrium and noise by using genetic risk scores with internal weights from elastic net regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Hüls, Anke; Ickstadt, Katja; Schikowski, Tamara; Krämer, Ursula

2017-06-12

For the analysis of gene-environment (GxE) interactions commonly single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are used to characterize genetic susceptibility, an approach that mostly lacks power and has poor reproducibility. One promising approach to overcome this problem might be the use of weighted genetic risk scores (GRS), which are defined as weighted sums of risk alleles of gene variants. The gold-standard is to use external weights from published meta-analyses. In this study, we used internal weights from the marginal genetic effects of the SNPs estimated by a multivariate elastic net regression and thereby provided a method that can be used if there are no external weights available. We conducted a simulation study for the detection of GxE interactions and compared power and type I error of single SNPs analyses with Bonferroni correction and corresponding analysis with unweighted and our weighted GRS approach in scenarios with six risk SNPs and an increasing number of highly correlated (up to 210) and noise SNPs (up to 840). Applying weighted GRS increased the power enormously in comparison to the common single SNPs approach (e.g. 94.2% vs. 35.4%, respectively, to detect a weak interaction with an OR ≈ 1.04 for six uncorrelated risk SNPs and n = 700 with a well-controlled type I error). Furthermore, weighted GRS outperformed the unweighted GRS, in particular in the presence of SNPs without any effect on the phenotype (e.g. 90.1% vs. 43.9%, respectively, when 20 noise SNPs were added to the six risk SNPs). This outperforming of the weighted GRS was confirmed in a real data application on lung inflammation in the SALIA cohort (n = 402). However, in scenarios with a high number of noise SNPs (>200 vs. 6 risk SNPs), larger sample sizes are needed to avoid an increased type I error, whereas a high number of correlated SNPs can be handled even in small samples (e.g. n = 400). In conclusion, weighted GRS with weights from the marginal genetic effects of the

[Social support in gender reassignment surgery].

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, J; Kurth, I; Henkel, A; Panic, L; Rübben, H; Rossi Neto, R; Hess-Busch, Y

2017-02-01

Gender reassignment surgery (GRS) can lead to discrimination. This transition makes great demands on the individual and also affects the social environment. To evaluate the social support of male-to-female (MtF) transgender people. Group A comprised 254 consecutive MtF transsexuals, who received a penile inversion vaginoplasty between 2004 and 2010. These women were surveyed retrospectively. Group B comprised 144 consecutive MtF transsexuals who presented for preoperative counselling. These patients were asked to answer the survey in advance of the planned GRS. The return rate was 46.9 % (A) and 95.1 % (B). In both groups, approximately two-thirds lived with their parents or children at ease. About 13.4 % (A) and 16.9 % (B) estimated the relationship towards their parents and one- seventh (A) or one-sixth (B) woman rated their relationship towards their children as poor. The acceptance of the parents regarding GRS was 65.6 % (A) and 77.1 % (B). In total 20 % (A) and 9.2 % (B) did not, however, accept GRS in their children. The acceptance of children regarding GRS was 64.9 % (A) and 71.1 % (B) with 10.8 % (A) and 6.7 % (B) who did not approve the decision. Social support is an important resource in the context of gender reassignment surgery. Understanding can help to improve the situation for transsexuals and to reduce consecutive healthcare utilisation.

The Newspaper in the Elementary School: A Research Report to ANPA Foundation.

Science.gov (United States)

Berryman, Charles

The purpose of the study reported was to determine the effects of the use of daily newspapers by elementary school students on their general and newspaper reading skills. Five social studies teachers taught 50 50 minute lessons over a period of 10 weeks to homogeneously grouped pupils in grades 4-7, using three local dailies as the instructional…

Measurement accuracy, bit-strings, Manthey's quaternions, and RRQM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noyes, H.P.

1995-01-01

The author continues the discussion started last year. By now three potentially divergent research programs have surfaced in ANPA: (1) the Bastin-Kilmister understanding of the combinatorial hierarchy (Clive's open-quotes Menshevikclose quotes position); (2) the author's bit-string open-quotes Theory of Everythingclose quotes (which Clive has dubbed open-quotes Bolshevikclose quotes); (3) Manthey's cycle hierarchy based on co-occurrence and mutual exclusion that Clive helped him map onto quaternions (as an yet unnamed heresy?). Unless a common objective can be found, these three points of view will continue to diverge. The authors suggests the reconstruction of relativistic quantum mechanism (RRQM) as a reasonable, and attainable, goal that might aid convergence rather than divergence

The vulcain N expert fire system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roche, A.

1989-03-01

The Institute for Nuclear Safety and Protection (IPSN) has begun work on an expert system to aid in the diagnosis of fire hazards in nuclear installations. This system is called Vulcain N and is designed as a support tool for the analyses carried out by the IPSN. Vulcain N, is based on the Vulcain expert system already developed by Bertin for its own needs and incorporates the specific rules and know-how of the IPSN experts. The development of Vulcain N began in October 1986 with the drawing up of the technical specifications, and should be completed by the end of 1988. Vulcain N brings together knowledge from a number of different domains: the locations of the combustible materials, the thermal characteristics of the combustible materials and of the walls of the room, the ventilation conditions and, finally, knowledge of fire experts concerning the development of fire. The latter covers four levels of expert knowledge: standards and their associated calculations, the simplified physics of the fire enabling more precise values to be obtained for the figures given by the standards, the rules and knowledge which enables a certain number of deductions to be made concerning the development of the fire, and a numerical simulation code which can be used to monitor the variation of certain characteristic parameters with time. For a given fire out-break scenario, Vulcain N performs diagnosis of different aspects: development of fire, effect of ventilation, emergency action possibilities, propagation hazards, etc. Owing to its flexibility, it can be used in the analysis of fire hazards to simulate a number of possible scenarios and to very rapidly deduce the essential, predominant factors. It will also be used to assist in drafting emergency procedures for application in facilities with nuclear hazards

Estimation of the collective sanitary impact of the land contamination by the radioactivity found at Gif sur Yvette; Estimation de l'impact sanitaire collectif de la contamination des terrains par la radioactivite presente a Gif sur Yvette

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-06-01

The company 'Societe Nouvelle du Radium' extracted radium and produced radium needles in Gif-sur-Yvette (Essonne) from 1904 to 1957. In 1959, this site was converted into a habitable zone. Since then, this district called the 'Petite Coudraie' has been going through several radioactivity measurements and decontamination works. In 2000, the detection of very high levels of radon above sanitary recommendations in one house encouraged the local authorities to launch a systematic investigation and risk analysis in order to take the necessary measures against radiological risks for the whole concerned district. The 'Direction Departementale des Affaires Sanitaires et Sociales' (D.D.A.S.S.), the French Institute of Public Health (InVS) and the Institute of Nuclear Protection and Security (I.P.S.N.) conducted a health impact assessment of the pollution in this area. The Office for the Protection against Ionizing Radiations (O.P.R.I.) and the I.P.S.N. first measured the radioactivity found on the surface area. The I.P.S.N. then conducted a dosimetric study based on the measurement results and realistic exposure scenarios of adults and children present in the area. Finally, on the base of these results, the InVs did a quantitative risk assessment of cancer due to exposure to the radioactive residuals from the past industrial activities which is the subject of this report. This assessment allows to estimate the extent of this potential health impact due to the contamination of the area with the current scientific knowledge. It assesses the contribution of the various sources ways of exposure to risk and therefore directs the measures of management priority. Finally, it also allows to appreciate the relevance of an epidemiological study on the population who was present in this area. (author)

Estimation of the collective sanitary impact of the land contamination by the radioactivity found at Gif sur Yvette

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-06-01

The company 'Societe Nouvelle du Radium' extracted radium and produced radium needles in Gif-sur-Yvette (Essonne) from 1904 to 1957. In 1959, this site was converted into a habitable zone. Since then, this district called the 'Petite Coudraie' has been going through several radioactivity measurements and decontamination works. In 2000, the detection of very high levels of radon above sanitary recommendations in one house encouraged the local authorities to launch a systematic investigation and risk analysis in order to take the necessary measures against radiological risks for the whole concerned district. The 'Direction Departementale des Affaires Sanitaires et Sociales' (D.D.A.S.S.), the French Institute of Public Health (InVS) and the Institute of Nuclear Protection and Security (I.P.S.N.) conducted a health impact assessment of the pollution in this area. The Office for the Protection against Ionizing Radiations (O.P.R.I.) and the I.P.S.N. first measured the radioactivity found on the surface area. The I.P.S.N. then conducted a dosimetric study based on the measurement results and realistic exposure scenarios of adults and children present in the area. Finally, on the base of these results, the InVs did a quantitative risk assessment of cancer due to exposure to the radioactive residuals from the past industrial activities which is the subject of this report. This assessment allows to estimate the extent of this potential health impact due to the contamination of the area with the current scientific knowledge. It assesses the contribution of the various sources ways of exposure to risk and therefore directs the measures of management priority. Finally, it also allows to appreciate the relevance of an epidemiological study on the population who was present in this area. (author)

Jupiter's Great Red Spot: compactness condition and stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun-Ichi Yano

Full Text Available Linear Rossby wave dispersion relationships suggest that Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS is a baroclinic structure embedded in a barotropic shearing zonal flow. Quasi-geostrophic (QG two-layer simulations support the theory, as long as an infinitely deep zonal flow is assumed. However, once a finite depth of the lower layer is assumed, a self-interaction of the baroclinic eddy component produces a barotropic radiating field, so that the GRS-like eddy can no longer remain compact. Compactness is recovered by explicitly introducing a deep dynamics of the interior for the lower layer, instead of the shallow QG formulation. An implication of the result is a strong coupling of the GRS to a convectively active interior.

Interface requirements to couple thermal-hydraulic codes to severe accident codes: ATHLET-CD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trambauer, K. [GRS, Garching (Germany)

1997-07-01

The system code ATHLET-CD is being developed by GRS in cooperation with IKE and IPSN. Its field of application comprises the whole spectrum of leaks and large breaks, as well as operational and abnormal transients for LWRs and VVERs. At present the analyses cover the in-vessel thermal-hydraulics, the early phases of core degradation, as well as fission products and aerosol release from the core and their transport in the Reactor Coolant System. The aim of the code development is to extend the simulation of core degradation up to failure of the reactor pressure vessel and to cover all physically reasonable accident sequences for western and eastern LWRs including RMBKs. The ATHLET-CD structure is highly modular in order to include a manifold spectrum of models and to offer an optimum basis for further development. The code consists of four general modules to describe the reactor coolant system thermal-hydraulics, the core degradation, the fission product core release, and fission product and aerosol transport. Each general module consists of some basic modules which correspond to the process to be simulated or to its specific purpose. Besides the code structure based on the physical modelling, the code follows four strictly separated steps during the course of a calculation: (1) input of structure, geometrical data, initial and boundary condition, (2) initialization of derived quantities, (3) steady state calculation or input of restart data, and (4) transient calculation. In this paper, the transient solution method is briefly presented and the coupling methods are discussed. Three aspects have to be considered for the coupling of different modules in one code system. First is the conservation of masses and energy in the different subsystems as there are fluid, structures, and fission products and aerosols. Second is the convergence of the numerical solution and stability of the calculation. The third aspect is related to the code performance, and running time.

2016 Microbial Stress Response GRC/GRS

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-13

Communicate to Regulate Antimicrobial Peptide Resistance in Gram Positive Bacteria" 10:35 am - 10:40 am Discussion 10:40 am - 11:05 am Coffee Break 11...San Diego State University, USA) "A Tail of Phage and Tubeworms: How Do Bacteria Stimulate Animal Development?" 12:05 pm - 12:15 pm Discussion 12...Transcription Conflict in Bacteria" 9:20 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion Wednesday 7:30 am - 8:30 am Breakfast 9:00 am - 12:30 pm Genetic and Phenotypic Resistance

Operational experience - Lessons learned from IRS-reports in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wetzel, N.; Maqua, M.

2005-01-01

The international Incident Reporting System (IRS), jointly operated by IAEA and OECD-NEA, is a main source of safety significant findings and lessons learned of nuclear operating experience. GRS (Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH) is a scientific-technical expert and research organisation. On Behalf of the Federal Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety (BMU), GRS provides the IRS officer. The evaluation of IRS-Reports and the dissemination of the main findings including the assessment of the relevance for German NPPs is task of GRS. The value of IRS is among experts undoubted. But nevertheless, the reporting to IRS decreases since some years. This presentation is aimed to show the support of IRS in strengthening the safety of German NPPs. The evaluation of IRS-Reports at GRS is three-fold. It comprises initial screening, quarterly and yearly reporting and the development of specific German Information Notices on safety significant events with direct applicability to German NPPs. Some examples of lessons learned from recent international events are discussed below. These examples shall demonstrate that the use of the IRS enhances significantly the knowledge on operational events. (author)

Lack of Gene-Diuretic Interactions on the Risk of Incident Gout: the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Ying; Curhan, Gary; Merriman, Tony; Plenge, Robert; Kraft, Peter; Choi, Hyon K.

2015-01-01

Background Diuretic-induced gout might occur only among those with a genetic predisposition to hyperuricemia, as suggested by a recent study with 108 self-reported gout cases. Methods We examined the role of urate genes on the risk of diuretic-induced incident gout in 6850 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and in 4,223 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). Two published genetic risk scores (GRS) were calculated using urate-associated SNPs for eight genes (GRS8) and for 29 genes (GRS29). Results Our analyses included 727 and 354 confirmed incident gout cases in the HPFS and NHS, respectively. The multivariate RR for diuretic use was 2.20 and 1.69 among those with a GRS8 0.20) and in our analyses limited to those with hypertension in both cohorts. SLC22A11 (OAT4) showed a significant interaction only among women but in the opposite direction to the recent study. Conclusion In these large prospective studies, individuals with a genetic predisposition for hyperuricemia are not at a higher risk of developing diuretic-induced gout than those without. PMID:25667207

Reports on research projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology. Period covered: January 1 - June 30, 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

Within the framework of its research programme on reactor safety, the Bundesministerium fuer Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technology (BMBF) (Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology) sponsors investigations into the safety of nuclear reactors. These investigations that are carried out within the framework of the programme are to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods contributing to realistic safety assessments of nuclear facilities, the further development of safety technology, and the use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) bmH, by order of the BMBF, continuously issues information on the status of such investigations by publishing semiannual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. (orig./SR) [de

Spectral Comparison and Stability of Red Regions on Jupiter

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, A. A.; Carlson, R. W.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.

2013-01-01

A study of absolute color on Jupiter from Hubble Space Telescope imaging data shows that the Great Red Spot (GRS) is not the reddest region of the planet. Rather, a transient red cyclone visible in 1995 and the North Equatorial Belt both show redder spectra than the GRS (i.e., more absorption at blue and green wavelengths). This cyclone is unique among vortices in that it is intensely colored yet low altitude, unlike the GRS. Temporal analysis shows that the darkest regions of the NEB are relative constant in color from 1995 to 2008, while the slope of the GRS core may vary slightly. Principal component analysis shows several spectral components are needed, in agreement with past work, and further highlights the differences between regions. These color differences may be indicative of the same chromophore(s) under different conditions, such as mixing with white clouds, longer UV irradiation at higher altitude, and thermal processing, or may indicate abundance variations in colored compounds. A single compound does not fit the spectrum of any region well and mixes of multiple compounds including NH4SH, photolyzed NH3, hydrocarbons, and possibly P4, are likely needed to fully match each spectrum.

Why is the Great Red Spot Red? The Exogenic, Photolytic Origin of the UV/Blue-Absorbing Chromophores of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot as Determined by Spectral Analysis of Cassini/VIMS Observations using New Laboratory Optical Coefficients

Science.gov (United States)

Baines, Kevin H.; Carlson, Robert W.; Momary, Thomas W.

2014-11-01

For centuries, a major question for Jupiter has been: Why is the Great Red Spot red? In particular, two major theories have been proposed: (1) that the coloring is due to photolytic processes in the upper cloud layer, or (2) it is due to the upwellimg of red materials processed relatively deep within the troposphere. Utilizing indices of refraction for red choromophores generated by the photolysis of ammonia and acetylene in the laboratory, we present results of a spectral analysis of the core of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (GRS) as observed by the visual channel of the Cassini/Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). Consistent with the physical origin of such laboratory-generated chromophores in Jupiter - i.e., by solar-driven UV photolysis within the upper levels of the GRS structure near ~ 0.3 bar - our spectral modeling yields satisfactory results for such Mie scattering chromophores only when they are confined to the upper ~ 100 mbar of the GRS. Beneath this reddish upper cloud layer, our models indicate that the remainder of the GRS cloud - assumed to extend down to at least the ammonia condensation level near 0.6 bar - must be relatively spectrally bright throughout the UV-red spectrum; that is, they must be predominantly a whitish or grey color at depth. Thus, our 0.35-1.0 micron spectral models of the GRS are inconsistent with an endogenic origin of the reddish coloring originating in the depths of Jupiter, but are consistent with a photolytic origin due to the photolysis of ammonia and acetylene in the upper troposphere.

Genetic risk score predicting risk of rheumatoid arthritis phenotypes and age of symptom onset.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lori B Chibnik

Full Text Available Cumulative genetic profiles can help identify individuals at high-risk for developing RA. We examined the impact of 39 validated genetic risk alleles on the risk of RA phenotypes characterized by serologic and erosive status.We evaluated single nucleotide polymorphisms at 31 validated RA risk loci and 8 Human Leukocyte Antigen alleles among 542 Caucasian RA cases and 551 Caucasian controls from Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II. We created a weighted genetic risk score (GRS and evaluated it as 7 ordinal groups using logistic regression (adjusting for age and smoking to assess the relationship between GRS group and odds of developing seronegative (RF- and CCP-, seropositive (RF+ or CCP+, erosive, and seropositive, erosive RA phenotypes. In separate case only analyses, we assessed the relationships between GRS and age of symptom onset. In 542 RA cases, 317 (58% were seropositive, 163 (30% had erosions and 105 (19% were seropositive with erosions. Comparing the highest GRS risk group to the median group, we found an OR of 1.2 (95% CI = 0.8-2.1 for seronegative RA, 3.0 (95% CI = 1.9-4.7 for seropositive RA, 3.2 (95% CI = 1.8-5.6 for erosive RA, and 7.6 (95% CI = 3.6-16.3 for seropositive, erosive RA. No significant relationship was seen between GRS and age of onset.Results suggest that seronegative and seropositive/erosive RA have different genetic architecture and support the importance of considering RA phenotypes in RA genetic studies.

Graphene sheets/cobalt nanocomposites as low-cost/high-performance catalysts for hydrogen generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Fei; Hou, Chengyi; Zhang, Qinghong; Wang, Hongzhi; Li, Yaogang

2012-01-01

The production of clean and renewable hydrogen through the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride has received much attention owing to increasing global energy demands. Graphene sheets/cobalt (GRs/Co) nanocomposites, which are highly efficient catalysts, have been prepared using a one-step solvothermal method in ethylene glycol. Co 2+ salts were converted to Co nanoparticles, which were simultaneously inserted into the graphene layers with the reduction of graphite oxide sheets to GRs. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer. The maximum saturation magnetization value reached 80.8 emu g −1 , meaning they are more suitable for magnet-controlled generation of H 2 than noble metal catalysts. The catalytic activity of the composite was investigated by the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride in aqueous solution both with and without a GRs support. It was found that the high electronic conductive GRs support increased the hydrogen generation rate (about two times) compared with pure cobalt. The improved hydrogen generation rate, low cost and uncomplicated recycling makes the GRs/Co nanocomposites promising candidates as catalysts for hydrogen generation. Highlights: ► Graphene sheets/cobalt nanocomposites were prepared by a one-step solvothermal method. ► The maximum saturation magnetization value of the composites reached 80.8 emu g −1 . ► The graphene support greatly increased the catalytic activity of cobalt. ► An easily removed, recycled and controlled functional filter was obtained.

Association between Maternal Fish Consumption and Gestational Weight Gain: Influence of Molecular Genetic Predisposition to Obesity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofus C Larsen

Full Text Available Studies suggest that fish consumption can restrict weight gain. However, little is known about how fish consumption affects gestational weight gain (GWG, and whether this relationship depends on genetic makeup.To examine the association between fish consumption and GWG, and whether this relationship is dependent on molecular genetic predisposition to obesity.A nested case-cohort study based on the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC sampling the most obese women (n = 990 and a random sample of the remaining participants (n = 1,128. Replication of statistically significant findings was attempted in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC (n = 4,841. We included 32 body mass index (BMI associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs and 5 SNPs found associated with GWG. BMI associated SNPs were combined in a genetic risk score (GRS. Associations between consumption of fish, GRS or individual variants and GWG were analysed, and interactions between fish and the GRS or individual variants were examined.In the DNBC, each portion/week (150 g of fatty fish was associated with a higher GWG of 0.58 kg (95% CI: 0.16, 0.99, P<0.01. For total fish and lean fish, similar patterns were observed, but these associations were not statistically significant. We found no association between GRS and GWG, and no interactions between GRS and dietary fish on GWG. However, we found an interaction between the PPARG Pro12Ala variant and dietary fish. Each additional Pro12Ala G-allele was associated with a GWG of -0.83 kg (95% CI: -1.29, -0.37, P<0.01 per portion/week of dietary fish, with the same pattern for both lean and fatty fish. In ALSPAC, we were unable to replicate these findings.We found no consistent evidence of association between fish consumption and GWG, and our results indicate that the association between dietary fish and GWG has little or no dependency on GRS or individual SNPs.

IPSN monitoring capabilities and information networks in accidental situation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calmet, D.; Robeau, D.

1992-01-01

In 1989, a Radiological Transmission and Early Warning System (SYTAR) came into being in order to harmonize radioactivity surveillance methodologies and furthermore to trigger off an alert throughout the networks whenever an unusual degree of radioactivity is detected. SYTAR is a remote permanent system linking up a national electronic access and the radiation protection services of nuclear facilities located on the mainland. The structure of the network are particularly presented in the framework of a drill organized on october 1991 in the south-east of France. During this drill, an accident was simulated on a ghost nuclear power plant located in the Cadarache Nuclear Center. A large number of samples were taken from filtered aerosols, soils, grass, milk, vegetables, food stuff; they were contaminated with Caesium 137 and Iodine 131 before to be sent to laboratories for measurements. The results of measurements were transmitted to the actors of the drill using SYTAR network. They permit to determine the exclusion area, the radiological impacts and counter-measures. (author)

Reactor safety in Eastern Europe. Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-02-01

The papers presented to the GRS colloquium refer to the cooperative activities for reactor accident analysis and modification of the GRS computer codes for their application to reactors of the Russian design types of WWER or RBMK. Another topic is the safety of RBMK reactors in particular, and the current status of investigations and studies addressing the containment of unit 4 of the Chernobyl reactor station. (HP) [de

Research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants. Period cover 01. January - 30. June 2017. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Project Management Agency/ Authority Support Division of GRS. The reports as of the year 2000 are available in the internet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (https://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to the topic areas of reactor safety research. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. Ilt has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties.

Annual report on reactor safety research projects. Reporting period 2014. Progress report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2014-07-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Project Management Agency/Authority Support Division of GRS. The reports as of the year 2000 are available in the lnternet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (http://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index (JSRI)''. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. lt has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties.

Annual report on reactor safety research projects. Reporting period 2015. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft tor Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are ·' prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Project Management Agency/Authority Support Division of GRS. The reports as of the year 2000 are available in the lnternet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (http://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index (JSRI)''. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. it has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties.

Annual report on reactor safety research projects sponsored by the Ministry of Economics and Technology of the Federal Republic of Germany. Reporting period 2007. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Research Management Division of GRS. The reports as of the year 2000 are available in the Internet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (http://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to the classification system 'Joint Safety Research Index (JSRI)'. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.)

Research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants. Period cover 01. January - 30. June 2017. Progress report; Forschungsvorhaben auf dem Gebiet der Reaktorsicherheit. Berichtszeitraum 01. Januar - 30. Juni 2017. Fortschrittsbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2017-07-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Project Management Agency/ Authority Support Division of GRS. The reports as of the year 2000 are available in the internet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (https://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to the topic areas of reactor safety research. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. Ilt has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties.

Time-dependent reliability sensitivity analysis of motion mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Pengfei; Song, Jingwen; Lu, Zhenzhou; Yue, Zhufeng

2016-01-01

Reliability sensitivity analysis aims at identifying the source of structure/mechanism failure, and quantifying the effects of each random source or their distribution parameters on failure probability or reliability. In this paper, the time-dependent parametric reliability sensitivity (PRS) analysis as well as the global reliability sensitivity (GRS) analysis is introduced for the motion mechanisms. The PRS indices are defined as the partial derivatives of the time-dependent reliability w.r.t. the distribution parameters of each random input variable, and they quantify the effect of the small change of each distribution parameter on the time-dependent reliability. The GRS indices are defined for quantifying the individual, interaction and total contributions of the uncertainty in each random input variable to the time-dependent reliability. The envelope function method combined with the first order approximation of the motion error function is introduced for efficiently estimating the time-dependent PRS and GRS indices. Both the time-dependent PRS and GRS analysis techniques can be especially useful for reliability-based design. This significance of the proposed methods as well as the effectiveness of the envelope function method for estimating the time-dependent PRS and GRS indices are demonstrated with a four-bar mechanism and a car rack-and-pinion steering linkage. - Highlights: • Time-dependent parametric reliability sensitivity analysis is presented. • Time-dependent global reliability sensitivity analysis is presented for mechanisms. • The proposed method is especially useful for enhancing the kinematic reliability. • An envelope method is introduced for efficiently implementing the proposed methods. • The proposed method is demonstrated by two real planar mechanisms.

National environmental radioactivity networks-1993; Reti nazionali si sorveglianza della radioattivita` ambientale in Italia-1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belli, M; Notaro, M.; Rosamilia, S.; Sansone, U; Tommasi, R.

1998-12-31

This report contains the environmental radioactivity data collected in Italy during 1993, by the National Environmental Radioactivity Networks. The data contained in this report have been provided by the institutions participating in the National Environmental Radioactivity Networks. The National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPA) is law-fully responsible for publishing the report. The results of the measurements of radioactivity, are generally reported by only one significant figure. An arithmetical average of a series of figures, some of which are preceded by the sign `less than` (<), is given with this sign only when the figures bearing < affect remarkably (more then 50%) the value resulting from the average. Reproduction of the data contained in this report is authorized, provided the source is acknowledged.

Changing values of Farm Animal Genomic Resources. From historical breeds to the Nagoya Protocol.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sakari eTamminen

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The paper reviews the history of AnGRs and claims that over the course of history they have been conceptually transformed from economic, ecologic and scientific life forms into political objects, reflecting in the way in which any valuation of AnGRs is today inherently imbued with national politics and its values enacted by legally binding global conventions. Historically, the first calls to conservation were based on the economic, ecological and scientific values of the AnGR. While the historical arguments are valid and still commonly proposed values for conservation, the AnGR have become highly politicized since the adoption of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD, the subsequent Interlaken Declaration, the Global Plan for Action (GPA and the Nagoya Protocol. The scientific and political definitions of the AnGRs were creatively reshuffled within these documents and the key criteria by which they are now identified and valued today were essentially redefined. The criteria of in-situ condition has become the necessary starting point for all valuation efforts of AnGRs, effectively transforming their previous nature as natural property and global genetic club commons into objects of national concern pertaining to territorially discrete national genetic landscapes, regulated by the sovereign powers of the parties to the global conventions.

Annual report on Reactor Safety Research Projects sponsored by the Ministry of Economics and Technology of the Federal Republic of Germany. Reporting period 1999. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

Within its competence for energy research, the Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Technologie (BMWi) (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology) sponsors investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants. The objective of these investigations is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such investigations by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index'' of the CEC (commission of the European communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. (orig.)

Changing values of farm animal genomic resources. from historical breeds to the Nagoya Protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamminen, Sakari

2015-01-01

The paper reviews the history of Animal genetic resources (AnGRs) and claims that over the course of history they have been conceptually transformed from economic, ecologic and scientific life forms into political objects, reflecting in the way in which any valuation of AnGRs is today inherently imbued with national politics and its values enacted by legally binding global conventions. Historically, the first calls to conservation were based on the economic, ecological and scientific values of the AnGR. While the historical arguments are valid and still commonly proposed values for conservation, the AnGR have become highly politicized since the adoption of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), the subsequent Interlaken Declaration, the Global Plan for Action (GPA) and the Nagoya Protocol. The scientific and political definitions of the AnGRs were creatively reshuffled within these documents and the key criteria by which they are now identified and valued today were essentially redefined. The criteria of "in situ condition" has become the necessary starting point for all valuation efforts of AnGRs, effectively transforming their previous nature as natural property and global genetic commons into objects of national concern pertaining to territorially discrete national genetic landscapes, regulated by the sovereign powers of the parties to the global conventions.

“Getting Ready for School:” A Preliminary Evaluation of a Parent-Focused School-Readiness Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kimberly G. Noble

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Children from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to start school with fewer school readiness skills than their more advantaged peers. Emergent literacy and math skills play an important role in this gap. The family is essential in helping children build these skills, and the active involvement of families is crucial to the success of any intervention for young children. The Getting Ready for School (GRS program is a parent-focused curriculum designed to help parents equip their children with the skills and enthusiasm necessary for learning when they start school. Parents meet in weekly workshops led by a trained facilitator and implement the curriculum at home with their children. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the promise of the GRS intervention in children participating in an urban Head Start program and to explore parents' responses to the intervention. We hypothesized that participation in GRS would improve school readiness in literacy and math skills, relative to participation in business-as-usual Head Start. Four Head Start classrooms (two randomly selected “intervention” and two “comparison” classrooms participated in this study. Preliminary analyses suggest that GRS improves school readiness over and above a Head Start-as-usual experience. Implications for early childhood programs and policies are discussed.

A comparison of Google Glass and traditional video vantage points for bedside procedural skill assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Heather L; O'Shea, Dylan J; Morris, Amy E; Keys, Kari A; Wright, Andrew S; Schaad, Douglas C; Ilgen, Jonathan S

2016-02-01

This pilot study assessed the feasibility of using first person (1P) video recording with Google Glass (GG) to assess procedural skills, as compared with traditional third person (3P) video. We hypothesized that raters reviewing 1P videos would visualize more procedural steps with greater inter-rater reliability than 3P rating vantages. Seven subjects performed simulated internal jugular catheter insertions. Procedures were recorded by both Google Glass and an observer's head-mounted camera. Videos were assessed by 3 expert raters using a task-specific checklist (CL) and both an additive- and summative-global rating scale (GRS). Mean scores were compared by t-tests. Inter-rater reliabilities were calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients. The 1P vantage was associated with a significantly higher mean CL score than the 3P vantage (7.9 vs 6.9, P = .02). Mean GRS scores were not significantly different. Mean inter-rater reliabilities for the CL, additive-GRS, and summative-GRS were similar between vantages. 1P vantage recordings may improve visualization of tasks for behaviorally anchored instruments (eg, CLs), whereas maintaining similar global ratings and inter-rater reliability when compared with conventional 3P vantage recordings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Galileo's first images of Jupiter and the Galilean satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Belton, M.J.S.; Head, J. W.; Ingersoll, A.P.; Greeley, R.; McEwen, A.S.; Klaasen, K.P.; Senske, D.; Pappalardo, R.; Collins, G.; Vasavada, A.R.; Sullivan, R.; Simonelli, D.; Geissler, P.; Carr, M.H.; Davies, M.E.; Veverka, J.; Gierasch, P.J.; Banfield, D.; Bell, M.; Chapman, C.R.; Anger, C.; Greenberg, R.; Neukum, G.; Pilcher, C.B.; Beebe, R.F.; Burns, J.A.; Fanale, F.; Ip, W.; Johnson, T.V.; Morrison, D.; Moore, J.; Orton, G.S.; Thomas, P.; West, R.A.

1996-01-01

The first images of Jupiter, Io, Europa, and Ganymede from the Galileo spacecraft reveal new information about Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) and the surfaces of the Galilean satellites. Features similar to clusters of thunderstorms were found in the GRS. Nearby wave structures suggest that the GRS may be a shallow atmospheric feature. Changes in surface color and plume distribution indicate differences in resurfacing processes near hot spots on lo. Patchy emissions were seen while Io was in eclipse by Jupiter. The outer margins of prominent linear markings (triple bands) on Europa are diffuse, suggesting that material has been vented from fractures. Numerous small circular craters indicate localized areas of relatively old surface. Pervasive brittle deformation of an ice layer appears to have formed grooves on Ganymede. Dark terrain unexpectedly shows distinctive albedo variations to the limit of resolution.

On Rational Interpolation-Based List-Decoding and List-Decoding Binary Goppa Codes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beelen, Peter; Høholdt, Tom; Nielsen, Johan Sebastian Rosenkilde

2013-01-01

We derive the Wu list-decoding algorithm for generalized Reed–Solomon (GRS) codes by using Gröbner bases over modules and the Euclidean algorithm as the initial algorithm instead of the Berlekamp–Massey algorithm. We present a novel method for constructing the interpolation polynomial fast. We gi...... and a duality in the choice of parameters needed for decoding, both in the case of GRS codes and in the case of Goppa codes....

1999 scientific evaluation at the CEA; L'evaluation scientifique 1999 au CEA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-01

This report presents a statement of the scientific and technical activity of the French atomic energy commission (CEA) for the year 1999. This evaluation is made by external and independent experts and requires some specific dispositions for the nuclear protection and safety institute (IPSN) and for the direction of military applications (DAM). The report is divided into 4 parts dealing successively with: 1)the CEA, a public research organization (strategy, research programs, new organization of the CEA activities, civil nuclear research, technology research and transfer, defence activities, transfer of knowledge) 2)the scientific evaluation at the CEA (evaluations of the civil applications of the CEA, IPSN, DAM, INSTN (national institute for nuclear sciences and techniques) 3)synthesis of the 1999 scientific and technical evaluation for each operational directions of the CEA (directions of fuel cycle, of nuclear reactors, of advanced technologies, of materials sciences, of life sciences, of military applications, of the nuclear protection and safety institute and of the national institute for nuclear sciences and techniques) 4)the corresponding members of the evaluation and the list of scientific and technical councils and members.

The IRES electronic seal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Autrusson, B.; Brochard, D.; Moreau, J.F.; Martin, J.C.

2001-01-01

In the framework of the French Support Program for the IAEA Safeguards, the 'Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire' (IPSN), developed an electronic seal called Integrated and Reusable Electronic Seal (IRES) that enables independent verification by different inspectorates (IAEA, Euratom, and National Inspectorate). The seal can be remotely interrogated by radio frequency and integrated to other Containment/surveillance systems by serial line RS 485. Data are authenticated and the IRESMAG software manages in the seal reader all functionalities of the seal and records inspection data compatible with the IAEA's Seal Database. To perform this development, IPSN relies on industrial partners: SAPHYMO for the general architecture of the seal and the electronics, THALES for the authentication of data and the security of transmission. The main features of the IRES seal are the following: Interrogation by different inspectorate, allowing independent conclusions; Recording of events, including tampering, in a non-volatile memory; Authentication of data and enhanced security of the communication between the seal and the seal reader; Remote interrogation by an inspector or/and automatic for unattended systems or remote monitoring; Reusable after erasing the seal memory and replacement of the batteries

1999 scientific evaluation at the CEA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

This report presents a statement of the scientific and technical activity of the French atomic energy commission (CEA) for the year 1999. This evaluation is made by external and independent experts and requires some specific dispositions for the nuclear protection and safety institute (IPSN) and for the direction of military applications (DAM). The report is divided into 4 parts dealing successively with: 1)the CEA, a public research organization (strategy, research programs, new organization of the CEA activities, civil nuclear research, technology research and transfer, defence activities, transfer of knowledge) 2)the scientific evaluation at the CEA (evaluations of the civil applications of the CEA, IPSN, DAM, INSTN (national institute for nuclear sciences and techniques) 3)synthesis of the 1999 scientific and technical evaluation for each operational directions of the CEA (directions of fuel cycle, of nuclear reactors, of advanced technologies, of materials sciences, of life sciences, of military applications, of the nuclear protection and safety institute and of the national institute for nuclear sciences and techniques) 4)the corresponding members of the evaluation and the list of scientific and technical councils and members

1999 scientific evaluation at the CEA; L'evaluation scientifique 1999 au CEA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-01

This report presents a statement of the scientific and technical activity of the French atomic energy commission (CEA) for the year 1999. This evaluation is made by external and independent experts and requires some specific dispositions for the nuclear protection and safety institute (IPSN) and for the direction of military applications (DAM). The report is divided into 4 parts dealing successively with: 1)the CEA, a public research organization (strategy, research programs, new organization of the CEA activities, civil nuclear research, technology research and transfer, defence activities, transfer of knowledge) 2)the scientific evaluation at the CEA (evaluations of the civil applications of the CEA, IPSN, DAM, INSTN (national institute for nuclear sciences and techniques) 3)synthesis of the 1999 scientific and technical evaluation for each operational directions of the CEA (directions of fuel cycle, of nuclear reactors, of advanced technologies, of materials sciences, of life sciences, of military applications, of the nuclear protection and safety institute and of the national institute for nuclear sciences and techniques) 4)the corresponding members of the evaluation and the list of scientific and technical councils and members.

Presentation of the escadre system, together with a practical application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufresne, J.; Cenerino, G.; Dumas, J.M.; Gauvain, J.; Fermandjian, J.; L'Heriteau, J.P.; Lhiaubet, G.

1988-08-01

The Institute for Nuclear Safety and Protection (IPSN) is in charge of research in phenomenology of severe accidents which are not taken into account in the design basis but which could occur on the dfferent types of reactor operated in France. Related potential applications are varied and include: - assessment of radioactive release as to nature, quantity and kinetics, in order to validate the population evacuation plans, - analysis of the efficiency of the procedures and corrective actions envisaged by the operating utilities to minimize the consequences of severe accidents, - general risk surveys for the PRA programs. In order to carry out this task effectively, the IPSN has developed a set of computer programs to model on the one hand, the physics of fission product transfers (release from damaged fuel, vapour and aerosol behavior, transport outside the reactor containment), and on the other hand, the core, primary system and containment thermal hydraulics (including the incidence of safeguard systems, ultimate emergency procedures and corium-concrete interaction) determining fission product transfer kinetics. The system is completed by provision for modelling fission product atmophere, aquatic and hydrological transfers outside the containment. This computer program, known as ESCADRE, is presented in this paper

Strongly enhanced colorectal cancer risk stratification by combining family history and genetic risk score

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weigl K

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Korbinian Weigl,1,2 Jenny Chang-Claude,3,4 Phillip Knebel,5 Li Hsu,6 Michael Hoffmeister,1 Hermann Brenner1,2,7 1Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ, Heidelberg, 2German Cancer Consortium (DKTK, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ, Heidelberg, 3Unit of Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ, Heidelberg, 4University Cancer Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 5Department for General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; 6Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA; 7Division of Preventive Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT, Heidelberg, Germany Background and aim: Family history (FH and genetic risk scores (GRSs are increasingly used for risk stratification for colorectal cancer (CRC screening. However, they were mostly considered alternatively rather than jointly. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of individual and joint risk stratification for CRC by FH and GRS.Patients and methods: A GRS was built based on the number of risk alleles in 53 previously identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms among 2,363 patients with a first diagnosis of CRC and 2,198 controls in DACHS [colorectal cancer: chances for prevention through screening], a population-based case-control study in Germany. Associations between GRS and FH with CRC risk were quantified by multiple logistic regression.Results: A total of 316 cases (13.4% and 214 controls (9.7% had a first-degree relative (FDR with CRC (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.86, 95% CI 1.52–2.29. A GRS in the highest decile was associated with a 3.0-fold increased risk of CRC (aOR 3.00, 95% CI 2.24–4.02 compared with the lowest decile. This association was tentatively more pronounced in older age groups. FH and GRS were essentially unrelated, and their

High Pressure Germination of Bacillus subtilis Spores with Alterations in Levels and Types of Germination Proteins

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

1ITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a CONTRACTNUMBER High pressure germination of Bacillus subtilis spores with W911NF-09-l-0286 alterations in levels and types of...A moderate high pressure (mHP) of 150 megaPascals (MPa) triggers germination of Bacillus subtilis spores via germinant receptors (GRs), while...germination by a very high pressure (vHP) of550 MPa is GR-independent. The mHP and vHP germination of Bacillus subtilis spores with different levels ofGRs

Abnormal three-steplike sub-Tg enthalpy relaxation pattern in hyperquenched metallic glasses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Lina; Yue, Yuanzheng

Our recent work observed a quite different relaxation pattern, i.e., the abnormal three-steplike sub-Tg relaxation in CuZrAl GRs[1]. However, the generality and the origin of this remarkable thermodynamic anomaly remain enigmatic. By hyperquenching strategy, the present work investigated the depe......Our recent work observed a quite different relaxation pattern, i.e., the abnormal three-steplike sub-Tg relaxation in CuZrAl GRs[1]. However, the generality and the origin of this remarkable thermodynamic anomaly remain enigmatic. By hyperquenching strategy, the present work investigated...... in La55Al25Ni20 GRs. However, the correlation between Tf and the activation energy for initiating the energy releasing during thermal scanning is three-steplike for La55Al25Ni20, revealing the similar phenomenon with the abnormal ERP of Cu46Zr46Al8. These unexpected phenomena have been well explained...

Superior council of nuclear safety and information. Meeting on 16. december 1997. Radioactive contamination spots on the French territory; Conseil superieur de la surete et de l'information nucleaire. Reunion du 16 decembre 1997. Les taches de contamination radioactive sur le territoire francais

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

The principal objective was to produce a document able to gather and construe the whole of available data on the soil and food contamination after the Chernobylsk accident and supplying an evaluation of the sanitary impact, by focusing the study on the most decisive cases. This work has been made by I.P.S.N. and the synthesis of results is presented in this report. (N.C.)

Superior council of nuclear safety and information. Meeting on 16. december 1997. Radioactive contamination spots on the French territory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The principal objective was to produce a document able to gather and construe the whole of available data on the soil and food contamination after the Chernobylsk accident and supplying an evaluation of the sanitary impact, by focusing the study on the most decisive cases. This work has been made by I.P.S.N. and the synthesis of results is presented in this report. (N.C.)

Melodie: A global risk assessment model for radioactive waste repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewi, J.; Assouline, M.; Bareau, J.; Raimbault, P.

1987-03-01

The Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (IPSN), which is part of the French Atomic Energy Commission (C.E.A.) develops since 1984 in collaboration with different groups inside and outside the C.E.A. a computer model for risk assessment of nuclear waste repositories in deep geological formations. The main characteristics of the submodels, the data processing structure and some examples of applications are presented

Long-term behaviour of radioactive nuclides in the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brechignac, F.; Moberg, L.; Suomela, M.

1999-01-01

Report of recent advances in Europe, regarding the long-term development of radioactive nuclides in the environment. The corresponding scientific findings from three projects - Peace, Landscape and Epora (involving 18 European laboratories) - have been collected together. These projects were managed by the IPSN for the European Commission (DG XII) in the framework of the programme 'Surete de la fission nucleaire' (Nuclear fission safety programme). (author)

Research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants. Period cover 01. January 2014 - 30. June 2014. Progress report; Forschungsvorhaben auf dem Gebiet der Reaktorsicherheit. Berichtszeitraum 01. Januar 2014 - 30. Juni 2014. Fortschrittsbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2014-07-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), formerly Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Project Management Agency/ Authority Support Division of GRS. The reports as of the 1st half-year 2000 are available in the internet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (https://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research as well as to the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index (JSRI)''. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties.

Generate floor response spectra, Part 2: Response spectra for equipment-structure resonance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Bo; Jiang, Wei; Xie, Wei-Chau; Pandey, Mahesh D.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The concept of tRS is proposed to deal with tuning of equipment and structures. • Established statistical approaches for estimating tRS corresponding to given GRS. • Derived a new modal combination rule from the theory of random vibration. • Developed efficient and accurate direct method for generating floor response spectra. - Abstract: When generating floor response spectra (FRS) using the direct spectra-to-spectra method developed in the companion paper, probability distribution of t-response spectrum (tRS), which deals with equipment-structure resonance or tuning, corresponding to a specified ground response spectrum (GRS) is required. In this paper, simulation results using a large number of horizontal and vertical ground motions are employed to establish statistical relationships between tRS and GRS. It is observed that the influence of site conditions on horizontal statistical relationships is negligible, whereas the effect of site conditions on vertical statistical relationships cannot be ignored. Considering the influence of site conditions, horizontal statistical relationship suitable for all site conditions and vertical statistical relationships suitable for hard sites and soft sites, respectively, are established. The horizontal and vertical statistical relationships are suitable to estimate tRS for design spectra in USNRC R.G. 1.60 and NUREG/CR-0098, Uniform Hazard Spectra (UHS) in Western North America (WNA), or any GRS falling inside the valid coverage of the statistical relationship. For UHS with significant high frequency spectral accelerations, such as UHS in Central and Eastern North America (CENA), an amplification ratio method is proposed to estimate tRS. Numerical examples demonstrate that the statistical relationships and the amplification ratio method are acceptable to estimate tRS for given GRS and to generate FRS using the direct method in different practical situations.

Children with hypercholesterolemia of unknown cause: Value of genetic risk scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Sjouke, Barbara; Tanck, Michael W T; Fouchier, Sigrid W; Defesche, Joep C; Hutten, Barbara A; Wiegman, Albert; Kastelein, John J P; Hovingh, G Kees

2016-01-01

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is caused by mutations in LDLR, APOB, or PCSK9, and in a previous study, we identified a causative mutation in these FH genes in 95% (255 of 269) of children with the FH phenotype. It has been hypothesized that a polygenic form of hypercholesterolemia is present in FH patients in whom no mutation is identified in the 3 FH genes. To address whether a polygenic form of hypercholesterolemia, defined as high-weighted effect of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) raising SNPs expressed as the genetic risk score (GRS), is present in the remaining 14 children. On reassessment of the molecular diagnosis and clinical phenotype, 8 FH kindreds met the criteria for hypercholesterolemia of unknown cause and were included in this study. We calculated a weighted GRS comprising 10 established LDL-C-associated SNPs and the APOE genotype in these index cases and evaluated whether the index cases were characterized by an increased GRS compared to 26 first-degree relatives. Phenotypically affected and unaffected individuals could not be distinguished based on any of the risk scores. In this and our previous study, we show that a causal mutation in LDLR, APOB, and PCSK9 can be identified in almost all children with a definite clinical diagnosis of FH. In the small group of patients without a mutation, we did not observe a higher GRS compared with unaffected relatives, which suggests that the FH phenotype is not caused by the aggregate of LDL-C increasing SNPs. Our data imply that application of the GRS is not instrumental as a diagnostic tool to individually define clinically diagnosed FH patients with polygenic hypercholesterolemia in our study population. Copyright © 2016 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lifestyle may modify the glucose-raising effect of genetic loci. A study in the Greek population.

Science.gov (United States)

Marouli, E; Kanoni, S; Dimitriou, M; Kolovou, G; Deloukas, P; Dedoussis, G

2016-03-01

Lifestyle habits including dietary intake and physical activity are closely associated with multiple body processes including glucose metabolism and are known to affect human health. Recent genome-wide association studies have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with glucose levels. The hypothesis tested here is whether a healthy lifestyle assessed via a score is associated with glycaemic traits and whether there is an interaction between the lifestyle and known glucose-raising genetic variants in association with glycaemic traits. Participants of Greek descent from the THISEAS study were included in this analysis. We developed a glucose preventive score (GPS) including dietary and physical activity characteristics. We also modelled a weighted genetic risk score (wGRS), based on 20 known glucose-raising loci, in order to investigate the impact of lifestyle-gene interaction on glucose levels. The GPS was observed to be significantly associated with lower glucose concentrations (β ± SE: -0.083 ± 0.021 mmol/L, P = 1.6 × 10(-04)) and the wGRS, as expected, with increased glucose levels (β ± SE: 0.020 ± 0.007 mmol/L, P = 8.4 × 10(-3)). The association of the wGRS with glucose levels was attenuated after interaction with the GPS. A higher GPS indicated decreasing glucose levels in the presence of an increasing wGRS (β interaction ± SE: -0.019 ± 0.007 mmol/L, P = 0.014). Our results indicate that lower glucose levels underlie a healthier lifestyle and also support an interaction between the wGRS for known glycaemic loci and GPS associated with lower glucose levels. These scores could be useful tools for monitoring glucose metabolism. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants. Period cover 01. January - 30. June 2016. Progress report; Forschungsvorhaben auf dem Gebiet der Reaktorsicherheit. Berichtszeitraum 01. Januar - 30. Juni 2016. Fortschrittsbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2016-07-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Project Management Agency/ Authority Support Division of GRS. The reports as of the year 2000 are available in the internet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (https://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research as well as to the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index (JSRI)''. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties.

Research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants. Period cover 01. July 2015 - 31. December 2015. Progress report; Forschungsvorhaben auf dem Gebiet der Reaktorsicherheit. Berichtszeitraum 01. Juli - 31. Dezember 2015. Fortschrittsbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2015-07-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Project Management Agency/ Authority Support Division of GRS. The reports as of the year 2000 are available in the internet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (https://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research as well as to the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index (JSRI)''. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties.

Research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants. Period cover 01. July - 31. December 2016. Progress report; Forschungsvorhaben auf dem Gebiet der Reaktorsicherheit. Berichtszeitraum 01. Juli - 31. Dezember 2016. Fortschrittsbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2016-07-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Project Management Agency/ Authority Support Division of GRS. The reports as of the year 2000 are available in the internet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (https://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research as well as to the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index (JSRI)''. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. lt has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties.

Optimizing logistics for balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) of gastric varices by doing away with the indwelling balloon: concept and techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Saad, Wael E; Nicholson, David B

2013-06-01

Since the conception of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) of gastric varices 25 years ago, the placement of an indwelling balloon for hours has been central to the BRTO procedure. Numerous variables and variations of the BRTO procedure have been described, including methods to reduce sclerosant, combining percutaneous transhepatic obliteration, varying sclerosant, and using multiple sclerosants within the same procedure. However, the consistent feature of BRTO has always remained the indwelling balloon. Placing an indwelling balloon over hours for the BRTO procedure is a logistical burden that taxes the interventional radiology team and hospital resources. Substituting the balloon with hardware (coils or Amplatzer vascular plugs [AVPs] or both) is technically feasible and its risks most likely correlate with gastrorenal shunt (GRS) size. The current authors use packed 0.018- or 0.035-in coils or both for small gastric variceal systems (GRS size A and B) and AVPs for GRS sizes up to size E (from size A-E). The current authors recommend an indwelling balloon (no hardware substitute) for very large gastric variceal system (GRS size F). Substituting the indwelling balloon for hardware in size F and potentially size E GRS can also be risky. The current article describes the techniques of placing up to 16-mm AVPs through balloon occlusion guide catheters and then deflating the balloon once it has been substituted with the AVPs. In addition, 22-mm AVPs can be placed through sheaths once the balloon occlusion catheters are removed to further augment the 16-mm Amplatzer occlusion. To date, there are no studies describing, let alone evaluating, the clinical feasibility of performing BRTO without indwelling balloons. The described techniques have been successfully performed by the current authors. However, the long-term safety and effectiveness of these techniques is yet to be determined. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validity Evidence for the Neuro-Endoscopic Ventriculostomy Assessment Tool (NEVAT).

Science.gov (United States)

Breimer, Gerben E; Haji, Faizal A; Cinalli, Giuseppe; Hoving, Eelco W; Drake, James M

2017-02-01

Growing demand for transparent and standardized methods for evaluating surgical competence prompted the construction of the Neuro-Endoscopic Ventriculostomy Assessment Tool (NEVAT). To provide validity evidence of the NEVAT by reporting on the tool's internal structure and its relationship with surgical expertise during simulation-based training. The NEVAT was used to assess performance of trainees and faculty at an international neuroendoscopy workshop. All participants performed an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) on a synthetic simulator. Participants were simultaneously scored by 2 raters using the NEVAT procedural checklist and global rating scale (GRS). Evidence of internal structure was collected by calculating interrater reliability and internal consistency of raters' scores. Evidence of relationships with other variables was collected by comparing the ETV performance of experts, experienced trainees, and novices using Jonckheere's test (evidence of construct validity). Thirteen experts, 11 experienced trainees, and 10 novices participated. The interrater reliability by the intraclass correlation coefficient for the checklist and GRS was 0.82 and 0.94, respectively. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α) for the checklist and the GRS was 0.74 and 0.97, respectively. Median scores with interquartile range on the checklist and GRS for novices, experienced trainees, and experts were 0.69 (0.58-0.86), 0.85 (0.63-0.89), and 0.85 (0.81-0.91) and 3.1 (2.5-3.8), 3.7 (2.2-4.3) and 4.6 (4.4-4.9), respectively. Jonckheere's test showed that the median checklist and GRS score increased with performer expertise ( P = .04 and .002, respectively). This study provides validity evidence for the NEVAT to support its use as a standardized method of evaluating neuroendoscopic competence during simulation-based training. Copyright © 2016 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

Lead-Related Genetic Loci, Cumulative Lead Exposure and Incident Coronary Heart Disease: The Normative Aging Study

Science.gov (United States)

Weisskopf, Marc G.; Sparrow, David; Schwartz, Joel; Hu, Howard; Park, Sung Kyun

2016-01-01

Background Cumulative exposure to lead is associated with cardiovascular outcomes. Polymorphisms in the δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), hemochromatosis (HFE), heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1), vitamin D receptor (VDR), glutathione S-transferase (GST) supergene family (GSTP1, GSTT1, GSTM1), apolipoprotein E (APOE),angiotensin II receptor-1 (AGTR1) and angiotensinogen (AGT) genes, are believed to alter toxicokinetics and/or toxicodynamics of lead. Objectives We assessed possible effect modification by genetic polymorphisms in ALAD, HFE, HMOX1, VDR, GSTP1, GSTT1, GSTM1, APOE, AGTR1 and AGT individually and as the genetic risk score (GRS) on the association between cumulative lead exposure and incident coronary heart disease (CHD) events. Methods We used K-shell-X-ray fluorescence to measure bone lead levels. GRS was calculated on the basis of 22 lead-related loci. We constructed Cox proportional hazard models to compute adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident CHD. We applied inverse probability weighting to account for potential selection bias due to recruitment into the bone lead sub-study. Results Significant effect modification was found by VDR, HMOX1, GSTP1, APOE, and AGT genetic polymorphisms when evaluated individually. Further, the bone lead-CHD associations became larger as GRS increases. After adjusting for potential confounders, a HR of CHD was 2.27 (95%CI: 1.50–3.42) with 2-fold increase in patella lead levels, among participants in the top tertile of GRS. We also detected an increasing trend in HRs across tertiles of GRS (p-trend = 0.0063). Conclusions Our findings suggest that lead-related loci as a whole may play an important role in susceptibility to lead-related CHD risk. These findings need to be validated in a separate cohort containing bone lead, lead-related genetic loci and incident CHD data. PMID:27584680

Reliability and Validity of 3 Methods of Assessing Orthopedic Resident Skill in Shoulder Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard, Johnathan A; Dattilo, Jonathan R; Srikumaran, Uma; Zikria, Bashir A; Jain, Amit; LaPorte, Dawn M

Traditional measures for evaluating resident surgical technical skills (e.g., case logs) assess operative volume but not level of surgical proficiency. Our goal was to compare the reliability and validity of 3 tools for measuring surgical skill among orthopedic residents when performing 3 open surgical approaches to the shoulder. A total of 23 residents at different stages of their surgical training were tested for technical skill pertaining to 3 shoulder surgical approaches using the following measures: Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) checklists, the Global Rating Scale (GRS), and a final pass/fail assessment determined by 3 upper extremity surgeons. Adverse events were recorded. The Cronbach α coefficient was used to assess reliability of the OSATS checklists and GRS scores. Interrater reliability was calculated with intraclass correlation coefficients. Correlations among OSATS checklist scores, GRS scores, and pass/fail assessment were calculated with Spearman ρ. Validity of OSATS checklists was determined using analysis of variance with postgraduate year (PGY) as a between-subjects factor. Significance was set at p shoulder approaches. Checklist scores showed superior interrater reliability compared with GRS and subjective pass/fail measurements. GRS scores were positively correlated across training years. The incidence of adverse events was significantly higher among PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents compared with more experienced residents. OSATS checklists are a valid and reliable assessment of technical skills across 3 surgical shoulder approaches. However, checklist scores do not measure quality of technique. Documenting adverse events is necessary to assess quality of technique and ultimate pass/fail status. Multiple methods of assessing surgical skill should be considered when evaluating orthopedic resident surgical performance. Copyright © 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

Gene × physical activity interactions in obesity: combined analysis of 111,421 individuals of European ancestry.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shafqat Ahmad

Full Text Available Numerous obesity loci have been identified using genome-wide association studies. A UK study indicated that physical activity may attenuate the cumulative effect of 12 of these loci, but replication studies are lacking. Therefore, we tested whether the aggregate effect of these loci is diminished in adults of European ancestry reporting high levels of physical activity. Twelve obesity-susceptibility loci were genotyped or imputed in 111,421 participants. A genetic risk score (GRS was calculated by summing the BMI-associated alleles of each genetic variant. Physical activity was assessed using self-administered questionnaires. Multiplicative interactions between the GRS and physical activity on BMI were tested in linear and logistic regression models in each cohort, with adjustment for age, age(2, sex, study center (for multicenter studies, and the marginal terms for physical activity and the GRS. These results were combined using meta-analysis weighted by cohort sample size. The meta-analysis yielded a statistically significant GRS × physical activity interaction effect estimate (Pinteraction  = 0.015. However, a statistically significant interaction effect was only apparent in North American cohorts (n = 39,810, Pinteraction  = 0.014 vs. n = 71,611, Pinteraction  = 0.275 for Europeans. In secondary analyses, both the FTO rs1121980 (Pinteraction  = 0.003 and the SEC16B rs10913469 (Pinteraction  = 0.025 variants showed evidence of SNP × physical activity interactions. This meta-analysis of 111,421 individuals provides further support for an interaction between physical activity and a GRS in obesity disposition, although these findings hinge on the inclusion of cohorts from North America, indicating that these results are either population-specific or non-causal.

Generate floor response spectra, Part 2: Response spectra for equipment-structure resonance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Bo, E-mail: b68li@uwaterloo.ca; Jiang, Wei, E-mail: w46jiang@uwaterloo.ca; Xie, Wei-Chau, E-mail: xie@uwaterloo.ca; Pandey, Mahesh D., E-mail: mdpandey@uwaterloo.ca

2015-11-15

Highlights: • The concept of tRS is proposed to deal with tuning of equipment and structures. • Established statistical approaches for estimating tRS corresponding to given GRS. • Derived a new modal combination rule from the theory of random vibration. • Developed efficient and accurate direct method for generating floor response spectra. - Abstract: When generating floor response spectra (FRS) using the direct spectra-to-spectra method developed in the companion paper, probability distribution of t-response spectrum (tRS), which deals with equipment-structure resonance or tuning, corresponding to a specified ground response spectrum (GRS) is required. In this paper, simulation results using a large number of horizontal and vertical ground motions are employed to establish statistical relationships between tRS and GRS. It is observed that the influence of site conditions on horizontal statistical relationships is negligible, whereas the effect of site conditions on vertical statistical relationships cannot be ignored. Considering the influence of site conditions, horizontal statistical relationship suitable for all site conditions and vertical statistical relationships suitable for hard sites and soft sites, respectively, are established. The horizontal and vertical statistical relationships are suitable to estimate tRS for design spectra in USNRC R.G. 1.60 and NUREG/CR-0098, Uniform Hazard Spectra (UHS) in Western North America (WNA), or any GRS falling inside the valid coverage of the statistical relationship. For UHS with significant high frequency spectral accelerations, such as UHS in Central and Eastern North America (CENA), an amplification ratio method is proposed to estimate tRS. Numerical examples demonstrate that the statistical relationships and the amplification ratio method are acceptable to estimate tRS for given GRS and to generate FRS using the direct method in different practical situations.

Genetic variation of habitual coffee consumption and glycemic changes in response to weight-loss diet intervention: the Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS LOST) trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Liyuan; Ma, Wenjie; Sun, Dianjianyi; Heianza, Yoriko; Wang, Tiange; Zheng, Yan; Huang, Tao; Duan, Donghui; Bray, J George A; Champagne, Catherine M; Sacks, Frank M; Qi, Lu

2017-11-01

Background: Coffee consumption has been associated with glucose metabolism and risk of type 2 diabetes. Objective: We examined whether the genetic variation determining habitual coffee consumption affected glycemic changes in response to weight-loss dietary intervention. Design: A genetic risk score (GRS) was calculated based on 8 habitual coffee consumption-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms. We used general linear models to test changes in glycemic traits in groups randomly assigned to high- and low-fat diets according to tertiles of the GRS. Results: We observed significant interactions between the GRS and low compared with high dietary fat intake on 6-mo changes in fasting insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) ( P -interaction = 0.023 and 0.022, respectively), adjusting for age, sex, race, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, seasonal variation, and baseline values of the respective outcomes. Participants with a higher GRS of habitual coffee consumption showed a greater reduction in fasting insulin and a marginally greater decrease in HOMA-IR in the low-fat diet intervention group. Conclusions: Our data suggest that participants with genetically determined high coffee consumption may benefit more by eating a low-fat diet in improving fasting insulin and HOMA-IR in a short term. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00072995 and NCT03258203. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

Joint effect of unlinked genotypes: application to type 2 diabetes in the EPIC-Potsdam case-cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Knüppel, Sven; Meidtner, Karina; Arregui, Maria; Holzhütter, Hermann-Georg; Boeing, Heiner

2015-07-01

Analyzing multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is a promising approach to finding genetic effects beyond single-locus associations. We proposed the use of multilocus stepwise regression (MSR) to screen for allele combinations as a method to model joint effects, and compared the results with the often used genetic risk score (GRS), conventional stepwise selection, and the shrinkage method LASSO. In contrast to MSR, the GRS, conventional stepwise selection, and LASSO model each genotype by the risk allele doses. We reanalyzed 20 unlinked SNPs related to type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the EPIC-Potsdam case-cohort study (760 cases, 2193 noncases). No SNP-SNP interactions and no nonlinear effects were found. Two SNP combinations selected by MSR (Nagelkerke's R² = 0.050 and 0.048) included eight SNPs with mean allele combination frequency of 2%. GRS and stepwise selection selected nearly the same SNP combinations consisting of 12 and 13 SNPs (Nagelkerke's R² ranged from 0.020 to 0.029). LASSO showed similar results. The MSR method showed the best model fit measured by Nagelkerke's R² suggesting that further improvement may render this method a useful tool in genetic research. However, our comparison suggests that the GRS is a simple way to model genetic effects since it does not consider linkage, SNP-SNP interactions, and no non-linear effects. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/University College London.

Progress report projects in the field of nuclear safety sponsered by the Federal Minister for Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-03-01

Investigations on the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of the Research Program Reactor Safety (RS-Projects) are sponsored by the BMFT (Federal Minister for Research and Technology), Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie. Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear energy plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. Besides the investigations of LWR tasks first projects on the safety of FBR type reactors are sponsored by the BMFT. The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of quarterly and annually publication of progress reports within the series GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work at the GRS, within the framework of general information of the progress in reactor safety research. The individual reports are arranged according to the amended LWR Safety Research Program of the BMFT. Another table contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC and the OECD. (orig./HP) [de

GRO J0422+32 = GRS 0417+335

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castro-Tirado, A. J.; Brandt, Søren; Lund, Niels

1992-01-01

, and three times brighter than, the black-hole candidate Cygnus X-1 as observed by OSSE in 1991 June. Significant emission is observed up to about 600 keV, with an average source flux of 1.8 photons cmE-2 sE-1 MeVE-1 at 100 keV. The continuum spectrum between 60 and 600 keV is not compatible with a single...

Renewable Energy: Solar Fuels GRC and GRS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewis, Nathan [California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States); Gray, Nancy Ryan [Gordon Research Conferences, West Kingston, RI (United States)

2010-02-26

This Gordon Research Conference seeks to bring together chemists, physicists, materials scientists and biologists to address perhaps the outstanding technical problem of the 21st Century - the efficient, and ultimately economical, storage of energy from carbon-neutral sources. Such an advance would deliver a renewable, environmentally benign energy source for the future. A great technological challenge facing our global future is energy. The generation of energy, the security of its supply, and the environmental consequences of its use are among the world's foremost geopolitical concerns. Fossil fuels - coal, natural gas, and petroleum - supply approximately 90% of the energy consumed today by industrialized nations. An increase in energy supply is vitally needed to bring electric power to the 25% of the world's population that lacks it, to support the industrialization of developing nations, and to sustain economic growth in developed countries. On the geopolitical front, insuring an adequate energy supply is a major security issue for the world, and its importance will grow in proportion to the singular dependence on oil as a primary energy source. Yet, the current approach to energy supply, that of increased fossil fuel exploration coupled with energy conservation, is not scaleable to meet future demands. Rising living standards of a growing world population will cause global energy consumption to increase significantly. Estimates indicate that energy consumption will increase at least two-fold, from our current burn rate of 12.8 TW to 28 - 35 TW by 2050. - U.N. projections indicate that meeting global energy demand in a sustainable fashion by the year 2050 will require a significant fraction of the energy supply to come carbon free sources to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide levels at twice the pre-anthropogenic levels. External factors of economy, environment, and security dictate that this global energy need be met by renewable and sustainable sources from a carbon-neutral source. Sunlight is by far the most abundant global carbon-neutral energy resource. More solar energy strikes the surface of the earth in one hour than is obtained from all of the fossil fuels consumed globally in a year. Sunlight may be used to power the planet. However, it is intermittent, and therefore it must be converted to electricity or stored chemical fuel to be used on a large scale. The 'grand challenge' of using the sun as a future energy source faces daunting challenges - large expanses of fundamental science and technology await discovery. A viable solar energy conversion scheme must result in a 10-50 fold decrease in the cost-to-efficiency ratio for the production of stored fuels, and must be stable and robust for a 20-30 year period. To reduce the cost of installed solar energy conversion systems to $0.20/peak watt of solar radiation, a cost level that would make them economically attractive in today's energy market, will require revolutionary technologies. This GRC seeks to present a forum for the underlying science needed to permit future generations to use the sun as a renewable and sustainable primary energy source. Speakers will discuss recent advances in homoogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis of multi-electron transfer processes of importance to solar fuel production, such as water oxidation and reduction, and carbon dioxide reduction. Speakers will also discuss advances in scaleably manufacturable systems for the capture and conversion of sunlight into electrical charges that can be readily coupled into, and utilized for, fuel production in an integrated system.

Ethical aspects of final disposal. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baltes, B.; Leder, W.; Achenbach, G.B.; Spaemann, R.; Gerhardt, V.

2003-01-01

In fulfilment of this task the Federal Environmental Ministry has commissioned GRS to summarise the current national and international status of ethical aspects of the final disposal of radioactive wastes as part of the project titled ''Final disposal of radioactive wastes as seen from the viewpoint of ethical objectives''. The questions arising from the opinions, positions and publications presented in the report by GRS were to serve as a basis for an expert discussion or an interdisciplinary discussion forum for all concerned with the ethical aspects of an answerable approach to the final disposal of radioactive wastes. In April 2001 GRS held a one-day seminar at which leading ethicists and philosophers offered statements on the questions referred to above and joined in a discussion with experts on issues of final disposal. This report documents the questions that arose ahead of the workshop, the specialist lectures held there and a summary of the discussion results [de

Feminine transformations: gender reassignment surgical tourism in Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Aizura, Aren Z

2010-10-01

Every year, hundreds of transgendered people from the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia travel to Thailand to undergo cosmetic and gender reassignment surgeries (GRS). Many GRS clinics market themselves almost exclusively to non-Thai trans women (people assigned a male sex at birth who later identify as female). This article draws on ethnographic research with patients visiting Thailand for GRS to explore how trans women patients related their experience of medical care in Thailand to Thai cultural traditions, in particular "traditional" Thai femininity and Theravada Buddhist rituals and beliefs. Foreign patients in Thai hospital settings engage not only with medical practices but also with their perceptions of Thai cultural traditions--which inflect their feminine identifications. I draw on two patients' accounts of creating personal rituals to mark their gender reassignment surgery, placing these accounts within the context of biomedical globalization and debates about the touristic appropriation of non-"Western" cultural practices.

Lung lesion doubling times: values and variability based on method of volume determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisenbud Quint, Leslie; Cheng, Joan; Schipper, Matthew; Chang, Andrew C.; Kalemkerian, Gregory

2008-01-01

Purpose: To determine doubling times (DTs) of lung lesions based on volumetric measurements from thin-section CT imaging. Methods: Previously untreated patients with ≥ two thin-section CT scans showing a focal lung lesion were identified. Lesion volumes were derived using direct volume measurements and volume calculations based on lesion area and diameter. Growth rates (GRs) were compared by tissue diagnosis and measurement technique. Results: 54 lesions were evaluated including 8 benign lesions, 10 metastases, 3 lymphomas, 15 adenocarcinomas, 11 squamous carcinomas, and 7 miscellaneous lung cancers. Using direct volume measurements, median DTs were 453, 111, 15, 181, 139 and 137 days, respectively. Lung cancer DTs ranged from 23-2239 days. There were no significant differences in GRs among the different lesion types. There was considerable variability among GRs using different volume determination methods. Conclusions: Lung cancer doubling times showed a substantial range, and different volume determination methods gave considerably different DTs

SITA version 0. A simulation and code testing assistant for TOUGH2 and MARNIE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seher, Holger; Navarro, Martin

2016-06-15

High quality standards have to be met by those numerical codes that are applied in long-term safety assessments for deep geological repositories for radioactive waste. The software environment SITA (''a simulation and code testing assistant for TOUGH2 and MARNIE'') has been developed by GRS in order to perform automated regression testing for the flow and transport simulators TOUGH2 and MARNIE. GRS uses the codes TOUGH2 and MARNIE in order to assess the performance of deep geological repositories for radioactive waste. With SITA, simulation results of TOUGH2 and MARNIE can be compared to analytical solutions and simulations results of other code versions. SITA uses data interfaces to operate with codes whose input and output depends on the code version. The present report is part of a wider GRS programme to assure and improve the quality of TOUGH2 and MARNIE. It addresses users as well as administrators of SITA.

Utility experience in reactor noise analysis in German LWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuette, A.; Weingarten, J.; Wach, D.

1988-01-01

Reactor noise analysis has a long history in Fed. Rep. of Germany. Since the early 60ies it was directed to early fault, malfunction and anomaly detection in nuclear power plants. When successful diagnoses showed the high potential and benefits including economic and safety aspects, also the utilities began to have a vivid concern in application of the developed methods and systems. The know-how transfer from specialized teams to the onsite personnel as well as the development of more ''intelligent'' online systems are important present and future tasks for further improvement of their efficiency. The diagnostic group of GRS is active in both fields and has close cooperation with several utilities to achieve these objectives. Modern signal processing equipment and access to a comprehensive knowledge base stored in data banks are provided by the data analysis center of GRS. The available capabilities are described and examples of analysis results within the cooperation utilities/GRS are given. (author)

French practice for assessing the fission product releases from the containment during a PWR severe accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duco, J.; Dufresne, J.; L'homme, A.

1988-10-01

French safety philosophy as concerns severe PWR accidents has already been outlined by the Director of CEA/IPSN in an article published in ''Nuclear Safety''. Therefore the present paper will focus on: a) the French reference source terms, as used for elaborating ultimate emergency procedures on PWRs and for emergency planning; b) the methods currently developed for more realistic assessments of the release of fission products during a severe accident

Two-dimensional Topology of the Two-Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Hoyle, Fiona; Vogeley, Michael S.; Gott, J. Richard, III

2002-05-01

We study the topology of the publicly available data released by the Two Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey team (2dF GRS). The 2dF GRS data contain over 100,000 galaxy redshifts with a magnitude limit of bJ=19.45 and is the largest such survey to date. The data lie over a wide range of right ascension (75° strips) but only within a narrow range of declination (10° and 15° strips). This allows measurements of the two-dimensional genus to be made. We find that the genus curves of the north Galactic pole (NGP) and south Galactic pole (SGP) are slightly different. The NGP displays a slight meatball shift topology, whereas the SGP displays a bubble-like topology. The current SGP data also have a slightly higher genus amplitude. In both cases, a slight excess of overdense regions is found over underdense regions. We assess the significance of these features using mock catalogs drawn from the Virgo Consortium's Hubble volume ΛCDM z=0 simulation. We find that differences between the NGP and SGP genus curves are only significant at the 1 σ level. The average genus curve of the 2dF GRS agrees well with that extracted from the ΛCDM mock catalogs. We also use the simulations to assess how the current incompleteness of the survey (the strips are not completely filled in) affects the measurement of the genus and find that we are not sensitive to the geometry; there are enough data in the current sample to trace the isolated high- and low-density regions. We compare the amplitude of the 2dF GRS genus curve to the amplitude of the genus curve of a Gaussian random field that we construct to have the same power spectrum as the 2dF GRS. In previous three-dimensional analyses, it was found that the genus curve of observed samples was lower than the Gaussian random field curve, presumably because of high-order correlations present in the data. However, we find that the 2dF GRS genus curve has an amplitude that is slightly higher than that of the power-spectrum-matched Gaussian

Growth, carcass characteristics, and profitability of organic versus conventional dairy beef steers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bjorklund, E A; Heins, B J; Dicostanzo, A; Chester-Jones, H

2014-03-01

Bull calves (n=49), born at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (Morris) between March and May 2011, were used to compare growth measurements and profitability of conventional and organic dairy steers. Calves were assigned to 1 of 3 replicated groups at birth: conventional (CONV; n=16), organic (pasture and concentrate; ORG; n=16), or organic grass only (GRS; n=17), and analysis of variables was on a pen basis. Breed groups of calves were Holstein (HO; n=9); Holsteins (n=11) maintained at 1964 breed average level; crossbreds (n=19) including combinations of HO, Montbéliarde, and Swedish Red; and crossbreds (n=10) including combinations of HO, Jersey, Swedish Red, and Normande. The CONV steers were fed a diet of 80% concentrate and 20% forage. The ORG steers were fed a diet of organic corn, organic corn silage, and at least 30% of their diet consisted of organic pasture during the grazing season. The GRS steers grazed pasture during the grazing season and were fed high-quality hay or hay silage during the nongrazing season. Intakes of a total mixed ration were recorded daily with herd management software. A profit function was defined to include revenues and expenses for beef value, feed intake, pasture intake, health cost, and yardage. The GRS (358.6 kg) steers had lesser total gains from birth to slaughter than ORG (429.6 kg) and CONV (534.5 kg) steers. Furthermore, the GRS (0.61 kg/d) steers had lesser average daily gain from birth compared with ORG (0.81 kg/d) and CONV (1.1 kg/d) steers. The GRS and ORG steers had smaller rib eye area (49.5 and 65.8 cm(2), respectively) compared with CONV (75.4 cm(2)) steers. For profitability, GRS steers had 43% greater profit than CONV steers due to organic beef price premiums and lower feed costs. On the other hand, ORG steers had substantially less profit than CONV steers. The higher cost of production for the ORG steers is due to the extreme high value of organic corn. The results of the

Deliberate Practice Enhances Quality of Laparoscopic Surgical Performance in a Randomized Controlled Trial: from Arrested Development to Expert Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Hashimoto, Daniel A.; Sirimanna, Pramudith; Gomez, Ernest D.; Beyer-Berjot, Laura; Ericsson, K. Anders; Williams, Noel N.; Darzi, Ara; Aggarwal, Rajesh

2014-01-01

Background This study investigated whether deliberate practice leads to an increase in surgical quality in virtual reality (VR) laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LC). Previous research has suggested that sustained DP is effective in surgical training. Methods Fourteen residents were randomized into deliberate practice (n=7) or control training (n=7). Both groups performed 10 sessions of two VR LCs. Each session, the DP group was assigned 30 minutes of DP activities in between LCs while the control group viewed educational videos or read journal articles. Performance was assessed on speed and dexterity; quality was rated with global (GRS) and procedure-specific (PSRS) rating scales. All participants then performed five porcine LCs. Results Both groups improved over 20 VR LCs in time, dexterity, and global rating scales (all pachieved higher quality of VR surgical performance than control for GRS (26 vs. 20, p=0.001) and PSRS (18 vs. 15, p=0.001). For VR cases, DP subjects plateaued at GRS=25 after 10 cases and control group at GRS=20 after five cases. At completion of VR training, 100% of the DP group reached target quality of performance (GRS≥21) compared to 30% in the control group. There were no significant differences for improvements in time or dexterity over five porcine LCs. Conclusion This study suggests that DP leads to higher quality performance in VR LC than standard training alone. Standard training may leave individuals in a state of “arrested development” compared to DP. PMID:25539697

Annual report on reactor safety research projects sponsored by the Minister for Research and Technology of the Federal Republic of Germany 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-08-01

Investigations on the safety of light water reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of his research program on reactor safety are sponsored by the Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie (BMFT) (Federal Minister for Research and Technology). Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear power plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. Besides the investigations of LWR tasks also projects on the safety of advanced reactors are sponsored by the BMFT. The Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit (GRS), (Society for Reactor Safety), by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of semi-annual and annual publication of progress reports within the series GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, (FB) (Research Coordination Department), within the framework of general informations of progress in reactor safety research. The individual reports are classified according to the same classification system as applied in the nuclear index of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities) and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. (orig./HP)

Report on the projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-12-01

Investigations on the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of the Research Program Reactor Safety (RS - Projects) are sponsored by the BMFT (Federal Minister for Research and Technology), Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie. Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear power-plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. Besides the investigations of LWR tasks first projects on the safety of advanced reactors are sponsored by the BMFT. The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of quarterly and annually publication of progress reports within the series GRS - F - Fortschrittsberichte (GRS - F - Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work and published by the FB (Research Coordination Department), Forschungsbetreuung at the GRS, within the framework of general information of the progress in reactor safety research. The individual reports are arranged according to the amended LWR Safety Research Program of the BMFT which will appear in the near future. Another table contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC and the OECD. (orig./HP) [de

Probabilistic safety assessment of French 900 and 1,300 MWe nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brisbois, J.; Lanore, J.M.

1991-08-01

Although reactor design is mainly governed by deterministic principles in France, the probabilistic approach has been considered an important aid to safety analysis since the early seventies. Various partial probabilistic studies have been performed by Electricite de France, by IPSN and by Framatome, for various types of reactor. In particular, these studies have made it possible to assess the reliability and availability of nuclear power plants safety systems as well as the probability of accident scenarios and have helped to define technical specifications (especially, allowed operating times in the event of a partial unavailability of safety systems). Simultaneously, evaluation methods and corresponding software have been widely developed. Besides. EDF has implemented the Systeme de Recueil de Donnees de Fiabilite - SRDF (Reliability Data Collection System) which allows follow-up of equipment behaviour on all the operating units, and has led to a particularly representative data base. In 1982 the decision was taken at IPSN to carry out a complete PSA for a standard reactor of the 900 MWe type, and in 1986 EDF launched an equivalent study on a 1,300 MWe reactor, taking Unit 3 Paluel as reference. These PSAs were terminated in the course of the first quarter of 1990

Contribution to the safety assessment of instrumentation and control software for nuclear power plants: Application to SPIN N4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soubies, B.; Henry, J.Y.; Le Meur, M. [and others

1995-04-01

1300 MWe pressurised water reactors (PWRs), like the 1400 MWe reactors, operate with microprocessor-based safety systems. This is particularly the case for the Digital Integrated Protection System (SPIN), which trips the reactor in an emergency and sets in action the safeguard functions. The softwares used in these systems must therefore be highly dependable in the execution of their functions. In the case of SPIN, three players are working at different levels to achieve this goal: the protection system manufacturer, Merlin Gerin; the designer of the nuclear steam supply system, Framatome; the operator of the nuclear power plants, Electricite de France (EDF), which is also responsible for the safety of its installations. Regulatory licenses are issued by the French safety authority, the Nuclear Installations Safety Directorate (French abbreviation DSIN), subsequent to a successful examination of the technical provisions adopted by the operator. This examination is carried out by the IPSN and the standing group on nuclear reactors. This communication sets out: the methods used by the manufacturer to develop SPIN software for the 1400 MWe PWRs (N4 series); the approach adopted by the IPSN to evaluate the safety software of the protection system for the N4 series of reactors.

Probabilistic safety assessment of French 900 and 1,300 MWe nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brisbois, J.; Lanore, J.M.

1991-01-01

Although reactor design is mainly governed by deterministic principles in France, the probabilistic approach has been considered an important aid to safety analysis since the early seventies. Various partial probabilistic studies have been performed by Electricite de France, by IPSN and by Framatome, for various types of reactor. In particular, these studies have made it possible to assess the reliability and availability of nuclear power plants safety systems as well as the probability of accident scenarios and have helped to define technical specifications (especially, allowed operating times in the event of a partial unavailability of safety systems). Simultaneously, evaluation methods and corresponding software have been widely developed. Besides. EDF has implemented the Systeme de Recueil de Donnees de Fiabilite - SRDF (Reliability Data Collection System) which allows follow-up of equipment behaviour on all the operating units, and has led to a particularly representative data base. In 1982 the decision was taken at IPSN to carry out a complete PSA for a standard reactor of the 900 MWe type, and in 1986 EDF launched an equivalent study on a 1,300 MWe reactor, taking Unit 3 Paluel as reference. These PSAs were terminated in the course of the first quarter of 1990. (author)

Modelling studies of horizontal steam generator PGV-1000 with Cathare

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karppinen, I. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1995-12-31

To perform thermal-hydraulic studies applied to nuclear power plants equipped with VVER, a program of qualification and assessment of the CATHARE computer code is in progress at the Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (IPSN). In this paper studies of modelling horizontal steam generator of VVER-1000 with the CATHARE computer code are presented. Steady state results are compared with measured data from the fifth unit of Novovoronezh nuclear power plant. (orig.). 10 refs.

Modelling studies of horizontal steam generator PGV-1000 with Cathare

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karppinen, I [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1996-12-31

To perform thermal-hydraulic studies applied to nuclear power plants equipped with VVER, a program of qualification and assessment of the CATHARE computer code is in progress at the Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (IPSN). In this paper studies of modelling horizontal steam generator of VVER-1000 with the CATHARE computer code are presented. Steady state results are compared with measured data from the fifth unit of Novovoronezh nuclear power plant. (orig.). 10 refs.

Nuclear safety in France: Extracts from 'Revue Generale Nucleaire'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-07-01

Translations of 3 articles are included in this report. The first covers briefly the tasks and organisation of the Institute of Nuclear Protection and Safety (IPSN) in France. In the second article the principles of cost effectiveness are described and the applications of the general methodology to radiation protection is outlined. A study by the US Environmental Protection Agency is summarised. Methods for risk estimation in nuclear energy are presented in the final article

French participation to PISC III

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birac, C.

1994-06-01

The PISC III programme was set up in 1986 after the conclusions of the PISC II programme. The main objective was assessment of ISI procedures on few particular components or materials. France with IPSN, CEA/DTA, DCN INDRET, EDF, FRAMATOME and INTERCONTROLE decided to have an important participation in several of the eight actions. This paper describes shortly the key points of this participation and the consequences in France. (authors). 10 figs., 1 tab

Genetic evidence of a causal effect of insulin resistance on branched-chain amino acid levels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mahendran, Yuvaraj; Jonsson, Anna; Have, Christian T

2017-01-01

variable for insulin resistance. A GRS of three variants increasing circulating BCAA levels was used as an instrumental variable for circulating BCAA levels. RESULTS: Fasting plasma BCAA levels were associated with higher HOMA-IR in ADDITION-PRO (β 0.137 [95% CI 0.08, 0.19] p = 6 × 10(-7)). However......, the GRS for circulating BCAA levels was not associated with fasting insulin levels or HOMA-IR in ADDITION-PRO (β -0.011 [95% CI -0.053, 0.032] p = 0.6 and β -0.011 [95% CI -0.054, 0.031] p = 0.6, respectively) or in GWAS results for HOMA-IR from MAGIC (β for valine-increasing GRS -0.012 [95% CI -0.069, 0......(-4), and β 0.67 [95% CI 0.16, 1.18] p = 0.01 for isoleucine, leucine and valine levels, respectively) and instrumental variable analyses in ADDITION-PRO indicated that HOMA-IR is causally related to higher circulating fasting BCAA levels (β 0.73 [95% CI 0.26, 1.19] p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our...

Identification of chemosensory genes from the antennal transcriptome of Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaojian Jia

Full Text Available Olfaction plays an indispensable role in mediating insect behavior, such as locating host plants, mating partners, and avoidance of toxins and predators. Olfactory-related proteins are required for olfactory perception of insects. However, very few olfactory-related genes have been reported in Plodia interpunctella up to now. In the present study, we sequenced the antennae transcriptome of P. interpunctella using the next-generation sequencing technology, and identified 117 candidate olfactory-related genes, including 29 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs, 15 chemosensory proteins (CSPs, three sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs, 47 odorant receptors (ORs, 14 ionotropic receptors (IRs and nine gustatory receptors (GRs. Further analysis of qRT-PCR revealed that nine OBPs, three CSPs, two SNMPs, nine ORs and two GRs were specifically expressed in the male antennae, whereas eight OBPs, six CSPs, one SNMP, 16 ORs, two GRs and seven IRs significantly expressed in the female antennae. Taken together, our results provided useful information for further functional studies on insect genes related to recognition of pheromone and odorant, which might be meaningful targets for pest management.

Identification of chemosensory genes from the antennal transcriptome of Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Xiaojian; Zhang, Xiaofang; Liu, Hongmin; Wang, Rongyan; Zhang, Tao

2018-01-01

Olfaction plays an indispensable role in mediating insect behavior, such as locating host plants, mating partners, and avoidance of toxins and predators. Olfactory-related proteins are required for olfactory perception of insects. However, very few olfactory-related genes have been reported in Plodia interpunctella up to now. In the present study, we sequenced the antennae transcriptome of P. interpunctella using the next-generation sequencing technology, and identified 117 candidate olfactory-related genes, including 29 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 15 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), three sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 47 odorant receptors (ORs), 14 ionotropic receptors (IRs) and nine gustatory receptors (GRs). Further analysis of qRT-PCR revealed that nine OBPs, three CSPs, two SNMPs, nine ORs and two GRs were specifically expressed in the male antennae, whereas eight OBPs, six CSPs, one SNMP, 16 ORs, two GRs and seven IRs significantly expressed in the female antennae. Taken together, our results provided useful information for further functional studies on insect genes related to recognition of pheromone and odorant, which might be meaningful targets for pest management.

Furnace draft dynamics analysis after a flue gas desulphurization system incorporation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zazo, J.F.L. [Tecnatom, S.A. (Spain)

2007-07-01

Due to environmental regulations some utilities are modifying coal-fired power groups by installing a flue gas desulfurisation system (FGDS) in order to remove SO{sub 2} from a gas stream. These studies have been ordered by 'Endesa Generacion' for the following power plant groups: C.T. Teruel Grs. 1-3, C.T. Litoral Gr. 2, C.T. Compostilla Gr. 3, C.T. Alucdia Grs. 1-2, C.T. Compostilla Grs. 4-5 (on-going); and C.T. Los Barrios (on-going). The pictures that appear in this abstract correspond to Compostilla Gr.4 and Los Barrios projects. In both cases FGDS installation implies a new booster fan and heat exchanger keeping former Induced Draft Fans (IDFs). The main goal for these projects is to analyze the new flue-gas dynamic, in order to: detect risk situations to equipment, particularly to boiler integrity, test control system strategies and interlocks, select parameters to valves and control system to minimize pressure transients, and test operation strategies. 14 figs.

Optimization study and preliminary design for Latina NPP early core retrieval and reactor dismantling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macci, E.; Zirpolo, S.; Imparato, A.; Cacace, A.; Parry, D.; Walkden, P.

2002-01-01

In June 2000, an agreement was established between Sogin and BNFL to enable the two companies to co-operate, using their specific experiences in the decommissioning field, for the benefit of projects in Italy, the United Kingdom and for third markets. A decommissioning strategy for the Latina NPP was initially developed in a Phase 1 Study which produced a conceptual design for the decommissioning of the reactor. This study was completed in June 2000. Since then, a second study has been completed, which has further developed the strategy and produced preliminary designs for the early dismantling of the core and reactor building at Latina. The engineering and safety data were produced in order to support Sogin in the preparation of a safety case for plant decommissioning. This safety case was submitted to the Italian Regulator, ANPA, in February 2002. (author)

Integration of Multilocus Genetic Risk into the Default Mode Network Longitudinal Trajectory during the Alzheimer's Disease Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Fan; Shu, Hao; Ye, Qing; Xie, Chunming; Yuan, Baoyu; Zhang, Zhijun; Bai, Feng

2017-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the cognitive significance of the changes in default mode network (DMN) during the process of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the genetic basis that drives the alteration. Eighty-seven subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 131 healthy controls (HC) were employed at baseline, and they had the genetic risk scores (GRS) based on the GWAS-validated AD-related top loci. Eleven MCIs who converted to AD (c-MCIs), 32 subjects who remained stable (nc-MCIs), and 56 HCs participated in the follow-up analyses after an average of 35 months. Decreased functional connectivity (FC) within temporal cortex was identified for MCIs at baseline, which was partially determined by the GRS; moreover, compensations may occur within the frontal-parietal brain to maintain relatively intact cognition. During the follow-ups, c-MCIs exhibited more FC declines within the prefrontal-parietal lobes and parahippocampal gyrus/hippocampus than the HCs and nc-MCIs. The GRS did not significantly vary among the three groups, whereas associations were identified at risky alleles and FC declines in all AD spectra. Interestingly, the influence of APOEɛ4 varied as the disease progressed; APOEɛ4 was associated with longitudinal FC decreases only for HCs in the single variance-based analyses and deteriorated DMN integration in nc-MCIs by combining the effects of other loci. However, the GRS without APOEɛ4 predicted FC decline for converters. It is suggested that the integration of multilocus genetic risk predicted the longitudinal trajectory of DMN and may be used as a clinical strategy to track AD progression.

A study of Venus surface elemental composition from 14 MeV neutron induced gamma ray spectroscopy: Activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jun, I.; Kim, W.; Smith, M.; Mitrofanov, I.; Litvak, M.

2011-01-01

The surface elemental composition of Venus can be determined using an artificially pulsed 14 MeV neutron generator (PNG) combined with a gamma ray spectrometer (GRS). The 14 MeV neutrons will interact with the surface materials and generate gamma rays, characteristic of specific elements, whose energy spectrum will be measured by GRS. These characteristic gamma rays are produced mainly through 3 different neutron interaction mechanisms: capture, inelastic, and activation reactions. Each reaction type has a different neutron energy dependency and different time scale for gamma ray production and transport. Certain elements are more easily identified through one reaction type over the others. Thus, careful analysis of the gamma ray spectra during and after the neutron pulse provides a comprehensive understanding of the surface elemental composition. In this paper, we use a well-tested neutron/gamma transport code, called Monte Carlo N-Particles (MCNP), to investigate the measurement capability of a PNG-GRS detection system through the neutron activation reactions. An activation analysis was performed for a representative soil composition of Venus with a notional operational scenario of PNG and GRS. The analysis shows that the proposed instrument concept can identify most of the modeled surface elements at Venus with sufficient accuracy through the activation mode. Specifically, U, Th, K, Si can be measured to within 1%, Fe within 2%, Al within 10%, Ca within 5%, Mg with 15%, Mn with 20%, and Cl within 6%. Although modeled in the analysis, it is shown that the activation mode alone cannot distinguish the S and Ti peaks.

The Managing Emergencies in Paediatric Anaesthesia global rating scale is a reliable tool for simulation-based assessment in pediatric anesthesia crisis management.

Science.gov (United States)

Everett, Tobias C; Ng, Elaine; Power, Daniel; Marsh, Christopher; Tolchard, Stephen; Shadrina, Anna; Bould, Matthew D

2013-12-01

The use of simulation-based assessments for high-stakes physician examinations remains controversial. The Managing Emergencies in Paediatric Anaesthesia course uses simulation to teach evidence-based management of anesthesia crises to trainee anesthetists in the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada. In this study, we investigated the feasibility and reliability of custom-designed scenario-specific performance checklists and a global rating scale (GRS) assessing readiness for independent practice. After research ethics board approval, subjects were videoed managing simulated pediatric anesthesia crises in a single Canadian teaching hospital. Each subject was randomized to two of six different scenarios. All 60 scenarios were subsequently rated by four blinded raters (two in the UK, two in Canada) using the checklists and GRS. The actual and predicted reliability of the tools was calculated for different numbers of raters using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Spearman-Brown prophecy formula. Average measures ICCs ranged from 'substantial' to 'near perfect' (P ≤ 0.001). The reliability of the checklists and the GRS was similar. Single measures ICCs showed more variability than average measures ICC. At least two raters would be required to achieve acceptable reliability. We have established the reliability of a GRS to assess the management of simulated crisis scenarios in pediatric anesthesia, and this tool is feasible within the setting of a research study. The global rating scale allows raters to make a judgement regarding a participant's readiness for independent practice. These tools may be used in the future research examining simulation-based assessment. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PSA Level 2 as element of an integral safety assessment before plant commissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loeffler, H.; Mildenberger, O.; Sonnenkalb, M.; Steinroetter, T.

2012-01-01

In Argentina the Central Nuclear Atucha II is near to completion. This is a pressurized heavy water reactor. PSA (Probability Safety Assessment) level 1, level 2 and level 3 have to be performed in order to show compliance with the Argentinean dose limit. Such studies have been done first by the former KWU in the 1980's to get the construction license (FABIAN 1985). Nowadays the plant owner NA-SA performs PSA level 1 and provides information about the core damage states to GRS, who does the subsequent PSA level 2 part. GRS delivers source terms to the environment and the associated frequencies to the Argentinean research institute CNEA, which performs level 3 together with NA-SA. Since GRS is situated in the middle of the chain, interface definition with both ends has been a significant task of the GRS activities. Experience gained during this process will be highlighted in the presentation. The analysis of PSA level 2 proper follows a traditional approach: -) deterministic accident simulation with integral code MELCOR; -) analyses of specific issues which are not covered by MELCOR; and -) probabilistic accident progression analysis with EVNTRE event tree methodology. It appears that MELCOR and EVNTRE and PSA guidelines in general are flexible enough to analyse new or uncommon reactor designs. It also appears that the plant specific design features may require analyses beyond present code capabilities, calling for expert judgment and they can largely determine PSA results. The behaviour of iodine is not yet covered satisfactorily by state-of-the-art models in MELCOR

Plasma Taurine, Diabetes Genetic Predisposition, and Changes of Insulin Sensitivity in Response to Weight-Loss Diets.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yan; Ceglarek, Uta; Huang, Tao; Wang, Tiange; Heianza, Yoriko; Ma, Wenjie; Bray, George A; Thiery, Joachim; Sacks, Frank M; Qi, Lu

2016-10-01

Taurine metabolism disturbance is closely linked to obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Previous evidence suggested that the preventative effects of taurine on diabetes might be through regulating the expression levels of diabetes-related genes. We estimated whether blood taurine levels modified the overall genetic susceptibility to diabetes on improvement of insulin sensitivity in a randomized dietary trial. We genotyped 31 diabetes-associated variants to calculate a genetic risk score (GRS) and measured plasma taurine levels and glycemic traits among participants from the Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS Lost) trial. Seven-hundred eleven overweight or obese participants (age 30-70 y; 60% females) had genetic variants genotyped and blood taurine levels measured. Participants went on 2-year weight-loss diets, which were different in macronutrient composition. Improvements in glycemic traits were measured. We found that baseline taurine levels significantly modified the effects of diabetes GRS on changes in fasting glucose, insulin, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) during the 2-year diet intervention (P-interaction = .04, .01, .002, respectively), regardless of weight loss. High baseline taurine levels were associated with a less reduction in both glucose and HOMA-IR among the participants with the lowest tertile of diabetes GRS (both P = .02), and with a greater reduction in both insulin and HOMA-IR among those with the highest tertile of diabetes GRS (both P = .04). Our data suggest that blood taurine levels might differentially modulate the effects of diabetes-related genes on improvement of insulin sensitivity among overweight/obese patients on weight-loss diets.

More Relaxation by Deep Breath on Methacholine- Than on Exercise-Induced bronchoconstriction during the Routine Testing of Asthmatic Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iulia Ioan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Deep inspiration (DI dilates normal airway precontracted with methacholine. The fact that this effect is diminished or absent in asthma could be explained by the presence of bronchial inflammation. The hypothesis was tested that DI induces more relaxation in methacholine induced bronchoconstriction—solely determined by the smooth muscle contraction—than in exercise induced bronchoconstriction, which is contributed to by both smooth muscle contraction and airway wall inflammation. The respiratory conductance (Grs response to DI was monitored in asthmatic children presenting a moderately positive airway response to challenge by methacholine (n = 36 or exercise (n = 37, and expressed as the post- to pre-DI Grs ratio (GrsDI. Both groups showed similar change in FEV1 after challenge and performed a DI of similar amplitude. GrsDI however was significantly larger in methacholine than in exercise induced bronchoconstriction (p < 0.02. The bronchodilatory effect of DI is thus less during exercise- than methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction. The observation is consistent with airway wall inflammation—that characterizes exercise induced bronchoconstriction—rendering the airways less responsive to DI. More generally, it is surmised that less relief of bronchoconstriction by DI is to be expected during indirect than direct airway challenge. The current suggestion that airway smooth muscle constriction and airway wall inflammation may result in opposing effects on the bronchomotor action of DI opens important perspective to the routine testing of asthmatic children. New crossover research protocols comparing the mechanical consequences of the DI maneuver are warranted during direct and indirect bronchial challenges.

Report on the research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants in operation sponsored by Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour. Period under report: 1 January - 30 June 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

Within its competence for energy research, the Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Arbeit (BMWA) (Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour) sponsors research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations and to the further development of safety technology. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWA, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The reports are published by the Research Management Division of GRS. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system 'Joint Safety Research Index' of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWA does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.)

The DOPAS full-scale demonstation of plugs and seals project and related GRS national RD and D programs. A retrospective view on 24-month of investigation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Czaikowski, Oliver; Meyer, Thorsten; Miehe, Ruediger [GRS mbH, Braunschweig (Germany). Final Repository Safety Div.

2015-07-01

The DOPAS Full-Scale Demonstration of Plugs and Seals project consisting of 14 beneficiaries from 8 European countries brings forward important demonstration activities in plugging and sealing. These activities are also a part of each participants national long-term RD and D programm and are therefore jointly funded by Euratom's Seventh Framework Programme and national funding organizations. The Demonstration experiments which will be partially or wholly implemented during the DOPAS project are a full-scale seal (FSS) implemented in Saint-Dizier in France, an experimental pressure sealing plug (EPSP) underground in the Josef Gallery in Czech Republic, a deposition tunnel dome plug (DOMPLU) in the AespoeHard Rock Laboratory in Sweden, a deposition tunnel wedge plug (POPLU) in the underground rock characterization facility ONKALO (future spent fuel repository) in Finland, and components of a shaft sealing system (ELSA) in Germany (Dopas 2012). ELSA is a program of laboratory and in-situ experiments that will be used to further develop the reference shaft seal for the German disposal concept for a repository in rock salt and to develop reference shaft seals for a repository in clay host rocks (Kudla et al. 2013). On behalf of BMWi, the national funding organization for R and D work related to radioactive waste management, facing the ELSA project phase 3, GRS is investigating sealing and backfilling materials planned to be utilized in salt and clay formations. The program aims at providing experimental data needed for the theoretical analysis of the long-term sealing capacity of these sealing materials. According to current R and D work on the salt option, the shaft and drift seal components considered in Germany comprise seal components consisting of MgO and cement based salt concrete (Mueller-Hoeppe et al. 2012). In order to demonstrate hydro-mechanical material stability under representative load scenarios, the sealing capacity of the seal system and the impact

NRC comprehensive records disposition schedule

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-07-01

Effective January 1, 1982, NRC will institute records retention and disposal practices in accordance with the approved Comprehensive Records Disposition Schedule (CRDS). CRDS is comprised of NRC Schedules (NRCS) 1 to 4 which apply to the agency's program or substantive records and General Records Schedules (GRS) 1 to 22 which apply to housekeeping or facilitative records. The schedules are assembled functionally/organizationally to facilitate their use. Preceding the records descriptions and disposition instructions for both NRCS and GRS, there are brief statements on the organizational units which accumulate the records in each functional area, and other information regarding the schedules' applicability

Safety assessment of computerized instrumentation and control for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fride, B.; Henry, J.Y.; Manners, S.

1996-01-01

France's latest 1400 MWe 'N4' generation of Pressurised Water Reactors (PWR) use distributed programmable control systems interconnected by data networks. The protection system is also software based. IPSN have the task of evaluating the safety demonstration before the government safety authority (DSIN) give the licensee (EDF) permission to fuel the reactor and to raise power. Some of the different aspects of the evaluation carried out and the methodologies used for assessing the C and I are presented. (author)

Scientific and Technical Report, 1997; Rapport scientifique et technique, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metivier, Henri; Mur, Emmanuelle [eds.; Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire, CEA Centre d' Etudes de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France)

1998-07-01

This report highlights the most significant scientific and technical achievements of the Institute of Nuclear Protection and Safety in 1997. In all 23 reports are grouped in the following 7 sections: 1.Reactor safety; 2.Safety of nuclear facility; 3.Safeguards for radioactive materials and transports; 4.Public protection; 5.Environment protection; 6.Radioactive waste safety; 7.Crisis management. Special attention is paid to the pressurized water and fast neutron reactors and, accordingly, the program PHEBUS PF and the first results obtained with it concerning nuclear safety are reported. The safety of nuclear fuel cycle and spent fuel storage is addressed in a couple of reports, as well as the problem of inspection, measurement and containers for nuclear materials. Concerning the public and environment protection, studies are reported on medical surveillance of people working with CEA Group, and clinical dosimetric follow-up of radiological events as well as the strategy of contaminated site rehabilitation. In the field of radioactive waste management, the IPSN project of Tournemire tunnel and the project of deep disposal are presented. Finally, the issue of major nuclear accidents is approached through the exercise Becquerel, the SESAME system of predicting the radioactive products release in PWR reactors and ASTRAL, the evaluation system of aftermath of an accidental environmental contamination by radioactive release. Each section of this IPSN report is opened by a review paper.

Scientific and Technical Report, 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metivier, Henri; Mur, Emmanuelle

1998-01-01

This report highlights the most significant scientific and technical achievements of the Institute of Nuclear Protection and Safety in 1997. In all 23 reports are grouped in the following 7 sections: 1.Reactor safety; 2.Safety of nuclear facility; 3.Safeguards for radioactive materials and transports; 4.Public protection; 5.Environment protection; 6.Radioactive waste safety; 7.Crisis management. Special attention is paid to the pressurized water and fast neutron reactors and, accordingly, the program PHEBUS PF and the first results obtained with it concerning nuclear safety are reported. The safety of nuclear fuel cycle and spent fuel storage is addressed in a couple of reports, as well as the problem of inspection, measurement and containers for nuclear materials. Concerning the public and environment protection, studies are reported on medical surveillance of people working with CEA Group, and clinical dosimetric follow-up of radiological events as well as the strategy of contaminated site rehabilitation. In the field of radioactive waste management, the IPSN project of Tournemire tunnel and the project of deep disposal are presented. Finally, the issue of major nuclear accidents is approached through the exercise Becquerel, the SESAME system of predicting the radioactive products release in PWR reactors and ASTRAL, the evaluation system of aftermath of an accidental environmental contamination by radioactive release. Each section of this IPSN report is opened by a review paper

Safety in the East: a political and industrial challenge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vesseron, P.

1995-01-01

Nuclear power is still an issue in the East, and there is a long way to go before the situation will become satisfactory. The most complicated part is the transfer of safety culture, which will be a much longer and trickier task than modernizing the facilities. This transfer calls for long-term cooperation among entities playing the same roles in the East and West. Europe has clearly understood this situation, and has organized its assistance program in such a way as to promote this cooperation on concrete issues. One good example of what a global assistance strategy should be is the Moshouse project, involving electricians, builders, and safety organization in intimate long-term cooperation, while facilitating early shutdown of the riskier reactors. For the IPSN, cooperation with the other TSO's (Technical Safety Organizations) is the main strategy line for all action taken in the East. Starting from situations where the IPSN and its partners in the West enjoy almost direct support from the local authorities, the purpose is to spawn and foster competence within the country by cooperative safety research and by developing analytical tools for accident situations. When the moment comes, if the local political determination and the economic situation so permit, the safety authorities will then be able to ensure the development of the safety culture on their own, in their own country. (author)

Oklo working group meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Von Maravic, H.

1993-01-01

Natural analogue studies have been carried out for several years in the framework of the European Community's R and D programme on radioactive waste; and within its recent fourth five-year programme on 'Management and storage of radioactive waste (1990-94)' the Community is participating in the Oklo study, natural analogue for transfer processes in a geological repository. The Oklo project is coordinated by CEA-IPSN (F) and involves laboratories from several CEA directorates (IPSN, DTA and DCC) which collaborate with other institutions from France: CREGU, Nancy; CNRS, Strasbourg and ENSMD, Fontainebleau. Moreover, institutes from non-EC member States are also taking part in the Oklo study. The second joint CEC-CEA progress meeting of the Oklo Working Group was held in April 1992 in Brussels and gave the possibility of reviewing and discussing progress made since its first meeting in February 1991 at CEA in Fontenay-aux-Roses. About 40 participants from 15 laboratories and organizations coming from France, Canada, Gabon, Japan, Sweden and the USA underline the great interest in the ongoing research activities. The meeting focused on the different tasks within the CEC-CEA Oklo project concerning (i) field survey and sampling, (ii) characterization of the source term, (iii) studies of the petrographical and geochemical system, and (iv) studies of the hydrogeological system and hydrodynamic modelling. (author) 17 papers are presented

INTEGRAL observation of GRS 1739-278 in outburst

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Filippova, E.; Kuulkers, E.; Alfonso-Garzon, J.

2014-01-01

). The 3-200 keV X-ray flux derived from the spectral fit is 5E-9 ergs/cm^2/s (not corrected for absorption). This spectral shape is reminiscent of that displayed by black-hole candidates in the canonical hard state. Further observations of the source with INTEGRAL are planned for March 28....... and JEM-X data (total exposure time 12.6 ks), could be roughly described with a cut-off power-law model. The measured photon index is 1.4+/-0.2 and the energy cut-off is 90(-20+40) keV (we fixed the absorption column density to the Galactic value expected in the direction of the source, i.e. 0.8E22 cm^-2...

Adaptation of GRS calculation codes for Soviet reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langenbuch, S.; Petri, A.; Steinborn, J.; Stenbok, I.A.; Suslow, A.I.

1994-01-01

The use of ATHLET for incident calculation of WWER has been tested and verified in numerous calculations. Further adaptation may be needed for the WWER 1000 plants. Coupling ATHLET with the 3D nuclear model BIPR-8 for WWER cores clearly improves studies of the influence of neutron kinetics. In the case of FBMK reactors ATHLET calculations show that typical incidents in the complex RMBK reactors can be calculated even though verification still has to be worked on. Results of the 3D-core model QUABOX/CUBBOX-HYCA show good correlation of calculated and measured values in reactor plants. Calculations carried out to date were used to check essential parameters influencing RBMK core behaviour especially dependence of effective voidre activity on the number of control rods. (orig./HP) [de

Mediation and modification of genetic susceptibility to obesity by eating behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

de Lauzon-Guillain, Blandine; Clifton, Emma Ad; Day, Felix R; Clément, Karine; Brage, Soren; Forouhi, Nita G; Griffin, Simon J; Koudou, Yves Akoli; Pelloux, Véronique; Wareham, Nicholas J; Charles, Marie-Aline; Heude, Barbara; Ong, Ken K

2017-10-01

Background: Many genetic variants show highly robust associations with body mass index (BMI). However, the mechanisms through which genetic susceptibility to obesity operates are not well understood. Potentially modifiable mechanisms, including eating behaviors, are of particular interest to public health. Objective: Here we explore whether eating behaviors mediate or modify genetic susceptibility to obesity. Design: Genetic risk scores for BMI (BMI-GRSs) were calculated for 3515 and 2154 adults in the Fenland and EDEN (Etude des déterminants pré et postnatals de la santé et du développement de l'enfant) population-based cohort studies, respectively. The eating behaviors-emotional eating, uncontrolled eating, and cognitive restraint-were measured through the use of a validated questionnaire. The mediating effect of each eating behavior on the association between the BMI-GRS and measured BMI was assessed by using the Sobel test. In addition, we tested for interactions between each eating behavior and the BMI-GRS on BMI. Results: The association between the BMI-GRS and BMI was mediated by both emotional eating (EDEN: P- Sobel = 0.01; Fenland: P- Sobel = 0.02) and uncontrolled eating (EDEN: P- Sobel = 0.04; Fenland: P -Sobel = 0.0006) in both sexes combined. Cognitive restraint did not mediate this association ( P -Sobel > 0.10), except among EDEN women ( P -Sobel = 0.0009). Cognitive restraint modified the relation between the BMI-GRS and BMI among men (EDEN: P -interaction = 0.0001; Fenland: P -interaction = 0.04) and Fenland women ( P -interaction = 0.0004). By tertiles of cognitive restraint, the association between the BMI-GRS and BMI was strongest in the lowest tertile of cognitive restraint, and weakest in the highest tertile. Conclusions: Genetic susceptibility to obesity was partially mediated by the "appetitive" eating behavior traits (uncontrolled and emotional eating) and, in 3 of the 4 population groups studied, was modified by cognitive restraint

Charged-particle induced radiation damage of a HPGe gamma-ray detector during spaceflight

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evans, Larry G. [Computer Sciences Corporation, Science Programs, Lanham, MD 20706 (United States); Starr, Richard [The Catholic University of America, Department of Physics, Washington, DC 20064 (United States); Brueckner, Johannes [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Chemie, Mainz (Germany); Boynton, William V. [University of Arizona, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Bailey, S.H. [University of Arizona, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Trombka, J.I. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 691, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

1999-02-11

The Mars Observer spacecraft was launched on September 26, 1992 with a planned arrival at Mars after an 11-month cruise. Among the scientific instruments carried on the spacecraft was a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) experiment to measure the composition of Mars. The GRS used a passively cooled high-purity germanium detector for measurements in the 0.2-10 MeV region. The sensor was a closed-end co-axial detector, 5.5 cm diameter by 5.5 cm long, and had an efficiency along its axis of 28% at 1332 keV relative to a standard NaI(Tl) detector. The sensor was surrounded by a thin (0.5 cm) plastic charged-particle shield. This was the first planetary mission to use a cooled Ge detector. It was expected that the long duration in space of three years would cause an increase in the energy resolution of the detector due to radiation damage and could affect the expected science return of the GRS. Shortly before arrival, on August 21, 1993, contact was lost with the spacecraft following the pressurization of the propellent tank for the orbital-insertion rocket motor. During much of the cruise to Mars, the GRS was actively collecting background data. The instrument provided over 1200 h of data collection during periods of both quiescent sun and solar flares. From the charged particle interactions in the shield, the total number of cosmic ray hits on the detector could be determined. The average cosmic ray flux at the MO GRS was about 2.5 cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}. The estimated fluence of charged particles during cruise was about 10{sup 8} particles cm{sup -2} with 31% of these occurring during a single solar proton event of approximately 10 days duration. During cruise, the detector energy resolution determined from a background gamma-ray at 1312 keV degraded from 2.4 keV full-width at half-maximum shortly after launch to 6.4 keV 11 months later. This result agrees well with measurements from ground-based accelerator irradiations (at 1.5 GeV) on a similar size detector.

Annual report on reactor safety research projects sponsored by the Ministry of Economics and Technology of the Federal Republic of Germany. Reporting period 2005. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

Within its competence for energy research, the Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Technology (BMWi) (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology) sponsors investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants. The objective of these investigations is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such investigations by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system 'Joint Safety Research Index' of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.)

Annual report on reactor safety research projects. Reporting period 2011. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS)mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRSF- Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Project Management Agency/Authority Support Division of GRS. The reports as of the year 2000 are available in the Internet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (http://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index (JSRI)''. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.)

Annual report on reactor safety research projects. Reporting period 2013. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Within its competence for energy research the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) sponsors research projects on the safety of nuclear power plants currently in operation. The objective of these projects is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS)mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such research projects by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRSF- Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work. The progress reports are published by the Project Management Agency/Authority Support Division of GRS. The reports as of the year 2000 are available in the Internet-based information system on results and data of reactor safety research (http://www.grs-fbw.de). The compilation of the reports is classified according to the classification system ''Joint Safety Research Index (JSRI)''. The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.)

Interaction of a genetic risk score with physical activity, physical inactivity, and body mass index in relation to venous thromboembolism risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jihye; Kraft, Peter; Hagan, Kaitlin A; Harrington, Laura B; Lindstroem, Sara; Kabrhel, Christopher

2018-06-01

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is highly heritable. Physical activity, physical inactivity and body mass index (BMI) are also risk factors, but evidence of interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors is limited. Data on 2,134 VTE cases and 3,890 matched controls were obtained from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). We calculated a weighted genetic risk score (wGRS) using 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with VTE risk in published genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Data on three risk factors, physical activity (metabolic equivalent [MET] hours per week), physical inactivity (sitting hours per week) and BMI, were obtained from biennial questionnaires. VTE cases were incident since cohort inception; controls were matched to cases on age, cohort, and genotype array. Using conditional logistic regression, we assessed joint effects and interaction effects on both additive and multiplicative scales. We also ran models using continuous wGRS stratified by risk-factor categories. We observed a supra-additive interaction between wGRS and BMI. Having both high wGRS and high BMI was associated with a 3.4-fold greater risk of VTE (relative excess risk due to interaction = 0.69, p = 0.046). However, we did not find evidence for a multiplicative interaction with BMI. No interactions were observed for physical activity or inactivity. We found a synergetic effect between a genetic risk score and high BMI on the risk of VTE. Intervention efforts lowering BMI to decrease VTE risk may have particularly large beneficial effects among individuals with high genetic risk. © 2018 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Annual report on reactor safety research projects sponsored by the Ministry of Economics and Labour of the Federal Republic of Germany. Reporting period 2004. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

Within its competence for energy research, the Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Technology (BMWi) (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology) sponsors investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants. The objective of these investigations is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such investigations by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system 'Joint Safety Research Index' of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.)

Research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants. Period covered: 01. July - 31. Dezember 2004. Progress report; Forschungsvorhaben auf dem Gebiet der Reaktorsicherheit. Berichtszeitraum: 01. Juli - 31. Dezember 2004. Fortschrittsbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

Within its competence for energy research, the Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Technology (BMWi) (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology) sponsors investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants. The objective of these investigations is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such investigations by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system 'Joint Safety Research Index' of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.)

Annual report on reactor safety research projects sponsored by the Ministry of Economics and Labour of the Federal Republic of Germany. Reporting period 2004. Progress report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

Within its competence for energy research, the Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Technology (BMWi) (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology) sponsors investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants. The objective of these investigations is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such investigations by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system 'Joint Safety Research Index' of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.)

Research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants. Period covered: 01. July - 31. December 2004. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

Within its competence for energy research, the Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Technology (BMWi) (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology) sponsors investigations into the safety of nuclear power plants. The objective of these investigations is to provide fundamental knowledge, procedures and methods to contribute to realistic safety assessments of nuclear installations, to the further development of safety technology and to make use of the potential of innovative safety-related approaches. The Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, by order of the BMWi, continuously issues information on the status of such investigations by publishing semi-annual and annual progress reports within the series of GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about the objectives, work performed, results achieved, next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the research organisations themselves as documentation of their progress in work and are published by the Research Management Division of GRS within the framework of general information on the progress in reactor safety research. The compilation of the reports is classified according to general topics related to reactor safety research. Further, use is made of the classification system 'Joint Safety Research Index' of the CEC (Commission of the European Communities). The reports are arranged in sequence of their project numbers. It has to be pointed out that the authors of the reports are responsible for the contents of this compilation. The BMWi does not take any responsibility for the correctness, exactness and completeness of the information nor for the observance of private claims of third parties. (orig.)

Radioactivity in a mountain ecosystem: the Haut Bassin du Var

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

After the Chernobyl accident, the IPSN realized a study of the radioactive fallout in the mountain area of the Var (France). Today the main radionuclides are the cesium 134 and 137, others disappeared because of their short half-life. In this paper, the artificial radioactivity of soils and sediments is concerned. The study shows a concentration of the contamination in some specific areas, especially in soils abounding in organic matter. The dose measured can not lead to significant exposures. (A.L.B.)

Part of an observatory of opinions on risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brenot, J.

1999-01-01

An observatory of opinions about risks constitutes the frame in which can be developed exchanges between research workers, engineers, experts, persons in charge of authorities and societies managers for who the way whom the public takes into account the risks constitutes an element of the management, the decision or the communication. The Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (I.P.S.N.) has, with the passing of the years, build a such observatory whom activities are developed according to several directions. (N.C.)

Safety assessment of computerized instrumentation and control for nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fride, B.; Henry, J.Y.; Manners, S.

1996-12-31

France`s latest 1400 MWe `N4` generation of Pressurised Water Reactors (PWR) use distributed programmable control systems interconnected by data networks. The protection system is also software based. IPSN have the task of evaluating the safety demonstration before the government safety authority (DSIN) give the licensee (EDF) permission to fuel the reactor and to raise power. Some of the different aspects of the evaluation carried out and the methodologies used for assessing the C and I are presented. (author). 3 refs.

Functional analysis of controbloc incidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouffon, A.; Jorel, M.

1992-11-01

The subject of the present paper is the survey jointly carried out in 1989 by the IPSN Safety Analysis Department and the Firm BERTIN and Co. on significant incidents related to the Controbloc system equipping the EDF 1300 MWe PWR power plants in France. This survey consisted in a general review of Controbloc operating problems, together with analysis of the safety consequences of the incidents discussed. The survey enabled improvements to be recommended in this respect and provided a basis for safety analysis

Radioactivity in a mountain ecosystem: the Haut Bassin du Var; La radioactivite dans un ecosysteme de montagne: le haut bassin du var

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-07-01

After the Chernobyl accident, the IPSN realized a study of the radioactive fallout in the mountain area of the Var (France). Today the main radionuclides are the cesium 134 and 137, others disappeared because of their short half-life. In this paper, the artificial radioactivity of soils and sediments is concerned. The study shows a concentration of the contamination in some specific areas, especially in soils abounding in organic matter. The dose measured can not lead to significant exposures. (A.L.B.)

Common and rare variants in the exons and regulatory regions of osteoporosis-related genes improve osteoporotic fracture risk prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seung Hun; Kang, Moo Il; Ahn, Seong Hee; Lim, Kyeong-Hye; Lee, Gun Eui; Shin, Eun-Soon; Lee, Jong-Eun; Kim, Beom-Jun; Cho, Eun-Hee; Kim, Sang-Wook; Kim, Tae-Ho; Kim, Hyun-Ju; Yoon, Kun-Ho; Lee, Won Chul; Kim, Ghi Su; Koh, Jung-Min; Kim, Shin-Yoon

2014-11-01

Osteoporotic fracture risk is highly heritable, but genome-wide association studies have explained only a small proportion of the heritability to date. Genetic data may improve prediction of fracture risk in osteopenic subjects and assist early intervention and management. To detect common and rare variants in coding and regulatory regions related to osteoporosis-related traits, and to investigate whether genetic profiling improves the prediction of fracture risk. This cross-sectional study was conducted in three clinical units in Korea. Postmenopausal women with extreme phenotypes (n = 982) were used for the discovery set, and 3895 participants were used for the replication set. We performed targeted resequencing of 198 genes. Genetic risk scores from common variants (GRS-C) and from common and rare variants (GRS-T) were calculated. Nineteen common variants in 17 genes (of the discovered 34 functional variants in 26 genes) and 31 rare variants in five genes (of the discovered 87 functional variants in 15 genes) were associated with one or more osteoporosis-related traits. Accuracy of fracture risk classification was improved in the osteopenic patients by adding GRS-C to fracture risk assessment models (6.8%; P risk in an osteopenic individual.

Transcriptome and Expression Patterns of Chemosensory Genes in Antennae of the Parasitoid Wasp Chouioia cunea.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanni Zhao

Full Text Available Chouioia cunea Yang is an endoparasitic wasp that attacks pupae of Hyphantria cunea (Drury, an invasive moth species that severely damages forests in China. Chemosensory systems of insects are used to detect volatile chemical odors such as female sex pheromones and host plant volatiles. The antennae of parasite wasps are important for host detection and other sensory-mediated behaviors. We identified and documented differential expression profiles of chemoreception genes in C. cunea antennae. A total of 25 OBPs, 80 ORs, 10 IRs, 11 CSP, 1 SNMPs, and 17 GRs were annotated from adult male and female C. cunea antennal transcriptomes. The expression profiles of 25 OBPs, 16 ORs, and 17 GRs, 5 CSP, 5 IRs and 1 SNMP were determined by RT-PCR and RT-qPCR for the antenna, head, thorax, and abdomen of male and female C. cunea. A total of 8 OBPs, 14 ORs, and 8 GRs, 1 CSP, 4 IRs and 1 SNMPs were exclusively or primarily expressed in female antennae. These female antennal-specific or dominant expression profiles may assist in locating suitable host and oviposition sites. These genes will provide useful targets for advanced study of their biological functions.

Effect of genetic polymorphisms on development of gout.

Science.gov (United States)

Urano, Wako; Taniguchi, Atsuo; Inoue, Eisuke; Sekita, Chieko; Ichikawa, Naomi; Koseki, Yumi; Kamatani, Naoyuki; Yamanaka, Hisashi

2013-08-01

To validate the association between genetic polymorphisms and gout in Japanese patients, and to investigate the cumulative effects of multiple genetic factors on the development of gout. Subjects were 153 Japanese male patients with gout and 532 male controls. The genotypes of 11 polymorphisms in the 10 genes that have been indicated to be associated with serum uric acid levels or gout were determined. The cumulative effects of the genetic polymorphisms were investigated using a weighted genotype risk score (wGRS) based on the number of risk alleles and the OR for gout. A model to discriminate between patients with gout and controls was constructed by incorporating the wGRS and clinical factors. C statistics method was applied to evaluate the capability of the model to discriminate gout patients from controls. Seven polymorphisms were shown to be associated with gout. The mean wGRS was significantly higher in patients with gout (15.2 ± 2.01) compared to controls (13.4 ± 2.10; p gout. A prediction model for gout that incorporates genetic and clinical factors may be useful for identifying individuals who are at risk of gout.

Improving long-range dispersion predictions with ETEX real-time and a-posteriori model evaluations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desiato, F.

1997-01-01

The Italian environmental Protection Agency (ANPA), which is responsible for the evaluation of the consequences of accidental releases into the atmosphere, has participated to both the real-time (phase-1) and a-posteriori (phase-2) ETEX model evaluations. The double benchmark actually constituted an invaluable experience for better understanding the skill and limits of the present long-range dispersion modelling capabilities. In particular, the strong difference between phase-1 and phase-2 model performance emphasised the opportunity to modify, improve or tune a number of specific aspects of the overall simulation. ETEX model runs were carried out with the Lagrangian particle model APOLLO. The meteorological input was constituted by ECMWF fields. Three-hourly average concentrations paired in space and time and time-integrated concentrations were used in the evaluation of the results, based on a set of statistical indexes and concentration contour lines and scatter diagrams

2007 Plant Metabolic Engineering Gordon Conference and Graduate Research Seminar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erich Grotewold

2008-09-15

Plant Metabolic Engineering is an emerging field that integrates a diverse range of disciplines including plant genetics, genomics, biochemistry, chemistry and cell biology. The Gordon-Kenan Graduate Research Seminar (GRS) in Plant Metabolic Engineering was initiated to provide a unique opportunity for future researcher leaders to present their work in this field. It also creates an environment allowing for peer-review and critical assessment of work without the intimidation usually associated with the presence of senior investigators. The GRS immediately precedes the Plant Metabolic Engineering Gordon Research Conference and will be for and by graduate students and post-docs, with the assistance of the organizers listed.

INTEGRAL observation of 3EG J1736-2908

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Di Cocco, G.; Foschini, L.; Grandi, P.

2004-01-01

The possible identification by INTEGRAL of the EGRET source 3EG J1736-2908 with the active galactic nucleus GRS 1734-292 is discussed. The latter was discovered in 1990 and later identified with a Seyfert 1 galaxy. At the time of the compilation of the 3rd EGRET Catalog, it was not considered...... as a possible counterpart of the source 3EG J1736-2908, which remained unidentified. A detailed multiwavelength study of the EGRET error circle is presented, by including archival radio, soft- and hard-X observations, suggesting that GRS 1734-292 could be a likely counterpart of 3EG J1736-2908, even though...

PRIMA-X Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lorenz, Daniel [German Research School for Simulation Sciences GmbH, Aachen (Germany); Wolf, Felix [German Research School for Simulation Sciences GmbH, Aachen (Germany)

2016-02-17

The PRIMA-X (Performance Retargeting of Instrumentation, Measurement, and Analysis Technologies for Exascale Computing) project is the successor of the DOE PRIMA (Performance Refactoring of Instrumentation, Measurement, and Analysis Technologies for Petascale Computing) project, which addressed the challenge of creating a core measurement infrastructure that would serve as a common platform for both integrating leading parallel performance systems (notably TAU and Scalasca) and developing next-generation scalable performance tools. The PRIMA-X project shifts the focus away from refactorization of robust performance tools towards a re-targeting of the parallel performance measurement and analysis architecture for extreme scales. The massive concurrency, asynchronous execution dynamics, hardware heterogeneity, and multi-objective prerequisites (performance, power, resilience) that identify exascale systems introduce fundamental constraints on the ability to carry forward existing performance methodologies. In particular, there must be a deemphasis of per-thread observation techniques to significantly reduce the otherwise unsustainable flood of redundant performance data. Instead, it will be necessary to assimilate multi-level resource observations into macroscopic performance views, from which resilient performance metrics can be attributed to the computational features of the application. This requires a scalable framework for node-level and system-wide monitoring and runtime analyses of dynamic performance information. Also, the interest in optimizing parallelism parameters with respect to performance and energy drives the integration of tool capabilities in the exascale environment further. Initially, PRIMA-X was a collaborative project between the University of Oregon (lead institution) and the German Research School for Simulation Sciences (GRS). Because Prof. Wolf, the PI at GRS, accepted a position as full professor at Technische Universität Darmstadt (TU

The FOCON96 1.0 computer code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merle-Szeremeta, A.; Thomassin, A.

1999-01-01

The Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (I.P.S.N.) has developed a computer code, FOCON96 1.0 to calculate the dosimetric consequences of atmospheric radioactive releases from nuclear installations after several years of usual operation. This communication describes the principal characteristics of FOCON96 1.0 and its functionalities. The principal elements of a comparison between FOCON96 1.0 and PC-CREAM ( European computer code developed by the N.R.P.B. and answering the same criteria) are given here. (N.C.)

OST: analysis tool for real time software by simulation of material and software environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boulc'h; Le Meur; Lapassat; Salichon; Segalard

1988-07-01

The utilization of microprocessors systems in a nuclear installation control oblige a great operation safety in the installation operation and in the environment protection. For the safety analysis of these installations the Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (IPSN) will dispose tools which permit to make controls during all the life of the software. The simulation and test tool (OST) which have been created is completely made by softwares. It is used on VAX calculators and can be easily transportable on other calculators [fr

Simulations of photochemical smog formation in complex urban areas

Science.gov (United States)

Muilwijk, C.; Schrijvers, P. J. C.; Wuerz, S.; Kenjereš, S.

2016-12-01

In the present study we numerically investigated the dispersion of photochemical reactive pollutants in complex urban areas by applying an integrated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Computational Reaction Dynamics (CRD) approach. To model chemical reactions involved in smog generation, the Generic Reaction Set (GRS) approach is used. The GRS model was selected since it does not require detailed modeling of a large set of reactive components. Smog formation is modeled first in the case of an intensive traffic emission, subjected to low to moderate wind conditions in an idealized two-dimensional street canyon with a building aspect ratio (height/width) of one. It is found that Reactive Organic Components (ROC) play an important role in the chemistry of smog formation. In contrast to the NOx/O3 photochemical steady state model that predicts a depletion of the (ground level) ozone, the GRS model predicts generation of ozone. Secondly, the effect of direct sunlight and shadow within the street canyon on the chemical reaction dynamics is investigated for three characteristic solar angles (morning, midday and afternoon). Large differences of up to one order of magnitude are found in the ozone production for different solar angles. As a proof of concept for real urban areas, the integrated CFD/CRD approach is applied for a real scale (1 × 1 km2) complex urban area (a district of the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands) with high traffic emissions. The predicted pollutant concentration levels give realistic values that correspond to moderate to heavy smog. It is concluded that the integrated CFD/CRD method with the GRS model of chemical reactions is both accurate and numerically robust, and can be used for modeling of smog formation in complex urban areas.

Mechanical and hydraulic behaviour of compacting crushed salt backfill at low porosities. Project REPOPERM. Phase 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kroehn, Klaus-Peter; Czaikowski, Oliver; Wieczorek, Klaus; Zhang, Chun-Liang; Moog, Helge; Friedenberg, Larissa [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, Koeln (Germany); Stuehrenberg, Dieter; Heemann, Ulrich [Bundesanstalt fuer Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), Hannover (Germany); Jobmann, Michael; Mueller, Christian; Schirmer, Sonja [DBE Technology GmbH (DBE TEC), Peine (Germany)

2017-02-15

The compaction behavior of crushed salt has been extensively investigated by means of experimental as well as theoretical work. The readiness of numerical tools for the application to modeling the complex coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in the crushed salt backfilled in a repository in salt rock has also been demonstrated. Compaction tests were performed under repository-relevant conditions. These tests were supplemented by laboratory work aiming at specific aspects of compaction. The following list covers the topics of these investigations as well as the main results. - Revisiting the determination of the porosity in relevant, past experiments (BGR). - Influence of the grain size distribution on compaction (BGR). - Triaxial compaction test with dry material at low porosities (BGR). - Investigation of the influence of humidity on compaction covers several subtopics. - Permeability associated with low porosity includes two subtopics. - Constitutive equations for two -phase flow (GRS). - Microstructural Investigations (DBE TEC). Parallel to the experimental work attention focussed on several aspects of the basics for modelling the compaction of crushed salt. This work covers checking the validity of the established numerical tools as well as exploring new methods. Topics and main results are listed here: - Development/definition and comparison of constitutive models (BGR). - Benchmark calculations (BGR and GRS). - Capability of scaling-rules for capillary pressure from the oil industry (GRS). - Application of discrete element codes to compacting crushed salt (DBE TEC). Finally, repository-relevant scenarios are discussed as a basis for a realistic but generic numerical model of brine inflow in to a converging back filled drift under a thermal gradient (GRS). This exercise demonstrates the feasibility of modelling crushed salt compaction as a fully coupled thermohydraulic-mechanical process including two-phase flow effects.

Development and validation of a predictive model for the growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in post-harvest shellstock oysters.

Science.gov (United States)

Parveen, Salina; DaSilva, Ligia; DePaola, Angelo; Bowers, John; White, Chanelle; Munasinghe, Kumudini Apsara; Brohawn, Kathy; Mudoh, Meshack; Tamplin, Mark

2013-01-15

Information is limited about the growth and survival of naturally-occurring Vibrio parahaemolyticus in live oysters under commercially relevant storage conditions harvested from different regions and in different oyster species. This study produced a predictive model for the growth of naturally-occurring V. parahaemolyticus in live Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) harvested from the Chesapeake Bay, MD, USA and stored at 5-30 °C until oysters gapped. The model was validated with model-independent data collected from Eastern oysters harvested from the Chesapeake Bay and Mobile Bay, AL, USA and Asian (C. ariakensis) oysters from the Chesapeake Bay, VA, USA. The effect of harvest season, region and water condition on growth rate (GR) was also tested. At each time interval, two samples consisting of six oysters each were analyzed by a direct-plating method for total V. parahaemolyticus. The Baranyi D-model was fitted to the total V. parahaemolyticus growth and survival data. A secondary model was produced using the square root model. V. parahaemolyticus slowly inactivated at 5 and 10 °C with average rates of -0.002 and -0.001 log cfu/h, respectively. The average GRs at 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C were 0.038, 0.082, 0.228, and 0.219 log cfu/h, respectively. The bias and accuracy factors of the secondary model for model-independent data were 1.36 and 1.46 for Eastern oysters from Mobile Bay and the Chesapeake Bay, respectively. V. parahaemolyticus GRs were markedly lower in Asian oysters. Harvest temperature, salinity, region and season had no effect on GRs. The observed GRs were less than those predicted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's V. parahaemolyticus quantitative risk assessment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic variation of fasting glucose and changes in glycemia in response to 2-year weight-loss diet intervention: the POUNDS Lost trial

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tiange; Huang, Tao; Zheng, Yan; Rood, Jennifer; Bray, George A.; Sacks, Frank M.; Qi, Lu

2016-01-01

Objective Weight loss intervention through diet modification has been widely used to improve obesity-related hyperglycemia; however, little is known about whether genetic variation modifies the intervention effect. We examined the interaction between weight-loss diets and genetic variation of fasting glucose on changes in glycemic traits in a dietary intervention trial. Research Design and Methods The Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS LOST) trial is a randomized, controlled 2-year weight-loss trial. We assessed overall genetic variation of fasting glucose by calculating a genetic risk score (GRS) based on 14 fasting glucose-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms, and examined the progression in fasting glucose and insulin levels, and insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity in 733 adults from this trial. Results The GRS was associated with 6-month changes in fasting glucose (Pfasting insulin (P=0.042), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, P=0.009) and insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S, P=0.043). We observed significant interaction between the GRS and dietary fat on 6-month changes in fasting glucose, HOMA-IR and HOMA-S after multivariable adjustment (P-interaction=0.007, 0.045, and 0.028, respectively). After further adjustment for weight loss, the interaction remained significant on change in fasting glucose (P=0.015). In the high-fat diet group, participants in the highest GRS tertile showed increased fasting glucose, whereas participants in the lowest tertile showed decreased fasting glucose (P-trend<0.001); in contrast, the genetic association was not significant in the low-fat diet group (P-trend=0.087). Conclusions Our data suggest that participants with a higher genetic risk may benefit more by eating a low-fat diet to improve glucose metabolism. PMID:27113490

METABOLIC ENGINEERING OF RAFFINOSE-FAMILY OLIGOSACCHARIDES IN THE PHLOEM REVEALS ALTERATIONS IN CARBON PARTITIONING AND ENHANCES RESISTANCE TO GREEN PEACH APHID

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Te eCao

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Many plants employ energized loading strategies to accumulate osmotically-active solutes into the phloem of source organs to accentuate the hydrostatic pressure gradients that drive the flow of water, nutrients and signals from source to sinks. Proton-coupled symport of sugars from the apoplasm into the phloem symplasm is the best studied phloem-loading mechanism. As an alternative, numerous species use a polymer trapping mechanism to load through symplasm: sucrose enters the phloem through specialized plasmodesmata and is converted to raffinose-family oligosaccharides (RFOs which accumulate because of their larger size. In this study, metabolic engineering was used to generate RFOs at the inception of the translocation stream of Arabidopsis thaliana, which loads from the apoplasm and transports predominantly sucrose, and the fate of the sugars throughout the plant determined. Three genes, GALACTINOL SYNTHASE, RAFFINOSE SYNTHASE and STACHYOSE SYNTHASE, were expressed from promoters specific to the companion cells of minor veins. Two transgenic lines homozygous for all three genes (GRS63 and GRS47 were selected for further analysis. Three-week-old plants of both lines had RFO levels approaching 50% of total soluble sugar. RFOs were also identified in exudates from excised leaves of transgenic plants whereas levels were negligible in exudates from wild type (WT leaves. Differences in starch accumulation between WT and GRS63 and GRS47 lines were not observed. Similarly, there were no differences in vegetative growth between WT and engineered plants, but the latter flowered slightly earlier. Finally, since the sugar composition of the translocation stream appeared altered, we tested for an impact on green peach aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer feeding. When given a choice between WT and transgenic plants, green peach aphids preferred settling on the WT plants. Furthermore, green peach aphid fecundity was lower on the transgenic plants compared to the WT

Accretion onto stellar mass black holes

Science.gov (United States)

Deegan, Patrick

2009-12-01

I present work on the accretion onto stellar mass black holes in several scenarios. Due to dynamical friction stellar mass black holes are expected to form high density cusps in the inner parsec of our Galaxy. These compact remnants may be accreting cold dense gas present there, and give rise to potentially observable X-ray emission. I build a simple but detailed time-dependent model of such emission. Future observations of the distribution and orbits of the gas in the inner parsec of Sgr A* will put tighter constraints on the cusp of compact remnants. GRS 1915+105 is an LMXB, whose large orbital period implies a very large accretion disc and explains the extraordinary duration of its current outburst. I present smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations of the accretion disc. The models includes the thermo-viscous instability, irradiation from the central object and wind loss. I find that the outburst of GRS 1915+105 should last a minimum of 20 years and up to ˜ 100 years if the irradiation is playing a significant role in this system. The predicted recurrence times are of the order of 104 years, making the duty cycle of GRS 1915+105 to be a few 0.1%. I present a simple analytical method to describe the observable behaviour of long period black hole LMXBs, similar to GRS 1915+105. Constructing two simple models for the surface density in the disc, outburst and quiescence times are calculated as a function of orbital period. LMXBs are an important constituent of the X-ray light function (XLF) of giant elliptical galaxies. I find that the duty cycle can vary considerably with orbital period, with implications for modelling the XLF.

Heater test in the Opalinus Clay of the Mont Terri URL. Gas release and water redistribution - Contribution to heater experiment (HE); Rock and bentonite thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes in the nearfield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jockwer, N.; Wieczorek, K.

2006-06-01

Beside salt and granite, clay formations are investigated as potential host rocks for disposing radioactive waste. In Switzerland in the canton Jura close to the city of St. Ursanne, an underground laboratory was built in the vicinity of the reconnaissance gallery of a motorway tunnel. Since 1995, a consortium of 12 international organisations is running this laboratory for investigating the suitability of the Opalinus clay formation with regard to disposal of radioactive waste. In 1999, the Heater Experiment B (HE-B) was started for investigating the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes of the Opalinus clay in interaction with the bentonite buffer. The principal contractors of this project were the Bundesanstalt fuer Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), the Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radiactivos S. A. (ENRESA), the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, and the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (NAGRA). GRS participated in that experiment for determining the subjects of gas generation, gas release, water content, and water redistribution in the Opalinus clay during heating. This was achieved by analysing gas and water samples from the test field before, during, and after the heating period and by performing geoelectric tomography measurements in the heated region. The in-situ measurements were supported by an additional laboratory programme. This report deals with the work of GRS performed in this project during the years 1999 to 2005. All the results obtained in the frame of the project are presented. Additional laboratory measurements conducted by the Pore Water Laboratory at CIEMAT in Madrid are also presented. The participation of GRS was funded by German Ministry of Economics and Labour (BMWA) under the contract No. 02 E 9602 and by the Commission of the European Communities under the contract No. FIKW.CT-2001-00132. (orig.)

Analysis of loss of offsite power events reported in nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Volkanovski, Andrija, E-mail: Andrija.VOLKANOVSKI@ec.europa.eu [European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Energy and Transport, P.O. Box 2, NL-1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Ballesteros Avila, Antonio; Peinador Veira, Miguel [European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Energy and Transport, P.O. Box 2, NL-1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Kančev, Duško [Kernkraftwerk Goesgen-Daeniken AG, CH-4658 Daeniken (Switzerland); Maqua, Michael [Gesellschaft für Anlagen-und-Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, Schwertnergasse 1, 50667 Köln (Germany); Stephan, Jean-Luc [Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), BP 17 – 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex (France)

2016-10-15

Highlights: • Loss of offsite power events were identified in four databases. • Engineering analysis of relevant events was done. • The dominant root cause for LOOP are human failures. • Improved maintenance procedures can decrease the number of LOOP events. - Abstract: This paper presents the results of analysis of the loss of offsite power events (LOOP) in four databases of operational events. The screened databases include: the Gesellschaft für Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit mbH (GRS) and Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) databases, the IAEA International Reporting System for Operating Experience (IRS) and the U.S. Licensee Event Reports (LER). In total 228 relevant loss of offsite power events were identified in the IRSN database, 190 in the GRS database, 120 in U.S. LER and 52 in IRS database. Identified events were classified in predefined categories. Obtained results show that the largest percentage of LOOP events is registered during On power operational mode and lasted for two minutes or more. The plant centered events is the main contributor to LOOP events identified in IRSN, GRS and IAEA IRS database. The switchyard centered events are the main contributor in events registered in the NRC LER database. The main type of failed equipment is switchyard failures in IRSN and IAEA IRS, main or secondary lines in NRC LER and busbar failures in GRS database. The dominant root cause for the LOOP events are human failures during test, inspection and maintenance followed by human failures due to the insufficient or wrong procedures. The largest number of LOOP events resulted in reactor trip followed by EDG start. The actions that can result in reduction of the number of LOOP events and minimize consequences on plant safety are identified and presented.

Mechanical and hydraulic behaviour of compacting crushed salt backfill at low porosities. Project REPOPERM. Phase 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kroehn, Klaus-Peter; Czaikowski, Oliver; Wieczorek, Klaus; Zhang, Chun-Liang; Moog, Helge; Friedenberg, Larissa; Stuehrenberg, Dieter; Heemann, Ulrich; Jobmann, Michael; Mueller, Christian; Schirmer, Sonja

2017-02-01

The compaction behavior of crushed salt has been extensively investigated by means of experimental as well as theoretical work. The readiness of numerical tools for the application to modeling the complex coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in the crushed salt backfilled in a repository in salt rock has also been demonstrated. Compaction tests were performed under repository-relevant conditions. These tests were supplemented by laboratory work aiming at specific aspects of compaction. The following list covers the topics of these investigations as well as the main results. - Revisiting the determination of the porosity in relevant, past experiments (BGR). - Influence of the grain size distribution on compaction (BGR). - Triaxial compaction test with dry material at low porosities (BGR). - Investigation of the influence of humidity on compaction covers several subtopics. - Permeability associated with low porosity includes two subtopics. - Constitutive equations for two -phase flow (GRS). - Microstructural Investigations (DBE TEC). Parallel to the experimental work attention focussed on several aspects of the basics for modelling the compaction of crushed salt. This work covers checking the validity of the established numerical tools as well as exploring new methods. Topics and main results are listed here: - Development/definition and comparison of constitutive models (BGR). - Benchmark calculations (BGR and GRS). - Capability of scaling-rules for capillary pressure from the oil industry (GRS). - Application of discrete element codes to compacting crushed salt (DBE TEC). Finally, repository-relevant scenarios are discussed as a basis for a realistic but generic numerical model of brine inflow in to a converging back filled drift under a thermal gradient (GRS). This exercise demonstrates the feasibility of modelling crushed salt compaction as a fully coupled thermohydraulic-mechanical process including two-phase flow effects.

Genetic Predisposition to Dyslipidemia and Risk of Preeclampsia.

Science.gov (United States)

Spracklen, Cassandra N; Saftlas, Audrey F; Triche, Elizabeth W; Bjonnes, Andrew; Keating, Brendan; Saxena, Richa; Breheny, Patrick J; Dewan, Andrew T; Robinson, Jennifer G; Hoh, Josephine; Ryckman, Kelli K

2015-07-01

Large epidemiologic studies support the role of dyslipidemia in preeclampsia; however, the etiology of preeclampsia or whether dyslipidemia plays a causal role remains unclear. We examined the association between the genetic predisposition to dyslipidemia and risk of preeclampsia using validated genetic markers of dyslipidemia. Preeclampsia cases (n = 164) and normotensive controls (n = 110) were selected from live birth certificates to nulliparous Iowa women during the period August 2002 to May 2005. Disease status was verified by medical chart review. Genetic predisposition to dyslipidemia was estimated by 4 genetic risk scores (GRS) (total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides) on the basis of established loci for blood lipids. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationships between each of the 4 genotype scores and preeclampsia. Replication analyses were performed in an independent, US population of preeclampsia cases (n = 516) and controls (n = 1,097) of European ancestry. The GRS related to higher levels of TC, LDL-C, and triglycerides demonstrated no association with the risk of preeclampsia in either the Iowa or replication population. The GRS related to lower HDL-C was marginally associated with an increased risk for preeclampsia (odds ratio (OR) = 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.99-1.07; P = 0.10). In the independent replication population, the association with the HDL-C GRS was also marginally significant (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00-1.06; P = 0.04). Our data suggest a potential effect between the genetic predisposition to dyslipidemic levels of HDL-C and an increased risk of preeclampsia, and, as such, suggest that dyslipidemia may be a component along the causal pathway to preeclampsia. © American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2014. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Characteristics of bursts observed by the SMM Gamma-Ray Spectrometer

Science.gov (United States)

Share, G. H.; Messina, D. C.; Iadicicco, A.; Matz, S. M.; Rieger, E.; Forrest, D. J.

1992-01-01

The Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) on the SMM completed close to 10 years of highly successful operation when the spacecraft reentered the atmosphere on December 2, 1989. During this period the GRS detected 177 events above 300 keV which have been classified as cosmic gamma-ray bursts. A catalog of these events is in preparation which will include time profiles and spectra for all events. Visual inspection of the spectra indicates that emission typically extends into the MeV range, without any evidence for a high-energy cutoff; 17 of these events are also observed above 10 MeV. We find no convincing evidence for line-like emission features in any of the time-integrated spectra.

Validation and uncertainty analysis of the Athlet thermal-hydraulic computer code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glaeser, H.

1995-01-01

The computer code ATHLET is being developed by GRS as an advanced best-estimate code for the simulation of breaks and transients in Pressurized Water Reactor (PWRs) and Boiling Water Reactor (BWRs) including beyond design basis accidents. A systematic validation of ATHLET is based on a well balanced set of integral and separate effects tests emphasizing the German combined Emergency Core Cooling (ECC) injection system. When using best estimate codes for predictions of reactor plant states during assumed accidents, qualification of the uncertainty in these calculations is highly desirable. A method for uncertainty and sensitivity evaluation has been developed by GRS where the computational effort is independent of the number of uncertain parameters. (author)

German risk study on nuclear power stations. Phase B

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-11-01

The German Risk Study on Nuclear Power Stations is concerned with investigations of accidents in nuclear facilities and their associated risks. These investigations are undertaken on behalf of the federal Minister of Research and Technology. They have been broken down into two phases (Phase A and Phase B). The results of Phase A were published in 1979 (GRS 79). This report contains a summary of the investigations relating to Phase B. After an introduction setting out the basic principles and aim of the study, a general review will be given of the most important results. The course of the investigations and the results have already been published in a Technical Report (GRS 89). (author)

Ethical aspects of radiological risks management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surgier, A.

1996-01-01

The complexity of the decisions to be taken by the radiation protection and safety authorities in the nuclear, medical, and industrial fields, as well as the importance of the risks involved, require consideration of the confidence that the public can have in the procedures and institutions associated with these decisions. The Technical Support Organisations that advise these authorities play an essential role in risk evaluation. They participate both in defining the scientific bases of the regulations and analysing the authorization request from the operators. The credibility of these bodies implies a clear separation between their function and that of the regulatory authorities and the operators. It also requires a guarantee of competence which is based on a high level research program and contacts with other similar organisations. The quality of the work carried out by the Technical Support Organisations must be regularly evaluated. One of the most important of the other conditions for ensuring the effectiveness of the expertise is its integration in a well defined decision-making procedure. The author has based this article on his experience as director of radiation protection in the IPSN (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire), an organisation formed in 1976, with a staff of 1,200 whose functions are to carry out research and provide expertise in health physics radioecology and nuclear safety. To reinforce its operating autonomy and authority, the status of the IPSN was thoroughly revised as strengthened in 1990. (Author)

Contribution of computerization to alarm processing: A French safety view

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cette, W [CEA Centre d` Etudes de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France). Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire

1997-09-01

Following the TMI accident and according to the requirement of the French safety authority, very important studies were performed by the French utility, Electricite de France (EDF), and assessed by the Institute for Nuclear Safety and Protection (IPSN) on reactor operation in conventional control rooms, particularly on alarm processing. These studies dealt with the man-machine interface, as well as design and exploitation requirements, presentation and management of alarm signals, and associated operating documents. The conclusions of these studies have led to improvements in French conventional control rooms. The current state of these control rooms and links between alarm sets and operating documents will be shortly presented in the first part of the paper. More recently, the computerized means implemented in the PWR 1400 MWe control rooms (N4) profoundly modified reactor operation. In particular, major advances concern alarm processing in comparison with conventional control rooms. The N4 plants provide a more rigorous approach in processing and presentation of alarms than in the past. Indeed, EDF wanted to have less alarms switched on during plant upsets and to make them more characteristic of a specific situation of the process. For example, computerization makes it easier to validate or inhibit alarms according to the situation, to allow the operator to manage alarm presentation and to propose on-line alarm sheets to the operator etc. This approach in comparison with conventional control rooms, and the IPSN assessment will be presented in the second part of this paper. (author).

Contribution of computerization to alarm processing: A French safety view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cette, W.

1997-01-01

Following the TMI accident and according to the requirement of the French safety authority, very important studies were performed by the French utility, Electricite de France (EDF), and assessed by the Institute for Nuclear Safety and Protection (IPSN) on reactor operation in conventional control rooms, particularly on alarm processing. These studies dealt with the man-machine interface, as well as design and exploitation requirements, presentation and management of alarm signals, and associated operating documents. The conclusions of these studies have led to improvements in French conventional control rooms. The current state of these control rooms and links between alarm sets and operating documents will be shortly presented in the first part of the paper. More recently, the computerized means implemented in the PWR 1400 MWe control rooms (N4) profoundly modified reactor operation. In particular, major advances concern alarm processing in comparison with conventional control rooms. The N4 plants provide a more rigorous approach in processing and presentation of alarms than in the past. Indeed, EDF wanted to have less alarms switched on during plant upsets and to make them more characteristic of a specific situation of the process. For example, computerization makes it easier to validate or inhibit alarms according to the situation, to allow the operator to manage alarm presentation and to propose on-line alarm sheets to the operator etc. This approach in comparison with conventional control rooms, and the IPSN assessment will be presented in the second part of this paper. (author)

Archaeology in the Kilauea East Rift Zone: Part 2, A preliminary sample survey, Kapoho, Kamaili and Kilauea geothermal subzones, Puna District, Hawaii island

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sweeney, M.T.K.; Burtchard, G.C. [International Archaeological Research Inst., Inc., Honolulu, HI (United States)

1995-05-01

This report describes a preliminary sample inventory and offers an initial evaluation of settlement and land-use patterns for the Geothermal Resources Subzones (GRS) area, located in Puna District on the island of Hawaii. The report is the second of a two part project dealing with archaeology of the Puna GRS area -- or more generally, the Kilauea East Rift Zone. In the first phase of the project, a long-term land-use model and inventory research design was developed for the GRS area and Puna District generally. That report is available under separate cover as Archaeology in the Kilauea East Rift Zone, Part I: Land-Use Model and Research Design. The present report gives results of a limited cultural resource survey built on research design recommendations. It offers a preliminary evaluation of modeled land-use expectations and offers recommendations for continuing research into Puna`s rich cultural heritage. The present survey was conducted under the auspices of the United States Department of Energy, and subcontracted to International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc. (IARII) by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. The purpose of the archaeological work is to contribute toward the preparation of an environmental impact statement by identifying cultural materials which could be impacted through completion of the proposed Hawaii Geothermal Project.

DRAMATIC CHANGE IN JUPITER'S GREAT RED SPOT FROM SPACECRAFT OBSERVATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon, Amy A.; Wong, Michael H.; De Pater, Imke; Rogers, John H.; Orton, Glenn S.; Carlson, Robert W.; Asay-Davis, Xylar; Marcus, Philip S.

2014-01-01

Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) is one of its most distinct and enduring features. Since the advent of modern telescopes, keen observers have noted its appearance and documented a change in shape from very oblong to oval, confirmed in measurements from spacecraft data. It currently spans the smallest latitude and longitude size ever recorded. Here we show that this change has been accompanied by an increase in cloud/haze reflectance as sensed in methane gas absorption bands, increased absorption at wavelengths shorter than 500 nm, and increased spectral slope between 500 and 630 nm. These changes occurred between 2012 and 2014, without a significant change in internal tangential wind speeds; the decreased size results in a 3.2 day horizontal cloud circulation period, shorter than previously observed. As the GRS has narrowed in latitude, it interacts less with the jets flanking its north and south edges, perhaps allowing for less cloud mixing and longer UV irradiation of cloud and aerosol particles. Given its long life and observational record, we expect that future modeling of the GRS's changes, in concert with laboratory flow experiments, will drive our understanding of vortex evolution and stability in a confined flow field crucial for comparison with other planetary atmospheres

DRAMATIC CHANGE IN JUPITER'S GREAT RED SPOT FROM SPACECRAFT OBSERVATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simon, Amy A. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Code 690, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Wong, Michael H.; De Pater, Imke [Astronomy Department, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Rogers, John H. [British Astronomical Association, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0DU (United Kingdom); Orton, Glenn S.; Carlson, Robert W. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Asay-Davis, Xylar [Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegraphenberg A 31, 14473 Potsdam (Germany); Marcus, Philip S. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California Berkeley, 6121 Etcheverry Hall, Mailstop 1740, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

2014-12-20

Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) is one of its most distinct and enduring features. Since the advent of modern telescopes, keen observers have noted its appearance and documented a change in shape from very oblong to oval, confirmed in measurements from spacecraft data. It currently spans the smallest latitude and longitude size ever recorded. Here we show that this change has been accompanied by an increase in cloud/haze reflectance as sensed in methane gas absorption bands, increased absorption at wavelengths shorter than 500 nm, and increased spectral slope between 500 and 630 nm. These changes occurred between 2012 and 2014, without a significant change in internal tangential wind speeds; the decreased size results in a 3.2 day horizontal cloud circulation period, shorter than previously observed. As the GRS has narrowed in latitude, it interacts less with the jets flanking its north and south edges, perhaps allowing for less cloud mixing and longer UV irradiation of cloud and aerosol particles. Given its long life and observational record, we expect that future modeling of the GRS's changes, in concert with laboratory flow experiments, will drive our understanding of vortex evolution and stability in a confined flow field crucial for comparison with other planetary atmospheres.

Filter feeding mechanics of Hypophthalmichthys molitrix regarding porous gill rakers

Science.gov (United States)

Palumbo, David; Bulusu, Kartik V.; Cohen, Karly; Hernandez, Particia; Leftwich, Megan C.; Plesniak, Michael W.

2017-11-01

The silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) is a filter-feeding fish known to feed upon algal-growth in lakes, rivers, and aquacultures. The filter-feeding process centers on sponge-like membranes located in the carp's pharynx supported by fused gill rakers (GRs), which can efficiently strain suspended food particles as small as 4 µm without clogging. Guided by the anatomy of the silver carp, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of GRs, and video of the silver carp feeding, we have hypothesized that the filtration mechanism involves a pump-based biological function to capture food particles within the GRs. Dye visualization experiments were performed on a silver carp cadaver head, an excised GR sample, and on a scaled GR in vitro model - the Artificial Gill Raker (AGR). Measurements are performed for the AGR using laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) and penetration pressure monitoring with a biologically-inspired pumping mechanism. The role of mucus in the retention and capture of food particles has also been explored through rheological measurements, and further experimentation is planned. Our motivation stems from the potential to develop bioinspired industrial-scale filtration technologies ranging from wastewater treatment to filtration in the food industry. supported by GW Center for Biomimetics and Bioinspired Engineering.

A nocturnal decline of salivary pH associated with airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Masanari; Sano, Hiroyuki; Tomita, Katsuyuki; Yamasaki, Akira; Kurai, Jun; Hasegawa, Yasuyuki; Igishi, Tadashi; Okazaki, Ryota; Tohda, Yuji; Burioka, Naoto; Shimizu, Eiji

2010-08-01

Salivary pH is associated with esophageal acid reflux and neutralization of esophageal acid. In this study, we assessed the association between nocturnal decline of salivary pH and airway hyperresponsiveness. Salivary pH was serially assessed in 9 patients with mild asthma (7 men and 2 women; mean age 33.3 years; mean %predicted FEV(1.0) 89.4%) and 10 healthy volunteers (6 men and 4 women; mean age 31.2 years) using a pH indicator tape. The buffering capacity of saliva was defined as the median effective dose (ED(50)) for acidification of saliva with 0.01 N HCl, and airway responsiveness was defined as the dose of methacholine producing a 35% fall in Grs (PD(35)-Grs). There was a significant correlation between the values obtained from the pH indicator tape and those obtained from the electrometric pH meter. Using the indicator tape for sequential monitoring, we observed a nocturnal fall (ΔpH) in salivary pH in all subjects. A significant correlation was found between airway hyperresponsiveness (PD(35)-Grs) and either ΔpH or ED(50) in mildly asthmatic patients. Vagal reflux dysfunction might contribute to nocturnal salivary pH as well as to airway hyperresponsiveness in mild asthmatics.

Assessment of the system code DRUFAN/ATHLET using results of LOBI tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burwell, J.M.; Kirmse, R.E.; Kyncl, M.; Malhotra, P.K.

1989-09-01

Four post-test analyses have been performed by GRS within the Shared Cost Action Programme (SCAP) sponsored by the Commission of the European Communities (contract 3015-86-07 EL ISP D) and by the Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie of the Federal Republic of Germany (Research project RS 739). The four tests were mutually selected by the contractors (CEA, GRS, IKE, Univ. Pisa) of activity No. 3 and by the project organizer. Some of the tests were selected to be analyzed by more than one participant in order to allow comparison between analytical results obtained with different codes or obtained by different code-users. DRUFAN/ATHLET verification analyses were performed by IKE too. The four tests selected for the GRS activity are: - A2-77A (Natural Circulation Test), Analysis with ATHLET - A1-76 (Steam Generator Performance Test), Analysis with DRUFAN - BL-01 (Intermediate Leak), Analysis with ATHLET - A2-81 (Small Leak), Analysis with ATHLET. This final report contains the results of the four post test analysis including the comparison between measured and calculated quantities and the description of the applied codes, the selected model of the LOBI facility and the conclusions drawn for the improvement of the codes models

Reports on research projects sponsored by the Federal Minister for Research and Technology in the field of reactor safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-03-01

Investigations on the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of the Research Program Reactor Safety (RS - Projects) are sponsored by the BMFT (Federal Minister for Research and Technology), Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie. Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear power plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. Besides the investigations of LWR tasks first projects on the safety of FBR type reactors are sponsored by the BMFT. The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of quarterly and annually publication of progress reports within the series GRS - F - Fortschrittsberichte (GRS - F - Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work. The individual reports are arranged according to the amended LWR Safety Research Program of the BMFT. Another table contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC European Communities and the OECD. (orig./HP) [de

Lack of gene-diuretic interactions on the risk of incident gout: the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Ying; Curhan, Gary; Merriman, Tony; Plenge, Robert; Kraft, Peter; Choi, Hyon K

2015-07-01

Diuretic-induced gout might occur only among those with a genetic predisposition to hyperuricaemia, as suggested by a recent study with 108 self-reported gout cases. We examined the role of urate genes on the risk of diuretic-induced incident gout in 6850 women from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and in 4223 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). Two published genetic risk scores (GRSs) were calculated using urate-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms for 8 (GRS8) and 29 genes (GRS29). Our analyses included 727 and 354 confirmed incident gout cases in HPFS and NHS, respectively. The multivariate relative risk (RR) for diuretic use was 2.20 and 1.69 among those with GRS8 0.20) and in our analyses limited to those with hypertension in both cohorts. SLC22A11 (OAT4) showed a significant interaction only among women but in the opposite direction to the recent study. In these large prospective studies, individuals with a genetic predisposition for hyperuricaemia are not at a higher risk of developing diuretic-induced gout than those without. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Blocking mineralocorticoid receptors impairs, blocking glucocorticoid receptors enhances memory retrieval in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Rimmele, Ulrike; Besedovsky, Luciana; Lange, Tanja; Born, Jan

2013-04-01

Memory retrieval is impaired at very low as well as very high cortisol levels, but not at intermediate levels. This inverted-U-shaped relationship between cortisol levels and memory retrieval may originate from different roles of the mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) that bind cortisol with distinctly different affinity. Here, we examined the role of MRs and GRs in human memory retrieval using specific receptor antagonists. In two double-blind within-subject, cross-over designed studies, young healthy men were asked to retrieve emotional and neutral texts and pictures (learnt 3 days earlier) between 0745 and 0915 hours in the morning, either after administration of 400 mg of the MR blocker spironolactone vs placebo (200 mg at 2300 hours and 200 mg at 0400 hours, Study I) or after administration of the GR blocker mifepristone vs placebo (200 mg at 2300 hours, Study II). Blockade of MRs impaired free recall of both texts and pictures particularly for emotional material. In contrast, blockade of GRs resulted in better memory retrieval for pictures, with the effect being more pronounced for neutral than emotional materials. These findings indicate indeed opposing roles of MRs and GRs in memory retrieval, with optimal retrieval at intermediate cortisol levels likely mediated by high MR but concurrently low GR activation.

Holographic renormalization group and cosmology in theories with quasilocalized gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Csaki, Csaba; Erlich, Joshua; Hollowood, Timothy J.; Terning, John

2001-01-01

We study the long distance behavior of brane theories with quasilocalized gravity. The five-dimensional (5D) effective theory at large scales follows from a holographic renormalization group flow. As intuitively expected, the graviton is effectively four dimensional at intermediate scales and becomes five dimensional at large scales. However, in the holographic effective theory the essentially 4D radion dominates at long distances and gives rise to scalar antigravity. The holographic description shows that at large distances the Gregory-Rubakov-Sibiryakov (GRS) model is equivalent to the model recently proposed by Dvali, Gabadadze, and Porrati (DGP), where a tensionless brane is embedded into 5D Minkowski space, with an additional induced 4D Einstein-Hilbert term on the brane. In the holographic description the radion of the GRS model is automatically localized on the tensionless brane, and provides the ghostlike field necessary to cancel the extra graviton polarization of the DGP model. Thus, there is a holographic duality between these theories. This analysis provides physical insight into how the GRS model works at intermediate scales; in particular it sheds light on the size of the width of the graviton resonance, and also demonstrates how the holographic renormalization group can be used as a practical tool for calculations

Dramatic Change in Jupiter's Great Red Spot from Spacecraft Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Amy A.; Wong, Michael H.; Rogers, John H.; Orton, Glenn S.; de Pater, Imke; Asay-Davis, Xylar; Carlson, Robert W.; Marcus, Philip S.

2015-01-01

Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) is one of its most distinct and enduring features. Since the advent of modern telescopes, keen observers have noted its appearance and documented a change in shape from very oblong to oval, confirmed in measurements from spacecraft data. It currently spans the smallest latitude and longitude size ever recorded. Here we show that this change has been accompanied by an increase in cloud/haze reflectance as sensed in methane gas absorption bands, increased absorption at wavelengths shorter than 500 nanometers, and increased spectral slope between 500 and 630 nanometers. These changes occurred between 2012 and 2014, without a significant change in internal tangential wind speeds; the decreased size results in a 3.2 day horizontal cloud circulation period, shorter than previously observed. As the GRS has narrowed in latitude, it interacts less with the jets flanking its north and south edges, perhaps allowing for less cloud mixing and longer UV irradiation of cloud and aerosol particles. Given its long life and observational record, we expect that future modeling of the GRS's changes, in concert with laboratory flow experiments, will drive our understanding of vortex evolution and stability in a confined flow field crucial for comparison with other planetary atmospheres.

The Immunoexpression of Glucocorticoid Receptors in Breast Carcinomas, Lactational Change, and Normal Breast Epithelium and Its Possible Role in Mammary Carcinogenesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raja Alyusuf

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The role of estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer biology is well established. In contrast, other steroid hormones are less well studied. Glucocorticoids (GCs are known to play a role in mammary development and differentiation; thus, it is of interest to attempt to delineate their immunoexpression across a spectrum of mammary epithelia. Aim. To delineate the distribution pattern of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs in malignant versus nonmalignant epithelium with particular emphasis on lactational epithelium. Materials and Methods. Immunohistochemistry (IHC for GRs was performed on archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of 96 cases comprising 52 invasive carcinomas, 21 cases with lactational change, and 23 cases showing normal mammary tissue histology. Results. Results reveal an overexpression of GRs in mammary malignant epithelium as compared to both normal and lactational groups individually and combined. GR overexpression is significantly more pronounced in HER-2-negative cancers. Discussion. This is the first study to compare GR expression in human lactating epithelium versus malignant and normal epithelium. The article discusses the literature related to the pathobiology of GCs in the breast with special emphasis on breast cancer. Conclusion. The lactational epithelium did not show overexpression of GR, while GR was overexpressed in mammary NST (ductal carcinoma, particularly HER-2-negative cancers.

Review of advances in human reliability analysis of errors of commission-Part 2: EOC quantification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reer, Bernhard

2008-01-01

In close connection with examples relevant to contemporary probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), a review of advances in human reliability analysis (HRA) of post-initiator errors of commission (EOCs), i.e. inappropriate actions under abnormal operating conditions, has been carried out. The review comprises both EOC identification (part 1) and quantification (part 2); part 2 is presented in this article. Emerging HRA methods in this field are: ATHEANA, MERMOS, the EOC HRA method developed by Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS), the MDTA method and CREAM. The essential advanced features are on the conceptual side, especially to envisage the modeling of multiple contexts for an EOC to be quantified (ATHEANA, MERMOS and MDTA), in order to explicitly address adverse conditions. There is promising progress in providing systematic guidance to better account for cognitive demands and tendencies (GRS, CREAM), and EOC recovery (MDTA). Problematic issues are associated with the implementation of multiple context modeling and the assessment of context-specific error probabilities. Approaches for task or error opportunity scaling (CREAM, GRS) and the concept of reference cases (ATHEANA outlook) provide promising orientations for achieving progress towards data-based quantification. Further development work is needed and should be carried out in close connection with large-scale applications of existing approaches

Report on the research projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by the Federal Minister for Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-09-01

Investigations on the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of the Research Program Reactor Safety (RS - Projects) are sponsored by the BMFT (Federal Minister for Research and Technology), Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie. Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear power plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. Besides the investigations of LWR tasks first projects on the safety of FBR type reactors are sponsored by the BMFT. The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of quarterly and annually publication of progress reports within the series GRS - F -Fortschrittsberichte (GRS - F - Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work, The individual reports are arranged according to the amended LWR Safety Research Program of the BMFT. Another table contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC Communities and the OECD. (orig./HP) 891 HP [de

Association of genetic susceptibility variants for type 2 diabetes with breast cancer risk in women of European ancestry.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zhiguo; Wen, Wanqing; Michailidou, Kyriaki; Bolla, Manjeet K; Wang, Qin; Zhang, Ben; Long, Jirong; Shu, Xiao-Ou; Schmidt, Marjanka K; Milne, Roger L; García-Closas, Montserrat; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Lindstrom, Sara; Bojesen, Stig E; Ahsan, Habibul; Aittomäki, Kristiina; Andrulis, Irene L; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Arndt, Volker; Beckmann, Matthias W; Beeghly-Fadiel, Alicia; Benitez, Javier; Blomqvist, Carl; Bogdanova, Natalia V; Børresen-Dale, Anne-Lise; Brand, Judith; Brauch, Hiltrud; Brenner, Hermann; Burwinkel, Barbara; Cai, Qiuyin; Casey, Graham; Chenevix-Trench, Georgia; Couch, Fergus J; Cox, Angela; Cross, Simon S; Czene, Kamila; Dörk, Thilo; Dumont, Martine; Fasching, Peter A; Figueroa, Jonine; Flesch-Janys, Dieter; Fletcher, Olivia; Flyger, Henrik; Fostira, Florentia; Gammon, Marilie; Giles, Graham G; Guénel, Pascal; Haiman, Christopher A; Hamann, Ute; Harrington, Patricia; Hartman, Mikael; Hooning, Maartje J; Hopper, John L; Jakubowska, Anna; Jasmine, Farzana; John, Esther M; Johnson, Nichola; Kabisch, Maria; Khan, Sofia; Kibriya, Muhammad; Knight, Julia A; Kosma, Veli-Matti; Kriege, Mieke; Kristensen, Vessela; Le Marchand, Loic; Lee, Eunjung; Li, Jingmei; Lindblom, Annika; Lophatananon, Artitaya; Luben, Robert; Lubinski, Jan; Malone, Kathleen E; Mannermaa, Arto; Manoukian, Siranoush; Margolin, Sara; Marme, Frederik; McLean, Catriona; Meijers-Heijboer, Hanne; Meindl, Alfons; Miao, Hui; Muir, Kenneth; Neuhausen, Susan L; Nevanlinna, Heli; Neven, Patrick; Olson, Janet E; Perkins, Barbara; Peterlongo, Paolo; Phillips, Kelly-Anne; Pylkäs, Katri; Rudolph, Anja; Santella, Regina; Sawyer, Elinor J; Schmutzler, Rita K; Schoemaker, Minouk; Shah, Mitul; Shrubsole, Martha; Southey, Melissa C; Swerdlow, Anthony J; Toland, Amanda E; Tomlinson, Ian; Torres, Diana; Truong, Thérèse; Ursin, Giske; Van Der Luijt, Rob B; Verhoef, Senno; Wang-Gohrke, Shan; Whittemore, Alice S; Winqvist, Robert; Pilar Zamora, M; Zhao, Hui; Dunning, Alison M; Simard, Jacques; Hall, Per; Kraft, Peter; Pharoah, Paul; Hunter, David; Easton, Douglas F; Zheng, Wei

2016-05-01

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been reported to be associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer. It is unclear, however, whether this association is due to shared genetic factors. We constructed a genetic risk score (GRS) using risk variants from 33 known independent T2D susceptibility loci and evaluated its relation to breast cancer risk using the data from two consortia, including 62,328 breast cancer patients and 83,817 controls of European ancestry. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to derive adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) to measure the association of breast cancer risk with T2D GRS or T2D-associated genetic risk variants. Meta-analyses were conducted to obtain summary ORs across all studies. The T2D GRS was not found to be associated with breast cancer risk, overall, by menopausal status, or for estrogen receptor positive or negative breast cancer. Three T2D associated risk variants were individually associated with breast cancer risk after adjustment for multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni method (at p associated with the risk of both T2D and breast cancer. However, overall genetic susceptibility to T2D may not be related to breast cancer risk.

Neutron activation analysis, gamma ray spectrometry and radiation environment monitoring instrument concept: GEORAD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambrosi, R.M.; Talboys, D.L.; Sims, M.R.; Bannister, N.P.; Makarewicz, M.; Stevenson, T.; Hutchinson, I.B.; Watterson, J.I.W.; Lanza, R.C.; Richter, L.; Mills, A.; Fraser, G.W.

2005-01-01

Geological processes on Earth can be related to those that may have occurred in past epochs on Mars, if analytical methods used on Earth can be operated remotely on the surface of the Red Planet. Nuclear analytical techniques commonly used in terrestrial geology are neutron activation analysis (NAA) and gamma-ray spectroscopy (GRS), which determine the elemental composition, elemental concentration and stratigraphical distribution of water in rocks and soils. We describe a detector concept called GEORAD (GEOlogical and RADiation environment package) for the proposed ExoMars rover within the ESA's Aurora Programme for the exploration of the Solar System. GEORAD consists of a compact neutron source for the NAA of rocks and soils and a GRS. The GRS has a dual role since it can be used for natural radioactivity studies and NAA. A fully depleted silicon detector coupled to neutron sensitive converters measures the solar particle and neutron flux interacting with the Martian surface. We describe how the GEORAD detector suite could contribute to the geological and biological characterisation of Mars both for the detection of extinct or extant life and to evaluate potential hazards facing future manned missions. We show how GEORAD measurements complement the astrobiological objectives of the Aurora programme

Frictional stability-permeability relationships for fractures in shales

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Yi; Elsworth, Derek; Wang, Chaoyi; Ishibashi, Takuya; Fitts, Jeffrey P.

2017-03-01

There is wide concern that fluid injection in the subsurface, such as for the stimulation of shale reservoirs or for geological CO2 sequestration (GCS), has the potential to induce seismicity that may change reservoir permeability due to fault slip. However, the impact of induced seismicity on fracture permeability evolution remains unclear due to the spectrum of modes of fault reactivation (e.g., stable versus unstable). As seismicity is controlled by the frictional response of fractures, we explore friction-stability-permeability relationships through the concurrent measurement of frictional and hydraulic properties of artificial fractures in Green River shale (GRS) and Opalinus shale (OPS). We observe that carbonate-rich GRS shows higher frictional strength but weak neutral frictional stability. The GRS fracture permeability declines during shearing while an increased sliding velocity reduces the rate of permeability decline. By comparison, the phyllosilicate-rich OPS has lower friction and strong stability while the fracture permeability is reduced due to the swelling behavior that dominates over the shearing induced permeability reduction. Hence, we conclude that the friction-stability-permeability relationship of a fracture is largely controlled by mineral composition and that shale mineral compositions with strong frictional stability may be particularly subject to permanent permeability reduction during fluid infiltration.

Conserved cis-regulatory regions in a large genomic landscape control SHH and BMP-regulated Gremlin1 expression in mouse limb buds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zuniga Aimée

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mouse limb bud is a prime model to study the regulatory interactions that control vertebrate organogenesis. Major aspects of limb bud development are controlled by feedback loops that define a self-regulatory signalling system. The SHH/GREM1/AER-FGF feedback loop forms the core of this signalling system that operates between the posterior mesenchymal organiser and the ectodermal signalling centre. The BMP antagonist Gremlin1 (GREM1 is a critical node in this system, whose dynamic expression is controlled by BMP, SHH, and FGF signalling and key to normal progression of limb bud development. Previous analysis identified a distant cis-regulatory landscape within the neighbouring Formin1 (Fmn1 locus that is required for Grem1 expression, reminiscent of the genomic landscapes controlling HoxD and Shh expression in limb buds. Results Three highly conserved regions (HMCO1-3 were identified within the previously defined critical genomic region and tested for their ability to regulate Grem1 expression in mouse limb buds. Using a combination of BAC and conventional transgenic approaches, a 9 kb region located ~70 kb downstream of the Grem1 transcription unit was identified. This region, termed Grem1 Regulatory Sequence 1 (GRS1, is able to recapitulate major aspects of Grem1 expression, as it drives expression of a LacZ reporter into the posterior and, to a lesser extent, in the distal-anterior mesenchyme. Crossing the GRS1 transgene into embryos with alterations in the SHH and BMP pathways established that GRS1 depends on SHH and is modulated by BMP signalling, i.e. integrates inputs from these pathways. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed interaction of endogenous GLI3 proteins with the core cis-regulatory elements in the GRS1 region. As GLI3 is a mediator of SHH signal transduction, these results indicated that SHH directly controls Grem1 expression through the GRS1 region. Finally, all cis-regulatory regions within the Grem1

Impact of obstructive sleep apnea on lung volumes and mechanical properties of the respiratory system in overweight and obese individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdeyrim, Arikin; Zhang, Yongping; Li, Nanfang; Zhao, Minghua; Wang, Yinchun; Yao, Xiaoguang; Keyoumu, Youledusi; Yin, Ting

2015-07-25

Even through narrowing of the upper-airway plays an important role in the generation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the peripheral airways is implicated in pre-obese and obese OSA patients, as a result of decreased lung volume and increased lung elastic recoil pressure, which, in turn, may aggravate upper-airway collapsibility. A total of 263 male (n = 193) and female (n = 70) subjects who were obese to various degrees without a history of lung diseases and an expiratory flow limitation, but troubled with snoring or suspicion of OSA were included in this cross-sectional study. According to nocturnal-polysomnography the subjects were distributed into OSA and non-OSA groups, and were further sub-grouped by gender because of differences between males and females, in term of, lung volume size, airway resistance, and the prevalence of OSA among genders. Lung volume and respiratory mechanical properties at different-frequencies were evaluated by plethysmograph and an impulse oscillation system, respectively. Functional residual capacity (FRC) and expiratory reserve volume were significantly decreased in the OSA group compared to the non-OSA group among males and females. As weight and BMI in males in the OSA group were greater than in the non-OSA group (90 ± 14.8 kg vs. 82 ± 10.4 kg, p volumes decreases were independent from BMI and associated with the severity of OSA. This result was further confirmed by the female cohort. Significant increases in total respiratory resistance and decreases in respiratory conductance (Grs) were observed with increasing severity of OSA, as defined by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in both genders. The specific Grs (sGrs) stayed relatively constant between the two groups in woman, and there was only a weak association between AHI and sGrs among man. Multiple-stepwise-regression showed that reactance at 5 Hz was highly correlated with AHI in males and females or hypopnea index in females, independently

Co-ordinated research programme on operator support systems in nuclear power plants. Working material. Report of a research co-ordinated meeting held in Rome, 10-14 October 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

In September 1991, the IAEA Committee for Contractual Scientific Services approved the Co-ordinated Research Programme (CRP) on ''Operator Support Systems (OPS) in Nuclear Power Plants'' in the framework of the Project ''Man-Machine Interface Studies''. The main objective of the programme is to provide guidance and technology transfer in the development and implementation of OSSs, including the experience with man-machine interface and closely related issues such as instrumentation and control, the use of computers, and operator qualification. The third meeting of the CRP participants was held in Rome/Italy, from 10 to 14 October 1994 and was sponsored by the ANPA. The meeting reviewed the progress of the CRP tasks, considered the reports of national activities in the subject area and agreed on the time scheduled for the preparation of the final report. The present volume contains: materials prepared by the CRP meeting; list of the CRP participants; and reports presented by the national delegates. Refs, figs and tabs

Co-ordinated research programme on operator support systems in nuclear power plants. Working material. Report of a research co-ordinated meeting held in Rome, 10-14 October 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-06-01

In September 1991, the IAEA Committee for Contractual Scientific Services approved the Co-ordinated Research Programme (CRP) on ``Operator Support Systems (OSS) in Nuclear Power Plants`` in the framework of the Project ``Man-Machine Interface Studies``. The main objective of the programme is to provide guidance and technology transfer in the development and implementation of OSSs, including the experience with man-machine interface and closely related issues such as instrumentation and control, the use of computers, and operator qualification. The third meeting of the CRP participants was held in Rome/Italy, from 10 to 14 October 1994 and was sponsored by the ANPA. The meeting reviewed the progress of the CRP tasks, considered the reports of national activities in the subject area and agreed on the time scheduled for the preparation of the final report. The present volume contains: materials prepared by the CRP meeting; list of the CRP participants; and reports presented by the national delegates. Refs, figs and tabs.

Experimental evaluation of J in cracked straight and curved pipes under bending

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moulin, D.; Touboul, F.; Foucher, N.; Lebey, J.; Acker, D.

1989-01-01

An experimental program is being carried out at the CEA Saclay in collaboration with FRAMATOME and IPSN with a view to validate analysis methods applicable for evaluation of leak before break behavior in P.W.R. piping. A large experimental work was already performed in USA, Germany and Japan and cracked pipes made of stainless steel material under bending. The methods of analysis got same validations for straight pipes. However applicability to elbows and comparison with toughness values obtained on small specimens like CT specimens was not completely dealt with

Ways of improving safety for future PWRs in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gros, G.; Jalouneix, J.; Manesse, D.; Mattei, J.M.

1994-06-01

Results of thinkings and studies, conducted within the Institute for Nuclear Safety and Protection (IPSN) on various fields of nuclear power plant safety, on the definition of safety objectives and principles for future PWRs. The aim of the studies is to identify ways of improving the design of future plants in France and Germany, with the main following objectives: significant reduction of the global probability of core damage, significant reduction of radioactive releases, mainly for severe accident conditions, and reduction of individual and collective doses received by workers. (R.P.) 3 refs., 1 tab

The safety of nuclear power plants during the year 2000 transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

The French nuclear power plants had to face two main type of problems during the year 2000 transition: a generalized power grid incident and a dysfunction of computer-based or automated systems in nuclear installations. This dossier analyzes both possible incidents and describes the evaluation made by the French Institute of Nuclear Protection and Safety (IPSN) of the different incident scenarios elaborated by Electricite de France (EdF) for its installations in anticipation of the transition. The problem of the year 2000 transition in other countries is briefly evoked. (J.S.)

21. ATSR congress - Book of abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-10-01

This document brings together the abstracts of all presentations given at the 21. congress of the French association for radiation protection techniques and sciences (ATSR) on the topic of Radiation protection and communication (sociology and communication impact in radiation protection): 1 - radiation protection: a permanent conciliation (G. Berne, SPR Cadarache); 2 - the nuclear argument group (M. Chevalier, R. Rzekiecki, GASN); 3 - role of the technical accreditation centre for radiation protection instrumentation (CTHIR) in radiation protection (G. Bicheron, P. Franco, IPSN); 4 - genotoxicity evaluation of ionizing radiations in a population of industrial radiologists using the lymphocyte micro-nuclei test (Sari-Minodier, T. Orsiere, D. Charrier, A. Botta, Laboratory of Bio-geno-toxicology, Medicine School, Marseille - AIMT 13, Martigues); 5 - impact of iodine 131 effluents from a cancer center on the radioactivity levels of the waste water industry ( E. Desjardins, S. Laugle, J-C. Houy, Centre Eugene Marquis, Rennes); 6 - exposed areas and personnel reclassification in medical establishments (S. Laugle, J-C. Houy, Centre Eugene Marquis, Rennes); 7 - 2SNM - a tool used by the navy for the real-time monitoring of its nuclear facilities (Y. Baron, Navy Military Staff); 8 - Intervention of the Army health service in case of radio-biological-type accident during peacetime (P.M. Curet, M. Croq, Armies Radiobiological Protection Service); 9 - the first aid chain in case of nuclear accident (L. Jorda, fire and safety Services of Bouches-du-Rhone; P. Rigaud, Central group, technological risks unit); 10 - Initiation to radioactivity in seventh grade classes of schools (G. Goulin (physics teacher, college Mignet Aix-en-Provence; J-C. Blanc, G. Juste, ATSR); 11 - communication for young people (H. Bernard, M. Gerster-Martinez, CEA-Cadarache); 12 - major risks, preventive information at Aix-en-Provence (P. Lespinat (Aix-en-Provence city security unit); 13 - scientific

Proceedings of the specialists meeting on experience with thermal fatigue in LWR piping caused by mixing and stratification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

surprising thermal stratification phenomena observed in the Belgian PWR feedwater systems; Grohnde nuclear power plant (KWG), pressuriser spray Line system, thermal fatigue and long-term surveillance issues; Experiences made in continuous long-time monitoring of thermal stratification processes and their implications on material fatigue. Session 5: inspection programmes, mitigation and prevention, safety implication (3 papers): Non destructive testing inspections feedback in French 900 MWe plants; Isolation valve leakage: an overview of US methods for evaluation and mitigation; Common IPSN/GRS safety assessment of primary coolant un-isolable leak incidents caused by stress cycling

Research for enhancing reactor safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-05-01

Recent research for enhanced reactor safety covers extensive and numerous experiments and computed modelling activities designed to verify and to improve existing design requirements. The lectures presented at the meeting report GRS research results and the current status of reactor safety research in France. The GRS experts present results concerning expert systems and their perspectives in safety engineering, large-scale experiments and their significance in the development and verification of computer codes for thermohydraulic modelling of safety-related incidents, the advanced system code ATHLET for analysis of thermohydraulic processes of incidents, the analysis simulator which is a tool for fast evaluation of accident management measures, and investigations into event sequences and the required preventive emergency measures within the German Risk Study. (DG) [de

V/V(max) test applied to SMM gamma-ray bursts

Science.gov (United States)

Matz, S. M.; Higdon, J. C.; Share, G. H.; Messina, D. C.; Iadicicco, A.

1992-01-01

We have applied the V/V(max) test to candidate gamma-ray bursts detected by the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) aboard the SMM satellite to examine quantitatively the uniformity of the burst source population. For a sample of 132 candidate bursts identified in the GRS data by an automated search using a single uniform trigger criterion we find average V/V(max) = 0.40 +/- 0.025. This value is significantly different from 0.5, the average for a uniform distribution in space of the parent population of burst sources; however, the shape of the observed distribution of V/V(max) is unusual and our result conflicts with previous measurements. For these reasons we can currently draw no firm conclusion about the distribution of burst sources.

STRAWBERRY (FRAGARIA X ANANASSA DUCH LEAF ANTIOXIDATIVE RESPONSE TO BIOSTIMULATORS AND REDUCED FERTILIZATION WITH N AND K

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marija Špoljarević

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Strawberry cultivar Elsanta was grown in peat based substrate in a green house. Full dose and 50% reduced nitrogen and potassium fertilization were applied during fruit bearing period in spring, along with biostimulators Viva®, Megafol® and their combination. The specific activities of guaiacol peroxidase (GPXs; EC 1.11.1.7, catalase (CATs; EC 1.11.1.6, ascorbate peroxidase (APXs; EC 1.11.1.11 and glutathione reductase (GRs; EC 1.6.4.2 in strawberry leaf were stimulated by biostimulators and reduced fertilization. The strongest link seen here was between the enzymes of ascorbate-glutathione cycle (APXs and GRs, which were positively related to trifoliate leaf fresh mass (TLFM. The highest TLFM was observed in Megafol® treated plants.

Global Distribution of Shallow Water on Mars: Neutron Mapping of Summer-Time Surface by HEND/Odyssey

Science.gov (United States)

Mitrofanov, I. G.; Litvak, M. L.; Kozyrev, A. S.; Sanin, A. B.; Tretyakov, V. I.; Boynton, W.; Hamara, D.; Shinohara, C.; Saunders, R. S.; Drake, D.

2003-01-01

Orbital mapping of induced neutrons and gamma-rays by Odyssey has recently successfully proven the applicability of nuclear methods for studying of the elementary composition of Martian upper-most subsurface. In particular, the suite of Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) has discovered the presence of large water-ice rich regions southward and northward on Mars. The data of neutron mapping of summer-time surface are presented below from the Russian High Energy Neutron Spectrometer (HEND), which is a part of GRS suite. These maps represent the content of water in the soil for summer season at Southern and Northern hemispheres, when the winter deposit of CO2 is absent on the surface. The seasonal evolution of CO2 coverage on Mars is the subject of the complementary paper.

Proserpine - plutonium 239 - Proserpine - uranium 235 - comparison of experimental results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunet, J.P.; Caizergues, R.; Clouet D'Orval, Ch.; Kremser, J.; Moret-Bailly, J.; Verriere, Ph.

1964-01-01

The Proserpine homogeneous reactor is constituted by a tank, 25 cm dia, 30 cm high, surrounded by a composite reflector made of beryllium oxide and graphite. In this tank can be made critical plutonium or 90 per cent enriched uranium solutions, the fissile substances being in the form of a dissolved salt. In varying the concentration of the solution, critical masses were studied as a function of the level of the liquid in the tank. The minimum critical mass is 256 ± 2 grs for plutonium and 409 ± 3 grs for uranium 235. In the range of the critical concentrations which were studied, the neutronic properties of fissionable solutions of plutonium and enriched uranium were compared for identical geometries. (authors) [fr

Smart timber bridge on geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) abutments

Science.gov (United States)

Adam Senalik; James P. Wacker; Travis K. Hosteng; John Hermanson

2017-01-01

Recently, Buchanan County, Iowa, has cooperated with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), and Iowa State University’s Bridge Engineering Center (ISU–BEC) to initiate a project involving the construction and monitoring of a glued-laminated (glulam) timber superstructure on geosynthetic reinforced soil (...

GRS vs. OMS Calibration in LISA Pathfinder Data Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meshksar, Neda; Ferraioli, Luigi; Mance, Davor; Zweifel, Peter; Giardini, Domenico; Ten Pierick, Jan

2017-01-01

On board LISA Pathfinder spacecraft the test mass displacement along the main measurement axis is sensed in two different ways: optically and electrostatically. We have monitored the relative calibration between the two measurements during the mission science phase. The trend sensitivity of the relative calibration has been computed for different physical parameters, such as temperature, magnetic field, test mass bias voltage and current. (paper)

GRS vs. OMS Calibration in LISA Pathfinder Data Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Meshksar, Neda; Ferraioli, Luigi; Mance, Davor; ten Pierick, Jan; Zweifel, Peter; Giardini, Domenico; ">LISA Pathfinder colaboration, In-depth evaluations of operating experiences in nuclear power plants. Annual report 2015/2016 (June 2015 - May 2016); Vertiefte Untersuchungen von Betriebserfahrungen aus Kernreaktoren. Jahresbericht 2015/2016 (Juni 2015 - Mai 2016)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mildenberger, Oliver

2017-05-15

A central task of GRS is the continuous evaluation of events in nuclear power plants in Germany and abroad on behalf of BMUB. GRS evaluates all reportable events from German plants as well as safety-relevant events in foreign nuclear power plants. It aims for the extraction of scientific insights and information to extend the knowledge base of GRS. Learning from operating experience is an important element for preserving and improving the safety level of nuclear power plants. Insights obtained from these in-depth evaluations form the scientific bas is for expert statements, information notices or generic reports on behalf of BMUB. This report presents major results of generic in-depth investigations on safety-relevant aspects detected during the screening of operating experience from all available sources in the reporting period. Moreover, the results of additional further works to determine and advance the state of the art in science and technology related to the evaluation of operating experience are summarized: Pilot study on evaluation of U.S. NRC Licensee Event Reports (LER); Update of knowledge base on transients; Extension of CCF checklist with CCF phenomena in valves and big machine components (pumps, emergency diesels, ventilations, heat exchangers and chillers); Generic analysis of events with errors during periodic inspections; Experiences with errors during construction and operation of nuclear concrete buildings; Assessment of results from precursor analyses.

Reports on research projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by the Federal Minister for Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-09-01

Investigations on the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of the Research Program Reactor Safety (RS - Projects) are sponsored by the BMFT (Federal Minister for Research and Technology), der Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie. Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear power plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. Besides the investigations of LWR tasks first projects on the safety of FBR type reactors are sponsored by the BMFT. The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of quarterly and annually publication of progress reports within the series GRS - F Fortschrittsberichte (GRS - F - Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work. The individual reports are arranged according to the amended LWR Safety Research Program of the BMFT. Another table contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC Communities and the OECD. (orig./HP) 891 HP [de

Longitudinal Analysis of Genetic Susceptibility and BMI Throughout Adult Life.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Mingyang; Zheng, Yan; Qi, Lu; Hu, Frank B; Chan, Andrew T; Giovannucci, Edward L

2018-02-01

Little is known about the genetic influence on BMI trajectory throughout adulthood. We created a genetic risk score (GRS) comprising 97 adult BMI-associated variants among 9,971 women and 6,405 men of European ancestry. Serial measures of BMI were assessed from 18 (women) or 21 (men) years to 85 years of age. We also examined BMI change in early (from 18 or 21 to 45 years of age), middle (from 45 to 65 years of age), and late adulthood (from 65 to 80 years of age). GRS was positively associated with BMI across all ages, with stronger associations in women than in men. The associations increased from early to middle adulthood, peaked at 45 years of age in men and at 60 years of age in women (0.91 and 1.35 kg/m 2 per 10-allele increment, respectively) and subsequently declined in late adulthood. For women, each 10-allele increment in the GRS was associated with an average BMI gain of 0.54 kg/m 2 in early adulthood, whereas no statistically significant association was found for BMI change in middle or late adulthood or for BMI change in any life period in men. Our findings indicate that genetic predisposition exerts a persistent effect on adiposity throughout adult life and increases early adulthood weight gain in women. © 2017 by the American Diabetes Association.

Phenomenology and course of severe accidents in PWR-plants training by teaching and demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonnenkalb, M.; Rohde, J.

1999-01-01

A special one day training course on 'Phenomenology and Course of Severe Accidents in PWR-Plants' was developed at GRS initiated by the interest of German utilities. The work was done in the frame of projects sponsored by the German Ministries for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMW) and for Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF). In the paper the intention and the subject of this training course are discussed and selected parts of the training course are presented. Demonstrations are made within this training course with the GRS simulator system ATLAS to achieve a broader understanding of the phenomena discussed and the propagation of severe accidents on a plant specific basis. The GRS simulator system ATLAS is linked in this case to the integral code MELCOR and pre-calculated plant specific severe accident calculations are used for the demonstration together with special graphics showing plant specific details. Several training courses have been held since the first one in November, 1996 especially to operators, shift personal and the management board of a German PWR. In the meantime the training course was updated and suggestions for improvements from the participants were included. In the future this training course will be made available for members of crisis teams, instructors of commercial training centres and researchers of different institutions too. (author)

High-Resolution Mid-IR Imaging of Jupiter's Great Red Spot: Comparing Cassini, VLT and Subaru Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, Leigh N.; Orton, G. S.; Yanamandra-Fisher, P.; Irwin, P. G. J.; Baines, K. H.; Edkins, E.; Line, M. R.; Mousis, O.; Parrish, P. D.; Vanzi, L.; Fuse, T.; Fujoyoshi, T.

2008-09-01

In the eight years since the Cassini fly-by of Jupiter, the spatial resolution of ground-based observations of Jupiter's giant anticyclonic storm systems (the Great Red Spot, Oval BA and others) using 8m-class telescopes has surpassed the resolution of the Cassini/CIRS maps. We present a time-series of mid-IR imaging of the Great Red Spot (GRS) and its environs from the VISIR instrument on the Very Large Telescope (UT3/Melipal) and the COMICS instrument on the Subaru telescope (Hawaii). The NEMESIS optimal-estimation retrieval algorithm (Irwin et al., 2008) is used to analyse both the 7-25 micron filtered imaging from 2005-2008 and Cassini/CIRS 7-16 micron data from 2000. We demonstrate the ability to map temperatures in the 100-400 mbar range, NH3, aerosol opacity and the para-H2 fraction from the filtered imaging. Furthermore, the Cassini/CIRS spectra are used to map the PH3 mole fraction around the GRS. The thermal field, gaseous composition and aerosol distribution are used as diagnostics for the atmospheric motion associated with the GRS. Changes in the atmospheric state in response to close encounters with Oval BA and other vortices will be assessed. These results will be discussed in light of their implications for the planning of the Europa-Jupiter System Mission.

Risk oriented analysis of the SNR-300

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koeberlein, K.

1982-01-01

The Fact Finding Committee on 'Future Nuclear Power Policy' established by the 8th German Federal Parliament in its report of June 1980 among other items published the recommendation to commission a 'risk oriented analysis' of the SNR-300 in order to enable a pragmatic comparison to be made of the safety of the German prototype fast breeder reactor and a modern light water reactor (a Biblis B PWR). The Federal Minister for Research and Technology in August 1981 officially commissioned the Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) to conduct the study. Following a recommendation by the Fact Finding Committee, additional studies were performed also by a group of opponents of the breeder reactor. On the instigation of the group of opponents the delivery date of the study was altered several times and finally set at April 30, 1982. GRS submitted its report by this deadline. However, a joint report by the two groups could not be compiled, as had been requested by the client, because the contributions of the opponents were not made available until mid-May 1982 and then only as an 'interim report'. In summary, the GRS study indicates that the frequency and severity of major accidents is lower for the SNR-300 at the Kalkar site than for a PWR as covered in the German Nuclear Power Plant Risk Study. (orig.) [de

Reports on research projects in the field of reactor safety sponsored by the Federal Ministry for research and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-09-01

Investigations on the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of the Research Program Reactor Safety (RS - Projects) are sponsored by the BMFT (Federal Minister for Research and Technology), Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie. Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear power-plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. Besides the investigations of LWR tasks first projects on the safety of FBR type reactors are sponsored by the BMFT. The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of quarterly and annually publication of progress reports within the series GRS - F - Fortschrittsberichte (GRS - F - Progress Reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work. The individual reports are arranged according to the amended LWR Safety Research Program of the BMFT in the near future. Another table contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC Communities and the OECD. (orig.) [de

Reports on the research projects in the field of nuclear safety sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-06-01

Investigations on the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWR) being performed in the framework of the Research Program Reactor Safety (RS-Projects) are sponsored by the BMFT (Federal Minister for Research and Technology), Bundesminister fuer Forschung und Technologie. Objective of this program is to investigate in greater detail the safety margins of nuclear power plants and their systems and the further development of safety technology. Besides the investigations of LWR tasks first projects on the safety of FBR type reactors are sponsored by the BMFT. The GRS (Reactor Safety Association), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit mbH, by order of the BMFT, informs continuously of the status of such investigations by means of quarterly and annually publication of progress reports within the series GRS-F-Fortschrittsberichte (GRS-F-progress reports). Each progress report represents a compilation of individual reports about objectives, the work performed, the results, the next steps of the work etc. The individual reports are prepared in a standard form by the contractors themselves as a documentation of their progress in work. The individual reports are arranged according to the amended LWR Safety Research Program of the BMFT, which will appear in the near future. Another table contents uses the same classification system as applied in the Nuclear Safety Index of the CEC and the OECD. (orig./HP) [de

Long‐Term Monitoring of a Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System (GRS‐IBS)

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-01

The geosynthetic reinforced soil integrated bridge system (GRS-IBS) is an innovative alternative to conventional bridge technology that utilizes closely spaced layers of geosynthetic reinforcement and compacted granular fill material to provide direc...

Replication study for the association of 9 East Asian GWAS-derived loci with susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in a Japanese population.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kensuke Sakai

Full Text Available AIMS: East Asian genome-wide association studies (GWAS for type 2 diabetes identified 8 loci with genome-wide significance, and 2 loci with a borderline association. However, the associations of these loci except MAEA locus with type 2 diabetes have not been evaluated in independent East Asian cohorts. We performed a replication study to investigate the association of these susceptibility loci with type 2 diabetes in an independent Japanese population. METHODS: We genotyped 7,379 Japanese participants (5,315 type 2 diabetes and 2,064 controls for each of the 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, rs7041847 in GLIS3, rs6017317 in FITM2-R3HDML-HNF4A, rs6467136 near GCCI-PAX4, rs831571 near PSMD6, rs9470794 in ZFAND3, rs3786897 in PEPD, rs1535500 in KCNK16, rs16955379 in CMIP, and rs17797882 near WWOX. Because the sample size in this study was not sufficient to replicate single SNP associations, we constructed a genetic risk score (GRS by summing a number of risk alleles of the 9 SNPs, and examined the association of the GRS with type 2 diabetes using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: With the exception of rs1535500 in KCNK16, all SNPs had the same direction of effect (odds ratio [OR]>1.0 as in the original reports. The GRS constructed from the 9 SNPs was significantly associated with type 2 diabetes in the Japanese population (p = 4.0 × 10(-4, OR = 1.05, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.09. In quantitative trait analyses, rs16955379 in CMIP was nominally associated with a decreased homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function and with increased fasting plasma glucose, but neither the individual SNPs nor the GRS showed a significant association with the glycemic traits. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that 9 loci that were identified in the East Asian GWAS meta-analysis have a significant effect on the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in the Japanese population.

Glucocorticoid receptors in the basolateral amygdala mediated the restraint stress-induced reinstatement of methamphetamine-seeking behaviors in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Taslimi, Zahra; Sarihi, Abdolrahman; Haghparast, Abbas

2018-04-21

Methamphetamine (METH) addiction is a growing epidemic worldwide. It is a common psychiatric disease and stress has an important role in the drug seeking and relapse behaviors. The involvement of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in effects of stress on the reward pathway has been discussed in several studies. In this study, we tried to find out the involvement of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in the BLA in stress-induced reinstatement of the extinguished METH-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in rats. The CPP paradigm was done in eighty-one adult male Wistar rats weighing 220-250 g. The animals received a daily injection of methamphetamine (0.5 mg/kg), during the conditioning phase. In extinction phase, the rats were put in the CPP box for 30 min per day for 8 days. After the extinction, the animals were exposed to acute restraint stress (ARS), 3 h before subcutaneous administration of sub-threshold dose of methamphetamine (0.125 mg/kg), based on our previous study, in reinstatement phase. In separated groups, the rats were exposed to chronic restraint stress (CRS) for 1 h each day during the extinction phase. To block the GRs in BLA, the animals unilaterally received RU38486 as GRs antagonist (10, 30 and 90 ng/0.3 μl DMSO) in all ARS groups on reinstatement day. In separated experiments, RU38486 (3, 10 and 30 ng/0.3 μl DMSO) was microinjected into the BLA in CRS groups prior to exposure to stress every day in extinction phase. The results revealed that intra-BLA RU38486 in ARS (90 ng) and CRS (10 and 30 ng) groups significantly prevented the stress-induced reinstatement. It can be proposed that stress partially exerts its effect on the reward pathway via GRs in the BLA. This effect was not quite similar in acute and chronic stress conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of the integral code MELCOR for German NPPs and use within accident management and PSA projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonnenkalb, Martin

2006-01-01

The paper summarizes the application of MELCOR to German NPPS with PWR and BWR. A development of different code systems like ATHLET/ATHLET-CD, COCOSYS and ASTEC is done as well at GRS but it is not discussed in this paper. GRS has been using MELCOR since 1990 for real plant calculations. The results of MELCOR analyses are used mainly in PSA level 2 studies and in Accident Management projects for both types of NPPs. MELCOR has been a very useful and robust tool for these analyses. The calculations performed within the PSA level 2 studies for both types of German NPPs have shown that typical severe accident scenarios are characterized by several phases and that the consideration of plant specifics are important not only for realistic source term calculations. An overview of typically severe accident phases together with main accident management measures installed in German NPPs is presented in the paper. Several severe accident sequences have been calculated for both reactor types and some detailed nodalisation studies and code to code comparisons have been prepared in the past, to prove the developed core, reactor circuit and containment/building nodalisation schemes. Together with the compilation of the MELCOR data set, the qualification of the nodalisation schemes has been pursued with comparative calculations with detailed GRS codes for selected phases of severe accidents. The results of these comparative analyses showed in most of the areas a good agreement of essential parameters and of the general description of the plant behaviour during the accident progression. The in general detail of the German plant nodalisation schemes developed for MELCOR contributes significantly to this good agreement between integral and detailed code results. The implementation of MELCOR into the GRS simulator ATLAS was very important for the assessment of the results, not only due to the great detail of the nodalisation schemes used. It is used for training of severe accident