Successful range-expanding plants experience less above-ground and below-ground enemy impact.

Science.gov (United States)

Engelkes, Tim; Morriën, Elly; Verhoeven, Koen J F; Bezemer, T Martijn; Biere, Arjen; Harvey, Jeffrey A; McIntyre, Lauren M; Tamis, Wil L M; van der Putten, Wim H

2008-12-18

Many species are currently moving to higher latitudes and altitudes. However, little is known about the factors that influence the future performance of range-expanding species in their new habitats. Here we show that range-expanding plant species from a riverine area were better defended against shoot and root enemies than were related native plant species growing in the same area. We grew fifteen plant species with and without non-coevolved polyphagous locusts and cosmopolitan, polyphagous aphids. Contrary to our expectations, the locusts performed more poorly on the range-expanding plant species than on the congeneric native plant species, whereas the aphids showed no difference. The shoot herbivores reduced the biomass of the native plants more than they did that of the congeneric range expanders. Also, the range-expanding plants developed fewer pathogenic effects in their root-zone soil than did the related native species. Current predictions forecast biodiversity loss due to limitations in the ability of species to adjust to climate warming conditions in their range. Our results strongly suggest that the plants that shift ranges towards higher latitudes and altitudes may include potential invaders, as the successful range expanders may experience less control by above-ground or below-ground enemies than the natives.

Expanded activity of schools in Serbia: Legal framework and practical experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ognjenović Kosovka Đ.

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Expanded activities of schools and activities of student cooperatives are important components of the educational process in schools, which are contributing to the improvement of the quality of education and better social inclusion of students. The main objective of this article is to focus on opportunities enabled by the legal framework that supports the realization of expanded activities and activities of student cooperatives in Serbian schools and to compare relevant experiences in Serbia with the practice in neighbouring countries and the old EU Member States. In particular, in this article it is examined to what extent the adoption of entrepreneurial competences through different entrepreneurship development programs contributes to the probability of implementation of additional activities in Serbian schools. For this purpose, the data of the Survey on practising, types and usefulness of expanded activities and activities of student cooperatives are used. This survey was conducted in 2010 at the samples of public primary and secondary schools that executed some sort of additional activities, as well as of schools that did not practice extended activities.

US nuclear safety review and experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilinsky, V.

1977-01-01

The nuclear safety review of commercial nuclear power reactors has changed over the years from the relatively simple review of Dresden 1 in 1955 to the highly complex and sophisticated regulatory process which characterizes today's reviews. Four factors have influenced this evolution: (1) maturing of the technology and industry; (2) development of the regulatory process and associated staff; (3) feedback of operating experience; and (4) public awareness and participation. The NRC's safety review responsibilities start before an application is tendered and end when the plant is decommissioned. The safety review for reactor licensing is a comprehensive, two-phase process designed to assure that all the established conservative acceptance criteria are satisfied. Operational safety is assured through a strong inspection and enforcement program which includes shutting down operating facilities when necessary to protect the health and safety of the public. The safety of operating reactors is further insured through close regulation of license changes and selective backfitting of new regulatory requirements. An effective NRC standards development program has been implemented and coordinates closely with the national standards program. A confirmatory safety research program has been developed. Both of these efforts are invaluable to the nuclear safety review because they provide the staff with key tools needed to carry out its regulatory responsibilities. Both have been given increased emphasis since the formation of the NRC in 1975. The safety review process will continue to evolve, but changes will be slower and more deliberate. It will be influenced by standardization, early site reviews and development of advanced reactor concepts. New legislation may make possible changes which will simplify and shorten the regulatory process. Certainly the experience provided by the increasing number and types of operating plants will have a very strong impact on future trends in the

Program of nuclear criticality safety experiment at JAERI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Iwao; Tachimori, Shoichi; Takeshita, Isao; Suzaki, Takenori; Ohnishi, Nobuaki

1983-11-01

JAERI is promoting the nuclear criticality safety research program, in which a new facility for criticality safety experiments (Criticality Safety Experimental Facility : CSEF) is to be built for the experiments with solution fuel. One of the experimental researches is to measure, collect and evaluate the experimental data needed for evaluation of criticality safety of the nuclear fuel cycle facilities. Another research area is a study of the phenomena themselves which are incidental to postulated critical accidents. Investigation of the scale and characteristics of the influences caused by the accident is also included in this research. The result of the conceptual design of CSEF is summarized in this report. (author)

Direct transcatheter aortic valve implantation with self-expandable bioprosthesis: Feasibility and safety

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiorina, Claudia, E-mail: clafiorina@yahoo.it [Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Cardiothoracic Department, Spedali Civili, Brescia (Italy); Maffeo, Diego; Curello, Salvatore [Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Cardiothoracic Department, Spedali Civili, Brescia (Italy); Lipartiti, Felicia [Division of Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Department, Spedali Civili, Brescia (Italy); Chizzola, Giuliano [Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Cardiothoracic Department, Spedali Civili, Brescia (Italy); D' Aloia, Antonio [Division of Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Department, Spedali Civili, Brescia (Italy); Adamo, Marianna [Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Cardiothoracic Department, Spedali Civili, Brescia (Italy); Mastropierro, Rosy [Division of Cardiothoracic Anestesiology, Cardiothoracic Department, Spedali Civili, Brescia (Italy); Gavazzi, Emanuele [Department of Radiology, University of Brescia, Spedali Civili, Brescia (Italy); Ciccarese, Camilla; Chiari, Ermanna [Division of Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Department, Spedali Civili, Brescia (Italy); Ettori, Federica [Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Cardiothoracic Department, Spedali Civili, Brescia (Italy)

2014-06-15

Background: Balloon valvuloplasty has been considered a mandatory step of the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), although it is not without risk. The aim of this work was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of TAVI performed without pre-dilation (direct TAVI) of the stenosed aortic valve. Material and Methods: Between June 2012 and June 2013, 55 consecutive TAVI performed without pre-dilation at our institution using the self-expandable CoreValve prosthesis (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) were analyzed and compared with 45 pre-dilated TAVI performed the previous year. Inclusion criteria were a symptomatic and severe aortic stenosis. Exclusion criteria were defined as presence of pure aortic regurgitation, degenerated surgical bioprosthesis or bicuspid aortic valve and prior procedure of balloon aortic valvuloplasty performed as a bridge to TAVI. Results: High-burden calcification in the device landing zone, assessed by CT scan, was found in most of the patients. The valve size implanted was similar in both groups. Device success was higher in direct TAVI (85% vs. 64%, p = 0.014), mostly driven by a significant lower incidence of paravalvular leak (PVL ≥2; 9% vs. 33%, p = 0.02). Safety combined end point at 30 days was similar in both groups. Conclusion: Compared to TAVI with pre-dilation, direct TAVI is feasible regardless of the presence of bulky calcified aortic valve and the valve size implanted. Device success was higher in direct TAVI, mostly driven by a lower incidence of paravalvular leak. Safety at 30 days was similar in two groups.

ICSBEP-2007, International Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiment Handbook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blair Briggs, J.

2007-01-01

1 - Description: The Critically Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (CSBEP) was initiated in October of 1992 by the United Sates Department of Energy. The project quickly became an international effort as scientist from other interested countries became involved. The International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) is now an official activity of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development - Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA). This handbook contains criticality safety benchmark specifications that have been derived from experiments that were performed at various nuclear critical facilities around the world. The benchmark specifications are intended for use by criticality safety engineers to validate calculational techniques used to establish minimum subcritical margins for operations with fissile material. The example calculations presented do not constitute a validation of the codes or cross section data. The work of the ICSBEP is documented as an International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments. Currently, the handbook spans over 42,000 pages and contains 464 evaluations representing 4,092 critical, near-critical, or subcritical configurations and 21 criticality alarm placement/shielding configurations with multiple dose points for each and 46 configurations that have been categorized as fundamental physics measurements that are relevant to criticality safety applications. The handbook is intended for use by criticality safety analysts to perform necessary validations of their calculational techniques and is expected to be a valuable tool for decades to come. The ICSBEP Handbook is available on DVD. You may request a DVD by completing the DVD Request Form on the internet. Access to the Handbook on the Internet requires a password. You may request a password by completing the Password Request Form. The Web address is: http://icsbep.inel.gov/handbook.shtml 2 - Method of solution: Experiments that are found

Use of safety experience feedback to design new nuclear units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lange, D.; Crochon, J.P.

1985-06-01

For the designer, and about safety, the experience feedback can take place in 3 fields: the operating experience feedback (incidents analysis), the ''study'' experience feedback (improvement of justification and evolution of safety considerations), and the fabrication experience feedback. Some examples are presented for each field [fr

LMFBR operational safety: the EBR-II experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sackett, J.I.; Allen, N.L.; Dean, E.M.; Fryer, R.M.; Larson, H.A.; Lehto, W.K.

1978-01-01

The mission of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) has evolved from that of a small LMFBR demonstration plant to a major irradiation-test facility. Because of that evolution, many operational-safety issues have been encountered. The paper describes the EBR-II operational-safety experience in four areas: protection-system design, safety-document preparation, tests of off-normal reactor conditions, and tests of elements with breached cladding

Safety experience on EDF's PWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanguy, P.

1986-01-01

The french nuclear programme has been widely publicized. In 1985, the total nuclear electricity generated was around 216 GWh, i. e. 70% of the electricity produced by electricity de France (EDF). If we consider only pressurized water reactors, at the end of 1985, 37 units were in operation (32 900 MWe and 5 1300 MWe) and 18 were under construction. I intend to review our experience with the safety of PWR's, but I will first present briefly some aspects related to the safety organization in France and the standardization policy. (author) [pt

Providing Nuclear Criticality Safety Analysis Education through Benchmark Experiment Evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bess, John D.; Briggs, J. Blair; Nigg, David W.

2009-01-01

One of the challenges that today's new workforce of nuclear criticality safety engineers face is the opportunity to provide assessment of nuclear systems and establish safety guidelines without having received significant experience or hands-on training prior to graduation. Participation in the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) and/or the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) provides students and young professionals the opportunity to gain experience and enhance critical engineering skills.

Glovebox and Experiment Safety

Science.gov (United States)

Maas, Gerard

2005-12-01

Human spaceflight hardware and operations must comply with NSTS 1700.7. This paper discusses how a glovebox can help.A short layout is given on the process according NSTS/ISS 13830, explaining the responsibility of the payload organization, the approval authority of the PSRP and the defined review phases (0 till III).Amongst others, the following requirement has to be met:"200.1 Design to Tolerate Failures. Failure tolerance is the basic safety requirement that shall be used to control most payload hazards. The payload must tolerate a minimum number of credible failures and/or operator errors determined by the hazard level. This criterion applies when the loss of a function or the inadvertent occurrence of a function results in a hazardous event.200.1a Critical Hazards. Critical hazards shall be controlled such that no single failure or operator error can result in damage to STS/ISS equipment, a nondisabling personnel injury, or the use of unscheduled safing procedures that affect operations of the Orbiter/ISS or another payload.200.1b Catastrophic Hazards. Catastrophic hazards shall be controlled such that no combination of two failures or operator errors can result in the potential for a disabling or fatal personnel injury or loss of the Orbiter/ISS, ground facilities or STS/ISS equipment."For experiments in material science, biological science and life science that require real time operator manipulation, the above requirement may be hard or impossible to meet. Especially if the experiment contains substances that are considered hazardous when released into the habitable environment. In this case operation of the experiment in a glovebox can help to comply.A glovebox provides containment of the experiment and at the same time allows manipulation and visibility to the experiment.The containment inside the glovebox provides failure tolerance because the glovebox uses a negative pressure inside the working volume (WV). The level of failure tolerance is dependent of

In-pile experiments and test facilities proposed for fast reactor safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grolmes, M.A.; Avery, R.; Goldman, A.J.; Fauske, H.K.; Marchaterre, J.F.; Rose, D.; Wright, A.E.

1976-01-01

The role of in-pile experiments in support of the resolution of fast breeder reactor safety and licensing issues has been re-examined, with emphasis on key safety issues. Experiment needs have been related to the specific characteristics of these safety issues and to realistic requirements for additional test facility capabilities which can be achieved and utilized within the next ten years. It is found that those safety issues related to the energetics of core disruptive accidents have the largest impact on new facility requirements. However, utilization of existing facilities with modifications can provide for a continuing increase in experiment capability and experiment results on a timely bases. Emphasis has been placed upon maximum utilization of existing facilities and minimum requirements for new facilities. This evaluation has concluded that a new Safety Test Facility, STF, along with major modifications to the EBR II facility, improvement in TREAT capabilities, the existing Sodium Loop Safety Facility and corresponding Support Facilities provide the essential elements of the Safety Research Experiment Facilities (SAREF) required for resolution of key issues

International handbook of evaluated criticality safety benchmark experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

The Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (CSBEP) was initiated in October of 1992 by the United States Department of Energy. The project quickly became an international effort as scientists from other interested countries became involved. The International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) became an official activity of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development - Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA) in 1995. This handbook contains criticality safety benchmark specifications that have been derived from experiments performed at various nuclear critical facilities around the world. The benchmark specifications are intended for use by criticality safety engineers to validate calculational techniques used to establish minimum subcritical margins for operations with fissile material and to determine criticality alarm requirement and placement. Many of the specifications are also useful for nuclear data testing. Example calculations are presented; however, these calculations do not constitute a validation of the codes or cross section data. The evaluated criticality safety benchmark data are given in nine volumes. These volumes span over 55,000 pages and contain 516 evaluations with benchmark specifications for 4,405 critical, near critical, or subcritical configurations, 24 criticality alarm placement / shielding configurations with multiple dose points for each, and 200 configurations that have been categorized as fundamental physics measurements that are relevant to criticality safety applications. Experiments that are found unacceptable for use as criticality safety benchmark experiments are discussed in these evaluations; however, benchmark specifications are not derived for such experiments (in some cases models are provided in an appendix). Approximately 770 experimental configurations are categorized as unacceptable for use as criticality safety benchmark experiments. Additional evaluations are in progress and will be

ABWR (K-6/7) construction experience (computer-based safety system)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokomura, T.

1998-01-01

TEPCO applied a digital safety system to Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station Unit Nos. 6 and 7, the world's first ABWR plant. Although this was the first time to apply a digital safety logic system in Japan, we were able to complete construction of K-6/7 very successfully and without any delay. TEPCO took a approach of developing a substantial amount of experience in digital non- safety systems before undertaking the design of the safety protection system. This paper describes the history, techniques and experience behind achieving a highly reliable digital safety system. (author)

PNRA Process for Utilizing Experience Feedback for Enhancing Nuclear Safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, Z.H.

2016-01-01

One of the elements essential for any organization to become a learning organization is to learn from its own and others experience. The importance of utilizing experience feedback for enhancing operational safety is highlighted in nuclear industry again and again and this has resulted in establishment of several national and international forums. In addition, IAEA action plan on nuclear safety issued after Fukushima accident further highlighted the importance of experience sharing among nuclear community to enhance global nuclear safety regime. PNRA utilizes operating experience feedback gathered through different sources in order to improve its regulatory processes. During the review of licensing submissions, special emphasis is given to utilize the lessons learnt from experience feedback relating to nuclear industry within and outside the country. This emphasis has gradually resulted in various safety improvements in the facilities and processes. Accordingly, PNRA has developed a systematic process of evaluation of international operating experience feedback with the aim to create safety conscious approach. This process includes collecting information from different international forums such as IAEA, regulatory bodies of other countries and useful feedback of past accidents followed by its screening, evaluation and suggesting recommendations both for PNRA and its licensees. As a result of this process, several improvements concerning regulatory inspection plans of PNRA as well as in regulatory decision making and operational practices of licensees have been highlighted. This paper will present PNRA approach for utilizing experience feedback in its regulatory processes for enhancing / improving nuclear safety. (author)

The experiences of research reactor accident to safety improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiranto, S.

1999-01-01

The safety of reactor operation is the main factor in order that the nuclear technology development program can be held according the expected target. Several experience with research reactor incidents must be learned and understood by the nuclear program personnel, especially for operators and supervisors of RSG-GA. Siwabessy. From the incident experience of research reactor in the world, which mentioned in the book 'Experience with research reactor incidents' by IAEA, 1995, was concluded that the main cause of research reactor accidents is understandless about the safety culture by the nuclear installation personnel. With learn, understand and compare between this experiences and the condition of RSG GA Siwabessy is expended the operators and supervisors more attention about the safety culture, so that RSG GA Siwabessy can be operated successfull, safely according the expected target

HTR-PM Safety requirement and Licensing experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Fu; Zhang Zuoyi; Dong Yujie; Wu Zongxin; Sun Yuliang

2014-01-01

HTR-PM is a 200MWe modular pebble bed high temperature reactor demonstration plant which is being built in Shidao Bay, Weihai, Shandong, China. The main design parameters of HTR-PM were fixed in 2006, the basic design was completed in 2008. The review of Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) of HTR-PM was started in April 2008, completed in September 2009. In general, HTR- PM design complies with the current safety requirement for nuclear power plant in China, no special standards are developed for modular HTR. Anyway, Chinese Nuclear Safety Authority, together with the designers, developed some dedicated design criteria for key systems and components and published the guideline for the review of safety analysis report of HTR-PM, based on the experiences from licensing of HTR-10 and new development of nuclear safety. The probabilistic safety goal for HTR-PM was also defined by the safety authority. The review of HTR-PM PSAR lasted for one and a half years, with 3 dialogues meetings and 8 topics meetings, with more than 2000 worksheets and answer sheets. The heavily discussed topics during the PSAR review process included: the requirement for the sub-atmospheric ventilation system, the utilization of PSA in design process, the scope of beyond design basis accidents, the requirement for the qualification of TRISO coating particle fuel, and etc. Because of the characteristics of first of a kind for the demonstration plant, the safety authority emphasized the requirement for the experiment and validation, the PSAR was licensed with certain licensing conditions. The whole licensing process was under control, and was re-evaluated again after Fukushima accident to be shown that the design of HTR-PM complies with current safety requirement. This is a good example for how to license a new reactor. (author)

Introduction to 'International Handbook of Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komuro, Yuichi

1998-01-01

The Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (CSBEP) was initiated in 1992 by the United States Department of Energy. The project quickly became an international effort as scientists from other interested countries became involved. The International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) is now an official activity of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development-Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA). 'International Handbook of Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments' was prepared and is updated year by year by the working group of the project. This handbook contains criticality safety benchmark specifications that have been derived from experiments that were performed at various nuclear critical facilities around the world. The benchmark specifications are intended for use by criticality safety engineers to validate calculation techniques used. The author briefly introduces the informative handbook and would like to encourage Japanese engineers who are in charge of nuclear criticality safety to use the handbook. (author)

Safety engineering experiments of explosives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishikawa, Noboru

1987-07-24

The outline of large scale experiments carried out every year since 1969 to obtain fundamental data and then establish the safety engineering standards concerning the manufacturing, storage and transportation, etc. of all explosives was described. Because it becomes recently difficult to ensure the safety distance in powder magazines and powder plants, the sandwich structure with sand is thought to be suitable as the neighboring barrier walls. The special vertical structure for embankments to provide against a emergency explosion is effective to absorb the blast. Explosion behaviors such as initiating sensitivity, detonation, sympathetic detonation, and shock occurence of the ANFO explosives in place of dynamite and the slurry explosives were studied. The safety engineering standards for the manufacturing and application of explosives were studied to establish because accidents by tabacco fire are not still distinguished. Much data concerning early stage fire fighting, a large quantity of flooding and shock occurence from a assumption of ignition during machining in the propellants manufacturing plant, could be obtained. Basic studies were made to prevent pollution in blasting sites. Collected data are utilized for the safety administration after sufficient discussion. (4 figs, 2 tabs, 3 photos, 17 refs)

Periodic Safety Review of Nuclear Power Plants: Experience of Member States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-04-01

Routine reviews of nuclear power plant operation (including modifications to hardware and procedures, operating experience, plant management and personnel competence) and special reviews following major events of safety significance are the primary means of safety verification. In addition, many Member States of the IAEA have initiated systematic safety reassessments, termed periodic safety reviews, of nuclear power plants, to assess the cumulative effects of plant ageing and plant modifications, operating experience, technical developments and siting aspects. The reviews include an assessment of plant design and operation against current safety standards and practices, and they have the objective of ensuring a high level of safety throughout the plant's operating lifetime. They are complementary to the routine and special safety reviews and do not replace them. Periodic safety reviews of nuclear power plants are considered an effective way to obtain an overall view of actual plant safety, and to determine reasonable and practical modifications that should be made in order to maintain a high level of safety. They can be used as a means of identifying time limiting features of the plant in order to determine nuclear power plant operation beyond the designed lifetime. The periodic safety review process can be used to support the decision making process for long term operation or licence renewal. Since 1994, the use of periodic safety reviews by Member States has substantially broadened and confirmed its benefits. Periodic safety review results have, for example, been used by some Member States to help provide a basis for continued operation beyond the current licence term, to communicate more effectively with stakeholders regarding nuclear power plant safety, and to help identify changes to plant operation that enhance safety. This IAEA-TECDOC is intended to assist Member States in the implementation of a periodic safety review. This publication complements the

Second Generation Self-Inflating Tissue Expanders: A Two-Year Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jamal Omran Al Madani

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Tissue expansion is a well-established surgical technique that produces an additional amount of normal skin to cover a defect. This technique is appealing because the skin quality and color are from the patient’s own. The widely used injectable expanders are of great reliability but carry the disadvantage of being painful during injection and most of the time require multiple clinic visits. So the idea of self-inflation became attractive and hydrogel expanders were developed and became widely known for being painless during clinic visit and decrease number of visits. The first generation expanders were modified by adding an enclosing plastic shell to decrease the unopposed expansion that occurred in the first generation expanders, which lead to pressure necrosis of the skin flaps. This made it an attractive option for tissue expansion in children and some adult patients. Patients, Materials, and Methods. Charts of 17 patients were retrospectively reviewed, all of them had second generation self-inflating expanders implanted over a 2-year period for one of two purposes, the treatment of giant nevi or burn scars. Results. Fifteen patients were females and 2 were males. The indication was large burn scar in 14 cases (14/17, in which 47/55 expanders were implanted, and giant nevus in 3/17 cases in which 8/55 expanders were implanted. Extrusion of the expander occurred in 8/55 expanders (14.5%, which occurred in 6/14 patients. The highest percentage of extrusion occurred in the neck in which two out of three expanders extruded; otherwise this complication does not seem to be related to the indication, gender, nor age of the patients. It seems to be that it is technical in nature. The patients did not have to get any injections to fill the tissue expanders, which made the expansion process less painful and more convenient. Conclusion. This seems to be currently the largest published review in which second generation expanders were used

Operational safety experience feedback by means of unusual event reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-07-01

Operational experience of nuclear power plants can be used to great advantage to enhance safety performance provided adequate measures are in place to collect and analyse it and to ensure that the conclusions drawn are acted upon. Feedback of operating experience is thus an extremely important tool to ensure high standards of safety in operational nuclear power plants and to improve the capability to prevent serious accidents and to learn from minor deviations and equipment failures - which can serve as early warnings -to prevent even minor events from occurring. Mechanisms also need to be developed to ensure that operating experience is shared both nationally as well as internationally. The operating experience feedback process needs to be fully and effectively established within the nuclear power plant, the utility, the regulatory organization as well as in other institutions such as technical support organizations and designers. The main purpose of this publication is to reflect the international consensus as to the general principles and practices in the operational safety experience feedback process. The examples of national practices for the whole or for particular parts of the process are given in annexes. The publication complements the IAEA Safety Series No.93 ''Systems for Reporting Unusual Events in Nuclear Power Plants'' (1989) and may also give a general guidance for Member States in fulfilling their obligations stipulated in the Nuclear Safety Convention. Figs, tabs

Operational safety experience feedback by means of unusual event reports

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-07-01

Operational experience of nuclear power plants can be used to great advantage to enhance safety performance provided adequate measures are in place to collect and analyse it and to ensure that the conclusions drawn are acted upon. Feedback of operating experience is thus an extremely important tool to ensure high standards of safety in operational nuclear power plants and to improve the capability to prevent serious accidents and to learn from minor deviations and equipment failures - which can serve as early warnings -to prevent even minor events from occurring. Mechanisms also need to be developed to ensure that operating experience is shared both nationally as well as internationally. The operating experience feedback process needs to be fully and effectively established within the nuclear power plant, the utility, the regulatory organization as well as in other institutions such as technical support organizations and designers. The main purpose of this publication is to reflect the international consensus as to the general principles and practices in the operational safety experience feedback process. The examples of national practices for the whole or for particular parts of the process are given in annexes. The publication complements the IAEA Safety Series No.93 ``Systems for Reporting Unusual Events in Nuclear Power Plants`` (1989) and may also give a general guidance for Member States in fulfilling their obligations stipulated in the Nuclear Safety Convention. Figs, tabs.

Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) Facility 10CFR830 Safety Basis Related to Facility Experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomberlin, T.A.

2002-01-01

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), a DOE Category A reactor, was designed to provide an irradiation test environment for conducting a variety of experiments. The ATR Safety Analysis Report, determined by DOE to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 830, Subpart B, provides versatility in types of experiments that may be conducted. This paper addresses two general types of experiments in the ATR facility and how safety analyses for experiments are related to the ATR safety basis. One type of experiment is more routine and generally represents greater risks; therefore this type of experiment is addressed with more detail in the safety basis. This allows individual safety analyses for these experiments to be more routine and repetitive. The second type of experiment is less defined and is permitted under more general controls. Therefore, individual safety analyses for the second type of experiment tend to be more unique from experiment to experiment. Experiments are also discussed relative to ''major modifications'' and DOE-STD-1027-92. Application of the USQ process to ATR experiments is also discussed

Nuclear safety: Impressive and worrisome trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meserve, R.A.

2006-01-01

The safety record for commercial nuclear power has, in the main, been impressive in recent years. Nonetheless, noteworthy events continue to occur around the globe, including events at reactors operating in countries with extensive operational experience and strong regulatory capabilities. None of the recent events has resulted in a substantial off-site release of radioactivity. But these events reinforce how wrong it would be to assume that the safety challenge has been 'solved' and that attention can be focused on other matters. There are other worrisome problems that include: aging nuclear power plants, decay in the nuclear infrastructure and expanding interest in nuclear power among countries with out prior experience of operating nuclear power plants

Development of Large-Scale Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ruff, Gary A.; Urban, David L.; Fernandez-Pello, A. Carlos

2013-01-01

exploration missions outside of low-earth orbit and accordingly, more complex in terms of operations, logistics, and safety. This will increase the challenge of ensuring a fire-safe environment for the crew throughout the mission. Based on our fundamental uncertainty of the behavior of fires in low...... of the spacecraft fire safety risk. The activity of this project is supported by an international topical team of fire experts from other space agencies who conduct research that is integrated into the overall experiment design. The large-scale space flight experiment will be conducted in an Orbital Sciences...

Safety and efficacy results of the advanced renal cell carcinoma sorafenib expanded access program in North America.

Science.gov (United States)

Stadler, Walter M; Figlin, Robert A; McDermott, David F; Dutcher, Janice P; Knox, Jennifer J; Miller, Wilson H; Hainsworth, John D; Henderson, Charles A; George, Jeffrey R; Hajdenberg, Julio; Kindwall-Keller, Tamila L; Ernstoff, Marc S; Drabkin, Harry A; Curti, Brendan D; Chu, Luis; Ryan, Christopher W; Hotte, Sebastien J; Xia, Chenghua; Cupit, Lisa; Bukowski, Ronald M

2010-03-01

The Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma Sorafenib (ARCCS) program made sorafenib available to patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) before regulatory approval. In this nonrandomized, open-label expanded access program, 2504 patients from the United States and Canada were treated with oral sorafenib 400 mg twice daily. Safety and efficacy were explored overall and in subgroups of patients including those with no prior therapy, nonclear cell (nonclear cell) RCC, brain metastases, prior bevacizumab treatment, and elderly patients. Sorafenib was approved for RCC 6 months after study initiation, at which time patients with no prior therapy or with nonclear cell RCC could enroll in an extension protocol for continued assessment for a period of 6 months. The most common grade > or =2 drug-related adverse events were hand-foot skin reaction (18%), rash (14%), hypertension (12%), and fatigue (11%). In the 1891 patients evaluable for response, complete response was observed in 1 patient, partial response in 67 patients (4%), and stable disease for at least 8 weeks in 1511 patients (80%). Median progression-free survival in the extension population was 36 weeks (95% confidence interval [CI], 33-45 weeks; censorship rate, 56%); median overall survival in the entire population was 50 weeks (95% CI, 46-52 weeks; censorship rate, 63%). The efficacy and safety results were similar across the subgroups. Sorafenib 400 mg twice daily demonstrated activity and a clinically acceptable toxicity profile in all patient subsets enrolled in the ARCCS expanded access program (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00111020).

Access safety systems - New concepts from the LHC experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ladzinski, T.; Delamare, C.; Luca, S. di; Hakulinen, T.; Hammouti, L.; Havart, F.; Juget, J.F.; Ninin, P.; Nunes, R.; Riesco, T.; Sanchez-Corral Mena, E.; Valentini, F.

2012-01-01

The LHC Access Safety System has introduced a number of new concepts into the domain of personnel protection at CERN. These can be grouped into several categories: organisational, architectural and concerning the end-user experience. By anchoring the project on the solid foundations of the IEC 61508/61511 methodology, the CERN team and its contractors managed to design, develop, test and commission on time a SIL3 safety system. The system uses a successful combination of the latest Siemens redundant safety programmable logic controllers with a traditional relay logic hard wired loop. The external envelope barriers used in the LHC include personnel and material access devices, which are interlocked door-booths introducing increased automation of individual access control, thus removing the strain from the operators. These devices ensure the inviolability of the controlled zones by users not holding the required credentials. To this end they are equipped with personnel presence detectors and the access control includes a state of the art bio-metry check. Building on the LHC experience, new projects targeting the refurbishment of the existing access safety infrastructure in the injector chain have started. This paper summarises the new concepts introduced in the LHC access control and safety systems, discusses the return of experience and outlines the main guiding principles for the renewal stage of the personnel protection systems in the LHC injector chain in a homogeneous manner. (authors)

Main lessons for FBR safety study from the CABRI experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Ikken

2006-01-01

CABRI project has been carried out FBR safety study with international cooperation of five nations since 1978. The project consists of four periods such as CABRI-1, CABRI-2, CABRI-FAST and CABRI-RAFT. The objects and the main information for hypothetical core decay accident and safety study of fuel are described. The behavior of core decay accident was studied in the first period (CABRI-1), the safety study of fuel was investigated after the second period (CABRI-2). Change of phenomena at the initial process of core decay accident, comparison between analysis and data of fuel diffusion behavior of neutron horoscope by CABRI-2 experiment, representative in-core experiment under slow TOP conditions, the damaged and undamaged pin under slow TOP conditions, the exterior of CABRI and TREAT and the upper part of CABRI and TREAT reactor are shown. CABRI experiments changed to LWR safety study and a part of TREAT is stated. (S.Y.)

Comparing the Affordable Care Act's Financial Impact on Safety-Net Hospitals in States That Expanded Medicaid and Those That Did Not.

Science.gov (United States)

Dobson, Allen; DaVanzo, Joan E; Haught, Randy; Phap-Hoa, Luu

2017-11-01

Safety-net hospitals play a vital role in delivering health care to Medicaid enrollees, the uninsured, and other vulnerable patients. By reducing the number of uninsured Americans, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was also expected to lower these hospitals’ significant uncompensated care costs and shore up their financial stability. To examine how the ACA’s Medicaid expansion affected the financial status of safety-net hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid and in states that did not. Using Medicare hospital cost reports for federal fiscal years 2012 and 2015, the authors compared changes in Medicaid inpatient days as a percentage of total inpatient days, Medicaid revenues as a percentage of total net patient revenues, uncompensated care costs as a percentage of total operating costs, and hospital operating margins. Medicaid expansion had a significant, favorable financial impact on safety-net hospitals. From 2012 to 2015, safety-net hospitals in expansion states, compared to those in nonexpansion states, experienced larger increases in Medicaid inpatient days and Medicaid revenues as well as reduced uncompensated care costs. These changes improved operating margins for safety-net hospitals in expansion states. Margins for safety-net hospitals in nonexpansion states, meanwhile, declined.

Measuring safety climate in a nuclear power plant - an experience sharing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vincy, M.U.; Varshney, Aloke; Khot, Pankaj

2016-01-01

In this paper the author discusses the experience gained in safety climate measurement of an Indian nuclear power plant. Safety performance is increasingly part of an organization's sustainable development. Nuclear power stations are falling under the category 'high reliability' industries in the world as far as work safety is concerned. Both the research and the practical experience continually point to two underlying factors that drive safety outcomes: the quality of an organisation's leadership and the resulting culture. After years of development in safety technology and safety management system in the industry, management of nuclear industry world over has come to recognize that safety culture has to be addressed if high standards of health and safety are to be maintained. Therefore, nuclear industries in India have been carrying out measurement of safety climate for more than ten years. The objectives of the study are to examine people's values, attitude, perception, competencies, and patterns of behaviour that determine the commitment to, and effectiveness of health and safety management in the industry based on a questionnaires survey and their analysis

Preliminary Safety Analysis Report for the Tokamak Physics Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motloch, C.G.; Bonney, R.F.; Levine, J.D.; Masson, L.S.; Commander, J.C.

1995-04-01

This Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR), includes an indication of the magnitude of facility hazards, complexity of facility operations, and the stage of the facility life-cycle. It presents the results of safety analyses, safety assurance programs, identified vulnerabilities, compensatory measures, and, in general, the rationale describing why the Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX) can be safely operated. It discusses application of the graded approach to the TPX safety analysis, including the basis for using Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5480.23 and DOE-STD-3009-94 in the development of the PSAR

The Qualification Experiences for Safety-critical Software of POSAFE-Q

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jang Yeol; Son, Kwang Seop; Cheon, Se Woo; Lee, Jang Soo; Kwon, Kee Choon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2009-05-15

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) have been applied to the Reactor Protection System (RPS) and the Engineered Safety Feature (ESF)-Component Control System (CCS) as the major safety system components of nuclear power plants. This paper describes experiences on the qualification of the safety-critical software including the pCOS kernel and system tasks related to a safety-grade PLC, i.e. the works done for the Software Verification and Validation, Software Safety Analysis, Software Quality Assurance, and Software Configuration Management etc.

Safety requirements and safety experience of nuclear facilities in the Federal Republic of Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnurer, H.L.

1977-01-01

Peaceful use of nuclear energy within the F.R.G. is rapidly growing. The Energy Programme of the Federal Government forecasts a capacity of up to 50.000 MW in 1985. Whereas most of this capacity will be of the LWR-Type, other activities are related to LMFBR - and HTGR - development, nuclear ships, and facilities of the nuclear fuel cycle. Safety of nuclear energy is the pacemaker for the realization of nuclear programmes and projects. Due to a very high population - and industrialisation density, safety has the priority before economical aspects. Safety requirements are therefore extremely stringent, which will be shown for the legal, the technical as well as for the organizational area. They apply for each nuclear facility, its site and the nuclear energy system as a whole. Regulatory procedures differ from many other countries, assigning executive power to state authorities, which are supervised by the Federal Government. Another particularity of the regulatory process is the large scope of involvement of independent experts within the licensing procedures. The developement of national safety requirements in different countries generates a necessity to collaborate and harmonize safety and radiation protection measures, at least for facilities in border areas, to adopt international standards and to assist nuclear developing countries. However, different nationally, regional or local situations might raise problems. Safety experience with nuclear facilities can be concluded from the positive construction and operation experience, including also a few accidents and incidents and the conclusions, which have been drawn for the respective factilities and others of similar design. Another tool for safety assessments will be risk analyses, which are under development by German experts. Final, a scope of future problems and developments shows, that safety of nuclear installations - which has reached a high performance - nevertheless imposes further tasks to be solved

Safety aspects and operating experience of LWR plants in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, S.; Yoshioka, T.; Toyota, M.; Hinoki, M.

1977-01-01

To develop nuclear power generation for the future, it is necessary to put further emphasis on safety assurance and to endeavour to devise measures to improve plant availability, based on the careful analysis of causes that reduce plant availability. The paper discusses the results of studies on the following items from such viewpoints: (1) Safety and operating experience of LWR nuclear power plants in Japan: operating experience with LWRs; improvements in LWR design during the past ten years; analysis of the factors affecting plant availability; (2) Assurance of safety and measures to increase availability: measures for safety and environmental protection; measures to reduce radiation exposure of employees; appropriateness of maintenance and inspection work; measures to increase plant availability; measures to improve reliability of equipment and components; (3) Future technical problems. (author)

Experience of safety and performance improvement for fuel handling equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyoon Chang, Sang; Hee Lee, Dae

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to provide experience of safety and performance improvement of fuel handling equipment for nuclear power plants in Korea. The fuel handling equipment, which is used as an important part of critical processes during the refueling outage, has been improved to enhance safety and to optimize fuel handling procedures. Results of data measured during the fuel reloading are incorporated into design changes. The safety and performance improvement for fuel handling equipment could be achieved by simply modifying the components and improving the interlock system. The experience provided in this study can be useful lessons for further improvement of the fuel handling equipment. (authors)

Feedback of safety - related operational experience: Lessons learned

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elias, D [Commonwealth Edison Co. (United States)

1997-09-01

The presentation considers the following aspects of feedback of safety-related operational experience: lessons learned program, objectives, personnel characteristics; three types of documents for transmitting lessons learned issues.

Feedback of safety - related operational experience: Lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elias, D.

1997-01-01

The presentation considers the following aspects of feedback of safety-related operational experience: lessons learned program, objectives, personnel characteristics; three types of documents for transmitting lessons learned issues

INTEGRAL BENCHMARKS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL REACTOR PHYSICS EXPERIMENT EVALUATION PROJECT AND THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICALITY SAFETY BENCHMARK EVALUATION PROJECT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J. Blair Briggs; Lori Scott; Enrico Sartori; Yolanda Rugama

2008-09-01

Interest in high-quality integral benchmark data is increasing as efforts to quantify and reduce calculational uncertainties accelerate to meet the demands of next generation reactor and advanced fuel cycle concepts. The International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) and the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) continue to expand their efforts and broaden their scope to identify, evaluate, and provide integral benchmark data for method and data validation. Benchmark model specifications provided by these two projects are used heavily by the international reactor physics, nuclear data, and criticality safety communities. Thus far, 14 countries have contributed to the IRPhEP, and 20 have contributed to the ICSBEP. The status of the IRPhEP and ICSBEP is discussed in this paper, and the future of the two projects is outlined and discussed. Selected benchmarks that have been added to the IRPhEP and ICSBEP handbooks since PHYSOR’06 are highlighted, and the future of the two projects is discussed.

INTEGRAL BENCHMARKS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL REACTOR PHYSICS EXPERIMENT EVALUATION PROJECT AND THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICALITY SAFETY BENCHMARK EVALUATION PROJECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J. Blair Briggs; Lori Scott; Enrico Sartori; Yolanda Rugama

2008-01-01

Interest in high-quality integral benchmark data is increasing as efforts to quantify and reduce calculational uncertainties accelerate to meet the demands of next generation reactor and advanced fuel cycle concepts. The International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) and the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) continue to expand their efforts and broaden their scope to identify, evaluate, and provide integral benchmark data for method and data validation. Benchmark model specifications provided by these two projects are used heavily by the international reactor physics, nuclear data, and criticality safety communities. Thus far, 14 countries have contributed to the IRPhEP, and 20 have contributed to the ICSBEP. The status of the IRPhEP and ICSBEP is discussed in this paper, and the future of the two projects is outlined and discussed. Selected benchmarks that have been added to the IRPhEP and ICSBEP handbooks since PHYSOR-06 are highlighted, and the future of the two projects is discussed

Expanding the Allowable TRUPACT-II Payload

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

St Michel, W.; Lott, S.

2002-01-01

The partnership between the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) and the TRU and Mixed Waste Focus Area (TMFA) was rewarded when several long-term projects came to fruition. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) removed some of the conservatism in the TRUPACT-II Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP) with their approval of Revision 19. The SARP strictly limits the payload constituents to ensure that hydrogen gas and other flammable volatile organic compounds (VOCs) don't build up to flammable/explosive levels while the transuranic (TRU) waste is sealed in the container during shipment. The CBFO/TMFA development program was based on laboratory experiments with surrogate waste materials, real waste experiments, and theoretical modeling that were used to justify payload expansion. Future work to expand the shipping envelope of the TRUPACT-II focuses on increasing the throughput through the waste certification process and reducing the waste operations costs by removing the need for a repack aging and/or treatment capability or reducing the size of the needed repackaging/treatment capability

Critical experiments facility and criticality safety programs at JAERI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Iwao; Tachimori, Shoichi; Takeshita, Isao; Suzaki, Takenori; Miyoshi, Yoshinori; Nomura, Yasushi

1985-10-01

The nuclear criticality safety is becoming a key point in Japan in the safety considerations for nuclear installations outside reactors such as spent fuel reprocessing facilities, plutonium fuel fabrication facilities, large scale hot alboratories, and so on. Especially a large scale spent fuel reprocessing facility is being designed and would be constructed in near future, therefore extensive experimental studies are needed for compilation of our own technical standards and also for verification of safety in a potential criticality accident to obtain public acceptance. Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute is proceeding a construction program of a new criticality safety experimental facility where criticality data can be obtained for such solution fuels as mainly handled in a reprocessing facility and also chemical process experiments can be performed to investigate abnormal phenomena, e.g. plutonium behavior in solvent extraction process by using pulsed colums. In FY 1985 detail design of the facility will be completed and licensing review by the government would start in FY 1986. Experiments would start in FY 1990. Research subjects and main specifications of the facility are described. (author)

Covered Balloon-Expanding Stents in Airway Stenosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Majid, Adnan; Kheir, Fayez; Chung, Jey; Alape, Daniel; Husta, Bryan; Oh, Scott; Folch, Erik

2017-04-01

The balloon-expanding stents are widely available but rarely described for use within the tracheobronchial tree. This report describes our experience with these stents in airway stenosis particularly as a lobar salvage therapy. This was a retrospective review of all records in which the balloon-expanding stents were used at a tertiary medical center. Ages, sex, location of stenosis, etiology of stenosis, stent size, duration of stent placement and associated interventions for airway stenosis were recorded. Patient's self-reported respiratory symptoms, dyspnea scale, and radiographic imaging at baseline and after stent placement were also reported. Twenty-one Atrium iCAST stents were inserted in 18 patients with malignant and benign airway disease. The median age was 69.5 years (interquartile range, 53.5 to 74). Most stents (n=20, 95%) were deployed in the lobar airways. There was a significant improvement in the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale from median of 3 to 2 (Pstent placement was achieved in 15 patients (83%). No deaths were related to airway stenting complications. Adverse events related to stents included migration (n=2, 9.5%), granulation tissue formation (n=2, 9.5%) and mucus plugging (n=1, 4.8%). Lobar stenting with balloon-expanding metallic stents appears feasible, safe and improves symptoms as well as radiographic atelectasis in patients with lobar airway stenosis in this small case series. Larger studies are needed to confirm this observation and to address long-term safety.

Return on experience. Building tomorrow's safety rules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2013-01-01

Based on some experiments and witnesses, this set of articles outlines the importance of the return on experience in the evolution of process for improving the safety of nuclear installations. As an example, an article notably addresses the failures of Diesel engines which are used as spare generators in nuclear power stations: failures have been analysed and attributed to bearings, and more specifically to the degradation of their surface, and a third generation of bearings has been designed and produced. An article outlines that different industrials belonging to the nuclear sector as well as to other sectors share their returns on experience

Safety climate mapping in a nuclear power plant - an experience sharing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vincy, M.U.; Varshney, Aloke; Khot, Pankaj

2016-01-01

In this paper the author discusses the experience gained in safety climate measurement of an Indian nuclear power plant. Safety performance is increasingly part of an organisation's sustainable development. Nuclear power stations are falling under the category 'high reliability' industries in the world as far as work safety is concerned. Both the research and the practical experience continually point to two underlying factors that drive safety outcomes: the quality of an organisation's leadership and the resulting culture. After years of development in safety technology and safety management system in the industry, management of nuclear industry world over has come to recognize that safety culture has to be addressed if high standards of health and safety are to be maintained. Therefore, nuclear industries in India have been carrying out measurement of safety climate for more than ten years. The objectives of the study are to examine people's values, attitude, perception, competencies, and patterns of behaviour that determine the commitment to, and effectiveness of health and safety management in the industry based on questionnaires survey and their analysis. A questionnaire, consists of 66 statements with 11 attributes, was designed to seek the views of managers, supervisors and front line workers on key aspects of the safety culture. Each of the discrete group was also classified according to their role in the organisation

Experience gained in enhancing operational safety at ComEd's nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elias, D.

1997-01-01

The following aspects of experience gained in enhancing operational safety at Comed's nuclear power plants are discussed: nuclear safety policy; centralization/decentralization; typical nuclear operating organization; safety review boards; human performance enhancement; elements of effective nuclear oversight

Benchmarking criticality safety calculations with subcritical experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihalczo, J.T.

1984-06-01

Calculation of the neutron multiplication factor at delayed criticality may be necessary for benchmarking calculations but it may not be sufficient. The use of subcritical experiments to benchmark criticality safety calculations could result in substantial savings in fuel material costs for experiments. In some cases subcritical configurations could be used to benchmark calculations where sufficient fuel to achieve delayed criticality is not available. By performing a variety of measurements with subcritical configurations, much detailed information can be obtained which can be compared directly with calculations. This paper discusses several measurements that can be performed with subcritical assemblies and presents examples that include comparisons between calculation and experiment where possible. Where not, examples from critical experiments have been used but the measurement methods could also be used for subcritical experiments

Operating experience feedback from safety significant events at research reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shokr, A.M. [Atomic Energy Authority, Abouzabal (Egypt). Egypt Second Research Reactor; Rao, D. [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India)

2015-05-15

Operating experience feedback is an effective mechanism to provide lessons learned from the events and the associated corrective actions to prevent recurrence of events, resulting in improving safety in the nuclear installations. This paper analyzes the events of safety significance that have been occurred at research reactors and discusses the root causes and lessons learned from these events. Insights from literature on events at research reactors and feedback from events at nuclear power plants that are relevant to research reactors are also presented along with discussions. The results of the analysis showed the importance of communication of safety information and exchange of operating experience are vital to prevent reoccurrences of events. The analysis showed also the need for continued attention to human factors and training of operating personnel, and the need for establishing systematic ageing management programmes of reactor facilities, and programmes for safety management of handling of nuclear fuel, core components, and experimental devices.

Operating experience feedback from safety significant events at research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shokr, A.M.

2015-01-01

Operating experience feedback is an effective mechanism to provide lessons learned from the events and the associated corrective actions to prevent recurrence of events, resulting in improving safety in the nuclear installations. This paper analyzes the events of safety significance that have been occurred at research reactors and discusses the root causes and lessons learned from these events. Insights from literature on events at research reactors and feedback from events at nuclear power plants that are relevant to research reactors are also presented along with discussions. The results of the analysis showed the importance of communication of safety information and exchange of operating experience are vital to prevent reoccurrences of events. The analysis showed also the need for continued attention to human factors and training of operating personnel, and the need for establishing systematic ageing management programmes of reactor facilities, and programmes for safety management of handling of nuclear fuel, core components, and experimental devices.

"Nursing Students Assaulted": Considering Student Safety in Community-Focused Experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Maneval, Rhonda E; Kurz, Jane

2016-01-01

Community nursing experiences for undergraduate students have progressed beyond community-based home visits to a wide array of community-focused experiences in neighborhood-based centers, clinics, shelters, and schools. Our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program chose to use sites situated within neighborhoods close to campus in order to promote student and faculty engagement in the local community. These neighborhood sites provide opportunities for students to deliver nursing services to underserved and vulnerable populations experiencing poverty and health disparities. Some of these neighborhoods are designated as high crime areas that may potentially increase the risk of harm to students and faculty. There is a need to acknowledge the risk to personal safety and to proactively create policies and guidelines to reduce potential harm to students engaged in community-focused experiences. When a group of baccalaureate nursing students was assaulted while walking to a neighborhood clinic, the faculty was challenged as how to respond given the lack of policies and guidelines. Through our experience, we share strategies to promote personal safety for students and recommend transparency by administrators regarding potential safety risks to students engaged in community-focused fieldwork activities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implications of passive safety based on historical industrial experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.W.

1988-01-01

In the past decade, there have been multiple proposals for applying different technologies to achieve passively safe light water reactors (LWRs). A key question for all such concepts is, ''What are the gains in safety, costs, and reliability for passive safety systems.'' Using several types of historical data, estimates have been made of gains from passive safety and operating systems, which are independent of technology. Proposals for passive safety in reactors usually have three characteristics: (1) Passive systems with no moving mechanical parts, (2) systems with far fewer components and (3) more stringent design criteria for safety-related and process systems. Each characteristic reduces the potential for an accident and may increase plant reliability. This paper addresses gains from items (1) and (2). Passive systems often allow adoption of more rigorous design criteria which would be either impossible or economically unfeasible for active systems. This important characteristic of passive safety systems cannot be easily addressed using historical industrial experience

Self-Expanding Metal Stenting for Palliation of Patients with Malignant Colonic Obstruction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meisner, Søren; González-Huix, Ferran; Vandervoort, Jo G

2012-01-01

Background. Self-expanding metal stents can alleviate malignant colonic obstruction in incurable patients and avoid palliative stoma surgery. Objective. Evaluate stent effectiveness and safety on palliation of patients with malignant colorectal strictures. Design. Two prospective, one Spanish....... Interventions(s). Self-expanding metal stent placement. Main Outcome Measures. Procedural success, clinical success, and safety. Results. Procedural success was 98.4% (251). Clinical success rates were 87.8% at 30 days, 89.7% at 3 months, 92.8% at 6 months, and 96% at 12 months. Overall perforation rate was 5...... for patients with malignant colonic obstruction should be self-expanding metal stent placement due to high rates of technical success and efficacy in symptom palliation and few complications....

The Development, Content, Design, and Conduct of the 2011 Piloted US DOE Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Criticality Safety Engineering Training and Education Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopper, Calvin Mitchell

2011-01-01

In May 1973 the University of New Mexico conducted the first nationwide criticality safety training and education week-long short course for nuclear criticality safety engineers. Subsequent to that course, the Los Alamos Critical Experiments Facility (LACEF) developed very successful 'hands-on' subcritical and critical training programs for operators, supervisors, and engineering staff. Since the inception of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Criticality Technology and Safety Project (NCT and SP) in 1983, the DOE has stimulated contractor facilities and laboratories to collaborate in the furthering of nuclear criticality as a discipline. That effort included the education and training of nuclear criticality safety engineers (NCSEs). In 1985 a textbook was written that established a path toward formalizing education and training for NCSEs. Though the NCT and SP went through a brief hiatus from 1990 to 1992, other DOE-supported programs were evolving to the benefit of NCSE training and education. In 1993 the DOE established a Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) and undertook a comprehensive development effort to expand the extant LACEF 'hands-on' course specifically for the education and training of NCSEs. That successful education and training was interrupted in 2006 for the closing of the LACEF and the accompanying movement of materials and critical experiment machines to the Nevada Test Site. Prior to that closing, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was commissioned by the US DOE NCSP to establish an independent hands-on NCSE subcritical education and training course. The course provided an interim transition for the establishment of a reinvigorated and expanded two-week NCSE education and training program in 2011. The 2011 piloted two-week course was coordinated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and jointly conducted by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) classroom education and facility training, the Sandia National

The importance for nuclear safety of efficient feedback of operational experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-09-01

Experience of practical operation is a valuable source of information for improving and optimizing the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants. Therefore it is essential to collect information on abnormal events occurring at plants during operation and on all deviations from normal performance by systems and personnel that could be precursors of accidents. For this purpose it is necessary to establish hierarchical systems to feedback operational safety experience at utility, national and international levels and to make these systems as effective as possible. The present report attempts to identify the safety objectives of these systems, to analyse the difficulties presently encountered and to suggest possible improvements

Evaluation of operating experience for early recognition of deteriorating safety performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beckmerhagen, I.A.; Berg, H.P.

2004-01-01

One of the most difficult challenges facing nuclear power plants is to recognize the early signs of degrading safety performance before regulatory requirements are imposed or serious incidents or accidents occur. Today, the nuclear industry is striving for collecting more information on occurrences that could improve the operational safety performance. To achieve this, the reporting threshold has been lowered from incidents to anomalies with minor or no impact to safety. Industry experience (also outside nuclear industry) has shown that these are typical issues which should be considered when looking for such early warning signs. Therefore, it is important that nuclear power plant operators have the capability to trend, analyse and recognize early warning signs of deteriorating performance. It is necessary that plant operators are sensitive to these warning signs which may not be immediately evident. Reviewing operating experience is one of the main tasks for plant operators in their daily activities. Therefore, self assessment should be at the centre of any operational safety performance programme. One way of applying a self assessment program is through the following four basic elements: operational data, events, safety basis, and related experience. This approach will be described in the paper in more details. (authors)

W-1 Sodium Loop Safety Facility experiment centerline fuel thermocouple performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyers, S.C.; Henderson, J.M.

1980-05-01

The W-1 Sodium Loop Safety Facility (SLSF) experiment is the fifth in a series of experiments sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the National Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) Safety Assurance Program. The experiments are being conducted under the direction of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL). The irradiation phase of the W-1 SLSF experiment was conducted between May 27 and July 20, 1979, and terminated with incipient fuel pin cladding failure during the final boiling transient. Experimental hardware and facility performed as designed, allowing completion of all planned tests and test objectives. This paper focuses on high temperature in-fuel thermocouples and discusses their development, fabrication, and performance in the W-1 experiment

Balloon-Expandable Stent Graft for Treating Uretero-Iliac Artery Fistula

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guntau, Moritz, E-mail: guntau@med.uni-marburg.de [Philipps University, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Marburg University Hospital (Germany); Hegele, Axel [Philipps University, Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Marburg University Hospital (Germany); Rheinheimer, Stephan [Philipps University, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Marburg University Hospital (Germany); Hofmann, Rainer [Philipps University, Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Marburg University Hospital (Germany); Mahnken, Andreas H. [Philipps University, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Marburg University Hospital (Germany)

2017-06-15

PurposeTo evaluate the safety, efficacy and outcome of percutaneous balloon-expandable covered stent graft placement for uretero-iliac artery fistula (UAF) treatment.MethodsThis retrospective study evaluated the single-center experience of percutaneous balloon-expandable covered stent graft placement (ADVANTA™, Atrium Hudson, NH, USA) in UAF. Data were obtained from a prospective institutional database. Patient follow-up included complications, symptoms recurrence and mortality rate.ResultsTen UAFs in eight patients (3 males; 5 females) with a mean age of 64.5 (35–77) years were identified. All patients had a history pelvic malignancy, extirpative surgery (n = 6), long-term ureteral stenting (n = 7) and pelvic radiation (n = 5). All procedures were completed successfully without complications. Thirty-day mortality rate was zero. At a median follow-up of 6 (1–60) months, one patient suffered recurrent hematuria requiring a secondary stent graft placement 26 months after the initial treatment. During follow-up, five patients died of the underlying disease (43, 66, 105, and 183 and 274 days after the last procedure).ConclusionPercutaneous balloon-expandable stent graft placement in UAF is a safe and effective treatment option. Implantation of stent grafts should be considered as treatment of choice in UAF.

Modelling and simulation in nuclear safety and the role of experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baek, W-P.

2015-01-01

'Full text:' Modeling and simulation (M&S) technology is a key element in assuring and enhancing the safety of nuclear installations. The M&S technology has been progressed continuously with the introduction of new designs, improved understanding on relevant physical processes, and the improvement of computing environment. This presentation covers the role, progresses and prospect of M&S technology relevant to nuclear safety. Special attention is given to the effective interaction between M&S and experiment. The expected role of experiment to motivate the advancement of M&S technology is emphasized with some typical examples. Finally, relevant R&D activities of Korea are introduced for thermal-hydraulics and severe accident safety. (author)

Nurses' experiences and perspectives on medication safety practices: an explorative qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Smeulers, Marian; Onderwater, Astrid T; van Zwieten, Myra C B; Vermeulen, Hester

2014-04-01

To explore nurses' experiences with and perspectives on preventing medication administration errors. Insight into nurses' experiences with and perspectives on preventing medication administration errors is important and can be utilised to tailor and implement safety practices. A qualitative interview study of 20 nurses in an academic medical centre was conducted between March and December of 2011. Three themes emerged from this study: (1) nurses' roles and responsibilities in medication safety: aside from safe preparation and administration, the clinical reasoning of nurses is essential for medication safety; (2) nurses' ability to work safely: knowledge of risks and nurses' work circumstances influence their ability to work safely; and (3) nurses' acceptance of safety practices: advantages, feasibility and appropriateness are important incentives for acceptance of a safety practice. Nurses' experiences coincide with the assumption that they are in a pre-eminent position to enable safe medication management; however, their ability to adequately perform this role depends on sufficient knowledge to assess the risks of medication administration and on the circumstances in which they work. Safe medication management requires a learning climate and professional practice environment that enables further development of professional nursing skills and knowledge. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

LMFBR safety experiment facility planning and analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevenson, M.G.; Scott, J.H.

1976-01-01

In the past two years considerable effort has been placed on the planning and design of new facilities for the resolution of LMFBR safety issues. The paper reviews the key issues, the experiments needed to resolve them, and the design aspects of proposed new facilities. In addition, it presents a decision theory approach to selecting an optimal combination of modified and new facilities

Use of operational experience in fire safety assessment of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

collection of data related to fire safety occurrences in NPPs, the so called operational experience and the use of such operational experience in NPPs. This report provides good practice information on data needs, data reporting requirements and some advice on database features. In addition, this publication provides information on the applications of fire related operational experience, highlighting their benefits. This publication has been developed to complement other IAEA publications related to fire safety analysis within the framework of the IAEA programme of fire safety

Experience gained in enhancing operational safety at ComEd`s nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elias, D [Commonwealth Edison Co. (United States)

1997-09-01

The following aspects of experience gained in enhancing operational safety at Comed`s nuclear power plants are discussed: nuclear safety policy; centralization/decentralization; typical nuclear operating organization; safety review boards; human performance enhancement; elements of effective nuclear oversight.

PReSaFe: A model of barriers and facilitators to patients providing feedback on experiences of safety.

Science.gov (United States)

De Brún, Aoife; Heavey, Emily; Waring, Justin; Dawson, Pamela; Scott, Jason

2017-08-01

The importance of involving patients in reporting on safety is increasingly recognized. Whilst studies have identified barriers to clinician incident reporting, few have explored barriers and facilitators to patient reporting of safety experiences. This paper explores patient perspectives on providing feedback on safety experiences. Patients (n=28) were invited to take part in semi-structured interviews when given a survey about their experiences of safety following hospital discharge. Transcripts were thematically analysed using NVivo10. Patients were recruited from four hospitals in the UK. Three themes were identified as barriers and facilitators to patient involvement in providing feedback on their safety experiences. The first, cognitive-cultural, found that whilst safety was a priority for most, some felt the term was not relevant to them because safety was the "default" position, and/or because safety could not be disentangled from the overall experience of care. The structural-procedural theme indicated that reporting was facilitated when patients saw the process as straightforward, but that disinclination or perceived inability to provide feedback was a barrier. Finally, learning and change illustrated that perception of the impact of feedback could facilitate or inhibit reporting. When collecting patient feedback on experiences of safety, it is important to consider what may help or hinder this process, beyond the process alone. We present a staged model of prerequisite barriers and facilitators and hypothesize that each stage needs to be achieved for patients to provide feedback on safety experiences. Implications for collecting meaningful data on patients' safety experiences are considered. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Presurized water reactor safety approach and analysis. From conception to experience feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Libmann, J.

1987-04-01

This report deals in ten chapters, with the following subjects: 1. Safety approach methods; 2. Study of accidents; 3. Safety analysis; 4. Study of internal aggressions or those involved by the site; 5. Consideration of complementary situations; 6. Three Mile Island accident; 7. Safety during operation and experience feedback; 8. An example of analysis: steam generator closure plug; 9. Probabilistic safety evaluation; 10. Chernobyl accident. 30 refs [fr

Planning the Unplanned Experiment: Assessing the Efficacy of Standards for Safety Critical Software

Science.gov (United States)

Graydon, Patrick J.; Holloway, C. Michael

2015-01-01

We need well-founded means of determining whether software is t for use in safety-critical applications. While software in industries such as aviation has an excellent safety record, the fact that software aws have contributed to deaths illustrates the need for justi ably high con dence in software. It is often argued that software is t for safety-critical use because it conforms to a standard for software in safety-critical systems. But little is known about whether such standards `work.' Reliance upon a standard without knowing whether it works is an experiment; without collecting data to assess the standard, this experiment is unplanned. This paper reports on a workshop intended to explore how standards could practicably be assessed. Planning the Unplanned Experiment: Assessing the Ecacy of Standards for Safety Critical Software (AESSCS) was held on 13 May 2014 in conjunction with the European Dependable Computing Conference (EDCC). We summarize and elaborate on the workshop's discussion of the topic, including both the presented positions and the dialogue that ensued.

Proceedings of 2nd PHWR operating safety experience meeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1991-04-01

Papers presented during the eight sessions of the meeting were devoted to the impact of PHWR operating experience on design of civil structures (reactor building integrity); operating experiences related to pressure tubes, nuclear steam supply system, plant stability; reactor maintenance and control systems, reactor operational safety. Some events concerned with reactor shutdown due to power failures are described, as well as action undertaken to prevent major damage.

Proceedings of 2nd PHWR operating safety experience meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-04-01

Papers presented during the eight sessions of the meeting were devoted to the impact of PHWR operating experience on design of civil structures (reactor building integrity); operating experiences related to pressure tubes, nuclear steam supply system, plant stability; reactor maintenance and control systems, reactor operational safety. Some events concerned with reactor shutdown due to power failures are described, as well as action undertaken to prevent major damage

Experience related to the safety of advanced LMFBR fuel elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerrisk, J.F.

1975-07-01

Experiments and experience relative to the safety of advanced fuel elements for the liquid metal fast breeder reactor are reviewed. The design and operating parameters and some of the unique features of advanced fuel elements are discussed breifly. Transient and steady state overpower operation and loss of sodium bond tests and experience are discussed in detail. Areas where information is lacking are also mentioned

The experience of WNTI with Safety and Security Worldwide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neau, Henry-Jacques

2016-01-01

This paper gives an industrial perspective on safety and security issues based on the experience of WNTI members. It describes how safety is invested primarily in the package; not how the package is transported. Transport safety is therefore an engineering challenge, and all necessary technical information is available to enable this to be met. Security in transport involves various measures to guard against intentional malicious acts. The paper describes the international instruments relevant to security in the transport of nuclear fuel cycle materials and how both safety and security regulations must be coordinated and simplified to avoid conflicts. It considers potential risks, which must not be underestimated. However, the assessment of risks must be realistic and quantified, and the requirements placed on the industry appropriate. It is important to dispel exaggerated perceptions of danger in the minds of the public, politicians and regulators. (author)

Leadership for safety: industrial experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Flin, R; Yule, S

2004-12-01

The importance of leadership for effective safety management has been the focus of research attention in industry for a number of years, especially in energy and manufacturing sectors. In contrast, very little research into leadership and safety has been carried out in medical settings. A selective review of the industrial safety literature for leadership research with possible application in health care was undertaken. Emerging findings show the importance of participative, transformational styles for safety performance at all levels of management. Transactional styles with attention to monitoring and reinforcement of workers' safety behaviours have been shown to be effective at the supervisory level. Middle managers need to be involved in safety and foster open communication, while ensuring compliance with safety systems. They should allow supervisors a degree of autonomy for safety initiatives. Senior managers have a prime influence on the organisation's safety culture. They need to continuously demonstrate a visible commitment to safety, best indicated by the time they devote to safety matters.

Researchers' Roles in Patient Safety Improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Pietikäinen, Elina; Reiman, Teemu; Heikkilä, Jouko; Macchi, Luigi

2016-03-01

In this article, we explore how researchers can contribute to patient safety improvement. We aim to expand the instrumental role researchers have often occupied in relation to patient safety improvement. We reflect on our own improvement model and experiences as patient safety researchers in an ongoing Finnish multi-actor innovation project through self-reflective narration. Our own patient safety improvement model can be described as systemic. Based on the purpose of the innovation project, our improvement model, and the improvement models of the other actors in the project, we have carried out a wide range of activities. Our activities can be summarized in 8 overlapping patient safety improvement roles: modeler, influencer, supplier, producer, ideator, reflector, facilitator, and negotiator. When working side by side with "practice," researchers are offered and engage in several different activities. The way researchers contribute to patient safety improvement and balance between different roles depends on the purpose of the study, as well as on the underlying patient safety improvement models. Different patient safety research paradigms seem to emphasize different improvement roles, and thus, they also face different challenges. Open reflection on the underlying improvement models and roles can help researchers with different backgrounds-as well as other actors involved in patient safety improvement-in structuring their work and collaborating productively.

Safety aspects and operating experience of LWR plants in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, S.; Hinoki, M.

1977-01-01

From the outset of nuclear power development in Japan, major emphasis has been placed on the safety of the nuclear power plants. There are now twelve nuclear power plants in operation with a total output of 6600 MWe. Their operating records were generally satisfactory, but in the 1974 to 1975 period, they experienced somewhat declined availability due to the repair work under the specific circumstances. After investigation of causes of troubles and the countermeasures thereof were made to ensure safety, they are now keeping good performance. In Japan, nuclear power plants are strictly subject to sufficient and careful inspection in compliance with the safety regulation, and are placed under stringent radiation control of employees. Under the various circumstances, however, the period of annual inspection tends to be prolonged more than originally planned, and this consequently is considered to be one of the causes of reduced availability. In order to develop nuclear power generation for the future, it is necessary to put further emphasis on the assurance of safety and to endeavor to devise measures to improve availability of the plants, based on the careful analysis of causes which reduce plant availability. This paper discusses the results of studies made for the following items from such viewpoints: (1) Safety and Operating Experience of LWR Nuclear Power Plants in Japan; a) Operating experience with light water reactors b) Improvements in design of light water reactors during the past ten years c) Analysis of the factors which affect plant availability; 2) Assurance of Safety and Measures to Increase Availability a) Measures for safety and environmental protection b) Measures to reduce radiation exposure of employees c) Appropriateness of maintenance and inspection work d) Measures to increase plant availability e) Measures to improve reliability of equipments and components; and 3) Future Technical Problems

The CERN Detector Safety System for LHC Experiments

CERN Document Server

Lüders, S; Morpurgo, G; Schmeling, S M

2003-01-01

The Detector Safety System (DSS), developed at CERN in common for the four LHC experiments under the auspices of the Joint Controls Project (JCOP), will be responsible for assuring the equipment protection for these experiments. Therefore, the DSS requires a high degree of both availability and reliability. It is composed of a Front-end and a Back-end part. The Front-end is based on a redundant Siemens PLC, to which the safety-critical part of the DSS task is delegated. The PLC Front-end is capable of running autonomously and of automati-cally taking predefined protective actions whenever re-quired. It is supervised and configured by the CERN-cho-sen PVSS SCADA system via a Siemens OPC server. The supervisory layer provides the operator with a status display and with limited online reconfiguration capabili-ties. Configuration of the code running in the PLCs is completely data driven via the contents of a ?Configura-tion Database?. Thus, the DSS can easily adapt to the different and constantly evolving require...

International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments - ICSBEP (DVD), Version 2013

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

The Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (CSBEP) was initiated in October of 1992 by the United States Department of Energy. The project quickly became an international effort as scientists from other interested countries became involved. The International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) became an official activity of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) in 1995. This handbook contains criticality safety benchmark specifications that have been derived from experiments performed at various nuclear critical experiment facilities around the world. The benchmark specifications are intended for use by criticality safety engineers to validate calculational techniques used to establish minimum subcritical margins for operations with fissile material and to determine criticality alarm requirement and placement. Many of the specifications are also useful for nuclear data testing. Example calculations are presented; however, these calculations do not constitute a validation of the codes or cross section data. The evaluated criticality safety benchmark data are given in nine volumes. These volumes span nearly 66,000 pages and contain 558 evaluations with benchmark specifications for 4,798 critical, near critical or subcritical configurations, 24 criticality alarm placement/shielding configurations with multiple dose points for each and 200 configurations that have been categorised as fundamental physics measurements that are relevant to criticality safety applications. New to the Handbook are benchmark specifications for Critical, Bare, HEU(93.2)- Metal Sphere experiments referred to as ORSphere that were performed by a team of experimenters at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the early 1970's. A photograph of this assembly is shown on the front cover

Experience With Laser Safety In The USA--A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Sliney, David H.

1986-10-01

Following several research programs in the 1960's aimed at studying the adverse biological effects of lasers and other optical radiation sources, laser occupational exposure limits were set and general safety standards were developed. Today, the experience from laser accidents and the development of new lasers and new applications have altered the format of the exposure limits and the safety procedures. It is critically important to distinguish between different biological injury mechanisms. The biological effects of ultraviolet radiation upon the skin and eye are additive over a period of at least one workday, and require different safety procedures. The scattered UV irradiance from excimer lasers may be quite hazardous, depending upon wavelength and action spectra. Since laser technology is young, the exposure of an individual in natural sunlight must be studied to evaluate the potential for chronic effects. The safety measures necessary in the use of lasers depend upon a hazard evaluation. The appropriate control measures and alternate means of enclosure, baffling, and operational control measures are presented. Present laser safety standards are explained briefly. Eye protective techniques and eyewear are considered for a variety of sources. The optical properties of enclosure materials are also discussed.

Large-Scale Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiments in ISS Resupply Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Ruff, Gary A.; Urban, David

2013-01-01

Our understanding of the fire safety risk in manned spacecraft has been limited by the small scale of the testing we have been able to conduct in low-gravity. Fire growth and spread cannot be expected to scale linearly with sample size so we cannot make accurate predictions of the behavior of realistic scale fires in spacecraft based on the limited low-g testing to date. As a result, spacecraft fire safety protocols are necessarily very conservative and costly. Future crewed missions are expected to be longer in duration than previous exploration missions outside of low-earth orbit and accordingly, more complex in terms of operations, logistics, and safety. This will increase the challenge of ensuring a fire-safe environment for the crew throughout the mission. Based on our fundamental uncertainty of the behavior of fires in low-gravity, the need for realistic scale testing at reduced gravity has been demonstrated. To address this concern, a spacecraft fire safety research project is underway to reduce the uncertainty and risk in the design of spacecraft fire safety systems by testing at nearly full scale in low-gravity. This project is supported by the NASA Advanced Exploration Systems Program Office in the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The activity of this project is supported by an international topical team of fire experts from other space agencies to maximize the utility of the data and to ensure the widest possible scrutiny of the concept. The large-scale space flight experiment will be conducted on three missions; each in an Orbital Sciences Corporation Cygnus vehicle after it has deberthed from the ISS. Although the experiment will need to meet rigorous safety requirements to ensure the carrier vehicle does not sustain damage, the absence of a crew allows the fire products to be released into the cabin. The tests will be fully automated with the data downlinked at the conclusion of the test before the Cygnus vehicle reenters the

Review of studies on criticality safety evaluation and criticality experiment methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naito, Yoshitaka; Yamamoto, Toshihiro; Misawa, Tsuyoshi; Yamane, Yuichi

2013-01-01

Since the early 1960s, many studies on criticality safety evaluation have been conducted in Japan. Computer code systems were developed initially by employing finite difference methods, and more recently by using Monte Carlo methods. Criticality experiments have also been carried out in many laboratories in Japan as well as overseas. By effectively using these study results, the Japanese Criticality Safety Handbook was published in 1988, almost the intermediate point of the last 50 years. An increased interest has been shown in criticality safety studies, and a Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS) was set up by the Nuclear Science Committee of Organisation Economic Co-operation and Development in 1997. WPNCS has several task forces in charge of each of the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Program (ICSBEP), Subcritical Measurement, Experimental Needs, Burn-up Credit Studies and Minimum Critical Values. Criticality safety studies in Japan have been carried out in cooperation with WPNCS. This paper describes criticality safety study activities in Japan along with the contents of the Japanese Criticality Safety Handbook and the tasks of WPNCS. (author)

Expanding the scope of practice for radiology managers: radiation safety duties.

Science.gov (United States)

Orders, Amy B; Wright, Donna

2003-01-01

In addition to financial responsibilities and patient care duties, many medical facilities also expect radiology department managers to wear "safety" hats and complete fundamental quality control/quality assurance, conduct routine safety surveillance in the department, and to meet regulatory demands in the workplace. All managers influence continuous quality improvement initiatives, from effective utilization of resource and staffing allocations, to efficacy of patient scheduling tactics. It is critically important to understand continuous quality improvement (CQI) and its relationship with the radiology manager, specifically quality assurance/quality control in routine work, as these are the fundamentals of institutional safety, including radiation safety. When an institution applies for a registration for radiation-producing devices or a license for the use of radioactive materials, the permit granting body has specific requirements, policies and procedures that must be satisfied in order to be granted a permit and to maintain it continuously. In the 32 U.S. Agreement states, which are states that have radiation safety programs equivalent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission programs, individual facilities apply for permits through the local governing body of radiation protection. Other states are directly licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and associated regulatory entities. These regulatory agencies grant permits, set conditions for use in accordance with state and federal laws, monitor and enforce radiation safety activities, and audit facilities for compliance with their regulations. Every radiology department and associated areas of radiation use are subject to inspection and enforcement policies in order to ensure safety of equipment and personnel. In today's business practice, department managers or chief technologists may actively participate in the duties associated with institutional radiation safety, especially in smaller institutions, while

New safety experiments in decommissioned superheated steam reactor at Karlstein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koerting, K.

1986-01-01

This article gives a concise summary of the Status Report of the Superheated Steam Reactor Safety Program (PHDR) Project, held at KfK on Dec. 5, 1985. The results discussed dealt with fire experiments, shock tests simulating airplane crashes, temperature shocks in the reactor pressure vessel, studies of crack detection in pressure vessels and blasting experiments associated with nuclear plant decommissioning

Review of irradiation experiments for water reactor safety research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tobioka, Toshiaki

1977-02-01

A review is made of irradiation experiments for water reactor safety research under way in both commercial power plants and test reactors. Such experiments are grouped in two; first, LWR fuel performance under normal and abnormal operating conditions, and second, irradiation effects on fracture toughness in LWR vessels. In the former are fuel densification, swelling, and the influence of power ramp and cycling on fuel rod, and also fuel rod behavior under accident conditions in in-reactor experiment. In the latter are the effects of neutron exposure level on the ferritic steel of pressure vessels, etc.. (auth.)

The Detector Safety System of the ATLAS experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beltramello, O; Burckhart, H J; Franz, S; Jaekel, M; Jeckel, M; Lueders, S; Morpurgo, G; Santos Pedrosa, F dos; Pommes, K; Sandaker, H

2009-01-01

The ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is one of the most advanced detectors for High Energy Physics experiments ever built. It consists of the order of ten functionally independent sub-detectors, which all have dedicated services like power, cooling, gas supply. A Detector Safety System has been built to detect possible operational problems and abnormal and potentially dangerous situations at an early stage and, if needed, to bring the relevant part of ATLAS automatically into a safe state. The procedures and the configuration specific to ATLAS are described in detail and first operational experience is given.

Passive safety injection experiments and analyses (PAHKO)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuunanen, J.

1998-01-01

PAHKO project involved experiments on the PACTEL facility and computer simulations of selected experiments. The experiments focused on the performance of Passive Safety Injection Systems (PSIS) of Advanced Light Water Reactors (ALWRs) in Small Break Loss-Of-Coolant Accident (SBLOCA) conditions. The PSIS consisted of a Core Make-up Tank (CMT) and two pipelines (Pressure Balancing Line, PBL, and Injection Line, IL). The examined PSIS worked efficiently in SBLOCAs although the flow through the PSIS stopped temporarily if the break was very small and the hot water filled the CMT. The experiments demonstrated the importance of the flow distributor in the CMT to limit rapid condensation. The project included validation of three thermal-hydraulic computer codes (APROS, CATHARE and RELAP5). The analyses showed the codes are capable to simulate the overall behaviour of the transients. The detailed analyses of the results showed some models in the codes still need improvements. Especially, further development of models for thermal stratification, condensation and natural circulation flow with small driving forces would be necessary for accurate simulation of the PSIS phenomena. (orig.)

The safety experience of New Zealand adventure tourism operators.

Science.gov (United States)

Bentley, Tim A; Page, Stephen; Walker, Linda

2004-01-01

This survey examined parameters of the New Zealand adventure tourism industry client injury risk. The research also sought to establish priorities for intervention to reduce adventure tourism risk, and identify client injury control measures currently in place (or absent) in the New Zealand adventure tourism industry, with a view to establishing guidelines for the development of effective adventure tourism safety management systems. This 2003 survey builds upon an exploratory study of New Zealand adventure tourism safety conducted by us during 1999. A postal questionnaire was used to survey all identifiable New Zealand adventure tourism operators. The questionnaire asked respondents about their recorded client injury experience, perceptions of client injury risk factors, safety management practices, and barriers to safety. Some 27 adventure tourism activities were represented among the responding sample (n=96). The highest client injury risk was reported in the snow sports, bungee jumping and horse riding sectors, although serious underreporting of minor injuries was evident across the industry. Slips, trips and falls (STF) were the major client injury mechanisms, and a range of risk factors for client injuries were identified. Safety management measures were inconsistently applied across the industry. The industry should consider the implications of poor injury reporting standards and safety management practices generally. Specifically, the industry should consider risk management that focuses on minor (e.g., STF) as well as catastrophic events.

Investigating the experiences of New Zealand MRI technologists: Exploring intra-orbital metallic foreign body safety practices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacobs, Philippa K [River Radiology, Victoria Clinic, 750 Victoria Street, Hamilton, Waikato (New Zealand); Henwood, Suzanne [Unitec - Medical Imaging, Unitec Ratanui Street Henderson, Auckland (New Zealand); River Radiology, Victoria Clinic, 750 Victoria Street, Hamilton, Waikato (New Zealand)

2013-12-15

Qualitative research is lacking regarding the experiences of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologists and their involvement in workplace safety practices. This article provides a gateway to explore, describe and document experiences of MRI technologists in New Zealand (NZ) pertaining to intra-orbital metallic foreign body (IMFB) safety practices. This phenomenological study describes the experiences of seven MRI technologists all with a minimum of 5 years' NZ work experience in MRI. The MRI technologists were interviewed face-to-face regarding their professional IMFB workplace experiences in order to explore historical, current and potential issues. Findings demonstrated that aspects of organization and administration are fundamentally important to MRI technologists. Varying levels of education and knowledge, as well as experience and skills gained, have significantly impacted on MRI technologists’ level of confidence and control in IMFB practices. Participants’ descriptions of their experiences in practice regarding decision-making capabilities further highlight the complexity of these themes. A model was developed to demonstrate the interrelated nature of the themes and the complexity of the situation in totality. Findings of this study have provided insight into the experiences of MRI technologists pertaining to IMFB safety practices and highlighted inconsistencies. It is hoped that these findings will contribute to and improve the level of understanding of MRI technologists and the practices and protocols involved in IMFB safety screening. The scarcity of available literature regarding IMFB safety practices highlights that more research is required to investigate additional aspects that could improve MRI technologists’ experiences.

Investigating the experiences of New Zealand MRI technologists: Exploring intra-orbital metallic foreign body safety practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, Philippa K; Henwood, Suzanne

2013-01-01

Qualitative research is lacking regarding the experiences of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologists and their involvement in workplace safety practices. This article provides a gateway to explore, describe and document experiences of MRI technologists in New Zealand (NZ) pertaining to intra-orbital metallic foreign body (IMFB) safety practices. This phenomenological study describes the experiences of seven MRI technologists all with a minimum of 5 years' NZ work experience in MRI. The MRI technologists were interviewed face-to-face regarding their professional IMFB workplace experiences in order to explore historical, current and potential issues. Findings demonstrated that aspects of organization and administration are fundamentally important to MRI technologists. Varying levels of education and knowledge, as well as experience and skills gained, have significantly impacted on MRI technologists’ level of confidence and control in IMFB practices. Participants’ descriptions of their experiences in practice regarding decision-making capabilities further highlight the complexity of these themes. A model was developed to demonstrate the interrelated nature of the themes and the complexity of the situation in totality. Findings of this study have provided insight into the experiences of MRI technologists pertaining to IMFB safety practices and highlighted inconsistencies. It is hoped that these findings will contribute to and improve the level of understanding of MRI technologists and the practices and protocols involved in IMFB safety screening. The scarcity of available literature regarding IMFB safety practices highlights that more research is required to investigate additional aspects that could improve MRI technologists’ experiences

Treatment of symptomatic high-grade intracranial stenoses with the balloon-expandable Pharos stent: initial experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurre, W.; Berkefeld, J.; Mesnil de Rochemont, R. du; Sitzer, M.; Neumann-Haefelin, T.

2008-01-01

We report our first clinical experience with a CE-marked flexible monorail balloon-expandable stent for treatment of high-grade intracranial stenoses. Between April 2006 and November 2007 21 patients with symptomatic intracranial stenoses (>70%) were treated with the PHAROS stent. In seven patients, the procedure was performed during acute stroke intervention. Procedural success, clinical complication rates and mid-term follow-up data were prospectively recorded. During a median follow-up period of 7.3 months one additional patient died of an unknown cause 3 months after the intervention. A patient with a significant residual stenosis presented with a new stroke after further progression of the residual stenosis. None of the successfully treated patients experienced ipsilateral stroke. Recanalization of intracranial stenoses with the balloon-expandable Pharos stent is technically feasible. The periprocedural complication rate and mid-term follow-up results were in the range of previously reported case series. This pilot study was limited by the small sample size and severe morbidity of the included patients. Final evaluation of the efficacy of Pharos stent treatment demands further investigation. (orig.)

Experience with performance based training of nuclear criticality safety engineers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, R.G.

1993-01-01

Historically, new entrants to the practice of nuclear criticality safety have learned their job primarily by on-the-job training (OJT) often by association with an experienced nuclear criticality safety engineer who probably also learned their job by OJT. Typically, the new entrant learned what he/she needed to know to solve a particular problem and accumulated experience as more problems were solved. It is likely that more formalism will be required in the future. Current US Department of Energy requirements for those positions which have to demonstrate qualification indicate that it should be achieved by using a systematic approach such as performance based training (PBT). Assuming that PBT would be an acceptable mechanism for nuclear criticality safety engineer training in a more formal environment, a site-specific analysis of the nuclear criticality safety engineer job was performed. Based on this analysis, classes are being developed and delivered to a target audience of newer nuclear criticality safety engineers. Because current interest is in developing training for selected aspects of the nuclear criticality safety engineer job, the analysis i's incompletely developed in some areas. Details of this analysis are provided in this report

Nurses' experiences and perspectives on medication safety practices: an explorative qualitative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smeulers, Marian; Onderwater, Astrid T.; van Zwieten, Myra C. B.; Vermeulen, Hester

2014-01-01

To explore nurses' experiences with and perspectives on preventing medication administration errors. Insight into nurses' experiences with and perspectives on preventing medication administration errors is important and can be utilised to tailor and implement safety practices. A qualitative

United Kingdom experience in plutonium transportation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-08-01

Plutonium has already been transported within the UK over a period of 20 years and to destinations overseas since the early 60's. Experience is recounted with regard to the forms of plutonium transported, regulations, insurance, container design, mode of transport, volume of traffic, physical protection, safety analysis and costs. It is concluded that this traffic could be expanded in the future without danger to the community or the environment

The detector safety system for LHC experiments

CERN Document Server

Schmeling, Sascha; Lüders, S; Morpurgo, Giulio

2004-01-01

The Detector Safety System (DSS), currently being developed at CERN under the auspices of the Joint Controls Project (JCOP), will be responsible for assuring the protection of equipment for the four Large Hadron Collider (LHC)**1 experiments. Thus, the DSS will require a high degree of both availability and reliability. After evaluation of various possible solutions, a prototype is being built based on a redundant Siemens PLC**2 front-end, to which the safety- critical part of the DSS task is delegated. This is then supervised by a PVSS**3 SCADA**4 system via an OPC**5 server. The PLC front-end is capable of running autonomously and of automatically taking predefined protective actions whenever required. The supervisory layer provides the operator with a status display and with limited online reconfiguration capabilities. Configuration of the code running in the PLCs will be completely data driven via the contents of a "configuration database." Thus, the DSS can easily adapt to the different and constantly ev...

To improve nuclear plant safety by learning from accident's experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, Hidezo; Kida, Masanori; Kato, Hiroyuki; Hara, Shin-ichi

1994-01-01

The ultimate goal of this study is to produce an expert system that enables the experience (records and information) gained from accidents to be put to use towards improving nuclear plant safety. A number of examples have been investigated, both domestic and overseas, in which experience gained from accidents was utilized by utilities in managing and operating their nuclear power stations to improve safety. The result of investigation has been used to create a general 'basic flow' to make the best use of experience. The ultimate goal is achieved by carrying out this 'basic flow' with artificial intelligence (AI). To do this, it is necessary (1) to apply language analysis to process the source information (primary data base; domestic and overseas accident's reports) into the secondary data base, and (2) to establish an expert system for selecting (screening) significant events from the secondary data base. In the processing described in item (1), a multi-lingual thesaurus for nuclear-related terms become necessary because the source information (primary data bases) itself is multi-lingual. In the work described in item (2), the utilization of probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), for example, is a candidate method for judging the significance of events. Achieving the goal thus requires developing various new techniques. As the first step of the above long-term study project, this report proposes the 'basic flow' and presents the concept of how the nuclear-related AI can be used to carry out this 'basic flow'. (author)

Long-term safety and outcome of a temporary self-expanding metallic stent for achalasia: a prospective study with a 13-year single-center experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Jun-Gong; Li, Yong-Dong; Li, Ming-Hua; Shang, Ke-Zhong [Shanghai Tong Ji University, Department of Radiology, Tenth Affiliated People' s Hospital, Shanghai (China); Cheng, Ying-Sheng [Shanghai Tong Ji University, Department of Radiology, Tenth Affiliated People' s Hospital, Shanghai (China); Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Department of Radiology, Sixth Affiliated People' s Hospital, Shanghai (China); Chen, Ni-Wei; Chen, Wei-Xiong [Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Department of Gastroenterology, Sixth Affiliated People' s Hospital, Shanghai (China)

2009-08-15

To prospectively evaluate the long-term clinical safety and efficacy of a newly designed self-expanding metallic stent (SEMS) in the treatment of patients with achalasia. Seventy-five patients with achalasia were treated with a temporary SEMS with a 30-mm diameter. The SEMSs were placed under fluoroscopic guidance and removed by gastroscopy 4-5 days after stent placement. Follow-up data focused on dysphagia score, technique and clinical success, clinical remissions and failures, and complications and was performed at 6 months, 1 year, and within 3 to 5 years, 5 to 8 years, 8 to 10 years, and >10 years postoperatively. Stent placement was technically successful in all patients. Complications included stent migration (n=4, 5.33%), chest pain (n=28, 38.7%), reflux (n=15, 20%), and bleeding (n=9, 12%). No perforation or 30-day mortality occurred. Clinical success was achieved in all patients 1 month after stent removal. The overall remission rates at 6 months, 1, 1-3, 3-5, 5-8, 8-10, and >10 year follow-up periods were 100%, 96%, 93.9%, 90.9%, 100%, 100%, and 83.3%, respectively. Stent treatment failed in six patients, and the overall remission rate in our series was 92%. The median and mean primary patencies were 2.8 {+-} 0.28 years (95% CI: 2.25-3.35) and 4.28 {+-} 0.40 years (95% CI: 3.51-5.05), respectively. The use of temporary SEMSs with 30-mm diameter proved to be a safe and effective approach for managing achalasia with a long-term satisfactory clinical remission rate. (orig.)

Application of the Dragon reactor experiment to the safety evaluation of current HTR systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashworth, F.P.O.; Faircloth, R.L.

1976-01-01

An important component of the confidence required for the safety assessment of high-temperature reactors is the experimental proof of phenomena such as fission product release or core corrosion. The most convincing experiments are those carried out in a reactor. This paper outlines the scope of experiments relevant to safety which can be done in the Dragon Reactor Experiment and describes as an example the experimental campaign and the current outcome of the work on validating the predictions of caesium release and migration. (author)

The French nuclear safety authority's experience with radioactive transport inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacob, E.; Aguilar, J.

2004-01-01

About 300,000 radioactive material packages are transported annually in France. Most consist of radioisotopes for medical, pharmaceutical or industrial use. On the other hand, the nuclear industry deals with the transport of fuel cycle materials (uranium, fuel assemblies, etc.) and waste from power plants, reprocessing plants and research centers. France is also a transit country for shipments such as spent fuel packages from Switzerland or Germany, which are bound for Sellafield in Great Britain. The French nuclear safety authority (DGSNR: Directorate General for Nuclear Safety and Radioprotection) has been responsible since 1997 for the safety of radioactive material transport. This paper presents DGNSR's experience with transport inspection: a feedback of key points based on 300 inspections achieved during the past five years is given

UK experience of safety requirements for thermal reactor stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, R.R.; Dale, G.C.; Tweedy, J.N.

1977-01-01

The paper summarises the development of safety requirements since the first of the Generating Boards' Magnox reactors commenced operation in 1962 and includes A.G.R. safety together with the preparation of S.G.H.W.R. design safety criteria. It outlines the basic principles originally adopted and shows how safety assessment is a continuing process throughout the life of a reactor. Some description is given of the continuous effort over the years to obtain increased safety margins for existing and new reactors, taking into account the construction and operating experience, experimental information, and more sophisticated computer-aided design techniques which have become available. The main safeguards against risks arising from the Generating Boards' reactors are the achievement of high standards of design, construction and operation, in conjunction with comprehensive fault analyses to ensure that adequate protective equipment is provided. The most important analyses refer to faults which can lead to excessive fuel element temperatures arising from an increase in power or a reduction in cooling capacity. They include the possibility of unintended control rod withdrawal at power or at start-up, coolant flow failure, pressure circuit failure, loss of boiler feed water, and failure of electric power. The paper reviews the protective equipment, and the policy for reactor safety assessments which include application of maximum credible accident philosophy and later the limited use of reliability and probability methods. Some of the Generating Boards' reactors are now more than half way through their planned working lives and during this time safety protective equipment has occasionally been brought into operation, often for spurious reasons. The general performance, of safety equipment is reviewed particularly for incidents such as main turbo-alternator trip, circulator failure, fuel element failures and other similar events, and some problems which have given rise to

Safety research experiment facilities, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho. Final environmental impact statement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liverman, J.L.

1977-09-01

This environmental statement was prepared for the Safety Research Experiment Facilities (SAREF) Project. The purpose of the proposed project is to modify some existing facilities and provide a new test facility at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) for conducting fast breeder reactor (FBR) safety experiments. The SAREF Project proposal has been developed after an extensive study which identified the FBR safety research needs requiring in-reactor experiments and which evaluated the capability of various existing and new facilities to meet these needs. The proposed facilities provide for the in-reactor testing of large bundles of prototypical FBR fuel elements under a wide variety of conditions, ranging from those abnormal operating conditions which might be expected to occur during the life of an FBR power plant to the extremely low probability, hypothetical accidents used in the evaluation of some design options and in the assessment of the long-term potential risk associated with wide-acale deployment of the FBR

Recommended nuclear criticality safety experiments in support of the safe transportation of fissile material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tollefson, D.A.; Elliott, E.P.; Dyer, H.R.; Thompson, S.A.

1993-01-01

Validation of computer codes and nuclear data (cross-section) libraries using benchmark quality critical (or certain subcritical) experiments is an essential part of a nuclear criticality safety evaluation. The validation results establish the credibility of the calculational tools for use in evaluating a particular application. Validation of the calculational tools is addressed in several American National Standards Institute/American Nuclear Society (ANSI/ANS) standards, with ANSI/ANS-8.1 being the most relevant. Documentation of the validation is a required part of all safety analyses involving significant quantities of fissile materials. In the case of transportation of fissile materials, the safety analysis report for packaging (SARP) must contain a thorough discussion of benchmark experiments, detailing how the experiments relate to the significant packaging and contents materials (fissile, moderating, neutron absorbing) within the package. The experiments recommended in this paper are needed to address certain areas related to transportation of unirradiated fissile materials in drum-type containers (packagings) for which current data are inadequate or are lacking

Removal of retrievable self-expandable urethral stents: experience in 58 stents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Ji Hoon; Song, Ho-Young; Kim, Jin Hyoung; Ko, Heung-Kyu; Kim, Yong Jae; Woo, Chul-Woong; Kim, Tae-Hyung; Ko, Gi-Young; Yoon, Hyun-Ki; Sung, Kyu-Bo; Park, Hyungkeun

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of removing retrievable self-expandable urethral stents using a retrieval hook wire. Under fluoroscopic guidance, the removal of 58 polyurethane or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene)-covered stents was attempted in 33 patients using a retrieval hook wire. Indications for removal were elective removal (n=21), stent migration (n=19), formation of tissue hyperplasia around or inside of the stent (n=14), stent deformity (n=3), and severe pain (n=1). The mean time the stents remained in place was 64.8±42.9 days (range, 1-177 days). Fifty-six (97%) of the 58 stents were successfully removed using the retrieval hook wire despite the following difficulties; hook wire disconnection (n=2), untied drawstrings (n=3), and polyurethane membrane disruption/separation (n=4). The removal procedure using a retrieval hook wire failed in two stents (3%) which had migrated into the urinary bladder. One of the two stents with migration into the urinary bladder was removed using a snare through the cystostomy route. The overall complication rate was 14% (seven hematuria cases and one urethral tear case), and all were minor and spontaneously resolved without further treatment. In conclusion, removal of retrievable urethral stents using a retrieval hook wire was safe and effective despite some technical difficulties. It is a useful method for allowing temporary stent placement and solving various complications of stent use. (orig.)

Removal of retrievable self-expandable urethral stents: experience in 58 stents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Ji Hoon; Song, Ho-Young; Kim, Jin Hyoung; Ko, Heung-Kyu; Kim, Yong Jae; Woo, Chul-Woong; Kim, Tae-Hyung; Ko, Gi-Young; Yoon, Hyun-Ki; Sung, Kyu-Bo [Asan Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea); Park, Hyungkeun [Asan Medical Center, Department of Urology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea)

2006-09-15

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of removing retrievable self-expandable urethral stents using a retrieval hook wire. Under fluoroscopic guidance, the removal of 58 polyurethane or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene)-covered stents was attempted in 33 patients using a retrieval hook wire. Indications for removal were elective removal (n=21), stent migration (n=19), formation of tissue hyperplasia around or inside of the stent (n=14), stent deformity (n=3), and severe pain (n=1). The mean time the stents remained in place was 64.8{+-}42.9 days (range, 1-177 days). Fifty-six (97%) of the 58 stents were successfully removed using the retrieval hook wire despite the following difficulties; hook wire disconnection (n=2), untied drawstrings (n=3), and polyurethane membrane disruption/separation (n=4). The removal procedure using a retrieval hook wire failed in two stents (3%) which had migrated into the urinary bladder. One of the two stents with migration into the urinary bladder was removed using a snare through the cystostomy route. The overall complication rate was 14% (seven hematuria cases and one urethral tear case), and all were minor and spontaneously resolved without further treatment. In conclusion, removal of retrievable urethral stents using a retrieval hook wire was safe and effective despite some technical difficulties. It is a useful method for allowing temporary stent placement and solving various complications of stent use. (orig.)

Feasibility and safety of treating non-unions in tibia, femur and humerus with autologous, expanded, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells associated with biphasic calcium phosphate biomaterials in a multicentric, non-comparative trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Barrena, Enrique; Rosset, Philippe; Gebhard, Florian; Hernigou, Philippe; Baldini, Nicola; Rouard, Helène; Sensebé, Luc; Gonzalo-Daganzo, Rosa M; Giordano, Rosaria; Padilla-Eguiluz, Norma; García-Rey, Eduardo; Cordero-Ampuero, José; Rubio-Suárez, Juan Carlos; Stanovici, Julien; Ehrnthaller, Christian; Huber-Lang, Markus; Flouzat-Lachaniette, Charles Henri; Chevallier, Nathalie; Donati, Davide Maria; Ciapetti, Gabriela; Fleury, Sandrine; Fernandez, Manuel-Nicolás; Cabrera, José-Rafael; Avendaño-Solá, Cristina; Montemurro, Tiziana; Panaitescu, Carmen; Veronesi, Elena; Rojewski, Markus Thomas; Lotfi, Ramin; Dominici, Massimo; Schrezenmeier, Hubert; Layrolle, Pierre

2018-03-19

ORTHO-1 is a European, multicentric, first in human clinical trial to prove safety and feasibility after surgical implantation of commercially available biphasic calcium phosphate bioceramic granules associated during surgery with autologous mesenchymal stromal cells expanded from bone marrow (BM-hMSC) under good manufacturing practices, in patients with long bone pseudarthrosis. Twenty-eight patients with femur, tibia or humerus diaphyseal or metaphyso-diaphyseal non-unions were recruited and surgically treated in France, Germany, Italy and Spain with 100 or 200 million BM-hMSC/mL associated with 5-10 cc of bioceramic granules. Patients were followed up during one year. The investigational advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) was expanded under the same protocol in all four countries, and approved by each National Competent Authority. With safety as primary end-point, no severe adverse event was reported as related to the BM-hMSC. With feasibility as secondary end-point, the participating production centres manufactured the BM-hMSC as planned. The ATMP combined to the bioceramic was surgically delivered to the non-unions, and 26/28 treated patients were found radiologically healed at one year (3 out of 4 cortices with bone bridging). Safety and feasibility were clinically proven for surgical implantation of expanded autologous BM-hMSC with bioceramic. EU-FP7-HEALTH-2009, REBORNE Project (GA: 241876). Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

New safety performance indicators for safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal facilities. Cuban experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peralta Vital, J.L.; Castillo, R.G.; Olivera, J.

2002-01-01

The paper shows the Cuban experience on implementing geological disposal of radioactive waste and the necessity for identifying new safety performance indicators for the safety assessment (SA) of radioactive waste disposal facilities. The selected indicator was the concentration of natural radioactive elements (U, Ra, Th, K) in the Cuban geologic environment. We have carried out a group of investigations, which have allowed characterising the concentration for the whole Country, creating a wide database where this indicator is associated with the lithology. The main lithologies in Cuba are: the sedimentary rocks (70 percent of national occurrence), which are present in the three regions (limestone and lutite), and finally the igneous and metamorphic rocks. The results show the concentrations ranges of the natural radionuclides associated fundamentally to the variation in the lithology and geographical area of the Country. In Cuba, the higher concentration (ppm) of Uranium and Radium are referenced to the Central region associated to Skarn, while for Thorium (ppm) and Potassium (%), in the East region the concentration peaks in Tuffs have been found. The concentrations ranges obtained are preliminary, they characterise the behaviour of this parameter for the Cuban geology, but they do not represent limits for safety assessment purposes yet. Also other factors should be taken into account as the assessment context, time scales and others assumptions before establishing the final concentration limits for the natural radionuclides as a radiological and nuclear safety performance indicator complementary to dose and risk for safety assessment for radiological and nuclear facilities. (author)

Planning the Unplanned Experiment: Towards Assessing the Efficacy of Standards for Safety-Critical Software

Science.gov (United States)

Graydon, Patrick J.; Holloway, C. M.

2015-01-01

Safe use of software in safety-critical applications requires well-founded means of determining whether software is fit for such use. While software in industries such as aviation has a good safety record, little is known about whether standards for software in safety-critical applications 'work' (or even what that means). It is often (implicitly) argued that software is fit for safety-critical use because it conforms to an appropriate standard. Without knowing whether a standard works, such reliance is an experiment; without carefully collecting assessment data, that experiment is unplanned. To help plan the experiment, we organized a workshop to develop practical ideas for assessing software safety standards. In this paper, we relate and elaborate on the workshop discussion, which revealed subtle but important study design considerations and practical barriers to collecting appropriate historical data and recruiting appropriate experimental subjects. We discuss assessing standards as written and as applied, several candidate definitions for what it means for a standard to 'work,' and key assessment strategies and study techniques and the pros and cons of each. Finally, we conclude with thoughts about the kinds of research that will be required and how academia, industry, and regulators might collaborate to overcome the noted barriers.

Safety Research Experiment Facilities, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho. Draft environmental statement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

This environmental statement was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) in support of the Energy Research and Development Administration's (ERDA) proposal for legislative authorization and appropriations for the Safety Research Experiment Facilities (SAREF) Project. The purpose of the proposed project is to modify some existing facilities and provide a new test facility at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) for conducting fast breeder reactor (FBR) safety experiments. The SAREF Project proposal has been developed after an extensive study which identified the FBR safety research needs requiring in-reactor experiments and which evaluated the capability of various existing and new facilities to meet these needs. The proposed facilities provide for the in-reactor testing of large bundles of prototypical FBR fuel elements under a wide variety of conditions, ranging from those abnormal operating conditions which might be expected to occur during the life of an FBR power plant to the extremely low probability, hypothetical accidents used in the evalution of some design options and in the assessment of the long-term potential risk associated with wide-scale deployment of the FBR

Experience of Tecnatom in Developing a Strong Leadership for Safety and Performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González, F.; Villadóniga, J. I.

2016-01-01

This paper presents experience and insights of Tecnatom in the support of internal and external clients to develop a strong Leadership for Safety. Several cases are presented briefly: (a) The leadership and culture change activities for a utility, a radwaste company, and for Tecnatom itself. One important characteristic of the work performed is the detailed consideration of the underlying organizational culture that underpins the safety culture. Measurable improvements have been achieved and some of the key insights are shared in this paper. (b) The development and implementation of a leadership model with 17 competencies, including safety explicitly. One benefit of this model is that allows to perform a quantitative assessment of leadership effectiveness, something vital to be able to ensure that leadership development actions are truly supporting safety. The model uses an approach to development oriented to strengths and the use of companion competencies to further develop leadership. Moreover it aims to produce significant improvements on safety but also on performance, since both are not competing goals when the proper leadership model is selected. The training material prepared was shortlisted in the 2014 Nuclear Training Awards. (c) The design and implementation of a training development program on Safety Culture, and required competencies of Leadership, for Top Managers of the nuclear industry, as part of the project NUSHARE of the European Commission’s 7th research framework program. The program is sensible to the reduced time availability of Top Managers and uses a combination of learning approaches (webinars, micro-elearnings, web meetings) that provide higher flexibility for the learner, but complemented with other proven methods (group dialog, journaling, mentoring, etc.) to ensure that the program is effective. All these experiences reveal that to improve the organizational Safety Culture we need to enhance Leadership for Safety and Performance

Expandable metallic stent: experimental and clinical experience in tracheobronchial tree

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Ho Young; Lee, Sang Young; Chung, Jin Young; Han, Young Min; Kim, Jong Soo; Choi, Ki Chul; Hong, Ki Whan; Rhee, Yang Kun [Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of)

1991-05-15

To maintain or reestablish an adequate airway in a patient with tracheobronchial narrowing coming from various causes, we constructed self-expanding metallic stents the same way Gianturco did, using them in 2 patients after an experimental study with rabbits. Twenty stents (10mm in diameter fully expanded and 20mm in length) were introduced into the trachea or bronchi of 10 Newzealand rabbits (weight, 2.5-3.0kg) through a 8.5 French Teflon sheath. No difficulties were encountered in the placement of the stents. At follow-up (4-12 weeks), no stent showed migration. Three rabbits died of pneumonia or bronchial perforation. Histologically, mucosal inflammation was noted at the sites of stent placement, and stent wires were covered by proliferated epithelium with intact cilia. During the last 4 months, 2 stents were used in 2 patients, one in a patient with endobronchial tuberculosis (3.0cm in length and 1.0cm in diameter fully expanded) and the other (3.0cm in length and 1.5cm in diameter) in a patient with a subglottic mass. In both patients the stents were successfully placed. Just after the placement of the stents dyspnea subsided in both patients, and there was no mortality or morbidity. These stents seem to be effective in the treatment of tracheobronchial stenosis, tracheomalacia, and airway collapse following tracheal reconstruction.

Expandable metallic stent: experimental and clinical experience in tracheobronchial tree

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Ho Young; Lee, Sang Young; Chung, Jin Young; Han, Young Min; Kim, Jong Soo; Choi, Ki Chul; Hong, Ki Whan; Rhee, Yang Kun

1991-01-01

To maintain or reestablish an adequate airway in a patient with tracheobronchial narrowing coming from various causes, we constructed self-expanding metallic stents the same way Gianturco did, using them in 2 patients after an experimental study with rabbits. Twenty stents (10mm in diameter fully expanded and 20mm in length) were introduced into the trachea or bronchi of 10 Newzealand rabbits (weight, 2.5-3.0kg) through a 8.5 French Teflon sheath. No difficulties were encountered in the placement of the stents. At follow-up (4-12 weeks), no stent showed migration. Three rabbits died of pneumonia or bronchial perforation. Histologically, mucosal inflammation was noted at the sites of stent placement, and stent wires were covered by proliferated epithelium with intact cilia. During the last 4 months, 2 stents were used in 2 patients, one in a patient with endobronchial tuberculosis (3.0cm in length and 1.0cm in diameter fully expanded) and the other (3.0cm in length and 1.5cm in diameter) in a patient with a subglottic mass. In both patients the stents were successfully placed. Just after the placement of the stents dyspnea subsided in both patients, and there was no mortality or morbidity. These stents seem to be effective in the treatment of tracheobronchial stenosis, tracheomalacia, and airway collapse following tracheal reconstruction

Patients' experiences of safety during haemodialysis treatment--a qualitative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lovink, Marleen H; Kars, Marijke C; de Man-van Ginkel, Janneke M; Schoonhoven, Lisette

2015-01-01

AIM: To explore the experiences of safety of adult patients during their haemodialysis treatment. BACKGROUND: Haemodialysis is a complex treatment with a risk for harm that causes anxiety among many patients. To date, no in-depth study of haemodialysis patients' emotional responses to conditions of

Patients' experiences of safety during haemodialysis treatment - a qualitative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lovink, M.H.; Kars, M.C.; Man-van Ginkel, J.M. de; Schoonhoven, L.

2015-01-01

AIM: To explore the experiences of safety of adult patients during their haemodialysis treatment. BACKGROUND: Haemodialysis is a complex treatment with a risk for harm that causes anxiety among many patients. To date, no in-depth study of haemodialysis patients' emotional responses to conditions of

JET-ISX-B beryllium limiter experiment safety analysis report and operational safety requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edmonds, P.H.

1985-09-01

An experiment to evaluate the suitability of beryllium as a limiter material has been completed on the ISX-B tokamak. The experiment consisted of two phases: (1) the initial operation and characterization in the ISX experiment, and a period of continued operation to the specified surface fluence (10 22 atoms/cm 2 ) of hydrogen ions; and (2) the disassembly, decontamination, or disposal of the ISX facility. During these two phases of the project, the possibility existed for beryllium and/or beryllium oxide powder to be produced inside the vacuum vessel. Beryllium dust is a highly toxic material, and extensive precautions are required to prevent the release of the beryllium into the experimental work area and to prevent the contamination of personnel working on the device. Details of the health hazards associated with beryllium and the appropriate precautions are presented. Also described in appendixes to this report are the various operational safety requirements for the project

Part I. Fuel-motion diagnostics in support of fast-reactor safety experiments. Part II. Fission product detection system in support of fast reactor safety experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devolpi, A.; Doerner, R.C.; Fink, C.L.; Regis, J.P.; Rhodes, E.A.; Stanford, G.S.; Braid, T.H.; Boyar, R.E.

1986-05-01

In all destructive fast-reactor safety experiments at TREAT, fuel motion and cladding failure have been monitored by the fast-neutron/gamma-ray hodoscope, providing experimental results that are directly applicable to design, modeling, and validation in fast-reactor safety. Hodoscope contributions to the safety program can be considered to fall into several groupings: pre-failure fuel motion, cladding failure, post-failure fuel motion, steel blockages, pretest and posttest radiography, axial-power-profile variations, and power-coupling monitoring. High-quality results in fuel motion have been achieved, and motion sequences have been reconstructed in qualitative and quantitative visual forms. A collimated detection system has been used to observe fission products in the upper regions of a test loop in the TREAT reactor. Particular regions of the loop are targeted through any of five channels in a rotatable assembly in a horizontal hole through the biological shield. A well-type neutron detector, optimized for delayed neutrons, and two GeLi gamma ray spectrometers have been used in several experiments. Data are presented showing a time history of the transport of Dn emitters, of gamma spectra identifying volatile fission products deposited as aerosols, and of fission gas isotopes released from the coolant

Long-term safety and outcome of a temporary self-expanding metallic stent for achalasia: a prospective study with a 13-year single-center experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Jun-Gong; Li, Yong-Dong; Li, Ming-Hua; Shang, Ke-Zhong; Cheng, Ying-Sheng; Chen, Ni-Wei; Chen, Wei-Xiong

2009-01-01

To prospectively evaluate the long-term clinical safety and efficacy of a newly designed self-expanding metallic stent (SEMS) in the treatment of patients with achalasia. Seventy-five patients with achalasia were treated with a temporary SEMS with a 30-mm diameter. The SEMSs were placed under fluoroscopic guidance and removed by gastroscopy 4-5 days after stent placement. Follow-up data focused on dysphagia score, technique and clinical success, clinical remissions and failures, and complications and was performed at 6 months, 1 year, and within 3 to 5 years, 5 to 8 years, 8 to 10 years, and >10 years postoperatively. Stent placement was technically successful in all patients. Complications included stent migration (n=4, 5.33%), chest pain (n=28, 38.7%), reflux (n=15, 20%), and bleeding (n=9, 12%). No perforation or 30-day mortality occurred. Clinical success was achieved in all patients 1 month after stent removal. The overall remission rates at 6 months, 1, 1-3, 3-5, 5-8, 8-10, and >10 year follow-up periods were 100%, 96%, 93.9%, 90.9%, 100%, 100%, and 83.3%, respectively. Stent treatment failed in six patients, and the overall remission rate in our series was 92%. The median and mean primary patencies were 2.8 ± 0.28 years (95% CI: 2.25-3.35) and 4.28 ± 0.40 years (95% CI: 3.51-5.05), respectively. The use of temporary SEMSs with 30-mm diameter proved to be a safe and effective approach for managing achalasia with a long-term satisfactory clinical remission rate. (orig.)

Expanding Music Listening Experience through Drawing

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Yo-Jung

2016-01-01

Drawing while listening to music provides an opportunity for students to imagine and associate, leading to holistic listening experience. The personal qualitative listening experience triggered by music can be revealed in their drawings. In the process of representing of the listening experience through drawing, students can also increase their…

Biochemical screening of 504,049 newborns in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland--experience and development of a routine program for expanded newborn screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Allan Meldgaard; Hougaard, David Michael; Simonsen, Henrik

2012-01-01

Expanded newborn screening for selected inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland was introduced in 2002. We now present clinical, biochemical, and statistical results of expanded screening (excluding PKU) of 504,049 newborns during nine years as well as diagno......Expanded newborn screening for selected inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland was introduced in 2002. We now present clinical, biochemical, and statistical results of expanded screening (excluding PKU) of 504,049 newborns during nine years as well...... as a pilot study during the first seven years, and the experience obtained during these years was used in the development of the routine neonatal screening program introduced in 2009. Methods for screening included tandem mass spectrometry and an assay for determination of biotinidase activity. A total...

Proceedings of the workshop on integral experiment covariance data for critical safety validation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stuke, Maik (ed.)

2016-04-15

For some time, attempts to quantify the statistical dependencies of critical experiments and to account for them properly in validation procedures were discussed in the literature by various groups. Besides the development of suitable methods especially the quality and modeling issues of the freely available experimental data are in the focus of current discussions, carried out for example in the Expert Group on Uncertainty Analysis for Criticality Safety Assessment (UACSA) of the OECD-NEA Nuclear Science Committee. The same committee compiles and publishes also the freely available experimental data in the International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments. Most of these experiments were performed as series and might share parts of experimental setups leading to correlated results. The quality of the determination of these correlations and the underlying covariance data depend strongly on the quality of the documentation of experiments.

Proceedings of the workshop on integral experiment covariance data for critical safety validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stuke, Maik

2016-04-01

For some time, attempts to quantify the statistical dependencies of critical experiments and to account for them properly in validation procedures were discussed in the literature by various groups. Besides the development of suitable methods especially the quality and modeling issues of the freely available experimental data are in the focus of current discussions, carried out for example in the Expert Group on Uncertainty Analysis for Criticality Safety Assessment (UACSA) of the OECD-NEA Nuclear Science Committee. The same committee compiles and publishes also the freely available experimental data in the International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments. Most of these experiments were performed as series and might share parts of experimental setups leading to correlated results. The quality of the determination of these correlations and the underlying covariance data depend strongly on the quality of the documentation of experiments.

Experiment to evaluate software safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soubies, B.; 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 by the safety authorities, including softwares. The criticality of these softwares obliges the manufacturer to develop in accordance with the IEC 880 standard 'Computer software in nuclear power plant safety systems' issued by the International Electronic Commission. The evaluation approach, a two-stage assessment is described in detail. In this context, the IPSN (Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety), the technical support body of the safety authority uses the MALPAS tool to analyse the quality of the programs. (R.P.). 4 refs

Experiences in assessing safety culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spitalnik, J.

2002-01-01

Based on several Safety Culture self-assessment applications in nuclear organisations, the paper stresses relevant aspects to be considered when programming an assessment of this type. Reasons for assessing Safety Culture, basic principles to take into account, necessary resources, the importance of proper statistical analyses, the feed-back of results, and the setting up of action plans to enhance Safety Culture are discussed. (author)

Current MitraClip experience, safety and feasibility in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rahhab, Z.; Kortlandt, F. A.; Velu, J. F.; Schurer, R. A. J.; Delgado, V.; Tonino, P.; Boven, A. J.; van den Branden, B. J. L.; Kraaijeveld, A. O.; Voskuil, M.; Hoorntje, J.; van Wely, M. [=Marleen; van Houwelingen, K.; Bleeker, G. B.; Rensing, B.; Kardys, I.; Baan, J.; van der Heyden, J. A. S.; van Mieghem, N. M.

2017-01-01

Purpose Data on MitraClip procedural safety and efficacy in the Netherlands are scarce. We aim to provide an overview of the Dutch MitraClip experience. Methods We pooled anonymised demographic and procedural data of 1151 consecutive MitraClip patients, from 13 Dutch hospitals. Data was collected by

The development of safety cases for healthcare services: Practical experiences, opportunities and challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sujan, Mark; Spurgeon, Peter; Cooke, Matthew; Weale, Andy; Debenham, Philip; Cross, Steve

2015-01-01

There has been growing interest in the concept of safety cases for medical devices and health information technology, but questions remain about how safety cases can be developed and used meaningfully in the safety management of healthcare services and processes. The paper presents two examples of the development and use of safety cases at a service level in healthcare. These first practical experiences at the service level suggest that safety cases might be a useful tool to support service improvement and communication of safety in healthcare. The paper argues that safety cases might be helpful in supporting healthcare organisations with the adoption of proactive and rigorous safety management practices. However, it is also important to consider the different level of maturity of safety management and regulatory oversight in healthcare. Adaptations to the purpose and use of safety cases might be required, complemented by the provision of education to both practitioners and regulators. - Highlights: • Empirical description of safety case development at service level in healthcare. • Safety cases can support adoption of proactive and rigorous safety management. • Adaptation to purpose and use of safety cases might be required in healthcare. • Education should be provided to practitioners and regulators

ExpandED Options: Learning beyond High School Walls

Science.gov (United States)

ExpandED Schools, 2014

2014-01-01

Through ExpandED Options by TASC, New York City high school students get academic credit for learning career-related skills that lead to paid summer jobs. Too many high school students--including those most likely to drop out--are bored or see classroom learning as irrelevant. ExpandED Options students live the connection between mastering new…

AST-500 safety analysis experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Falikov, A A; Bakhmetiev, A M; Kuul, V S; Samoilov, O B [OKBM, Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation)

1997-09-01

Characteristic AST-type NHR safety features and requirements are described briefly. The main approaches and results of design and beyond-design accidents analyses for the AST-500 NHR, and the results of probabilistic safety assessments are considered. It is concluded that the AST-500 possesses a high safety level in virtue of the development and realization in the design of self-protection, passivity and defence-in-depth principles. (author). 9 refs, 2 figs.

Safety and operating experience at EBR-II: lessons for the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sackett, J.I.; Golden, G.H.

1981-01-01

EBR-II is a small LMFBR power plant that has performed safely and reliably for 16 years. Much has been learned from operating it to facilitate the design, licensing, and operation of large commercial LMFBR power plants in the US. EBR-II has been found relatively easy to keep in conformity with evolving safety requirements, largely because of inherent safety features of the plant. Such features reduce dependence on active safety systems to protect against accidents. EBR-II has experienced a number of plant-transient incidents, some planned, others inadvertent; none has resulted in any significant plant damage. The operating experience with EBR-II has led to the formulation of an Operational Reliability Test Program (ORTP), aimed at showing inherently safe performance of fuel and plant systems

Applying the results of probablistic safety analysis of nuclear power plants: a survey of experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrews, W.B.; Herttrich, M.; Koeberlein, K.; Schwager.

1985-01-01

To date, discussions of the many different types of potential applications of PRA/PSA results and insights to safety-decision-making have been mainly theoretical. Various safety goals have been proposed as decision criteria. However, the discussion on the role of PRA/PSA and Safety Goals in safety-decision-making, especially in licensing, is controversial. A Working Group of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency is completing a compilation and evaluation of real examples of past and present practical experience with the application of probabilistic methods in reactor safety decision-making, with the idea of developing a common understanding in this area. More than fifty different cases where PRA has influenced decision-making have been surveyed. These include, for example, regulatory changes, fixing of licensing requirements, plant specific modifications of design of operation, prioritization of safety issues and emergency planning. This feedback of experience - both positive and negative - with PRA/PSA applications is considered to provide guidance on how probabilistic approaches can be introduced into current safety practices, and on desirable future developments in probabilistic methods and specific PSA/PRA studies. Generic insights from the survey are given

A Novel Self-Expandable, Radioactive Airway Stent Loaded with 125I Seeds: A Feasibility and Safety Study in Healthy Beagle Dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yong; Guo, Jin-He; Zhu, Guang-Yu; Zhu, Hai-Dong; Chen, Li; Lu, Jian; Wang, Chao; Teng, Gao-Jun

2017-07-01

Airway stent placement is an effective treatment for the immediate palliation of malignant airway obstruction. However, restenosis caused by tumor ingrowth and/or overgrowth after stenting is common. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and safety of a novel self-expandable stent loaded with 125 I seeds in healthy beagle dog. Under fluoroscopic guidance, forty-eight self-expandable airway stents loaded with 125 I seeds were perorally placed in the main trachea of 48 healthy beagle dogs, who were randomly divided into four groups (Group A: 0.3 mCi; Group B: 0.6 mCi; Group C: 0.9 mCi; Control group: 0 mCi). The estimated radiation dose was calculated using the isotropic point source approximation. Radiological follow-up examinations and histopathological examinations of stented tracheal segments and their adjacent organs and tissues were performed at 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks following the stenting. All stents were successfully deployed in the targeted tracheal segment in the beagle dogs without procedure-related complications. Tracheal stenosis became severe gradually in all the four groups, which was not associated with the radioactivity of 125 I seeds (p > 0.05). The tracheal injury scores increased along with the higher dose of radioactive seeds which reached peak at 8 weeks and then turned back slightly at 16 weeks. The adjacent tissue did not show pathohistological changes under microscope, while mild and reversible ultrastructure changes were showed under electronic microscope. This study demonstrates that it is feasible and safe to insert this novel self-expandable airway stent loaded with 125 I seeds in healthy beagle dog.

DASHBOARDS AND CONTROL CHARTS. EXPERIENCES IN IMPROVING SAFETY AT HANFORD WASHINGTON

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PREVETTE, S.S.

2006-01-01

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the integration of safety methodology, quality tools, leadership, and teamwork at Hanford and their significant positive impact on safe performance of work. Dashboards, Leading Indicators, Control charts, Pareto Charts, Dr. W. Edward Deming's Red Bead Experiment, and Dr. Deming's System of Profound Knowledge have been the principal tools and theory of an integrated management system. Coupled with involved leadership and teamwork, they have led to significant improvements in worker safety and protection, and environmental restoration at one of the nation's largest nuclear cleanup sites

The role of quality management in safety case development - Nagra's experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, Juerg W.; Zuidema, Piet

2014-01-01

This paper discusses the role of quality management (QM) in safety case development based on Nagra's experience from a broad range of projects. These include Project Gewahr (L/ILW and HLW, Nagra, 1985), the Wellenberg Project (L/ILW, Nagra, 1994), Project Opalinus Clay (HLW, Nagra, 2002a, 2002b), and recent project work needed in the context of the Swiss site selection process (L/ILW and HLW, Nagra, 2008a, 2008b, 2008c, 2010). Broadly speaking, Nagra's Quality Management policy is focused on ensuring: i) the quality of the disposal system (siting, design and implementation); ii) the quality of the underlying scientific understanding, which are seen as key elements of a credible safety case, along with the quality of the safety calculations themselves and of compiling the safety case, including the drawing of conclusions (Nagra, 2002a). All aspects of QM discussed in this paper should be seen in this context. (authors)

How to design the optimal self-expandable oesophageal metallic stents: 22 years of experience in 645 patients with malignant strictures.

Science.gov (United States)

Na, Han Kyu; Song, Ho-Young; Kim, Jin Hyoung; Park, Jung-Hoon; Kang, Min Kyoung; Lee, Jongjin; Oh, Se Jin

2013-03-01

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement for malignant oesophageal strictures and their relationship with stent designs. Seven generations of SEMS were used to treat 645 consecutive patients with oesophageal strictures. Logistic regression models were constructed to identify predictive factors associated with complications. Stent placement was technically successful in 641 of 645 patients (99.4%). The clinical success rate was 95.5%. There were 260 (40.3%) complications after stent placement. Due to complications, 68 stents were removed; 66 of 68 stents (97.1%) were removed successfully. Stainless steel (SS) stents (odds ratio [OR] 4.18; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.10, 8.32) and radiation therapy (RT) before stent placement (OR 4.23; CI 2.02, 8.83) were significantly associated with severe pain. Flared ends (OR 9.63; CI 3.38, 27.43), stricture length stent diameter stent migration. Polyurethane membranes were associated with more frequent tumour ingrowth than polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes (P = 0.002). Despite the relatively high complication rate, retrievable self-expandable PTFE-covered nitinol stents equipped with a head and a tail appeared to be an effective treatment for malignant oesophageal strictures.

Access Safety Systems – New Concepts from the LHC Experience

CERN Document Server

Ladzinski, T; di Luca, S; Hakulinen, T; Hammouti, L; Riesco, T; Nunes, R; Ninin, P; Juget, J-F; Havart, F; Valentini, F; Sanchez-Corral Mena, E

2011-01-01

The LHC Access Safety System has introduced a number of new concepts into the domain of personnel protection at CERN. These can be grouped into several categories: organisational, architectural and concerning the end-user experience. By anchoring the project on the solid foundations of the IEC 61508/61511 methodology, the CERN team and its contractors managed to design, develop, test and commission on time a SIL3 safety system. The system uses a successful combination of the latest Siemens redundant safety programmable logic controllers with a traditional relay logic hardwired loop. The external envelope barriers used in the LHC include personnel and material access devices, which are interlocked door-booths introducing increased automation of individual access control, thus removing the strain from the operators. These devices ensure the inviolability of the controlled zones by users not holding the required credentials. To this end they are equipped with personnel presence detectors and th...

Discussion on Safety Analysis and Regulatory Framework for the Future Fusion Reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Myoung-suk; Oh, Kyemin; Heo, Gyunyoung [Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

This study aims to secure the core original technologies and expand the base of domestic specialist at a fusion area by pursuing and developing nonprocurement technologies for ITER. From this project, the latest technical data and experiences have been recorded for the development of the safety regulation and safety-related design criteria of the future fusion reactors in Korea. In this context, this paper discusses on the progress of surveying the ITER licensing process and regulatory issues revealed. The regulation and licensing process for a fusion power plant has been expected to be quite different due to unique and unforeseen properties differently from the conventional nuclear facilities. To overcome this, not only various safety issues should be analyzed, but safety objectives, regulatory requirements, and design variables should also be established in detailed design phase. We expect our survey will contribute on the discussion to establish general and technical safety principles for national fusion power plant technology plans.

Use of Self-Expanding Stents for the Treatment of Vertebral Artery Ostial Stenosis: a Single Center Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Sun Young; Lee, Deok Hee; Choi, Jin Woo; Choi, Byung Se; In, Hyun Sin; Kim, Sun Mi; Choi, Choong Gon; Kim, Sang Joon; Suh, Dae Chul

2010-01-01

To evaluate our early experience using self-expanding stents to treat atherosclerotic vertebral artery ostial stenosis (VAOS), with respect to technical feasibility and clinical and imaging follow-up results. A total of 20 lesions in 20 patients underwent stenting of the VAOS using a self-expanding stent (Precise RX; Cordis Neurovascular, Miami Lakes, FL). Two patients were asymptomatic. We analyzed the technical success rate, causes of technical failure, occurrence of any vascular or neurological event, and the occurrence of any neurological abnormality or in-stent restenosis (ISR) seen on follow-up. The imaging follow-up was performed with Doppler ultrasound (DUS) as a primary screening modality. One instance of technical failure was caused by failure of the guidewire passage. The stent diameter was 5 mm, and post-stenting balloon dilatations were necessary in all cases. Stent misplacement requiring placement of an additional stent occurred in four cases. Following a 14.8 month average clinical follow-up time, two patients showed anterior circulation ischemia, which was not attributed to the VAOS we treated. Following a 13.7 month average DUS follow-up, five patients showed a mild degree of diffuse or focal intimal thickening in the stent lumen; however, none of the stenosis showed luminal loss of more than 50% and no stent fracture was noted. The use of self-expanding stents for treating VAOS was technically feasible and helped to improve artery patency during our limited follow-up interval

A novel self-expanding fully retrievable intracranial stent (SOLO): experience in nine procedures of stent-assisted aneurysm coil occlusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liebig, Thomas; Henkes, Hans; Reinartz, Joerg; Miloslavski, Elina; Kuehne, Dietmar

2006-01-01

The endovascular treatment of large and broad-necked aneurysms may require the use of a remodelling balloon or a stent system to achieve proper occlusion while maintaining the patency of the parent vessel. With the advent of self-expanding stents that can be delivered through a microcatheter, this kind of treatment has improved and problems with the previously used balloon expandable stents have largely been overcome. However, rigidity, insufficient trackability, and limited or non-existent retrievability may still restrict the application of self-expanding stents in some situations. Recently, a stent system with a new and different design has been introduced. This stent is highly flexible, fully retrievable, and can be delivered through a standard 0.021-inch microcatheter without a wire. We describe the first nine cases of stent-assisted coil occlusion of intracranial aneurysms with the use of this stent system. Between May and June of 2004, nine patients with large or broad-necked aneurysms were treated in two endovascular centres. The anatomy of the aneurysms and parent vessels, technical details of the procedure, performance of the stent system, and follow-up results were evaluated. In all procedures, the SOLO stent could be introduced without difficulty, in one procedure after positioning of a different self-expanding stent system had failed due to vessel tortuosity. Overlapping stents were placed in one patient and stent retrieval or repositioning was successfully performed in two procedures. There was no interference or limitation of subsequent coil occlusion after stenting. With regard to the stent, immediate postprocedure and follow-up angiograms were unremarkable in terms of thromboembolic events and signs of intimal hyperplasia. From our experience, we conclude that the SOLO stent shows satisfactory performance overall. Its unique design gives the stent properties that may help overcome some of the difficulties experienced with other self-expanding

Experience with nuclear safety standards development in non-governmental international organizations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, K.

1985-01-01

Besides the IAEA as a 'governmental' organization dealing with basic safety recommendations addressed primarily to the national regulatory bodies in developing countries, two closely related non-governmental international standards organizations have gained extensive experience in the field of nuclear standardization. Over more than 25 years since their formation, both (a) the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) Technical Committee 85 'Nuclear Energy', in particular in its Sub-Committee 3 'Reactor Technology and Safety' and (b) the International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) Technical Committee 45 'Nuclear Instrumentation' have published numerous standards. A brief review is given of these, draft standards, and other documents planned to become international standards. Many of them deal with rather specialized topics typical for 'industrial' standards such as standardized procedures, instruments, methods, materials, test methods, terminology, and signs and symbols, but others are directly related to more basic safety issues. In some areas such as quality assurance, seismic aspects of siting and terminology, there has been in the past occasional overlap in the activities of the NUSS programme, IEC and ISO. Letters of Understanding have since 1981 contributed to clarifying the borderlines and to avoiding redundant efforts. Also, some experiences and problems are described arising, for example, from the harmonization of different national safety philosophies and traditions into universally accepted international standards, and the transfer of international standards into national standards systems. Finally, based on a recent comprehensive compilation of some 3300 nuclear standards and standards projects, an attempt is made to present a cost/benefit analysis and an outlook on future developments. (author)

SRS K-area material storage. Expanding capabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koenig, R.

2013-01-01

In support of the Department of Energy’s continued plans to de-inventory and reduce the footprint of Cold War era weapons’ material production sites, the K-Area Material Storage (KAMS) facility, located in the K-Area Complex (KAC) at the Savannah River Site reservation, has expanded since its startup authorization in 2000 to accommodate DOE’s material consolidation mission. During the facility’s growth and expansion, KAMS will have expanded its authorization capability of material types and storage containers to allow up to 8200 total shipping containers once the current expansion effort completes in 2014. Recognizing the need to safely and cost effectively manage other surplus material across the DOE Complex, KAC is constantly evaluating the storage of different material types within K area. When modifying storage areas in KAC, the Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) must undergo extensive calculations and reviews; however, without an extensive and proven security posture the possibility for expansion would not be possible. The KAC maintains the strictest adherence to safety and security requirements for all the SNM it handles. Disciplined Conduct of Operations and Conduct of Projects are demonstrated throughout this historical overview highlighting various improvements in capability, capacity, demonstrated cost effectiveness and utilization of the KAC as the DOE Center of Excellence for safe and secure storage of surplus SNM.

Nuclear power safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the organization concerned with worldwide nuclear safety has produced two international conventions to provide (1) prompt notification of nuclear accidents and (2) procedures to facilitate mutual assistance during an emergency. IAEA has also expanded operational safety review team missions, enhanced information exchange on operational safety events at nuclear power plants, and planned a review of its nuclear safety standards to ensure that they include the lessons learned from the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident. However, there appears to be a nearly unanimous belief among IAEA members that may attempt to impose international safety standards verified by an international inspection program would infringe on national sovereignty. Although several Western European countries have proposed establishing binding safety standards and inspections, no specific plant have been made; IAEA's member states are unlikely to adopt such standards and an inspection program

Analysis of the impact of correlated benchmark experiments on the validation of codes for criticality safety analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bock, M.; Stuke, M.; Behler, M.

2013-01-01

The validation of a code for criticality safety analysis requires the recalculation of benchmark experiments. The selected benchmark experiments are chosen such that they have properties similar to the application case that has to be assessed. A common source of benchmark experiments is the 'International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments' (ICSBEP Handbook) compiled by the 'International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project' (ICSBEP). In order to take full advantage of the information provided by the individual benchmark descriptions for the application case, the recommended procedure is to perform an uncertainty analysis. The latter is based on the uncertainties of experimental results included in most of the benchmark descriptions. They can be performed by means of the Monte Carlo sampling technique. The consideration of uncertainties is also being introduced in the supplementary sheet of DIN 25478 'Application of computer codes in the assessment of criticality safety'. However, for a correct treatment of uncertainties taking into account the individual uncertainties of the benchmark experiments is insufficient. In addition, correlations between benchmark experiments have to be handled correctly. For example, these correlations can arise due to different cases of a benchmark experiment sharing the same components like fuel pins or fissile solutions. Thus, manufacturing tolerances of these components (e.g. diameter of the fuel pellets) have to be considered in a consistent manner in all cases of the benchmark experiment. At the 2012 meeting of the Expert Group on 'Uncertainty Analysis for Criticality Safety Assessment' (UACSA) of the OECD/NEA a benchmark proposal was outlined that aimed for the determination of the impact on benchmark correlations on the estimation of the computational bias of the neutron multiplication factor (k eff ). The analysis presented here is based on this proposal. (orig.)

Radiofrequency ablation of small hepatocellular carcinoma : early experience of efficacy and safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Dongil; Lim, Hyo Keun; Kim, Seung Hoon; And Others

2000-01-01

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency (RF) ablation for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Forty-four patients with 51 HCCs underwent ultrasound guided RF ablation using expandable needle electrodes and monopolar RF generator. The patients were not considered suitable candidates for surgery or declined this option, and had no history of previous treatment. Mean tumor diameter was 2.5 cm (range, 1.0-4.0 cm). Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by means of three-phase helical computed tomography (CT) performed at least one month after the completion of ablation. The recurrence rate was also evaluated by follow-up CT at least four months after treatment. Using RF ablation, complete necrosis was achieved in 48 of 51 tumors (94%). Among 20 patients in whom follow-up CT was performed at least four months after ablation, one (5%) showed marginal recurrence and in another (5%) there was recurrence in remote liver parenchyma. We experienced neither procedure-related mortality nor major complications which required specific treatment. Three minor complications (one small pneumothorax and two cases of intraperitoneal bleeding) occurred, but these disappeared without specific treatment. RF ablation using an expandable needle electrode showed a high rate of complete necrosis and a low rate of complications. The technique is therefore considered effective and safe for the local control of small HCCs. (author)

Expanding Your Horizons Conference in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Chromek-Burckhart, Doris

2011-01-01

CERN and its experiments participated in Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) in Science and Mathematics conference in Geneva on 12th November. EYH nurture girls' interest in science and math courses to encourage them to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Self-Expanding Transcatheter Aortic Valve System for Symptomatic High-Risk Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reichenspurner, Hermann; Schaefer, Andreas; Schäfer, Ulrich

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: The CENTERA transcatheter heart valve (THV) is a low-profile, self-expanding nitinol valve made from bovine pericardial tissue that is 14-F compatible with a motorized delivery system allowing for repositionability. OBJECTIVES: The pivotal study evaluated safety and efficacy of this THV...... permanent pacemaker was implanted in 4.5% of patients receiving the THV (4.9% for patients at risk). CONCLUSIONS: The herein described THV is safe and effective at 30 days with low mortality, significant improvements in hemodynamic outcomes, and low incidence of adverse events. Of particular interest...... is the low incidence of permanent pacemaker implantations. (Safety and Performance Study of the Edwards CENTERA-EU Self-Expanding Transcatheter Heart Valve [CENTERA-2]; NCT02458560)....

Lessons from feedback of safety operating experience for reactor physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suchomel, J.; Rapavy, S.

1999-01-01

Analyses of events in WWER operations as a part of safety experience feedback provide a valuable source of lessons for reactor physics. Examples of events from Bohunice operation will be shown such as events with inadequate approach to criticality, positive reactivity insertions, expulsion of a control rod from shut-down reactor, problems with reactor protection system and control rods. (Authors)

Survey highlights the need to expand offerings of introductory pharmacy practice experiences in psychiatry and neurology: Benefits and example experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Bostwick, Jolene R; Leung, Gillian P; Smith, Tawny L; Ahmed, Uzma; Bainbridge, Jacquelyn L; Peyronnet, Jean-Xavier

2018-01-01

Introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) are 1 requirement schools and colleges of pharmacy must fulfill to meet accreditation standards. The purpose of this manuscript is to report existing IPPEs in psychiatry and neurology across the United States. Two separate electronic surveys were administered to individual College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists members with board certification in psychiatric pharmacy with an academic affiliation and academic institutions in the 2014-15 academic year to assess the neuropsychiatric curriculum in pharmacy programs. Results focusing on IPPEs were summarized using descriptive statistics. Academic institutional data reveal only 37.3% offered IPPEs in psychiatry, and 6.7% offered neurology. The number of available IPPEs is low even if a program offered an available rotation. The majority of College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists member respondents (69.9%) did not offer IPPEs in psychiatry in the 2014-15 academic year, and none offered an IPPE in neurology. More than half of individual respondents feel their institution should increase IPPEs in psychiatry and neurology in order to enhance their curriculum. To expand IPPE availability, pharmacy programs should increase early exposure of pharmacy students to patients with psychiatric and neurologic conditions. Longitudinal experiences may allow students to engage in hands-on experiences, which may impact future career aspirations and reduce stigma. Current example IPPEs at the authors' institutions are included to stimulate discussion and action among readers on how IPPEs in these practice areas may be developed. Implementation of IPPEs in psychiatry and neurology is needed for students to gain experience working with these patients.

Beyond Decision Making for Outdoor Leaders: Expanding the Safety Behavior Research Agenda

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Jeff S.

2016-01-01

The study of safety behaviour of designated outdoor leaders primarily revolves around their decision making and judgement. The last ten years, however, have seen relatively little peer-reviewed research regarding guide or instructor safety cognition and behaviour. The narrow decision making focus of modern work makes for a field of study…

Comprehensive Lifecycle for Assuring System Safety

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, John C.; Rowanhill, Jonathan C.

2017-01-01

CLASS is a novel approach to the enhancement of system safety in which the system safety case becomes the focus of safety engineering throughout the system lifecycle. CLASS also expands the role of the safety case across all phases of the system's lifetime, from concept formation to decommissioning. As CLASS has been developed, the concept has been generalized to a more comprehensive notion of assurance becoming the driving goal, where safety is an important special case. This report summarizes major aspects of CLASS and contains a bibliography of papers that provide additional details.

Safety Research Experiment Facility Project. Conceptual design report. Volume II. Building and facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-12-01

The conceptual design of Safety Research Experiment Facility (SAREF) site system includes a review and evaluation of previous geotechnical reports for the area where SAREF will be constructed and the conceptual design of access and in-plant roads, parking, experiment-transport-vehicle maneuvering areas, security fencing, drainage, borrow area development and restoration, and landscaping

Can the United States Expand Apprenticeship? Lessons from Experience

OpenAIRE

Lerman, Robert I.

2012-01-01

Can expanded apprenticeship reduce the concerns about the U.S. workforce? The U.S. labor market faces a rise in unemployment rates, sharp declines in the employed share of U.S. adults, extremely high youth unemployment, high wage inequality, and low or stagnant wage growth for workers below the BA degree. Currently, the primary solution advanced by policymakers – helping more people go to college – is both expensive and of limited effectiveness. Unfortunately, the U.S. policy debate is rarely...

Drug research methodology. Volume 1, The alcohol-highway safety experience and its applicability to other drugs

Science.gov (United States)

1980-03-01

This report presents the findings of a workshop concerning the alcohol and highway safety experience, which includes research efforts to define the drinking-driving problem and societal responses to reduce the increased highway safety risk attributab...

'In situ' expanded graphite extinguishant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Qixin; Shou Yuemei; He Bangrong

1987-01-01

This report is concerning the development of the extinguishant for sodium fire and the investigation of its extinguishing property. The experiment result shows that 'in situ' expanded graphite developed by the authors is a kind of extinguishant which extinguishes sodium fire quickly and effectively and has no environment pollution during use and the amount of usage is little

EXPERIENCE NETWORKING UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION TRAINING MASTERS SAFETY OF LIFE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elvira Mikhailovna Rebko

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The article discloses experience networking of universities (Herzen State Pedagogical University and Sakhalin State University in the development and implementation of joint training programs for master’s education in the field of life safety «Social security in the urban environment». The novelty of the work is to create a schematic design of basic educational training program for master’s education in the mode of networking, and to identify effective instructional techniques and conditions of networking.Purpose – present the results of the joint development of a network of the basic educational program (BEP, to identify the stages of networking, to design a generalized scheme of development and implementation of a network of educational training program for master’s education in the field of life safety.Results generalized model of networking partner institutions to develop and implement the basic educational program master.Practical implications: the education process for Master of Education in the field of health and safety in Herzen State Pedagogical University and Sakhalin State University.

Performance improvement of the Annular Core Pulse Reactor for reactor safety experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reuscher, J.A.; Pickard, P.S.

1976-01-01

The Annular Core Pulse Reactor (ACPR) is a TRIGA type reactor which has been in operation at Sandia Laboratories since 1967. The reactor is utilized in a wide variety of experimental programs which include radiation effects, neutron radiography, activation analysis, and fast reactor safety. During the past several years, the ACPR has become an important experimental facility for the United States Fast Reactor Safety Research Program and questions of interest to the safety of the LMFBR are being addressed. In order to enhance the capabilities of the ACPR for reactor safety experiments, a project to improve the performance of the reactor was initiated. It is anticipated that the pulse fluence can be increased by a factor of 2.0 to 2.5 utilizing a two-region core concept with high heat capacity fuel elements around the central irradiation cavity. In addition, the steady-state power of the reactor will be increased by about a factor of two. The new features of the improvements are described

Safety in the Utilization and Modification of Research Reactors. Specific Safety Guide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-15

This Safety Guide is a revision of Safety Series No. 35-G2 on safety in the utilization and modification of research reactors. It provides recommendations on meeting the requirements for the categorization, safety assessment and approval of research reactor experiments and modification projects. Specific safety considerations in different phases of utilization and modification projects are covered, including the pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation phases. Guidance is also provided on the operational safety of experiments, including in the handling, dismantling, post-irradiation examination and disposal of experimental devices. Examples of the application of the safety categorization process for experiments and modification projects and of the content of the safety analysis report for an experiment are also provided. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Management system for the utilization and modification of a research reactor; 3. Categorization, safety assessment and approval of an experiment or modification; 4. Safety considerations for the design of an experiment or modification; 5. Pre-implementation phase of a modification or utilization project; 6. Implementation phase of a modification or utilization project; 7. Post-implementation phase of a utilization or modification project; 8. Operational safety of experiments at a research reactor; 9. Safety considerations in the handling, dismantling, post-irradiation examination and disposal of experimental devices; 10. Safety aspects of out-of-reactor-core installations; Annex I: Example of a checklist for the categorization of an experiment or modification at a research reactor; Annex II: Example of the content of the safety analysis report for an experiment at a research reactor; Annex III: Examples of reasons for a modification at a research reactor.

Safety in the Utilization and Modification of Research Reactors. Specific Safety Guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

This Safety Guide is a revision of Safety Series No. 35-G2 on safety in the utilization and modification of research reactors. It provides recommendations on meeting the requirements for the categorization, safety assessment and approval of research reactor experiments and modification projects. Specific safety considerations in different phases of utilization and modification projects are covered, including the pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation phases. Guidance is also provided on the operational safety of experiments, including in the handling, dismantling, post-irradiation examination and disposal of experimental devices. Examples of the application of the safety categorization process for experiments and modification projects and of the content of the safety analysis report for an experiment are also provided. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Management system for the utilization and modification of a research reactor; 3. Categorization, safety assessment and approval of an experiment or modification; 4. Safety considerations for the design of an experiment or modification; 5. Pre-implementation phase of a modification or utilization project; 6. Implementation phase of a modification or utilization project; 7. Post-implementation phase of a utilization or modification project; 8. Operational safety of experiments at a research reactor; 9. Safety considerations in the handling, dismantling, post-irradiation examination and disposal of experimental devices; 10. Safety aspects of out-of-reactor-core installations; Annex I: Example of a checklist for the categorization of an experiment or modification at a research reactor; Annex II: Example of the content of the safety analysis report for an experiment at a research reactor; Annex III: Examples of reasons for a modification at a research reactor.

[Experience feedback committee: a method for patient safety improvement].

Science.gov (United States)

François, P; Sellier, E; Imburchia, F; Mallaret, M-R

2013-04-01

An experience feedback committee (CREX, Comité de Retour d'EXpérience) is a method which contributes to the management of safety of care in a medical unit. Originally used for security systems of civil aviation, the method has been adapted to health care facilities and successfully implemented in radiotherapy units and in other specialties. We performed a brief review of the literature for studies reporting data on CREX established in hospitals. The review was performed using the main bibliographic databases and Google search results. The CREX is designed to analyse incidents reported by professionals. The method includes monthly meetings of a multi-professional committee that reviews the reported incidents, chooses a priority incident and designates a "pilot" responsible for investigating the incident. The investigation of the incident involves a systemic analysis method and a written synthesis presented at the next meeting of the committee. The committee agrees on actions for improvement that are suggested by the analysis and follows their implementation. Systems for the management of health care, including reporting systems, are organized into three levels: the medical unit, the hospital and the country as a triple loop learning process. The CREX is located in the base level, short loop of risk management and allows direct involvement of care professionals in patient safety. Safety of care has become a priority of health systems. In this context, the CREX can be a useful vehicle for the implementation of a safety culture in medical units. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Determination of the concentration dependent diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in expanded austenite

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Thomas; Somers, Marcel A. J.

2008-01-01

The concentration dependent diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in expanded austenite was determined from of the rate of retracting nitrogen from thin initially N-saturated coupons. Nitrogen saturated homogeneous foils of expanded austenite were obtained by nitriding AISI 304 and AISI 316 in pure...... in the composition range where nitrogen can be extracted by hydrogen gas at the diffusion temperature. Numerical simulation of the denitriding experiments shows that the thus determined concentration dependent diffusion coefficients are an accurate approximation of the actual diffusivity of nitrogen in expanded...... ammonia at 693 K and 718 K. Denitriding experiments were performed by equilibrating the foils with a successively lower nitrogen activity, as imposed by a gas mixture of ammonia and hydrogen. The concentration dependent diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in expanded austenite was approximated...

Experience on environmental qualification of safety-related components for Darlington Nuclear Generating Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, A.S.; Kukreti, B.M.

1987-01-01

The proliferation of Nuclear Power Plant safety concerns has lead to increasing attention over the Environmental Qualification (EQ) of Nuclear Power Plant Safety-Related Components to provide the assurance that the safety related equipment will meet their intended functions during normal operation and postulated accident conditions. The environmental qualification of these components is also a Licensing requirement for Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. This paper provides an overview of EQ and the experience of a pilot project, in the qualification of the Main Moderator System safety-related functions for the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station currently under construction. It addresses the various phases of qualification from the identification of the EQ Safety-Related Components List, definition of location specific service conditions (normal, adbnormal and accident), safety-related functions, Environmental Qualification Assessments and finally, an EQ system summary report for the Main Moderator System. The results of the pilot project are discussed and the methodology reviewed. The paper concludes that the EQ Program developed for Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, as applied to the qualification of the Main Moderator System, contained all the elements necessary in the qualification of safety-related equipment. The approach taken in the qualification of the Moderator safety-related equipment proves to provide a sound framework for the qualification of other safety-related components in the station

The CERN Detector Safety System for the LHC Experiments

CERN Document Server

Lüders, S; Morpurgo, G; Schmeling, S

2003-01-01

The Detector Safety System (DSS), currently being developed at CERN under the auspices of the Joint Controls Project (JCOP), will be responsible for assuring the protection of equipment for the four LHC experiments. Thus, the DSS will require a high degree of both availability and reliability. After evaluation of various possible solutions, a prototype is being built based on a redundant Siemens PLC front-end, to which the safety-critical part of the DSS task is delegated. This is then supervised by a PVSS SCADA system via an OPC server. The PLC front-end is capable of running autonomously and of automatically taking predefined protective actions whenever required. The supervisory layer provides the operator with a status display and with limited online reconfiguration capabilities. Configuration of the code running in the PLCs will be completely data driven via the contents of a "Configuration Database". Thus, the DSS can easily adapt to the different and constantly evolving requirements of the LHC experimen...

Safety concerns for superconducting magnets of upcoming fusion experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, L.R.

1983-01-01

-Several fusion experiments being constructed (Tore Supra) or contemplated (DCT 8, Alcator DCT) feature superconducting coils. These coils introduce the following safety concerns: 1. Internally Cooled Conductor (ICC). ICC's are found to be highly stable against short heat pulses, even when the coolant is stagnant or moving at low steady-state velocity. However, a large heat pulse is certain to quench the conductor. Thus, determining the stability limits is vital. 2. Helium II Cooling. Helium II has both unique advantages as a coolant and unique safety problems. 3. Shorted Turns. In magnets with shorts from operational accidents, the current can switch back and forth between the short and the shorted turns, as those alternatively go normal and superconducting. 4. Hybrid Superconducting-Normal Conducting Coil System. The possibility of unequal currents in the different magnets and thus of unexpected forces on the superconducting magnets is much greater than for an all-superconducting system. Analysis of these problems are presented

Current MitraClip experience, safety and feasibility in the Netherlands

OpenAIRE

Rahhab, Z.; Kortlandt, F.A.; Velu, J.F.; Schurer, R.A.J.; Delgado, V.; Tonino, P.; Boven, A.J. van; Branden, B.J.L. Van den; Kraaijeveld, A.O.; Voskuil, M.; Hoorntje, J.; Wely, M.H. van; Houwelingen, K. van; Bleeker, G.B.; Rensing, B.

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: Data on MitraClip procedural safety and efficacy in the Netherlands are scarce. We aim to provide an overview of the Dutch MitraClip experience. METHODS: We pooled anonymised demographic and procedural data of 1151 consecutive MitraClip patients, from 13 Dutch hospitals. Data was collected by product specialists in collaboration with local operators. Effect on mitral regurgitation was intra-procedurally assessed by transoesophageal echocardiography. Technical success and device succe...

Growth and Expansion of the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project and the Newly Organized International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J. Blair Briggs; Lori Scott; Yolanda Rugama; Enrico Satori

2007-01-01

Since ICNC 2003, the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) has continued to expand its efforts and broaden its scope. Criticality-alarm/shielding type benchmarks and fundamental physics measurements that are relevant to criticality safety applications are not only included in the scope of the project, but benchmark data are also included in the latest version of the handbook. A considerable number of improvements have been made to the searchable database, DICE and the criticality-alarm/shielding benchmarks and fundamental physics measurements have been included in the database. There were 12 countries participating on the ICSBEP in 2003. That number has increased to 18 with recent contributions of data and/or resources from Brazil, Czech Republic, Poland, India, Canada, and China. South Africa, Germany, Argentina, and Australia have been invited to participate. Since ICNC 2003, the contents of the ''International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments'' have increased from 350 evaluations (28,000 pages) containing benchmark specifications for 3070 critical or subcritical configurations to 442 evaluations (over 38,000 pages) containing benchmark specifications for 3957 critical or subcritical configurations, 23 criticality-alarm-placement/shielding configurations with multiple dose points for each, and 20 configurations that have been categorized as fundamental physics measurements that are relevant to criticality safety applications in the 2006 Edition of the ICSBEP Handbook. Approximately 30 new evaluations and 250 additional configurations are expected to be added to the 2007 Edition of the Handbook. Since ICNC 2003, a reactor physics counterpart to the ICSBEP, The International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) was initiated. Beginning in 1999, the IRPhEP was conducted as a pilot activity by the by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency

Small Engines as Bottoming Cycle Steam Expanders for Internal Combustion Engines

OpenAIRE

Weerasinghe, Rohitha; Hounsham, Sandra

2017-01-01

Heat recovery bottoming cycles for internal combustion engines have opened new avenues for research into small steam expanders [1]. Dependable data for small steam expanders will allow us to predict on their suitability as bottoming cycle engines and the fuel economy achieved by using them as bottoming cycles. Wankel Engines, with its lower resistance properties at small scale provide excellent contenders for bottoming cycle expanders. Present paper is based on results of experiments carried ...

Experience in the development and practical use of working control levels for radiation safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Epishin, A.V.

1981-01-01

The experience of development and practical use of working control levels (WCL) of radiation safety in the Gorky region, is discussed. WCL are introduced by ''Radiation Safety Guides'' (RSG-76) and have great practical importance. Regional control levels of radiation safety are determined for certain types of operations implying radioactive hazard and differentiated according to the types of sources applied and types of operation. Dose rates, radioactive contamination of operating surfaces, skin, air and waste water are subject to normalization. Limits of individual radiation doses specified according to operation categories are included. 10 tables of regional WCL indices are developed [ru

Study design and rationale of the 'Balloon-Expandable Cobalt Chromium SCUBA Stent versus Self-Expandable COMPLETE-SE Nitinol Stent for the Atherosclerotic ILIAC Arterial Disease (SENS-ILIAC Trial) Trial': study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Woong Gil; Rha, Seung Woon; Choi, Cheol Ung; Kim, Eung Ju; Oh, Dong Joo; Cho, Yoon Hyung; Park, Sang Ho; Lee, Seung Jin; Hur, Ae Yong; Ko, Young Guk; Park, Sang Min; Kim, Ki Chang; Kim, Joo Han; Kim, Min Woong; Kim, Sang Min; Bae, Jang Ho; Bong, Jung Min; Kang, Won Yu; Seo, Jae Bin; Jung, Woo Yong; Cho, Jang Hyun; Kim, Do Hoi; Ahn, Ji Hoon; Kim, Soo Hyun; Jang, Ji Yong

2016-06-25

The self-expandable COMPLETE™ stent (Medtronic) has greater elasticity, allowing it to regain its shape after the compression force reduces, and has higher trackability, thus is easier to maneuver through tortuous vessels, whereas the balloon-expandable SCUBA™ stent (Medtronic) has higher radial stiffness and can afford more accurate placement without geographic miss, which is important in aortoiliac bifurcation lesions. To date, there have been no randomized control trials comparing efficacy and safety between the self-expanding stent and balloon-expandable stent in advanced atherosclerotic iliac artery disease. The purpose of our study is to examine primary patency (efficacy) and incidence of stent fracture and geographic miss (safety) between two different major representative stents, the self-expanding nitinol stent (COMPLETE-SE™) and the balloon-expanding cobalt-chromium stent (SCUBA™), in stenotic or occlusive iliac arterial lesions. This trial is designed as a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial to demonstrate a noninferiority of SCUBA™ stent to COMPLETE-SE™ stent following balloon angioplasty in iliac arterial lesions, and a total of 280 patients will be enrolled. The primary end point of this study is the rate of primary patency in the treated segment at 12 months after intervention as determined by catheter angiography, computed tomography angiography, or duplex ultrasound. The SENS-ILIAC trial will give powerful insight into whether the stent choice according to deployment mechanics would impact stent patency, geographic miss, or stent fracture in patients undergoing stent implantation in iliac artery lesions. National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01834495 ), registration date: May 8, 2012.

Activity of safety review for the facilities using nuclear material (2). Safety review results and maintenance experiences for hot laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amagai, Tomio; Fujishima, Tadatsune; Mizukoshi, Yasutaka; Sakamoto, Naoki; Ohmori, Tsuyoshi

2009-01-01

In the site of O-arai Research and Development Center of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), five hot laboratories for post-irradiation examination and development of plutonium fuels are operated more than 30 years. A safety review method for preventive maintenance on these hot laboratories includes test facilities and devices are established in 2003. After that, the safety review of these facilities and devices are done and taken the necessary maintenance based on the results in each year. In 2008, 372 test facilities and devices in these hot laboratories were checked and reviewed by this method. As a results of the safety review, repair issues of 38 facilities of above 372 facilities were resolved. This report shows the review results and maintenance experiences based on the results. (author)

Tissue expander infections in children: look beyond the expander pocket.

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, A C; Davison, S P; Manders, E K

1999-11-01

Infection of the expander pocket is the most common complication encountered with soft-tissue expansion. It is usually due to direct inoculation with skin flora either at the time of expander insertion or from extrusion of the device. The authors report two cases of infection of tissue expanders in which the children had concomitant infected sites distant from the prosthesis. Etiological bacteria of common pediatric infections like otitis media and pharyngitis were cultured from the infected expander pocket, raising suspicion that translocation of the organism to the expander had occurred. Aggressive antibiotic treatment, removal of the prosthesis, and flap advancement is advocated.

Fusion integral experiments and analysis and the determination of design safety factors - I: Methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youssef, M.Z.; Kumar, A.; Abdou, M.A.; Oyama, Y.; Maekawa, H.

1995-01-01

The role of the neutronics experimentation and analysis in fusion neutronics research and development programs is discussed. A new methodology was developed to arrive at estimates to design safety factors based on the experimental and analytical results from design-oriented integral experiments. In this methodology, and for a particular nuclear response, R, a normalized density function (NDF) is constructed from the prediction uncertainties, and their associated standard deviations, as found in the various integral experiments where that response, R, is measured. Important statistical parameters are derived from the NDF, such as the global mean prediction uncertainty, and the possible spread around it. The method of deriving safety factors from many possible NDFs based on various calculational and measuring methods (among other variants) is also described. Associated with each safety factor is a confidence level, designers may choose to have, that the calculated response, R, will not exceed (or will not fall below) the actual measured value. An illustrative example is given on how to construct the NDFs. The methodology is applied in two areas, namely the line-integrated tritium production rate and bulk shielding integral experiments. Conditions under which these factors could be derived and the validity of the method are discussed. 72 refs., 17 figs., 4 tabs

The Belgian experience on the backfitting and safety upgrading of old operating nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brognon, T.

1993-01-01

The paper describes the methodology for backfitting and safety upgrading during the reevaluation of the Belgian NPP's: first generation (Doel-1, Doel-2, Tihange-1) and second generation plants (Doel-3, Doel-4, Tihange-2 and Tihange-3). A list of essential safety subjects and topics is given. The experience has proved the feasibility of a safety upgrading of operating NPP without injury to its availability, the benefit of a close cooperation between owner, engineering company and safety authorities throughout the project. A global approach to solving numerous specific deficiencies along with the optimization of the investments regarding the safety improvement of the NPP is suggested. Further increase of the know-how will be achieved through the present Belgian programme along with similar activities abroad. (R.I.)

The expanding shell test: Numerical simulation of the experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buy, Francois; Llorca, Fabrice

2002-01-01

The behavior of materials at very high strain rates is a broad field of investigation. One of the major problem is to impose a well known velocity and stress loading. The expanding shell, because of its ability to impose a sudden loading with no ulterior stress, has been retained to analyze the mechanical behavior of several metals through the free flight of a deforming structure. We perform several simulations on various metals in order to evaluate the strain rates and velocity in the sample. A second step consists in interpreting experimental data obtained on these metals

EXPERIENCE NETWORKING UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION TRAINING MASTERS SAFETY OF LIFE

OpenAIRE

Elvira Mikhailovna Rebko

2016-01-01

The article discloses experience networking of universities (Herzen State Pedagogical University and Sakhalin State University) in the development and implementation of joint training programs for master’s education in the field of life safety «Social security in the urban environment». The novelty of the work is to create a schematic design of basic educational training program for master’s education in the mode of networking, and to identify effective instructional techniques and conditions...

Safety analysis report for the Hanford Critical Mass Laboratory: Supplement No. 2. Experiments with heterogeneous assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gore, B.F.; Davenport, L.C.

1981-04-01

Factors affecting the safety of criticality experiments using heterogeneous assemblies are described and assessed. It is concluded that there is no substantial change in safety from experiments already being routinely performed at the Critical Mass Laboratory (CML), and that laboratory and personnel safety are adequately provided by the combination of engineered and administrative safety limits enforced at the CML. This conclusion is based on the analysis of operational controls, potential hazards, and the consequences of accidents. Contingencies considered that could affect nuclear criticality include manual changes in fuel loadings, water flooding, fire, explosion, loss of services, earthquake, windstorm, and flood. Other potential hazards considered include radiation exposure to personnel, and potential releases within the Assembly Room and outside to the environment. It is concluded that the Maximum Credible Nuclear Burst of 3 x 10 18 fissions (which served as the design basis for the CML) is valid for heterogeneous assemblies as well as homogeneous assemblies. This is based upon examination of the results of reactor destructive tests and the results of the SL-1 reactor destructive accident. The production of blast effects which might jeopardize the CML critical assembly room (of thick reinforced concrete) is not considered credible due to the extreme circumstances required to produce blast effects in reactor destructive tests. Consequently, it is concluded that, for experiments with heterogeneous assemblies, the consequences of the Maximum Credible Burst are unchanged from those previously estimated for experiments with homogeneous systems

Playing it safe: Patron safety strategies and experience of violence in night-time entertainment districts.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jin; Droste, Nicolas; Curtis, Ashlee; Zinkiewicz, Lucy; Miller, Peter

2018-03-01

Incidences of violence are elevated in night-time entertainment districts. Research suggests that safety-related behavioural strategies adopted while drinking can reduce negative alcohol-related outcomes. The current study investigates the use of safety strategies and its association with experiences of violence among patrons from the general population. Patron interviews (N = 3949) were conducted in and around licenced venues in Newcastle (New South Wales) and Geelong (Victoria) during peak trading hours (Friday and Saturday, 21:00-01:00 h). Participants (mean age = 24.3, SD = 5.8; male 54.4%) were asked to report what measures, if any, they used to keep safe when drinking and whether they had been involved in a violent incident in the last 12 months. After controlling for patron demographics and location, the use of multiple (more than one) safety strategies was significantly associated with reduced odds of involvement in a violent incident (odds ratio = 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.49-0.85, P = 0.002). Significant gender differences were observed in the number and type of safety strategies reported. Increasing the number of safety-related behaviours during drinking occasions is associated with a small but significant reduction in experiencing alcohol-related harms, such as violence. [Zhou J, Droste N, Curtis A, Zinkiewicz L, Miller P. Playing it safe: Patron safety strategies and experience of violence in night-time entertainment districts. © 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

The natural history of Becker expandable breast implants: a single-center 10-year experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Sindali, Katia; Davis, Marcus; Mughal, Maleeha; Orkar, Kusu S

2013-09-01

Use of Becker expandable breast implants in single-stage breast surgery is a well-established technique; however, replacement with fixed-volume implants is common. The authors sought to analyze the long-term natural history of these implants over a wide range of surgical indications. A retrospective review of 330 consecutive patients who underwent 384 Becker expander breast reconstructions over a 10-year period in a dedicated plastic surgery unit was undertaken. Implant indication, Becker type, volume and site, complications, expander lifespan, and explant reasons were assessed. Two hundred twenty-eight patients (267 implants) and 102 patients (117 implants) underwent implantation for congenital deformities and breast cancer reconstruction, respectively. One hundred eighty-seven (48 percent) were explanted at a median period of 13.0 months (range, 9.0 to 26.0 months), 149 (39 percent) for aesthetic reasons and 38 (10 percent) for complications. Complication rates were higher in breast cancer reconstruction compared with congenital patients (19.6 percent versus 7.9 percent; p = 0.002), driven by an increased rate of wound complications (13.7 percent versus 4.4 percent; p = 0.003). Cancer-related surgery and advancing age were the only predictors of complication risk. The overall Becker expander retention rate was 24.9 percent and 46.8 percent at 150 months in the cancer reconstruction and congenital groups, respectively. Forty-seven percent of Becker implants were retained long term after congenital corrective surgery; only 25 percent were retained after postmastectomy reconstruction. Poor aesthetics was driving the exchange for fixed-volume implants, indicating that after breast cancer reconstruction, Becker expanders were being used as part of a two-stage reconstructive strategy.

Expanding Sex-Role Definitions by Self-Discovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahn, Sharon E.; Greenberg, Leslie S.

1980-01-01

Counselors who stimulate client self-discovery may help these clients experience undeveloped parts of themselves and expand their definitions of themselves and their sex-role possibilities. Stimulation methods actively involve clients in the exploration of sex-role concerns to change restrictive self-concepts. (Author)

Experience and lessons learned in the assessment of safety justifications for experiments mounted in research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, R.F.

1990-01-01

Some experiments in research reactors are arguably a risky undertaking due to their uncertain outcome. The justifications for such experiments require careful assessment to validate their undertaking. The public, the operators and the installation itself must be safeguarded. Assessment of the potential risk is an acquired skill but in doing so the route can be eased by learning from the lessons experience can teach. This paper, essentially for the usage of safety managers, sets out some of the issues relating to the assessment process gained from our experience over a few tens of years in the assessment of experiments. Many of the conclusions reached may appear all too obvious viewed in retrospect, but they were not necessarily clear at the time. Those organizations setting up assessment teams may find some of the conclusions of value such that their proposed management system can embrace methodologies for assessment that can avoid or lessen the impact of some of the pitfalls we have tried to identify. Failure to recognise some of these points may run the risk of delayed clearances, dilated timescales and cost overruns. It is in the hope of reducing all these penalties that we offer our experiences

IAEA Review for Gap Analysis of Safety Analysis Capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basic, Ivica; Kim, Manwoong; Huges, Peter; Lim, B-K; D'Auria, Francesco; Louis, Vidard Michael

2014-01-01

The IAEA Asian Nuclear Safety Network (ANSN) was launched in 2002 in the framework of the Extra Budgetary Programme (EBP) on the Safety of Nuclear Installations in the South East Asia, Pacific and Far East Countries. The main objective is to strengthen and expand human and advanced Information Technology (IT) network to pool, analyse and share nuclear safety knowledge and practical experience for peaceful uses in this region. Under the ANSN framework, a technical group on Safety Analysis (SATG) was established in 2004 aimed to providing a forum for the exchange of experience in the following areas of safety analysis: · To provide a forum for an exchange of experience in the area of safety analysis, · To maintain and improve the knowledge on safety analysis method, · To enhance the utilization of computer codes, · To pool and analyse the issues related with safety analysis of research reactor, and · To facilitate mutual interested on safety analysis among member countries. A sustainable and successful nuclear energy programme requires a strong technical infrastructure, including a workforce made up of highly specialized and well-educated professionals. A significant portion of this technical capacity must be dedicated to safety- especially to safety analysis- as only then can it serve as the basis for making the right decisions during the planning, licensing, construction and operation of new nuclear facilities. In this regard, the IAEA has provided ANSN member countries with comprehensive training opportunities for capacity building in safety analysis. Nevertheless, the SATG recognizes that it is difficult to achieve harmonization in this area among all member countries because of their different competency levels. Therefore, it is necessary to quickly identify the most obvious gaps in safety analysis capability and then to use existing resources to begin to fill those gaps. The goal of this Expert Mission (EM) for gap finding service is to facilitate

Developing and Strengthening of Safety Culture at Ukrainian NPPs: Experience of NNEGC “Energoatom”

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheyko, Y.; Kotin, P.

2016-01-01

, including: • Self evaluation of safety culture; • Questioning the staff; • Independent audits of safety culture. NAEC “Energoatom” seeks to take into account international experience, and to participate in conferences (such as this one), seminars and workshops held under the auspices of the IAEA, as well as to follow the guidelines and standards of the IAEA in the organization of activities to improve the safety culture. Other sources of international experience in this field are the EU-funded projects of “soft” assistance and guidance of other authorised international nuclear industry organizations such as WANO. In this regard, it should be mentioned WANO guidance document GL 2002-02 “Principles of effective personnel organization” that identifies five fundamental principles relating to human factors, and important for the development of a sustainable safety culture in the organization: • Even the best experts make mistakes; • A situation fraught with errors is predictable, manageable and preventable; • Human behavior is determined by organizational processes and values; • Highest efficiency operation is achieved through the promotion and support; • Violations can be avoided by understanding the causes of errors and implementing lessons learned. Within the framework of the international programs of EC “soft” aid in recent years, the projects that contribute to the development of a safety culture in the NAEC “Energoatom” have been either carried out or are ongoing. These projects include the solution of certain problems (for example, in the area of human factor—the task of “no punishment for error” approach establishment), as well as more common tasks of improving overall safety culture, such as: • Implementation of programs to inform senior staff and management, including the essential features needed to create a strong culture of safety; creating conditions for the improvement of the organizational and managerial impact on the

Safety and Efficacy of a Fully Covered Self-Expandable Metallic Stent in Benign Airway Stenosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fortin, Marc; Lacasse, Yves; Elharrar, Xavier; Tazi-Mezalek, Rachid; Laroumagne, Sophie; Guinde, Julien; Astoul, Philippe; Dutau, Hervé

2017-01-01

The use of self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) in benign airway disease was the object of a boxed warning from the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2005 due to the risk of stent-related complications and difficulties associated with their removal. Third-generation fully covered SEMS have been commercialized since this warning and theoretically should not present the same difficulties associated with removal as they cannot become embedded in the airway mucosa. We aimed to examine the safety and efficacy of a specific third-generation SEMS, the Silmet stent. We reviewed the records of all patients treated for benign airway stenosis with third-generation Silmet SEMS from January 2011 to December 2015 at the North Hospital of Marseilles, France. Forty SEMS were inserted in 30 patients over this period. Twenty (50.0%) stents were removed because of stent-related complications after a median of 77.0 ± 96.6 days (migration 32.5%, granulation tissue formation 7.5%, subjective intolerance 5.0%, mucus plugging 2.5%, laryngeal edema 2.5%). There were no cases of stent-related mortality. All complications were managed successfully endoscopically. Thirty-six stents (90.0%) were removed successfully after a median of 122.0 ± 113.2 days without any complications. The clinical success rate of stent treatment was 40.7%. Third-generation SEMS are a safe treatment option for complex benign airway stenosis, but complications requiring stent removal are frequent. Further studies are needed to compare the performance of third-generation SEMS and silicone stents in benign airway stenosis. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Safety and benefits of self-expandable metallic stents with chemotherapy for malignant gastric outlet obstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyabe, Katsuyuki; Hayashi, Kazuki; Nakazawa, Takahiro; Sano, Hitoshi; Yamada, Tomonori; Takada, Hiroki; Naitoh, Itaru; Shimizu, Shuya; Kondo, Hiromu; Nishi, Yuji; Yoshida, Michihiro; Umemura, Shuichiro; Hori, Yasuki; Kato, Akihisa; Ohara, Hirotaka; Joh, Takashi

2015-07-01

The influence of chemotherapy on placement of self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) for malignant gastric outlet obstruction (MGOO) has not been evaluated extensively. We investigated the influence of chemotherapy on the clinical outcomes of SEMS placement for MGOO. A total of 152 cancer patients with MGOO from a university hospital and affiliate hospitals were included. The patients were classified according to chemotherapy status and evaluated for palliative efficacy and safety of SEMS placement. Technical success rate, time to oral intake, and parameters indicating improvement of physical condition did not differ between the with- and without-chemotherapy groups after stent placement. Re-intervention and stent migration were significantly more frequent in the with-chemotherapy group than in the without-chemotherapy group after stent placement (re-intervention, 32.4% vs 7.8%, P = 0.0005; stent migration, 13.5% vs 1.7%, P = 0.0097). The frequency of adverse events did not differ between the with- and without-chemotherapy groups. Although chemotherapy after stent placement was an independent predictive factor for shortening the stent patency period (hazard ratio [HR], 3.10; P = 0.0264), the use of additional stents facilitated uneventful recovery and further prolonged survival time (HR, 0.60; P = 0.0132). Various cancer patients with MGOO can undergo SEMS placement safely regardless of chemotherapy, and concurrent chemotherapy after stent placement can prolong survival time, although re-intervention and stent migration may be increased. © 2015 The Authors. Digestive Endoscopy © 2015 Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

Large Scale Experiments on Spacecraft Fire Safety

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Urban, David L.; Ruff, Gary A.; Minster, Olivier

2012-01-01

-based microgravity facilities or has been limited to very small fuel samples. Still, the work conducted to date has shown that fire behaviour in low-gravity is very different from that in normal-gravity, with differences observed for flammability limits, ignition delay, flame spread behaviour, flame colour and flame......Full scale fire testing complemented by computer modelling has provided significant knowhow about the risk, prevention and suppression of fire in terrestrial systems (cars, ships, planes, buildings, mines, and tunnels). In comparison, no such testing has been carried out for manned spacecraft due...... to the complexity, cost and risk associ-ated with operating a long duration fire safety experiment of a relevant size in microgravity. Therefore, there is currently a gap in knowledge of fire behaviour in spacecraft. The entire body of low-gravity fire research has either been conducted in short duration ground...

NSSS supplier's response to differing safety criteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cremades, J; Filkin, R; Franke, T [Westinghouse Electric Nuclear Energy Systems Europe (WENESE), Brussels (Belgium)

1980-11-01

The limited progress achieved to date in harmonizing national criteria has led to the development of designs which include the most common national requirements. Progress towards harmonization of safety criteria can be accelerated by expanding the IAEA leadership and co-ordination activities, and implementing an integrated approach to criteria development. National and International safety criteria are examined.

Integrated, digital experiment transient control and safety protection of an in-pile test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, R.W.; Whitacre, R.F.; Klingler, W.B.

1982-01-01

The Sodium Loop Safety Facility experimental program has demonstrated that in-pile loop fuel failure transient tests can be digitally controlled and protected with reliability and precision. This was done in four nuclear experiments conducted in the Engineering Test Reactor operated by EG and G Idaho, Inc., at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Loop sodium flow and reactor power transients can be programmed to sponsor requirements and verified prior to the test. Each controller has redundancy, which reduces the effect of single failures occurring during test transients. Feedback and reject criteria are included in the reactor power control. Timed sequencing integrates the initiation of the controllers, programmed safety set-points, and other experiment actions (e.g., planned scram). Off-line and on-line testing is included. Loss-of-flow, loss-of-piping-integrity, boiling-window, transient-overpower, and local fault tests have been successfully run using this system

Section 4. Further expanding the criteria for HCC in living donor liver transplantation: the Tokyo University experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamura, Sumihito; Sugawara, Yasuhiko; Kokudo, Norihiro

2014-04-27

In Asia, evidence-based guidelines for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have evolved, including the option of liver transplantation. Because of the continuing serious organ shortage, however, living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) remains the mainstream in Japan. Unlike deceased donor transplantation, living donor transplantation is not always limited by the restrictions imposed by the nationwide organ allocation system. The decision for transplantation may depend on institutional or case-by-case considerations, balancing the will of the donor, the operative risk, and the overall survival benefit. Cumulative data from the Japanese national multicenter registry analysis as well as individual center experiences suggest further expanding the criteria for LDLT for HCC from the Milan criteria is feasible with acceptable outcomes.

[Towards a safety culture in the neonatal unit: Six years experience].

Science.gov (United States)

Esqué Ruiz, M T; Moretones Suñol, M G; Rodríguez Miguélez, J M; Parés Tercero, S; Cortés Albuixech, R; Varón Ramírez, E M; Figueras Aloy, J

2015-10-01

A safety culture is the collective effort of an institution to direct its resources toward the goal of safety. An analysis is performed on the six years of experience of the Committee on the Safety of Neonatal Patient. A mailbox was created for the declaration of adverse events, and measures for their correction were devised, such as case studies, continuous education, prevention of nosocomial infections, as well as information on the work done and its assessment. A total of 1287 reports of adverse events were received during the six years, of which 600 (50.8%) occurred in the neonatal ICU, with 15 (1.2%) contributing to death, and 1282 (99.6%) considered preventable. Simple corrective measures (notification, security alerts, etc.) were applied in 559 (43.4%), intermediate measures (protocols, monthly newsletter, etc.) in 692 (53.8%), and more complex measures (causal analysis, scripts, continuous education seminars, prospective studies, etc.) in 66 (5.1%). As regards nosocomial infections, the prevention strategies implemented (hand washing, insertion and maintenance of catheters) directly affected their improvement. Two surveys were conducted to determine the level of satisfaction with the Committee on the Safety of Neonatal Patient. A rating 7.5/10 was obtained in the local survey, while using the Spanish version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture the rate was 7.26/10. A path to a culture of safety has been successfully started and carried out. Reporting the adverse events is the key to obtaining information on their nature, etiology and evolution, and to undertake possible prevention strategies. Copyright © 2014 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Short wavelength striations on expanding plasma clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winske, D.; Gary, S.P.

1989-01-01

The growth and evolution of short wavelength (< ion gyroradius) flute modes on a plasma expanding across an ambient magnetic field have been actively studied in recent years, both by means of experiments in the laboratory as well as in space and through numerical simulations. We review the relevant observations and simulations results, discuss the instability mechanism and related linear theory, and describe recent work to bring experiments and theory into better agreement. 30 refs., 6 figs

Numerical modelling of multi-vane expander operating conditions in ORC system

Science.gov (United States)

Rak, Józef; Błasiak, Przemysław; Kolasiński, Piotr

2017-11-01

Multi-vane expanders are positive displacement volumetric machines which are nowadays considered for application in micro-power domestic ORC systems as promising alternative to micro turbines and other volumetric expanders. The multi-vane expander features very simple design, low gas flow capacity, low expansion ratios, an advantageous ratio of the power output to the external dimensions and are insensitive to the negative influence of the gas-liquid mixture expansion. Moreover, the multi-vane expander can be easily hermetically sealed, which is one of the key issues in the ORC system design. A literature review indicates that issues concerning the application of multi-vane expanders in such systems, especially related to operating of multi-vane expander with different low-boiling working fluids, are innovative, not fully scientifically described and have the potential for practical implementation. In this paper the results of numerical investigations on multi-vane expander operating conditions are presented. The analyses were performed on three-dimensional numerical model of the expander in ANSYS CFX software. The numerical model of the expander was validated using the data obtained from the experiment carried out on a lab test-stand. Then a series of computational analysis were performed using expanders' numerical model in order to determine its operating conditions under various flow conditions of different working fluids.

Evaluation of operating experience with safety values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bung, W.; Hoemke, P.; Oberender, W.; Paul, H.; Rueter, W.

1985-01-01

This report describes statistical investigations of 2076 functional tests carried out on power operated safety valves in conventional power plants in 1972 until 1983 with special regard to Common Mode-Failures. The results clearly show that Common Mode-Failures play an important part of non-availability for the controlled safety valves, especially in the control system. The 'Deutsche Risikostudie' does not consider any Common Mode-Failures of the primary safety valves. However there is no significant increase of the risk resulted by the primary safety valves in the 'Referenzanlage' if the calculated Common Mode-Failures probabilities are considered. (orig.) [de

Endovascular therapy of carotid stenosis with self-expandable stent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Jianmin; Huang Qinghai; Hong Bo; Xu Yi; Zhao Wenyuan; Zhang Yongwei; Zhang Long; Zhou Xiaoping

2002-01-01

Objective: To summarize the experience of endovascular treatment of carotid stenosis with expandable stents. Methods: Fifty-two patients with carotid stenosis who experienced repeated transient ischemic attacks or cerebral infarction were admitted to our hospital. The stenosis was pre-expanded with undetachable balloon, and self-expandable stents were implanted across the stenosis. A balloon catheter was used to further expand stents in 29 patients. Results: The stent was accurately implanted, and total disappearance of stenosis was obtained in 34 patients, the degree of stenosis reduced more than 90% in 16 patients, and more than 70% in 2 patients. The patients recovered well and no complications related to the procedure occurred. None experienced TIA or infarction postoperatively in 52 cases and follow-up imaging in 19 patients (6 - 12 months) demonstrated no restenosis. Conclusion: Endovascular stenting may be a safe and valid choice for the treatment of extracranial carotid stenosis

Ultrasonic thermometry system for measuring very high temperatures in reactor safety experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, G.A.; Sullivan, W.H.; Plein, H.G.; Kerley, T.M.

1979-06-01

Ultrasonic thermometry has many potential applications in reactor safety experiments, where extremely high temperatures and lack of visual access may preclude the use of conventional diagnostics. This report details ultrasonic thermometry requirements for one such experiment, the molten fuel pool experiment. Sensors, transducers, and signal processing electronics are described in detail. Axial heat transfer in the sensors is modelled and found acceptably small. Measurement errors, calculations of their effect, and ways to minimize them are given. A rotating sensor concept is discussed which holds promise of alleviating sticking problems at high temperature. Applications of ultrasonic thermometry to three in-core experiments are described. In them, five 10-mm-length sensor elements were used to measure axial temperatures in a UO 2 or UO 2 -steel system fission-heated to about 2860 0 C

Operational safety performance indicator system at the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant - Experience with indicator aggregation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandula, J.

2001-01-01

The operational safety performance indicators serve as an important tool of performance monitoring and management at the Dukovany NPP. A software-supported system has been developed, which has included: data collection, central data storage, graphic output production and periodical report generation. Analyses of performance indicator trends together with evaluation in respect of annually updated target values and acceptance criteria are used for operational safety reviews forming an integral part of continual self-assessment process. This contribution has been focused on experience obtained during development of the operational safety assessment model using indicator aggregation. It summarises problems that had to be paid specific attention in the development process. Thanks to their solution, the model has become a synoptic monitor and a useful tool for operational safety assessment. (author)

Safety evaluation by living probabilistic safety assessment. Procedures and applications for planning of operational activities and analysis of operating experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johanson, Gunnar; Holmberg, J.

1994-01-01

Living Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) is a daily safety management system and it is based on a plant-specific PSA and supporting information systems. In the living use of PSA, plant status knowledge is used to represent actual plant safety status in monitoring or follow-up perspective. The PSA model must be able to express the risk at a given time and plant configuration. The process, to update the PSA model to represent the current or planned configuration and to use the model to evaluate and direct the changes in the configuration, is called living PSA programme. The main purposes to develop and increase the usefulness of living PSA are: Long term safety planning: To continue the risk assessment process started with the basic PSA by extending and improving the basic models and data to provide a general risk evaluation tool for analyzing the safety effects of changes in plant design and procedures. Risk planning of operational activities: To support the operational management by providing means for searching optimal operational maintenance and testing strategies from the safety point of view. The results provide support for risk decision making in the short term or in a planning mode. The operational limits and conditions given by technical specifications can be analyzed by evaluating the risk effects of alternative requirements in order to balance the requirements with respect to operational flexibility and plant economy. Risk analysis of operating experience: To provide a general risk evaluation tool for analyzing the safety effects of incidents and plant status changes. The analyses are used to: identify possible high risk situations, rank the occurred events from safety point of view, and get feedback from operational events for the identification of risk contributors. This report describes the methods, models and applications required to continue the process towards a living use of PSA. 19 tabs, 20 figs

10 CFR 70.62 - Safety program and integrated safety analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

...; (iv) Potential accident sequences caused by process deviations or other events internal to the... have experience in nuclear criticality safety, radiation safety, fire safety, and chemical process... this safety program; namely, process safety information, integrated safety analysis, and management...

Nuclear Safety Review for the Year 2009

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-07-01

The global nuclear community is experiencing a period of dynamic change. The introduction of new nuclear power plants, the rapid expansion of existing nuclear power programmes and the wider use of radioactive sources and ionizing radiation in general highlight the need for continued and improved international cooperation to address the associated challenges. The increasingly multinational nature of today's nuclear business and activities underscores this need. In this context, it is particularly important to note that the establishment of adequate safety infrastructure and capacity cannot be left to fall behind. The safety performance of the nuclear industry has remained at a high level. Various safety performance indicators, such as those related to unplanned reactor shutdowns, safety equipment availability, radiation exposures to workers, radioactive waste management and radioactive releases to the environment have shown steady improvement over the past two decades, with some levelling off in recent years. Nevertheless, it is necessary to avoid complacency and to continuously improve and strengthen the existing global nuclear safety and security regime so that nuclear technologies can be introduced or their use expanded in a safe and secure manner to meet the world's needs for human well-being and socio-economic development. The Agency continues to support and promote increased participation in the global nuclear safety and security regime as a framework for achieving high levels of safety in nuclear activities worldwide. Through consideration of the global trends, issues and challenges observed in 2009, four key themes in global nuclear safety were identified: 1) continuing international cooperation and emerging coordination for new and expanding nuclear power programmes; 2) improving the long term management of radioactive and nuclear materials; 3) capacity building for sustainable nuclear safety; and 4) strengthening global and regional networking activities

On the elusive crystal structure of expanded austenite

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brink, Bastian; Ståhl, Kenny; Christiansen, Thomas Lundin

2017-01-01

No consistent structural description exists for expanded austenite that accurately accounts for the hkl-dependent peak shifts and broadening observed in diffraction experiments. The best available description for homogeneous samples is a face-centered cubic lattice with stacking faults. Here Deby...

Regulatory Experience of the Embedded Digital Devices for Safety I and C Systems on Nuclear Power Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Y. M.; Lee, H. K.; Park, H. S. [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

Conventional I and C(Instrumentation and Control) systems are tend to becoming unavailable and being replaced by smart equipment. These smart equipment is usually called embedded digital devices (EDDs) or industrial digital devices of limited functionality. Usually, some of these devices are found embedded in plant equipment such as sensing instrumentation, motors, pumps, actuators and breakers. They typically have a micro-processor, RAM, communication interface, a power source, etc. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) is concerning that these EDDs might exist in procured equipment used in safety systems without the devices having been explicitly identified in procurement documentation. This paper addresses the regulatory experiences of KINS of the EDDs for safety I and C systems and the future works for them. In this paper, we showed regulatory experiences of EDDs which used for safety grade equipment. EDDs might exist in safety grade procured equipment without explicit identification. Undetected defects of EDDs might be the potential safety concerns. EDDs should meet certain specific requirements in order to be selected and used in safety I and C system. We have plan to develop technical positions for identification and qualifying them. The technical position will address, but may not be limited to, quality and reliability, CCFs via software errors, EMC, and CGID for EDDs.

Probabilistic Safety Goals. Phase 1 Status and Experiences in Sweden and Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmberg, Jan-Erik; Knochenhauer, Michael

2007-02-01

The outcome of a probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for a nuclear power plant is a combination of qualitative and quantitative results. Quantitative results are typically presented as the Core Damage Frequency (CDF) and as the frequency of an unacceptable radioactive release. In order to judge the acceptability of PSA results, criteria for the interpretation of results and the assessment of their acceptability need to be defined. Ultimately, the goals are intended to define an acceptable level of risk from the operation of a nuclear facility. However, safety goals usually have a dual function, i.e., they define an acceptable safety level, but they also have a wider and more general use as decision criteria. The exact levels of the safety goals differ between organisations and between different countries. There are also differences in the definition of the safety goal, and in the formal status of the goals, i.e., whether they are mandatory or not. In this first phase of the project, the aim has been on providing a clear description of the issue of probabilistic safety goals for nuclear power plants, to define and describe important concepts related to the definition and application of safety goals, and to describe experiences in Finland and Sweden. Based on a series of interviews and on literature reviews as well as on a limited international over-view, the project has described the history and current status of safety goals in Sweden and Finland, and elaborated on a number of issues, including the following: The status of the safety goals in view of the fact that they have been exceeded for much of the time they have been in use, as well as the possible implications of these exceedances. Safety goals as informal or mandatory limits. Strategies for handling violations of safety goals, including various graded approaches, such as ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable). Relation between safety goals defined on different levels, e.g., for core damage and for

Probabilistic safety goals. Phase 1 - Status and experiences in Sweden and Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmberg, J.E.; Knochenhauer, M.

2007-03-01

The outcome of a probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for a nuclear power plant is a combination of qualitative and quantitative results. Quantitative results are typically presented as the Core Damage Frequency (CDF) and as the frequency of an unacceptable radioactive release. In order to judge the acceptability of PSA results, criteria for the interpretation of results and the assessment of their acceptability need to be defined. Ultimately, the goals are intended to define an acceptable level of risk from the operation of a nuclear facility. However, safety goals usually have a dual function, i.e., they define an acceptable safety level, but they also have a wider and more general use as decision criteria. The exact levels of the safety goals differ between organisations and between different countries. There are also differences in the definition of the safety goal, and in the formal status of the goals, i.e., whether they are mandatory or not. In this first phase of the project, the aim has been on providing a clear description of the issue of probabilistic safety goals for nuclear power plants, to define and describe important concepts related to the definition and application of safety goals, and to describe experiences in Finland and Sweden. Based on a series of interviews and on literature reviews as well as on a limited international over-view, the project has described the history and current status of safety goals in Sweden and Finland, and elaborated on a number of issues, including the following: 1) The status of the safety goals in view of the fact that they have been exceeded for much of the time they have been in use, as well as the possible implications of these exceedances. 2) Safety goals as informal or mandatory limits. 3) Strategies for handling violations of safety goals, including various graded approaches, such as ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable). 4) Relation between safety goals defined on different levels, e.g., for core damage

Probabilistic Safety Goals. Phase 1 Status and Experiences in Sweden and Finland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holmberg, Jan-Erik (VTT, FI-02044 VTT (Finland)); Knochenhauer, Michael (Relcon Scandpower AB, SE-172 25 Sundbyberg (Sweden))

2007-02-15

The outcome of a probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for a nuclear power plant is a combination of qualitative and quantitative results. Quantitative results are typically presented as the Core Damage Frequency (CDF) and as the frequency of an unacceptable radioactive release. In order to judge the acceptability of PSA results, criteria for the interpretation of results and the assessment of their acceptability need to be defined. Ultimately, the goals are intended to define an acceptable level of risk from the operation of a nuclear facility. However, safety goals usually have a dual function, i.e., they define an acceptable safety level, but they also have a wider and more general use as decision criteria. The exact levels of the safety goals differ between organisations and between different countries. There are also differences in the definition of the safety goal, and in the formal status of the goals, i.e., whether they are mandatory or not. In this first phase of the project, the aim has been on providing a clear description of the issue of probabilistic safety goals for nuclear power plants, to define and describe important concepts related to the definition and application of safety goals, and to describe experiences in Finland and Sweden. Based on a series of interviews and on literature reviews as well as on a limited international over-view, the project has described the history and current status of safety goals in Sweden and Finland, and elaborated on a number of issues, including the following: The status of the safety goals in view of the fact that they have been exceeded for much of the time they have been in use, as well as the possible implications of these exceedances. Safety goals as informal or mandatory limits. Strategies for handling violations of safety goals, including various graded approaches, such as ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable). Relation between safety goals defined on different levels, e.g., for core damage and for

Probabilistic safety goals. Phase 1 - Status and experiences in Sweden and Finland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holmberg, J.E. [VTT (Finland); Knochenhauer, M. [Relcon Scandpower AB (Sweden)

2007-03-15

The outcome of a probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for a nuclear power plant is a combination of qualitative and quantitative results. Quantitative results are typically presented as the Core Damage Frequency (CDF) and as the frequency of an unacceptable radioactive release. In order to judge the acceptability of PSA results, criteria for the interpretation of results and the assessment of their acceptability need to be defined. Ultimately, the goals are intended to define an acceptable level of risk from the operation of a nuclear facility. However, safety goals usually have a dual function, i.e., they define an acceptable safety level, but they also have a wider and more general use as decision criteria. The exact levels of the safety goals differ between organisations and between different countries. There are also differences in the definition of the safety goal, and in the formal status of the goals, i.e., whether they are mandatory or not. In this first phase of the project, the aim has been on providing a clear description of the issue of probabilistic safety goals for nuclear power plants, to define and describe important concepts related to the definition and application of safety goals, and to describe experiences in Finland and Sweden. Based on a series of interviews and on literature reviews as well as on a limited international over-view, the project has described the history and current status of safety goals in Sweden and Finland, and elaborated on a number of issues, including the following: 1) The status of the safety goals in view of the fact that they have been exceeded for much of the time they have been in use, as well as the possible implications of these exceedances. 2) Safety goals as informal or mandatory limits. 3) Strategies for handling violations of safety goals, including various graded approaches, such as ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable). 4) Relation between safety goals defined on different levels, e.g., for core damage

Expanding access to naloxone for family members: The Massachusetts experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagley, Sarah M; Forman, Leah S; Ruiz, Sarah; Cranston, Kevin; Walley, Alexander Y

2018-05-01

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution Program provides overdose education and naloxone rescue kits to people at risk for overdose and bystanders, including family members. Using Massachusetts Department of Public Health data, the aims are to: (i) describe characteristics of family members who receive naloxone; (ii) identify where family members obtain naloxone; and (iii) describe characteristics of rescues by family members. We conducted a retrospective review using program enrollee information collected on a standardised form between 2008 and 2015. We calculated descriptive statistics, including demographics, current substance use, enrolment location, history of witnessed overdoses and rescue attempt characteristics. We conducted a stratified analysis comparing family members who used drugs with those who did not. Family members were 27% of total program enrollees (n = 10 883/40 801). Family members who reported substance use (n = 4679) were 35.6 years (mean), 50.6% female, 76.3% non-Hispanic white, 75.6% had witnessed an overdose, and they obtained naloxone most frequently at HIV prevention programs. Family members who did not report substance use (n = 6148) were 49.2 years (mean), 73.8% female, 87.9% non-Hispanic white, 35.3% had witnessed an overdose, and they obtained naloxone most frequently at community meetings. Family members were responsible for 20% (n = 860/4373) of the total rescue attempts. The Massachusetts experience demonstrates that family members can be active participants in responding to the overdose epidemic by rescuing family members and others. Targeted intervention strategies for families should be included in efforts to expand overdose education and naloxone in Massachusetts. © 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Expandable stents.

Science.gov (United States)

Nesbitt, J C; Carrasco, H

1996-05-01

Expandable metallic stents are effective in selected patients with malignant or benign airway stenoses. When used for malignant lesions, the primary purpose of the stent is to improve the quality of life; stents are usually chosen for palliation of symptoms in recognition of the low likelihood of success for other therapy. For patients with benign stenoses, the stents provide a permanent source of structural support to alleviate the narrowed segment. The advantages of the expandable metallic stents are as follows: (1) they can be inserted through an endotracheal tube or under local anesthesia with relative simplicity under fluoroscopic guidance; (2) they do not impair the drainage of sputum because ciliary movement is not interrupted; (3) over a period of a few weeks, the meshwork is gradually covered with mucosa as the stent becomes incorporated into the airway wall; (4) ventilation usually is not impaired if the metallic mesh stent covers another nonstenosed bronchus, because the interstices of the stent are nonobstructive; and (5) they are dynamic and continue to expand over time, particularly if concurrent treatment achieves an effect on the lesion that caused stenosis. Disadvantages of the expandable stent include (1) they often are only temporarily effective for tracheobronchial stenosis due to intraluminal tumor or granulation tissue, both of which can grow between the wires; (2) they are considered permanent stents because removal is difficult; and (3) they can be poorly positioned during placement or can become displaced by progressive migration after placement, and they cannot be repositioned. A relative contraindication to insertion is an inflammatory process or infection that can predispose to granulation formation, particularly at the points of maximal contact pressure of the stent to the airway mucosa. In the presence of inflammation, it may be better to use a silicone prosthesis until the inflammatory process subsides and fibrosis occurs. Granulation

Industry use of operating experience to achieve improved nuclear plant safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zebroski, E.L.

1981-01-01

A principal lesson drawn from the accident at Three Mile Island was the need for a comprehensive and rigorous system for analysis and feedback of operating experience to reactor operators. Chief executives of US utilities directed in mid-1979 that an intensive and rigorous system of analysis and feedback of operating experience be established. This system is commonly referred to as the ''Significant Events Program''. Since April 1980, the Nuclear Safety Analysis Center (NSAC) has been joined by the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) in the field investigation of significant operating events. NSAC has responsibility for analysis of the design and physical events aspects, while INPO has primary responsibility for the operators' aspects, including procedures and training. The process of screening, analysis and feedback of operating experience is now functioning as a seven-step process. A variety of data sources is used, including License Event Reports and outage and major maintenance reports. These are compiled and indexed in convenient form. However, such data bases are used only as incidental tools for the basic investigations and analytical efforts. Rapid dissemination of results is provided by a computer-aided conferencing system, which links 70 operating LWR reactors in the USA, and which has now been extended to four utilities outside the USA, representing several dozen more reactors. Major safety and economic incentives are evident for the rigorous use of such operating experience and for participation in a comprehensive system. Traditional habits of secrecy are recognized as obstacles to timely communication. A principal responsibility of top management of reactor-operating organizations is to overcome such habits where they are counter to the public interest, as well as to the health and survival interest of the utility itself

Safety culture : a significant influence on safety in transportation

Science.gov (United States)

2017-08-01

An organizations safety culture can influence safety outcomes. Research and experience show that when safety culture is strong, accidents are less frequent and less severe. As a result, building and maintaining strong safety cultures should be a t...

A pilot study about the oncologic safety of colonic self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) in obstructive colon cancer: is occlusion always better than "silent" perforation?

Science.gov (United States)

Zanghì, A; Piccolo, G; Cavallaro, A; Pulvirenti, E; Lo Menzo, E; Cardì, F; Di Vita, M; Cappellani, A

2016-12-01

To evaluate the oncologic safety of colonic self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) in obstructive colon cancer. We retrospectively reviewed all the patients who were treated with endoscopic placement of a self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) at our institution. A total of 26 patients were identified during the study period, of which 24 patients (92.30%) were treated with SEMS as a bridge-to-surgery and 2 (7.69%) as palliation. In 22 cases (80.76%), the stenosis was localized to the left side. Clinical success with resolution of bowel obstructions was achieved in 22 (84.61%) patients within a short period of time. Among patients treated successfully with SEMS insertion as bridge to surgery (n = 22), 20 (90.9%) underwent one-stage surgery with primary anastomosis while 2 patients (9.09%) underwent colostomy due to intraoperative evidence of a covered perforation by cancer tissue in the pelvis. Patients with subclinical perforation developed an early peritoneal carcinomatosis, 10 patients treated with curative intent subsequently developed liver metastasis after 24 months. We reported an overall poor outcome among patients treated with the insertion of SEMS. This led us to think that, in some cases, occlusion may be better than a "silent" perforation.

Efficacy and safety of a new fully covered self-expandable non-foreshortening metal esophageal stent.

Science.gov (United States)

Dua, Kulwinder S; Latif, Sahibzada U; Yang, Juliana F; Fang, Tom C; Khan, Abdul; Oh, Young

2014-10-01

Fully covered esophageal self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs) are potentially removable but can be associated with high migration rates. For precise positioning, non-foreshortening SEMSs are preferred. Recently, a new fully covered non-foreshortening SEMS with anti-migration features was introduced. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of this new esophageal SEMS. Retrospective study. Single, tertiary-care center. Consecutive patients with malignant and benign strictures with dysphagia grade of ≥3 and patients with fistulas/leaks were studied. Stent placement and removal. Technical success in stent deployment/removal, efficacy in relieving dysphagia and sealing fistulas/leaks, and adverse events. Forty-three stents were placed in 35 patients (mean [± standard deviation] age 65 ± 11 years; 31 male), 24 for malignant and 11 for benign (5 strictures, 6 leaks) indications. Technical success in precise SEMS placement was 100%. The after-stent dysphagia grade improved significantly (at 1 week: 1.5 ± 0.7; at 4 weeks: 1.2 ± 0.4; baseline: 3.8 ± 0.4; P stents were removed for clinical indications, with technical success of 100%. All leaks sealed after SEMS placement and did not recur after stent removal. All benign strictures recurred after stent removal. Adverse events included migration (14%), chest pain (11%), and dysphagia from tissue hyperplasia (6%). There was no stent-related mortality. Nonrandomized, single-center study. The new esophageal SEMS was effective in relieving malignant dysphagia, allowed for precise placement, and was easily removable. It was effective in treating benign esophageal fistulas and leaks. Stent-related adverse events were acceptable. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Organization and Nuclear Safety: Safety culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin Marquinez, A.

1998-01-01

This book presents the experience in nuclear safety and its influence in the exploitation on nuclear power plants. The safety organization and quality management before and after Chernobylsk and three mile island accidents

Numerical modelling of multi-vane expander operating conditions in ORC system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rak Józef

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Multi-vane expanders are positive displacement volumetric machines which are nowadays considered for application in micro-power domestic ORC systems as promising alternative to micro turbines and other volumetric expanders. The multi-vane expander features very simple design, low gas flow capacity, low expansion ratios, an advantageous ratio of the power output to the external dimensions and are insensitive to the negative influence of the gas-liquid mixture expansion. Moreover, the multi-vane expander can be easily hermetically sealed, which is one of the key issues in the ORC system design. A literature review indicates that issues concerning the application of multi-vane expanders in such systems, especially related to operating of multi-vane expander with different low-boiling working fluids, are innovative, not fully scientifically described and have the potential for practical implementation. In this paper the results of numerical investigations on multi-vane expander operating conditions are presented. The analyses were performed on three-dimensional numerical model of the expander in ANSYS CFX software. The numerical model of the expander was validated using the data obtained from the experiment carried out on a lab test-stand. Then a series of computational analysis were performed using expanders' numerical model in order to determine its operating conditions under various flow conditions of different working fluids.

Development of cryogenic free-piston reciprocating expander utilizing phase controller

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cha, Jeong Min; Park, Ji Ho; Kim, Kyung Joong; Jeong, Sang Kwon [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-06-15

A free-piston reciprocating expander is a device which operates without any mechanical linkage to a stationary part. Since the motion of the floating piston is only controlled by the pressure difference at two ends of the piston, this kind of expander may indispensably require a sophisticated active control system equipped with multiple valves and reservoirs. In this paper, we have suggested a novel design that can further reduce complexity of the previously developed cryogenic free-piston expander configuration. It is a simple replacement of both multiple valves and reservoirs by a combination of an orifice valve and a reservoir. The functional characteristic of the integrated orifice-reservoir configuration is similar to that of a phase controller applied in a pulse tube refrigerator so that we designate the one as a phase controller. Depending on the orifice valve size in the phase controller, the different PV work which affects the expander performance is generated. The numerical model of this unique free-piston reciprocating expander utilizing a phase controller is established to understand and analyze quantitatively the performance variation of the expander under different valve timing and orifice valve size. The room temperature experiments are carried out to examine the performance of this newly developed cryogenic expander.

Development of cryogenic free-piston reciprocating expander utilizing phase controller

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cha, Jeong Min; Park, Ji Ho; Kim, Kyung Joong; Jeong, Sang Kwon

2016-01-01

A free-piston reciprocating expander is a device which operates without any mechanical linkage to a stationary part. Since the motion of the floating piston is only controlled by the pressure difference at two ends of the piston, this kind of expander may indispensably require a sophisticated active control system equipped with multiple valves and reservoirs. In this paper, we have suggested a novel design that can further reduce complexity of the previously developed cryogenic free-piston expander configuration. It is a simple replacement of both multiple valves and reservoirs by a combination of an orifice valve and a reservoir. The functional characteristic of the integrated orifice-reservoir configuration is similar to that of a phase controller applied in a pulse tube refrigerator so that we designate the one as a phase controller. Depending on the orifice valve size in the phase controller, the different PV work which affects the expander performance is generated. The numerical model of this unique free-piston reciprocating expander utilizing a phase controller is established to understand and analyze quantitatively the performance variation of the expander under different valve timing and orifice valve size. The room temperature experiments are carried out to examine the performance of this newly developed cryogenic expander

Improving the international system for operating experience feedback. INSAG-23. A report by the International Nuclear Safety Group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The operational safety performance of nuclear facilities has, in general, improved notably over time throughout the world. This has been achieved, in part, through operating experience feedback (OEF) and the introduction of new technology. While the continued strong safety performance by operators is encouraging, safety significant events continue to recur in nuclear installations. This indicates that operators are not learning and applying the lessons that experience can teach us. This report focuses on systems that are operated by intergovernmental organizations with close contacts to national regulatory authorities. These systems provide an alternative network to the worldwide system employed by the operators of nuclear facilities known as the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO). The WANO system is restricted to its members, who have concluded that keeping the information exchanged confidential improves its usefulness. INSAG recognizes the merits of this approach, particularly in light of the primary responsibility of licensed operators for the safety of their facilities. Nevertheless, INSAG encourages WANO to share key safety lessons with national regulatory authorities and intergovernmental organization

A NSSS supplier's response to differing safety criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cremades, J.; Filkin, R.; Franke, Th.

1980-01-01

The limited progress achieved to date in harmonizing national criteria has led to the development of designs which include the most common national requirements. Progress towards harmonization of safety criteria can be accelerated by expanding the IAEA leadership and co-ordination activities, and implementing an integrated approach to criteria development. National and International safety criteria are examined. (author)

Identifying patient-centred recommendations for improving patient safety in General Practices in England: a qualitative content analysis of free-text responses using the Patient Reported Experiences and Outcomes of Safety in Primary Care (PREOS-PC) questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Ricci-Cabello, Ignacio; Saletti-Cuesta, Lorena; Slight, Sarah P; Valderas, Jose M

2017-10-01

There is a growing interest in identifying strategies to achieve safer primary health-care provision. However, most of the research conducted so far in this area relies on information supplied by health-care providers, and limited attention has been paid to patients' perspectives. To explore patients' experiences and perceptions of patient safety in English general practices with the aim of eliciting patient-centred recommendations for improving patient safety. The Patient Reported Experiences and Outcomes of Safety in Primary Care questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 6736 primary care users registered in 45 English practices. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of responses to seven open-ended items addressing patients' experiences of safety problems, lessons learnt as a result of such experiences and recommendations for safer health care. A total of 1244 (18.4%) participants returned completed questionnaires. Of those, 678 (54.5%) responded to at least one open-ended question. Two main themes emerged as follows: (i) experiences of safety problems and (ii) good practices and recommendations to improve patient safety in primary care. Most frequent experiences of safety problems were related to appointments, coordination between providers, tests, medication and diagnosis. Patients' responses to these problems included increased patient activation (eg speaking up about concerns with their health care) and avoidance of unnecessary health care. Recommendations for safer health care included improvements in patient-centred communication, continuity of care, timely appointments, technical quality of care, active monitoring, teamwork, health records and practice environment. This study identified a number of patient-centred recommendations for improving patient safety in English general practices. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

What Expands in an Expanding Universe?

Science.gov (United States)

Pacheco, José A De Freitas

2015-01-01

In the present investigation, the possible effects of the expansion of the Universe on systems bonded either by gravitational or electromagnetic forces, are reconsidered. It will be shown that the acceleration (positive or negative) of the expanding background, is the determinant factor affecting planetary orbits and atomic sizes. In the presently accepted cosmology (ΛCDM) all bonded systems are expanding at a decreasing rate that tends to be zero as the universe enters in a de Sitter phase. It is worth mentioning that the estimated expansion rates are rather small and they can be neglected for all practical purposes.

What Expands in an Expanding Universe?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JOSÉ A. DE FREITAS PACHECO

2015-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT In the present investigation, the possible effects of the expansion of the Universe on systems bonded either by gravitational or electromagnetic forces, are reconsidered. It will be shown that the acceleration (positive or negative of the expanding background, is the determinant factor affecting planetary orbits and atomic sizes. In the presently accepted cosmology (ΛCDM all bonded systems are expanding at a decreasing rate that tends to be zero as the universe enters in a de Sitter phase. It is worth mentioning that the estimated expansion rates are rather small and they can be neglected for all practical purposes.

Expanded Flaps in Surgical Treatment of Pressure Sores: Our Experience for 25 Years.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Caprio, Giovanni; Serra-Mestre, José Maria; Ziccardi, Pasquale; Scioli, Michelina; Larocca, Fabio; Nunziata, Vincenzo; Grella, Roberto; D'Andrea, Francesco

2015-11-01

Because the ischial region is the main weight-bearing area in sitting, it is one of the areas most frequently affected by pressure ulcers in paraplegic patients resuming the sitting position during the subacute and chronic stages. The techniques described to date have not been able to reduce the high rates of recurrence and flap dehiscence. Other groups have described successful tissue expansion in the treatment of pressure ulcers, but to date, the long-term results of the procedure have not been reported. The long-term follow-up of 138 reconstructions of the ischial region in patients with pressure ulcers types III to IV treated with posterior thigh expanded rotation flaps is reported. All patients achieved complete resolution, with adequate coverage of deeper layers, although 15.94% presented minor complications. None of these complications impeded full repair of the lesion. The 28 lesions that recurred were all reconstructed with the re-expansion of the same flap. There were no cases of flap dehiscence. The use of tissue expanders to treat ischial pressure ulcers, especially in patients with long life expectancy, offers important advantages over other approaches. The procedure provides abundant, high-quality tissue and may be repeated many times without creating new scars. With the use of tissue expanders, other reconstructive options can be reserved for the future.

SFR Safety Considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glatz, Jean-Paul

2012-01-01

Objectives of the Safety and Operation Project: • analysis and experiments that support approaches and assess performance of specific safety features, • development and verification of computational tools and validation of models employed in safety assessment and facility licensing, and • valorisation of reactor operation, from experience and testing in operating SFR plants

Conducting organizational safety reviews - requirements, methods and experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiman, T.; Oedewald, P.; Wahlstroem, B.; Rollenhagen, C.; Kahlbom, U.

2008-03-01

Organizational safety reviews are part of the safety management process of power plants. They are typically performed after major reorganizations, significant incidents or according to specified review programs. Organizational reviews can also be a part of a benchmarking between organizations that aims to improve work practices. Thus, they are important instruments in proactive safety management and safety culture. Most methods that have been used for organizational reviews are based more on practical considerations than a sound scientific theory of how various organizational or technical issues influence safety. Review practices and methods also vary considerably. The objective of this research is to promote understanding on approaches used in organizational safety reviews as well as to initiate discussion on criteria and methods of organizational assessment. The research identified a set of issues that need to be taken into account when planning and conducting organizational safety reviews. Examples of the issues are definition of appropriate criteria for evaluation, the expertise needed in the assessment and the organizational motivation for conducting the assessment. The study indicates that organizational safety assessments involve plenty of issues and situations where choices have to be made regarding what is considered valid information and a balance has to be struck between focus on various organizational phenomena. It is very important that these choices are based on a sound theoretical framework and that these choices can later be evaluated together with the assessment findings. The research concludes that at its best, the organizational safety reviews can be utilised as a source of information concerning the changing vulnerabilities and the actual safety performance of the organization. In order to do this, certain basic organizational phenomena and assessment issues have to be acknowledged and considered. The research concludes with recommendations on

Conducting organizational safety reviews - requirements, methods and experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reiman, T.; Oedewald, P.; Wahlstroem, B. [Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT (Finland); Rollenhagen, C. [Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, (Sweden); Kahlbom, U. [RiskPilot (Sweden)

2008-03-15

Organizational safety reviews are part of the safety management process of power plants. They are typically performed after major reorganizations, significant incidents or according to specified review programs. Organizational reviews can also be a part of a benchmarking between organizations that aims to improve work practices. Thus, they are important instruments in proactive safety management and safety culture. Most methods that have been used for organizational reviews are based more on practical considerations than a sound scientific theory of how various organizational or technical issues influence safety. Review practices and methods also vary considerably. The objective of this research is to promote understanding on approaches used in organizational safety reviews as well as to initiate discussion on criteria and methods of organizational assessment. The research identified a set of issues that need to be taken into account when planning and conducting organizational safety reviews. Examples of the issues are definition of appropriate criteria for evaluation, the expertise needed in the assessment and the organizational motivation for conducting the assessment. The study indicates that organizational safety assessments involve plenty of issues and situations where choices have to be made regarding what is considered valid information and a balance has to be struck between focus on various organizational phenomena. It is very important that these choices are based on a sound theoretical framework and that these choices can later be evaluated together with the assessment findings. The research concludes that at its best, the organizational safety reviews can be utilised as a source of information concerning the changing vulnerabilities and the actual safety performance of the organization. In order to do this, certain basic organizational phenomena and assessment issues have to be acknowledged and considered. The research concludes with recommendations on

Modeling the hospital safety partnership preferences of patients and their families: a discrete choice conjoint experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cunningham CE

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Charles E Cunningham,1 Tracy Hutchings,2 Jennifer Henderson,2 Heather Rimas,1 Yvonne Chen1 1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Michael G DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, 2Department of Quality and Performance, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON, Canada Background: Patients and their families play an important role in efforts to improve health service safety. Objective: The objective of this study is to understand the safety partnership preferences of patients and their families. Method: We used a discrete choice conjoint experiment to model the safety partnership preferences of 1,084 patients or those such as parents acting on their behalf. Participants made choices between hypothetical safety partnerships composed by experimentally varying 15 four-level partnership design attributes. Results: Participants preferred an approach to safety based on partnerships between patients and staff rather than a model delegating responsibility for safety to hospital staff. They valued the opportunity to participate in point of service safety partnerships, such as identity and medication double checks, that might afford an immediate risk reduction. Latent class analysis yielded two segments. Actively engaged participants (73.3% comprised outpatients with higher education, who anticipated more benefits to safety partnerships, were more confident in their ability to contribute, and were more intent on participating. They were more likely to prefer a personal engagement strategy, valued scientific evidence, preferred a more active approach to safety education, and advocated disclosure of errors. The passively engaged segment (26.7% anticipated fewer benefits, were less confident in their ability to contribute, and were less intent on participating. They were more likely to prefer an engagement strategy based on signage. They preferred that staff explain why they thought patients should help

Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Federal Actions Needed to Ensure Safety and Expand Their Potential Uses Within the National Airspace System

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dillingham, Gerald L; Spisak, Teresa; Fallon, Colin; Giebel, Jim; Gilman, Evan; Hooper, David; Khanna, Jamie; Lentini, Patty; Ormond, Josh; Panwar, Manhav

2008-01-01

.... Many factors support the potential for expanded use of UASs. For example, the nation's industrial base has expanded to support military operations and the number of trained UAS operators is increasing as personnel return from overseas duty...

Consumer anxieties about food grain safety in China

OpenAIRE

Jackson, P.A.; Zhu, H.; Wang, W.

2016-01-01

China has a long history of eating staple plant foods which are mainly derived from food grains, especially rice and wheat. Food grain safety has been a worrying challenge on health and nutrition grounds in China, although evidence clearly suggests that expanding agricultural production is linked to reducing undernourishment. The focus of this study is to investigate consumers' anxieties about food grain safety in China. The nature and extent of consumer anxieties about grain safety, the caus...

National Nuclear Safety Department Experience of Supervision over Safety Culture of BNPP-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sepanloo, K.; Ardeshir, A.T.

2016-01-01

The analysis of the past major NPPs accidents, TMI, Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi shows that causes of these accidents can be explained by a complex combination of human, technological and organizational factors. One of the findings of accident investigations and risk assessments is the growing recognition of the impact of cultural context of work practices on safety. The assumed link between culture and safety, epitomized through the concept of safety culture, has been the subject of extensive research in recent years. The term “safety culture” was first introduced into the nuclear industry by the IAEA in INSAG-1 to underline the role and importance of the organizational factors. The objective of this paper is to conduct an assessment of some safety culture indicators of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP-1).

Essential Outdoor Sun Safety Tips for Winter

Science.gov (United States)

... Weekend Warriors expand/collapse Vitamin D Essential Outdoor Sun Safety Tips for Winter Winter sports enthusiasts are ... skiing! Be Mindful of Time Spent in the Sun, Regardless of the Season If possible, ski early ...

Development of reliability database for safety-related I and C component based on operating experience of KSNP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, S. C.; Han, S. H.; Min, K. R.

2001-01-01

Reliability database for safety-related I and C components has been developed, based on domestic operating experience of total 8.63 years from four units-Yonggwang Units 3 and 4, and Ulchin Units 3 and 4. This plant-specific data of safety-related I and C components has compared with operating experience for CE-supplied plants in U.S.A. As a results, we found that on the whole the domestic reliability data was similar to CE-supplied plants in USA, through lots of failures occurred early in the commercial operation were included in our analyses without percolation

The role of the regulator in promoting and evaluating safety culture. Operating experience feedback programme approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez, S.

2002-01-01

Promoting and Evaluating Safety Culture (S.C.) in Operating Organizations must be one of the main Nuclear Regulator goals to achieve. This can be possible only if each and every one of the regulatory activities inherently involves S.C. It can be seen throughout attitudes, values, uses and practices in both individuals and the whole regulatory organization. One among all the regulatory tools commonly used by regulators to promote and evaluate the commitment of the licensees with safety culture as a whole involves organizational factors and particular attention is directed to the operating organization. This entailed a wide range of activities, including all those related with management of safety performance. Operating Experience Feedback Programme as a tool to enhance safety operation is particularly useful for regulators in the evaluation of the role of S.C. in operating organization. Safety Culture is recognized as a subset of the wider Organizational Culture. Practices that improve organizational effectiveness can also contribute to enhance safety. An effective event investigation methodology is a specific practice, which contributes to a healthy Safety Culture. (author)

Proposal for Certifying Expandable Planetary Surface Habitation Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Dorsey, John T.

2011-01-01

A factor-of-safety (FS) of 4.0 is currently used to design habitation structures made from structural soft goods. This approach is inconsistent with using a FS of 2.0 for metallic and polymeric composite pressure vessels as well as soft good structures such as space suits and parachutes. This inconsistency arises by using the FS to improperly account for the unknown effects of a variety of environmental and loading uncertainties. Using a 4.0 FS not only results in additional structural mass, it also makes it difficult to gain insight into the limitations of the material and/or product form and thus, it becomes difficult to make improvements. In order to bring consistency to the design and certification of expandable habitat structures, the approach used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to certify polymeric composite aircraft structures is used as a model and point of departure. A draft certification plan for Expandable Habitat Structures is developed in this paper and offered as an option for placing habitats made from soft goods on an equal footing with other structural implementations.

Safety-related instrumentation and control systems for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

This Safety Guide deals mainly with design requirements for those I and C systems that are important to safety but are not safety systems. The Guide is intended to expand paragraphs 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 of the Code of Practice on Design for Safety of Nuclear Power Plants (IAEA Safety Series No.50-C-D) in the area of I and C systems important to safety and refers to them as safety-related I and C systems. It also gives guidance and enumerates requirements for multiplexing and the use of the digital computers employed in this area

Development of a harmonized approach to safety assessment of decommissioning: Lessons learned from international experience (DeSa project)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Percival, K.; Nokhamzon, J.-G.; Ferch, R.; Batandjieva, B.

2006-01-01

The number of nuclear facilities being or planned to be shutdown as they reach the end of their design life, due to accidents or other political and social factors has been increasing worldwide. This has led to an increase in the awareness of regulators and operators of the importance of development and implementation of adequate safety requirements and criteria for decommissioning of these facilities. A general requirement at international and national levels, even for new facilities to be commissioned, is the development of a decommissioning plan, which includes evaluation of potential radiological consequences to public and workers during planned and accidental decommissioning activities. Experience has been gained in the safety assessment of decommissioning at various sites with different complexities and hazard potentials. This experience shows that various approaches have been used in conducting safety assessments and that there is a need for harmonisation of these approaches and for transferring the good practice and lessons learned to other countries, in particular developing countries with limited financial and human resources. The IAEA launched an international project on Evaluation and Demonstration of Safety during Decommissioning (DeSa) in 2004 to provide a forum for exchange of lessons learned between site operators, regulators, safety assessors and other specialists in safety assessment of decommissioning of nuclear power plants, research reactors, laboratories, nuclear fuel cycle facilities, etc. This paper presents the lessons learned through the project up to date, i.e.; (i) a common approach to safety assessment is being applied worldwide with the following steps - establishment of assessment framework; description of the facility; definition of decommissioning activities; hazard identification and analysis; calculation of consequences; and analysis of results; (ii) a deterministic approach to safety assessment is most commonly applied; (iii) a

Proceedings of the specialist meeting on nuclear fuel and control rods: operating experience, design evolution and safety aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

Design and management of nuclear fuel has undergone a strong evolution process during past years. The increase of the operating cycle length and of the discharge burnup has led to the use of more advanced fuel designs, as well as to the adoption of fuel efficient operational strategies. The analysis of recent operational experience highlighted a number of issues related to nuclear fuel and control rod events raising concerns about the safety aspects of these new designs and operational strategies, which led to the organisation of this Specialists Meeting on fuel and control rod issues. The meeting was intended to provide a forum for the exchange of information on lessons learned and safety concern related to operating experience with fuel and control rods (degradation, reliability, experience with high burnup fuel, and others). After an opening session 6 papers), this meeting was subdivided into four sessions: Operating experience and safety concern (technical session I - 6 papers), Fuel performance and operational issues (technical session II - 7 papers), Control rod issues (technical session III - 9 papers), Improvement of fuel design (technical session IV.A - 4 papers), Improvement on fuel fabrication and core management (technical session IV.B - 6 papers)

First start-up of nuclear criticality safety experiment facility for uranyl nitrate solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Qingfu; Shi Yongqian; Shen Leisheng; Hu Dingsheng; Zhao Shouzhi; He Tao; Sun Zheng; Lin Shenghuo; Yao Shigui

2005-01-01

The uranyl nitrate solution experiment facility for the research on nuclear criticality safety is described. The nuclear fuel loading steps in the first start-up for water-reflected core are presented. During the experiments, the critical volume of uranyl nitrate solution was determined as 20479.62 mL with count rate inverse extrapolation method, reactivity interpolation method, and steady power method. By calculation, critical mass of 235 U was derived as 1579.184 g from experimental data. The worth of control rods was also calibrated in the first start-up of the facility. (authors)

The usability of ventilators: a comparative evaluation of use safety and user experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Morita, Plinio P; Weinstein, Peter B; Flewwelling, Christopher J; Bañez, Carleene A; Chiu, Tabitha A; Iannuzzi, Mario; Patel, Aastha H; Shier, Ashleigh P; Cafazzo, Joseph A

2016-08-20

The design complexity of critical care ventilators (CCVs) can lead to use errors and patient harm. In this study, we present the results of a comparison of four CCVs from market leaders, using a rigorous methodology for the evaluation of use safety and user experience of medical devices. We carried out a comparative usability study of four CCVs: Hamilton G5, Puritan Bennett 980, Maquet SERVO-U, and Dräger Evita V500. Forty-eight critical care respiratory therapists participated in this fully counterbalanced, repeated measures study. Participants completed seven clinical scenarios composed of 16 tasks on each ventilator. Use safety was measured by percentage of tasks with use errors or close calls (UE/CCs). User experience was measured by system usability and workload metrics, using the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). Nine of 18 post hoc contrasts between pairs of ventilators were significant after Bonferroni correction, with effect sizes between 0.4 and 1.09 (Cohen's d). There were significantly fewer UE/CCs with SERVO-U when compared to G5 (p = 0.044) and V500 (p = 0.020). Participants reported higher system usability for G5 when compared to PB980 (p = 0.035) and higher system usability for SERVO-U when compared to G5 (p ventilators from market leaders compare and highlights the importance of medical technology design. Within the boundaries of this study, we can infer that SERVO-U demonstrated the highest levels of use safety and user experience, followed by G5. Based on qualitative data, differences in outcomes could be explained by interaction design, quality of hardware components used in manufacturing, and influence of consumer product technology on users' expectations.

The internationalization of nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosen, M.

1989-01-01

Nuclear safety is interlinked in many ways with the themes of this conference. In searching for co-operative activities that touch on global energy and environmental problems and on initiatives that relieve international tensions, the ongoing developments in nuclear power safety offer a number of successful examples. Commercial nuclear power has been with us for more than 30 years, and with 26 countries operating plants in addition to 6 more constructing their first, there has been an ongoing global co-operation, coinciding of Chernobyl with Glasnost, along with the increasing awareness of the benefits of common solutions to safety issues, have brought about an internationalization of nuclear safety. Although the main responsibility for safety rests with each operator and its government, a primary driving force expanding international co-operation is the transboundary aspects of nuclear energy, as vividly demonstrated by Chernobyl accident. In this presentation we focus on the mechanisms already in place that foster cooperation in the nuclear safety area

HACCP and water safety plans in Icelandic water supply: preliminary evaluation of experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunnarsdóttir, María J; Gissurarson, Loftur R

2008-09-01

Icelandic waterworks first began implementing hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) as a preventive approach for water safety management in 1997. Since then implementation has been ongoing and currently about 68% of the Icelandic population enjoy drinking water from waterworks with a water safety plan based on HACCP. Preliminary evaluation of the success of HACCP implementation was undertaken in association with some of the waterworks that had implemented HACCP. The evaluation revealed that compliance with drinking water quality standards improved considerably following the implementation of HACCP. In response to their findings, waterworks implemented a large number of corrective actions to improve water safety. The study revealed some limitations for some, but not all, waterworks in relation to inadequate external and internal auditing and a lack of oversight by health authorities. Future studies should entail a more comprehensive study of the experience with the use of HACCP with the purpose of developing tools to promote continuing success.

Safety evaluation of the NSRR facility relevant to the modification for improved pulse operation and preirradiated fuel experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inabe, Teruo; Terakado, Yoshibumi; Tanzawa, Sadamitsu; Katagiri, Hiroshi; Kobayashi, Hideo

1988-11-01

The Nuclear Safety Research Reactor (NSRR) is a pulse reactor for the inpile experiments to study the fuel behavior under reactivity initiated accident conditions. The present operation modes of the NSRR consist of the steady state operation up to 300 kW and the natural pulse operation in which a sharp pulsed power is generated from substantially zero power level. In addition to these, two new modes of shaped pulse operation and combined pulse operation will be conducted in the near future as the improved pulse operations. A transient power up to 10 MW will be generated in the shaped pulse operation, and a combination of a transient power up to 10 MW and a sharp pulsed power will be generated in the combined pulse operation. Furthermore, preirradiated fuel rods will be employed in the future experiments whereas the present experiments are confined to the test specimens of unirradiated fuel rods. To provide for these programs, the fundamental design works relevant to the modification of the reactor facility including the reactor instrumentation and control systems and experimental provision were developed. The reactor safety evaluation is prerequisite for confirming the propriety of the fundamental design of the reactor facility from the safety point of view. The safety evaluation was therefore conducted postulating such events that would bring about abnormal conditions in the reactor facility. As a result of the safety evaluation, it has been confirmed as to the NSRR facility after modification that the anticipated transients, the postulated accidents, the major accident and the hypothetical accident do not result respectively in any serious safety problem and that the fundamental design principles and the reactor siting are adequate and acceptable. (author)

Expanding the Operational Use of Total Lightning Ahead of GOES-R

Science.gov (United States)

Stano, Geoffrey T.; Wood, Lance; Garner, Tim; Nunez, Roland; Kann, Deirdre; Reynolds, James; Rydell, Nezette; Cox, Rob; Bobb, William R.

2015-01-01

NASA's Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT) has been transitioning real-time total lightning observations from ground-based lightning mapping arrays since 2003. This initial effort was with the local Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) that could use the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA). These early collaborations established a strong interest in the use of total lightning for WFO operations. In particular the focus started with warning decision support, but has since expanded to include impact-based decision support and lightning safety. SPoRT has used its experience to establish connections with new lightning mapping arrays as they become available. The GOES-R / JPSS Visiting Scientist Program has enabled SPoRT to conduct visits to new partners and expand the number of operational users with access to total lightning observations. In early 2014, SPoRT conducted the most recent visiting scientist trips to meet with forecast offices that will used the Colorado, Houston, and Langmuir Lab (New Mexico) lightning mapping arrays. In addition, SPoRT met with the corresponding Center Weather Service Units (CWSUs) to expand collaborations with the aviation community. These visits were an opportunity to learn about the forecast needs of each office visited as well as to provide on-site training for the use of total lightning, setting the stage for a real-time assessment during May-July 2014. With five lightning mapping arrays covering multiple geographic locations, the 2014 assessment has demonstrated numerous uses of total lightning in varying situations. Several highlights include a much broader use of total lightning for impact-based decision support ranging from airport weather warnings, supporting fire crews, and protecting large outdoor events. The inclusion of the CWSUs has broadened the operational scope of total lightning, demonstrating how these data can support air traffic management, particularly in the Terminal Radar Approach

Study on paraffin/expanded graphite composite phase change thermal energy storage material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zhengguo; Fang Xiaoming

2006-01-01

A paraffin/expanded graphite composite phase change thermal energy storage material was prepared by absorbing the paraffin into an expanded graphite that has an excellent absorbability. In such a composite, the paraffin serves as a latent heat storage material and the expanded graphite acts as the supporting material, which prevents leakage of the melted paraffin from its porous structure due to the capillary and surface tension forces. The inherent structure of the expanded graphite did not change in the composite material. The solid-liquid phase change temperature of the composite PCM was the same as that of the paraffin, and the latent heat of the paraffin/expanded graphite composite material was equivalent to the calculated value based on the mass ratio of the paraffin in the composite. The heat transfer rate of the paraffin/expanded graphite composite was obviously higher than that of the paraffin due to the combination with the expanded graphite that had a high thermal conductivity. The prepared paraffin/expanded graphite composite phase change material had a large thermal storage capacity and improved thermal conductivity and did not experience liquid leakage during its solid-liquid phase change

Experience in safety review of design solutions of the state-of-the-art WWER-type NPPs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khamaza, A.A.

2015-01-01

The experience of the Federal Budget Institution of the Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety in the field of expertise of the safety rationales for nuclear power plants with WWER-type reactors of new projects is disclosed. In determining the priority, in addition to the necessary time and financial resources, it also took into account the extent to which these activities significantly affect the completeness of the implementation of levels of defense in depth related to the management of beyond-design-basis accidents, including severe ones. And also, what impact does this or that measure have on reducing the likelihood of the onset of severe radiation effects. When examining the safety justification for new design solutions (including for nuclear power plants with a reactor type WWER), it is advisable to adhere to the following approach: during the examination it is necessary to study the experience in the country and the world related to the proposed new design solutions; It is preferable to take advantage of the differential approach to assessing various aspects related to nuclear and radiation safety. The result of the examination of the justification for new design solutions may be recommendations on the development of existing regulatory documents or development of the Regulatory Authority [ru

Enforcement of radiation safety standards and experience in the regulatory control of exposures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnamurthi, T.N.

1997-01-01

Regulatory provisions for radiation protection and their enforcement in India are discussed in this paper. The rules and regulations framed for radiation safety cover all the nuclear fuel cycle activities as well as the application of radiation sources in industrial, medical and research institutions. The enforcement aspects and experience in the control of exposures are presented. (author)

Reactor safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butz, H.P.; Heuser, F.W.; May, H.

1985-01-01

The paper comprises an introduction into nuclear physics bases, the safety concept generally speaking, safety devices of pwr type reactors, accident analysis, external influences, probabilistic safety assessment and risk studies. It further describes operational experience, licensing procedures under the Atomic Energy Law, research in reactor safety and the nuclear fuel cycle. (DG) [de

Extrabudgetary programme on the safety of nuclear installations in South East Asia Pacific and Far East countries. Report of the consultative meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-07-01

Based on the good experience with the rapid expansion of nuclear utilization in Japan and South Korea, China is planning to significantly expand its nuclear programme, and other countries in the region are likely to follow this example in order to meet their expected high electricity demand growth. The building of NPPs is being considered in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is however recognized that countries in the region are in different stages of nuclear power programme, and that their needs for assistance in nuclear safety will be substantially different. In this situation it would be advantageous for all countries to establish regional co-operation on nuclear safety to learn from each other, use the experience accumulated in the world, and to commonly assess the progress made in nuclear safety matters. The objective of this Consultative Meeting was to discuss co-operation and the needs for assistance by Member States in South-East Asia, Pacific and Far East to strengthen the safety of their nuclear installations. Refs, figs, tabs

Regulatory Oversight of Safety Culture — Korea’s Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, S.J.; Choi, Y.S.; Kim, J.T.

2016-01-01

In Korea, a regulatory oversight program of safety culture was launched in 2012 to establish regulatory measures against several events caused by weak safety culture in the nuclear industry. This paper is intended to introduce the preliminary regulatory oversight framework, development and validation of safety culture components, pilot safety culture inspection results and lessons learned. The safety culture model should be based on a sound understanding of the national culture and industry characteristics where the model will be applied. The nuclear safety culture oversight model is being developed and built on the Korean regulatory system to independently assess the nuclear power operating organizations’ safety culture.

A global nuclear safety culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

The article discusses three components characterizing the infrastructure of a global nuclear safety culture, each one satisfying special needs. These are: (a) legally binding international agreements, which were drawn up at an accelerated pace in the 1980s following the Chernobyl accident, with its transboundary implications; (b) non-binding common safety standards, which were developed rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s, a period which saw a desire for harmonized safety approaches as nuclear power and the use of radiation and radioactive materials expanded globally; and (c) review and advisory services, which are provided by international experts, the need for which was underscored by the accident at Chernobyl. 5 refs, 1 fig

Safety concept of high-temperature reactors based on the experience with AVR and THTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wachholz, Winfried; Kroeger, Wolfgang

1990-01-01

In the Federal Republic of Germany a reactor is considered safe if verification has been furnished that the requirements contained in paragraph 7 of the Federal German Atomic Energy Act are met for this reactor: demonstration of sufficient precautions against damage required according to the actual state of the art, and especially compliance with the dose rate limits for normal operation and accidental conditions. These requirements result in a deterministic multi-stage safety concept with specified requirements for the engineered safety systems. In recent years, proposals for enhanced safety of nuclear power reactors or a radical change in safety philosophy have been made. This is characterised by 'inherently safe', 'super safe' and similar slogans. A quantitative definition of these requirements has not yet been established, but it is clear as a common objective that the event of beyond design basis accidents evacuation, relocation, and large scale contamination of ground should not occur. As a consequence of the Chernobyl accident the safety of all the NPPs in Germany has been reviewed. This analysis was completed for the THTR reactor in 1988. The same has been done for AVR reactor. The final evaluation of the HTR specific safety features have been fully confirmed. The HTR concepts under development are based on this experience. The HTR-Modul unit is currently being designed

Dry critical experiments and analyses performed in support of the Topaz-2 Safety Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pelowitz, D.B.; Sapir, J.; Glushkov, E.S.; Ponomarev-Stepnoi, N.N.; Bubelev, V.G.; Kompanietz, G.B.; Krutov, A.M.; Polyakov, D.N.; Loynstev, V.A.

1994-01-01

In December 1991, the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization decided to investigate the possibility of launching a Russian Topaz-2 space nuclear power system. Functional safety requirements developed for the Topaz mission mandated that the reactor remain subcritical when flooded and immersed in water. Initial experiments and analyses performed in Russia and the United States indicated that the reactor could potentially become supercritical in several water- or sand-immersion scenarios. Consequently, a series of critical experiments was performed on the Narciss M-II facility at the Kurchatov Institute to measure the reactivity effects of water and sand immersion, to quantify the effectiveness of reactor modifications proposed to preclude criticality, and to benchmark the calculational methods and nuclear data used in the Topaz-2 safety analyses. In this paper we describe the Narciss M-II experimental configurations along with the associated calculational models and methods. We also present and compare the measured and calculated results for the dry experimental configurations

Dry critical experiments and analyses performed in support of the TOPAZ-2 safety program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pelowitz, D.B.; Sapir, J.; Glushkov, E.S.; Ponomarev-Stepnoi, N.N.; Bubelev, V.G.; Kompanietz, G.B.; Krutov, A.M.; Polyakov, D.N.; Lobynstev, V.A.

1995-01-01

In December 1991, the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization decided to investigate the possibility of launching a Russian Topaz-2 space nuclear power system. Functional safety requirements developed for the Topaz mission mandated that the reactor remain subcritical when flooded and immersed in water. Initial experiments and analyses performed in Russia and the United States indicated that the reactor could potentially become supercritical in several water- or sand-immersion scenarios. Consequently, a series of critical experiments was performed on the Narciss M-II facility at the Kurchatov Institute to measure the reactivity effects of water and sand immersion, to quantify the effectiveness of reactor modifications proposed to preclude criticality, and to benchmark the calculational methods and nuclear data used in the Topaz-2 safety analyses. In this paper we describe the Narciss M-II experimental configurations along with the associated calculational models and methods. We also present and compare the measured and calculated results for the dry experimental configurations. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

The use of SIPA 2 simulator for safety studies experience feedbacks and future developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumas, J.M.; Leteinturier, D.

1999-01-01

SIPA 2 experience feedbacks from the beginning of its use at IPSN in 1991 and trends for the next five years are presented. The simulator has been used for three applications: training of engineers working in safety analysis, preparation of national crisis drills, safety studies. In each application, experience feedbacks are analysed to show encountered advantages and difficulties. Trends for the next five years are: extension of the engineer training program (new training courses about normal operating conditions or about beyond design basis accidents), improvements in the validation of simulation configurations (in particular comparison with Cathare 2 new version results) increase of the simulation scope in connection with the SCAR project (taking into account the current power plant datapackage, the improvement of thermalhydraulic models, the extent of the system representation, new neutronic models and description of severe accident conditions). For each trend above, a detail of the planned actions is given. (author)

Steam--water mixing in nuclear reactor safety loss-of-coolant experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naff, S.A.; Schwarz, W.F.

1978-01-01

Computer models used to predict the response of reactors to hypothesized accidents necessarily incorporate approximating assumptions. To verify the models by comparing predicted and measured responses in test facilities, these assumptions must be confirmed to be realistic. Recent experiments in facilities capable of repeatedly duplicating the transient behavior of a pressurized water reactor undergoing a pipe rupture show that the assumption of complete water-steam mixing during the transient results in the predicted decompression being faster than that observed. Water reactor safety studies currently in progress include programs aimed at the verification of computer models or ''codes'' used to predict reactor system responses to various hypothesized accidents. The approach is to compare code predictions of transients with the actual test transients in experimental facilities. The purpose of this paper is to explain an important instance in which predictions and data are not in complete agreement and to indicate the significance to water reactor safety studies

Assessment of safety and efficacy of an indigenous self-expandable fully covered esophageal metal stent for palliation of esophageal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Padhan, R K; Nongthombam, S K; Venuthurimilli, A; Dhingra, R; Sahni, P; Garg, P K

2016-01-01

Patients with unresectable esophageal cancer require palliation for dysphagia. Placement of a self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) is the procedure of choice for palliation of dysphagia. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of an indigenous fully-covered SEMS in patients with esophageal cancer. Eligible patients with unresectable esophageal cancer requiring palliation for dysphagia were included in the study. An indigenous fully covered SEMS of appropriate length was placed under endoscopic and fluoroscopic guidance. Outcome measures assessed were adverse events and improvement in dysphagia. Twenty one patients (mean age 57.71±13.14 years; 17 males) were included. After stenting, dysphagia score decreased from 3.2+0.4 to 0.35+0.74 at 4 weeks. Adverse events included retrosternal pain, respiratory distress and aspiration pneumonia in 12, 2 and 1 patients respectively. Five patients required repeat stenting due to stent migration in 4 (following radiotherapy in 3) and tumour ingrowth in 1. There was primary stent malfunction in one patient. The median survival of patients was 140 (76-199) days, which was higher in those who received radiotherapy. The stent was reasonably safe and effective to relieve dysphagia due to unresectable esophageal cancer.

Expanding subjectivities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundgaard Andersen, Linda; Soldz, Stephen

2012-01-01

A major theme in recent psychoanalytic thinking concerns the use of therapist subjectivity, especially “countertransference,” in understanding patients. This thinking converges with and expands developments in qualitative research regarding the use of researcher subjectivity as a tool......-Saxon and continental traditions, this special issue provides examples of the use of researcher subjectivity, informed by psychoanalytic thinking, in expanding research understanding....

Differences in Endothelial Injury After Balloon Angioplasty, Insertion of Balloon-Expanded Stents or Release of Self-Expanding Stents: An Electron Microscopic Experimental Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harnek, Jan; Zoucas, Evita; Carlemalm, Erik; Cwikiel, Wojciech

1999-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate which of six different commonly available stents inserted into an artery without percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) causes the least endothelial damage. To compare the degree of endothelial injury after insertion of such a stent with injury caused by PTA. Methods: Twelve healthy pigs were used in the experiments. In the first part of the study six different types of stents were inserted into the common iliac arteries. In the second part of the study self-expanding stents with large spaces between the wires were used. PTA was performed in the contralateral iliac artery. The pigs were killed immediately after the procedure and resected specimens examined after fixation, using scanning electron microscopy. Results: All procedures but two were accomplished successfully. More endothelium was preserved after insertion of self-expanding stents with large spaces between the wires, compared with stents with small spaces and balloon-expanded stents. After insertion of self-expanding stents with large spaces, 50.1% ± 16.4% of the endothelium remained intact, compared with only 5.6% ± 7.7% after PTA. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Self-expanding stents with large spaces between the wires, inserted without PTA, cause less damage to the endothelium than other stents and significantly less damage than PTA

High-voltage safety fuses for the transition-radiation tracking detector in the ATLAS experiment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voronov, SA; Voronov, YA; Onishchenko, EM; Simakov, AB; Sosnovtsev, VV; Suchkov, SI; Sugrobova, TA

2004-01-01

A safety fuse has been designed for the electrical protection of gas-filled detectors in the ATLAS experiment at CERN (Geneva, Switzerland). The fuse is a polished lithium niobate plate with a titanium strip of 91-kOmega resistance deposited by the photolithographic technique. The forced blow-out

Radiation safety without borders initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dibblee, Martha; Dickson, Howard; Krieger, Ken; Lopez, Jose; Waite, David; Weaver, Ken

2008-01-01

The Radiation Safety Without Borders (RSWB) initiative provides peer support to radiation safety professionals in developing countries, which bolsters the country's infrastructure and may lead the way for IRPA Associate membership. The Health Physics Society (HPS) recognizes that many nations do not possess the infrastructure to adequately control and beneficially use ionizing radiation. In a substantial number of countries, organized radiation protection programs are minimal. The RSWB initiative relies on HPS volunteers to assist their counterparts in developing countries with emerging health physics and radiation safety programs, but whose resources are limited, to provide tools that promote and support infrastructure and help these professionals help themselves. RSWB experience to date has shown that by providing refurbished instruments, promoting visits to a HPS venue, or visiting a country just to look provide valuable technical and social infrastructure experiences often missing in the developing nation's cadre of radiation safety professionals. HPS/RSWB with the assistance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) pairs chapters with a country, with the expectation that the country's professional radiation safety personnel will form a foreign HPS chapter, and the country eventually will become an IRPA Associate. Although still in its formative stage, RSWB nonetheless has gotten valuable information in spite of the small number of missions. The RSWB initiative continues to have significant beneficial impacts, including: Improving the radiation safety infrastructure of the countries that participate; Assisting those countries without professional radiation safety societies to form one; Strengthening the humanitarian efforts of the United States; Enhancing Homeland Security efforts through improved control of radioactive material internationally. Developing countries, including those in Latin America, underwritten by IAEA, may take advantage of resources

The Expanded Public Works Programme: Perspectives of direct beneficiaries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mondli S. Hlatshwayo

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Scholarship on the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP in South Africa tends to focus on quantitative evaluation to measure the progress made in the implementation of EPWP projects. The number of employment opportunities created by EPWP, demographic profiling, skills acquired by beneficiaries and training opportunities related to the Programme form the basis of typical statistical evaluations of it, but exclude comment by the workers who participate in its projects. Based on primary sources, including in-depth interviews, newspaper reports and internet sources, this article seeks to provide a qualitative review of the EPWP from the perspective of the beneficiaries of municipal EPWP projects. Various South African government sectors hire EPWP workers to provide local services such as cleaning and maintaining infrastructure, but the employment of these workers can still be regarded as precarious, in the sense that they have no job security, earn low wages and have no benefits such as medical aid or pension fund. The interviewees indicated that, although they appreciate the temporary employment opportunities provided by the EPWP, they also experience health and safety risks and lack the advantages of organised labour groupings. Their main disadvantage, however, is that they cannot access permanent employment, which offers better wages and concomitant benefits.

Self-expanding/shrinking structures by 4D printing

Science.gov (United States)

Bodaghi, M.; Damanpack, A. R.; Liao, W. H.

2016-10-01

The aim of this paper is to create adaptive structures capable of self-expanding and self-shrinking by means of four-dimensional printing technology. An actuator unit is designed and fabricated directly by printing fibers of shape memory polymers (SMPs) in flexible beams with different arrangements. Experiments are conducted to determine thermo-mechanical material properties of the fabricated part revealing that the printing process introduced a strong anisotropy into the printed parts. The feasibility of the actuator unit with self-expanding and self-shrinking features is demonstrated experimentally. A phenomenological constitutive model together with analytical closed-form solutions are developed to replicate thermo-mechanical behaviors of SMPs. Governing equations of equilibrium are developed for printed structures based on the non-linear Green-Lagrange strain tensor and solved implementing a finite element method along with an iterative incremental Newton-Raphson scheme. The material-structural model is then applied to digitally design and print SMP adaptive lattices in planar and tubular shapes comprising a periodic arrangement of SMP actuator units that expand and then recover their original shape automatically. Numerical and experimental results reveal that the proposed planar lattice as meta-materials can be employed for plane actuators with self-expanding/shrinking features or as structural switches providing two different dynamic characteristics. It is also shown that the proposed tubular lattice with a self-expanding/shrinking mechanism can serve as tubular stents and grippers for bio-medical or piping applications.

Sandia Laboratories environment and safety programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zak, B.D.; McGrath, P.E.; Trauth, C.A. Jr.

1975-01-01

Sandia, one of ERDA's largest laboratories, is primarily known for its extensive work in the nuclear weapons field. In recent years, however, Sandia's role has expanded to embrace sizeable programs in the energy, resource recovery, and the environment and safety fields. In this latter area, Sandia has programs which address nuclear, fossil fuel, and general environment and safety issues. Here we survey ongoing activities and describe in more detail aa few projects of particular interest. These range from a study of the impact of sealed disposal of radioactive wastes, through reactor safety and fossil fuel plume chemistry, to investigations of the composition and dynamics of the stratosphere

Operational-safety advantages of LMFBR's: the EBR-II experience and testing program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sackett, J.I.; Lindsay, R.W.; Golden, G.H.

1982-01-01

LMFBR's contain many inherent characteristics that simplify control and improve operating safety and reliability. The EBR-II design is such that good advantage was taken of these characteristics, resulting in a vary favorable operating history and allowing for a program of off-normal testing to further demonstrate the safe response of LMFBR's to upsets. The experience already gained, and that expected from the future testing program, will contribute to further development of design and safety criteria for LMFBR's. Inherently safe characteristics are emphasized and include natural convective flow for decay heat removal, minimal need for emergency power and a large negative reactivity feedback coefficient. These characteristics at EBR-II allow for ready application of computer diagnosis and control to demonstrate their effectiveness in response to simulated plant accidents. This latter testing objective is an important part in improvements in the man-machine interface

Sodium Loop Safety Facility W-2 experiment fuel pin rupture detection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffman, M.A.; Kirchner, T.L.; Meyers, S.C.

1980-05-01

The objective of the Sodium Loop Safety Facility (SLSF) W-2 experiment is to characterize the combined effects of a preconditioned full-length fuel column and slow transient overpower (TOP) conditions on breeder reactor (BR) fuel pin cladding failures. The W-2 experiment will meet this objective by providing data in two technological areas: (1) time and location of cladding failure, and (2) early post-failure test fuel behavior. The test involves a seven pin, prototypic full-length fast test reactor (FTR) fuel pin bundle which will be subjected to a simulated unprotected 5 cents/s reactivity transient overpower event. The outer six pins will provide the necessary prototypic thermal-hydraulic environment for the center pin

Using the Tritium Plasma Experiment to evaluate ITER PFC safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Longhurst, G.R.; Anderl, R.A.; Bartlit, J.R.; Causey, R.A.; Haines, J.R.

1993-01-01

The Tritium Plasma Experiment was assembled at Sandia National Labs., Livermore and is being moved to the Tritium Systems Test Assembly facility at Los Alamos National Lab. to investigate interactions between dense plasmas at low energies and plasma-facing component materials. This apparatus has the unique capability of replicating plasma conditions in a tokamak divertor with particle flux densities of 2 x 10 23 ions/m 2 .s and a plasma temperature of about 15 eV using a plasma that includes tritium. An experimental program has been initiated using the Tritium Plasma Experiment to examine safety issues related to tritium in plasma-facing components, particularly the ITER divertor. Those issues include tritium retention and release characteristics, tritium permeation rates and transient times to coolant streams, surface modification and erosion by the plasma, the effects of thermal loads and cycling, and particulate production. An industrial consortium led by McDonnell Douglas will design and fabricate the test fixtures

Enforcement of radiation safety standards and experience in the regulatory control of exposures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krishnamurthi, T N [Health and Safety Div., Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Mumbai (India)

1997-11-01

Regulatory provisions for radiation protection and their enforcement in India are discussed in this paper. The rules and regulations framed for radiation safety cover all the nuclear fuel cycle activities as well as the application of radiation sources in industrial, medical and research institutions. The enforcement aspects and experience in the control of exposures are presented. (author). 3 refs, 2 tabs.

Regulatory Experience on Safety Smart Transmitter's CCF of SKN 3 and 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Y. M.; Jeong, C. H. [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

Smart transmitters are digital I and C equipment which can replace analog transmitters. Non safety grade smart transmitters have been used for I and C systems of NPP(Nuclear Power Plant).. But, recently, smart transmitters have been used for safety grade I and C systems as well as non-safety grade I and C system for SKN 3 and 4. Smart transmitters execute measuring sensor values, generating output signals and adjusting range using software. Also, smart transmitters are basically capable of remote calibration through digital communication. The operating capability is more reliable and effective with remote calibration of smart transmitters, but there is potential vulnerability that causes the result no one wanted such as cyber attacks or software CCF. This paper addresses our regulatory experiences how to evaluate safety smart transmitter's CCF of SKN 3 and 4. Nuclear I and C equipment have increased the use on digital technology in safety system. According that, interest in a postulated software CCF is increasing. The software may be firmware or operating system of digital equipment. During SKN 3 and 4 operating license process, safety grade smart transmitter's adequacy was reviewed such as software V and V processes and equipment qualification. Also, it was analyzed that effect of the software CCFs of smart transmitters under DBA condition. Main concern was whether the postulated smart transmitter's software CCF may lead to an adverse safety consequence. We have future research plan to execute proof tests about our concerns and develop regulatory guide for smart transmitters.

Dalfampridine extended release tablets: 1 year of postmarketing safety experience in the US

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jara M

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Michele Jara,1 Graham Barker,2 Herbert R Henney 3rd1 1Acorda Therapeutics, Inc, Ardsley, NY, USA; 2Biogen Idec, Inc, Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK Background: Dalfampridine extended release tablets (dalfampridine-ER; prolonged-, modified, or sustained-release fampridine in some countries were approved in the US to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis, as demonstrated by improvement in walking speed. Postmarketing safety experience is available from exposure of approximately 46,000 patients in the US from product approval through March 2011. Objective: To provide a descriptive analysis of all spontaneously reported postmarketing adverse events (AEs for dalfampridine-ER since product launch. Methods: AE data were extracted from the safety database from product launch through March 31, 2011; AEs were classified using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities. Seizure cases were reviewed for patient demographics, time to event from treatment onset, and presence of additional risk factors. Results: The most frequently reported postmarketing AEs were similar to those reported during clinical development: dizziness, insomnia, balance disorder, headache, nausea, urinary tract infection, asthenia, and back pain (all included in US product labeling. New clinically significant findings are related to lack of efficacy and inappropriate dosing. Of the approximately 46,000 patients exposed, 85 seizures were reported (~5.4/1000 patient-years, of which 82 were reported or confirmed by a health care practitioner (~5.2/1000 patient-years. Beyond the intrinsic multiple sclerosis-related seizure risk, more than half of the 85 cases (62% had an additional potential risk factor for seizure including a previous history of convulsions, renal impairment, incorrect dosing, or use of concurrent medications with a labeled seizure risk. Duration of treatment prior to the seizure ranged from one dose to 365 days; 26/85 (31% patients suffered a seizure

Primary Self-Expandable Nitinol Stent Placement in Focal Lesions of Infrarenal Abdominal Aorta: Long Term Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lastovickova, Jarmila; Peregrin, Jan H.

2008-01-01

Purpose. To evaluate the technical and clinical success, safety and long term results of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty/self-expandable nitinol stent placement of infrarenal abdominal aorta focal lesions. Materials and Methods. Eighteen patients underwent PTA of focal atherosclerotic occlusive disease of distal abdominal aorta. Two symptomatic occlusions and 16 stenoses in 10 male and 8 female patients (mean age 68.2 years) were treated with primary self-expandable nitinol stent placement. Results. Primary self-expandable nitinol stent placement was technically successful in all 18 procedures; clinical success was achieved in 100% of patients. No complications associated with the procedure occurred. During the 49.4 months of mean follow up (range 3-96, 4 months) all treated aortic segments remained patent. Conclusions. Endovascular treatment (primary self-expandable nitinol stent placement) of focal atherosclerotic lesions of distal abdominal aorta is a safe method with excellent primary technical and clinical success rates and favourable Long term results

Contextualized perceptions of movement as a source of expanded insight: People with multiple sclerosis' experience with physiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Normann, Britt; Sørgaard, Knut W; Salvesen, Rolf; Moe, Siri

2013-01-01

The hospitals' outpatient clinics for people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) are important in the health care. Research regarding physiotherapy in such clinics is limited. The purpose was to investigate how PwMS perceive movement during single sessions of physiotherapy in a hospital's outpatient clinic, and what do these experiences mean for the patient's insight into their movement disturbances? Qualitative research interviews were performed with a purposive sample of 12 PwMS and supplemented with seven videotaped sessions. Content analysis was performed. The results indicate that contextualized perceptions of movement appear to be an essential source for PwMS to gain expanded insight with regard to their individual movement disturbances regardless of their ambulatory status. The contextualization implies that perceptions of movement are integrated with the physiotherapist's explanations regarding optimizing gait and balance or other activities of daily life. Perceptions of improvement in body part movement and/or functional activities are vital to enhancing their understanding of their individual movement disorders, and they may provide expanded insight regarding future possibilities and limitations involving everyday tasks. The implementation of movements, which transforms the perceived improvement into self-assisted exercises, appeared to be meaningful. Contextualized perceptions of improvements in movement may strengthen the person's sense of ownership and sense of agency and thus promote autonomy and self-encouragement. The findings underpin the importance of contextualized perceptions of movement based on exploration of potential for change, as an integrated part of information and communication in the health care for PwMS. Further investigations are necessary to deepen our knowledge.

Operation of an organic Rankine cycle dependent on pumping flow rates and expander torques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Xufei; Xu, Jinliang; Miao, Zheng; Zou, Jinghuang; Yu, Chao

2015-01-01

An ORC (organic Rankine cycle) was developed with R123 as the working fluid. The heat capacity is in ∼100 kW. The match between pump and expander is investigated. Lower pump frequencies (f 10 Hz) adapt low expander torques only, and cause unstable flow and pump cavitation for larger expander torques. Ultra-low expander torques generate sufficiently high vapor superheatings to decrease expander efficiencies. Ultra-high expander torques achieve saturation vapor at the expander inlet, causing liquid droplets induced shock wave to worsen expander performance. An optimal range of expander torques exists to have better expander performance. A liquid subcooling of 20 °C is necessary to avoid pump cavitation. Expander powers and efficiencies show parabola shapes versus expander torques, or vapor superheatings at the expander inlet. The optimal vapor superheating is 13 °C. The cavitation mechanisms and measures to avoid cavitation are analyzed. This paper notes the overestimation of ORC performance by equilibrium thermodynamic analysis. Assumptions should be dependent on experiments. Future studies are suggested on organic fluid flow, heat transfer and energy conversion in various components. - Highlights: • The match between pump and expander is investigated. • A liquid subcooling of 20 °C is needed at pump inlet. • A vapor superheating of 13 °C is necessary at expander inlet. • Cavitation in pumps and expanders are analyzed. • The equilibrium thermodynamics overestimate ORC performances.

Experience of implementation of systems of management of professional health and production safety at the Russian entities

OpenAIRE

Shmeleva E.; Bylinkina A.

2016-01-01

This article is devoted to the study of experience in implementation of management systems, occupational health and safety at Russian enterprises. Concretized the benefits and advantages that the company obtained through the implementation of OHSAS methodology. Authors specify that system approach to management of professional safety on modern industrial enterprise can significantly reduce the probability of emergence of risks of occupational accidents, accidents, and emergencies. In the conc...

A sanctuary of safety: A study of how patients with dual diagnosis experience caring conversations.

Science.gov (United States)

Priebe, Åsa; Wiklund Gustin, Lena; Fredriksson, Lennart

2018-04-01

The prevalence of dual diagnosis, that is, the combination of psychiatric illnesses and substance use disorders, is high. As a vast majority of previous research in this context focusses on the effects of different treatment methods, rather than interpersonal issues, the purpose of the present study was to explore and illuminate in what way patients with a dual diagnosis experience conversations with nurses in an outpatient clinic to be caring. Five patients were interviewed regarding their experiences of caring conversations. The analysis and interpretation were inspired by a previously-used hermeneutical process. These yielded three themes: (i) reciprocity creates safety and communion; (ii) suffering is made visible and understandable; and (iii) self-esteem is restored. When synthesized, these themes gave rise to a main theme - a sanctuary of safety - where suffering is alleviated and dignity and self-esteem are restored. It is concluded that the caring conversation contributes to experiences of safeness. In this specific context, safety appears to be more fundamental than trust for patients' recoveries. The caring conversation also contributes to recovery, as it supports the individual's learning and understanding as a way to cope with problems, which also enables patients to make informed decisions about their own care. The caring conversation contributes to the alleviation of suffering and restoration of dignity and self-esteem for patients with a dual diagnosis. However, there is a need for further research focussing on how the caring conversation can contribute to psychiatric nurses' caring expertise. © 2017 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Experience relevant to safety obtained from reactor decommissioning operations in the French Atomic Energy Commission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giraudel, B.; Langlois, G.

1979-01-01

From among the nuclear facilities constructed in France the authors cite eight large reactors, ranging from critical assemblies to power reactors, that have been finally shut-down since 1965. A brief account is given of the way in which the various operations were carried out after the final control rod drop, a distinction being drawn between the shut-down proper and the containment and dismantling work. A description is also given, from the technical and regulatory standpoint, of the final stage attained, and mention is made of French safety arrangements and of the part played by the safety services during decommissioning operations. Among the lessons derived from French experience, the authors mention the completion of operations without any serious safety problems, and with guarantees for the protection of personnel and the population as a whole, by conventional techniques; the advantage of planning decommissioning operations from the very beginning of construction of the facilities; and the importance of filing descriptive documents. In view of the experience gained, the French Atomic Energy Commission has devised internal procedures for facilitating the application of regulations governing the shut-down and decommissioning phases, which are aimed at preserving surveillance procedures similar to those in force during normal operation. (author)

Recent trends in particle accelerator radiation safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohnesorge, W.F.; Butler, H.M.

1974-01-01

The use of particle accelerators in applied and research activities continues to expand, bringing new machines with higher energy and current capabilities which create radiation safety problems not commonly encountered before. An overview is given of these increased ionizing radiation hazards, along with a discussion of some of the new techniques required in evaluating and controlling them. A computer search of the literature provided a relatively comprehensive list of publications describing accelerator radiation safety problems and related subjects

Good safety culture maintenance at Leningrad nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ardanov, A.

1996-01-01

The evidence in favour of the Leningrad NPP commitment to safety tasks, as the case is in the international practice, is The Safety Policy Statement document where safety is declared to be more significant than the power generation related issues, with the entire responsibility for the safety provision taken over by the operating utility. To avoid the situation when the stated safety tasks and policy remain only a declaration, the organizational structure of the operating utility was expanded to include The Safety Control Department and The Quality Control Department whose tasks encompass the control of the achieved safety level, development of recommendations, measures and actions aimed at the safety culture improvement, assessment and revision of the criteria and requirements to the personnel and management. Each individual at LNPP whose activity affects the plant safety has been familiarized with The Safety Policy Statement document

Good safety culture maintenance at Leningrad nuclear power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ardanov, A [Safety Control Dept., Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant, Leningrad (Russian Federation)

1997-12-31

The evidence in favour of the Leningrad NPP commitment to safety tasks, as the case is in the international practice, is The Safety Policy Statement document where safety is declared to be more significant than the power generation related issues, with the entire responsibility for the safety provision taken over by the operating utility. To avoid the situation when the stated safety tasks and policy remain only a declaration, the organizational structure of the operating utility was expanded to include The Safety Control Department and The Quality Control Department whose tasks encompass the control of the achieved safety level, development of recommendations, measures and actions aimed at the safety culture improvement, assessment and revision of the criteria and requirements to the personnel and management. Each individual at LNPP whose activity affects the plant safety has been familiarized with The Safety Policy Statement document.

Growth and Expansion of the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project and the Newly Organized International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J. Blair Briggs; Lori Scott; Yolanda Rugama; Enrico Satori

2007-05-01

Since ICNC 2003, the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) has continued to expand its efforts and broaden its scope. Criticality-alarm / shielding type benchmarks and fundamental physics measurements that are relevant to criticality safety applications are not only included in the scope of the project, but benchmark data are also included in the latest version of the handbook. A considerable number of improvements have been made to the searchable database, DICE and the criticality-alarm / shielding benchmarks and fundamental physics measurements have been included in the database. There were 12 countries participating on the ICSBEP in 2003. That number has increased to 18 with recent contributions of data and/or resources from Brazil, Czech Republic, Poland, India, Canada, and China. South Africa, Germany, Argentina, and Australia have been invited to participate. Since ICNC 2003, the contents of the “International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments” have increased from 350 evaluations (28,000 pages) containing benchmark specifications for 3070 critical or subcritical configurations to 442 evaluations (over 38,000 pages) containing benchmark specifications for 3957 critical or subcritical configurations, 23 criticality-alarm-placement / shielding configurations with multiple dose points for each, and 20 configurations that have been categorized as fundamental physics measurements that are relevant to criticality safety applications in the 2006 Edition of the ICSBEP Handbook. Approximately 30 new evaluations and 250 additional configurations are expected to be added to the 2007 Edition of the Handbook. Since ICNC 2003, a reactor physics counterpart to the ICSBEP, The International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) was initiated. Beginning in 1999, the IRPhEP was conducted as a pilot activity by the by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy

Implications of recent implantation-driven permeation experiments for fusion reactor safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Longhurst, G.R.; Anderl, R.A.; Struttmann, D.A.

1986-01-01

Metal structures exposed to the plasma in tritium-burning fusion reactors will be subject to implantation-driven permeation (IDP) of tritium. Permeation rates for IDP in fusion structural materials are usually high because the tritium atoms enter the material without having to go through the dissociation and solution steps required of tritium-bearing gas molecules. These surface processes, which may be rate limiting in PDP, actually enhance permeation in IDP by inhibiting the return of tritium to the plasma side of the structure. Experiments have been conducted at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) to investigate the nature of IDP by simulating conditions experienced by structures exposed to the plasma. These experiments have shown that surface conditions are important to tritium permeation in materials endothermic to hydrogen solution such as austenitic and ferritic steels. In reactive metals such as vanadium, surface processes appear to totally control the permeation. The purpose of this paper is to review the progress of those experiments and to discuss the implications that the results have regarding the tritium-related safety concerns of fusion reactors

Food Safety and Sustainable Nutrition Workshops: Educational Experiences for Primary School Children in Turin, Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Traversa, Amaranta; Adriano, Daniela; Bellio, Alberto; Bianchi, Daniela Manila; Gallina, Silvia; Ippolito, Clara; Romano, Angelo; Durelli, Paola; Pezzana, Andrea; Decastelli, Lucia

2017-01-24

European control and prevention policies are focused to guarantee a high level of protection of consumers' health. Food-borne diseases as obesity, diabetes, food allergy, and food-borne outbreaks are increasing. To prevent food-borne diseases, it is fundamental to involve consumers, in particular children, in educational experiences aimed to learn the proper behaviours to be applied. In this context, we designed and performed 5 educational workshops about food safety, hidden allergens in food and nutrition aimed to involve children attending primary and summer school. These experiences let us collect observations about children knowledge and behaviours. From May to October 2015, a total of 1708 children aged 6 to 11 years joined our workshops. Children were involved in listening activities, laboratory experiments, handling games and sensory experiences. All participants were familiar with food allergy and were interested to know how to behave with allergic people. Children showed great curiosity in discovering that many foods normally contain live bacteria. Less than 25% of children reported to skip breakfast, to have it watching TV or to spend few minutes for it. Many of them (>75%) thought that fruits and vegetables are all year-round available and are not related to a specific period. Very few participants (food safety and nutrition educational experiences have the opportunity to increase their awareness about the correct behaviours to prevent food-borne diseases and to improve their own critical thinking about food consumption.

Expanding Thurston maps

CERN Document Server

Bonk, Mario

2017-01-01

This monograph is devoted to the study of the dynamics of expanding Thurston maps under iteration. A Thurston map is a branched covering map on a two-dimensional topological sphere such that each critical point of the map has a finite orbit under iteration. It is called expanding if, roughly speaking, preimages of a fine open cover of the underlying sphere under iterates of the map become finer and finer as the order of the iterate increases. Every expanding Thurston map gives rise to a fractal space, called its visual sphere. Many dynamical properties of the map are encoded in the geometry of this visual sphere. For example, an expanding Thurston map is topologically conjugate to a rational map if and only if its visual sphere is quasisymmetrically equivalent to the Riemann sphere. This relation between dynamics and fractal geometry is the main focus for the investigations in this work.

Recent performance experience with US light water reactor self-actuating safety and relief valves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hammer, C.G.

1996-12-01

Over the past several years, there have been a number of operating reactor events involving performance of primary and secondary safety and relief valves in U.S. Light Water Reactors. There are several different types of safety and relief valves installed for overpressure protection of various safety systems throughout a typical nuclear power plant. The following discussion is limited to those valves in the reactor coolant systems (RCS) and main steam systems of pressurized water reactors (PWR) and in the RCS of boiling water reactors (BWR), all of which are self-actuating having a setpoint controlled by a spring-loaded disk acting against system fluid pressure. The following discussion relates some of the significant recent experience involving operating reactor events or various testing data. Some of the more unusual and interesting operating events or test data involving some of these designs are included, in addition to some involving a number of similar events and those which have generic applicability.

Experience in the implementation of quality assurance program and safety culture assessment of research reactor operation and maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syarip; Suryopratomo, K.

2001-01-01

The implementation of quality assurance program and safety culture for research reactor operation are of importance to assure its safety status. It comprises an assessment of the quality of both technical and organizational aspects involved in safety. The method for the assessment is based on judging the quality of fulfillment of a number of essential issues for safety i.e. through audit, interview and/or discussions with personnel and management in plant. However, special consideration should be given to the data processing regarding the fuzzy nature of the data i.e. in answering the questionnaire. To accommodate this situation, the SCAP, a computer program based on fuzzy logic for assessing plant safety status, has been developed. As a case study, the experience in the assessment of Kartini research reactor safety status shows that it is strongly related to the implementation of quality assurance program in reactor operation and awareness of reactor operation staffs to safety culture practice. It is also shown that the application of the fuzzy rule in assessing reactor safety status gives a more realistic result than the traditional approach. (author)

Type B liquid package technical issues -- Experience with LR-56 safety analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, A.C.; Alstine, M.N. van; Gromada, R.J.; Hensel, S.J.; Gupta, N.K.

1997-01-01

In the course of the development of nuclear industry in France, shipment of Type B quantities (i.e., quantities having significant radiological consequences) of radioactive liquids between different, sites became necessary. Based on the experience acquired at the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA) nuclear centers, a series of tanker trailers has been developed to meet this need. Similarly, as part of the ongoing program to process wastes to stable end forms, a need exists to move radioactive liquids at several DOE sites. The LR-56, developed by CEA to transport liquids of medium to high activity, was selected for these US applications, based on its design features and successful operating experience in France. No comparable Type B liquid packages are certified in the US Packages employed in transport of Type B quantities of liquids are either only suitable for small volumes, or are used within site boundaries with extensive administrative controls employed to insure that an adequate level of safety is maintained. The requirement is to provide safety equivalent to the level established by federal regulations in 10 CFR 71. Type B radioactive materials packages (RAM packages) are typically simple, rugged containers which are designed and fabricated in accordance with the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code to provide containment under the normal conditions of transport (NCT) and hypothetical accident conditions (HAC) established by the regulations. Packages designed for liquid contents must address a number of technical issues which are not common to packages for solid contents. This paper reviews the technical issues associated with Type B liquid packages from the perspective of the experience gained from the evaluation of the LR-56 for use at DOE sites

Intelligent data retrieval in the industry experience advisor expert system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swisshelm, J.D.

1991-01-01

ABB Impell Corporation developed a prototype expert system called the Industry Experience Advisor for Florida Power and Light Company. This expert system assists plant engineers in evaluating design changes against previous nuclear industry experience. Previous experience is in the form of root causes or lessons learned of past events. The root-cause statements were developed from an engineering review of important event documents [US Nuclear Regulatory Commission information notices (INs) and information bulletins (IBs) and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations safety evaluation reports and significant operating experience reports]. This paper describes the project that is currently expanding the prototype into a production system for use at a nuclear plant site. The Industry Experience Advisor should be ready for production release by the end of 1991. It will include knowledge of important events through 1990. In 1992 and in each following year, an update will be released adding the previous year's events

Updated safety analysis of ITER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor, Neill, E-mail: neill.taylor@iter.org [ITER Organization, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France); Baker, Dennis; Ciattaglia, Sergio; Cortes, Pierre; Elbez-Uzan, Joelle; Iseli, Markus; Reyes, Susana; Rodriguez-Rodrigo, Lina; Rosanvallon, Sandrine; Topilski, Leonid [ITER Organization, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France)

2011-10-15

An updated version of the ITER Preliminary Safety Report has been produced and submitted to the licensing authorities. It is revised and expanded in response to requests from the authorities after their review of an earlier version in 2008, to reflect enhancements in ITER safety provisions through design changes, to incorporate new and improved safety analyses and to take into account other ITER design evolution. The updated analyses show that changes to the Tokamak cooling water system design have enhanced confinement and reduced potential radiological releases as well as removing decay heat with very high reliability. New and updated accident scenario analyses, together with fire and explosion risk analyses, have shown that design provisions are sufficient to minimize the likelihood of accidents and reduce potential consequences to a very low level. Taken together, the improvements provided a stronger demonstration of the very good safety performance of the ITER design.

Updated safety analysis of ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Neill; Baker, Dennis; Ciattaglia, Sergio; Cortes, Pierre; Elbez-Uzan, Joelle; Iseli, Markus; Reyes, Susana; Rodriguez-Rodrigo, Lina; Rosanvallon, Sandrine; Topilski, Leonid

2011-01-01

An updated version of the ITER Preliminary Safety Report has been produced and submitted to the licensing authorities. It is revised and expanded in response to requests from the authorities after their review of an earlier version in 2008, to reflect enhancements in ITER safety provisions through design changes, to incorporate new and improved safety analyses and to take into account other ITER design evolution. The updated analyses show that changes to the Tokamak cooling water system design have enhanced confinement and reduced potential radiological releases as well as removing decay heat with very high reliability. New and updated accident scenario analyses, together with fire and explosion risk analyses, have shown that design provisions are sufficient to minimize the likelihood of accidents and reduce potential consequences to a very low level. Taken together, the improvements provided a stronger demonstration of the very good safety performance of the ITER design.

Further Understanding of the Food Safety Problem

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xingxing; MEI; Zhongchao; FENG; Pinghua; HE; Yawen; GAO; Yuqin; DAI

2015-01-01

Frequent occurrence of food quality and safety proves that it is not effective to solve the Problem only from mechanism and supervision mechanism. Instead,it may expand solution ideas from external environment inducing changes of social institutions. Edible agricultural products are raw materials of foods,so their quality and safety are decisive for food quality and safety. Combining with concept of quality and safety of edible agricultural products,from social economy,science,technology and culture,environment cognition,this paper made a further understanding of food quality and safety. It found that the quality and safety of domestic edible agricultural products are not completely resulted from human factor,and not completely quality and safety problem in practical sense. Design of problem solutions should consider such external factors as economic level and consumption concept,dual character of science and technology,cultural quality of the masses,and moral trait of the masses,and enhance matching of building of regulation tools with external environment.

Assessing progress in the development of safety culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotaru, Ioan; Ghita, Sorin

1999-01-01

The concept of safety culture was introduced by the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG) in the Summary Report on the Post-Accident Meeting on the Chernobyl Accident in 1986. The concept was further expanded in the 1988 INSAG-3 report, Basic Safety Principles for Nuclear Power Plants, and again in 1991 in the INSAG-4 report. Recognizing the increasing role that safety culture is expected to play in nuclear installations worldwide, the Convention on Nuclear Safety states the Contracting Parties' desire 'to promote an effective nuclear safety culture'. The concept of safety culture is defined in INSAG-4 as follows: Safety culture is that assembly of characteristics and attitudes in organizations and individuals which establishes that, as an overriding priority, nuclear plant safety issues receive the attention warranted by their significance. Safety culture is also an amalgamation of values, standards, morals and norms of acceptable behaviour. These are aimed at maintaining a self disciplined approach to the enhancement of safety beyond legislative and regulatory requirements. Therefore, the safety culture has to be inherent in the thoughts and actions of all the individuals at every level in an organization. The leadership provided by top management is crucial. Safety culture applies to conventional and personal safety as well as nuclear safety. All safety consideration are affected by common points of beliefs, attitudes, behaviour, and cultural differences, closely linked to a shared system of values and standards. The paper poses questions and tries to find answers relative to issues like: - how to assess progress; - specific organizational indicators of a progressive safety culture; - detection of incipient weaknesses in safety culture (organizational issues, employee issues, technology issues); - revitalizing a weakened safety culture; - overall assesment of safety culture; - general evaluation model. In conclusion, there is no consistent and

Orbit Transfer Vehicle (OTV) advanced expander cycle engine point design study. Volume 1: Executive summary

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

The objective of the study was to generate the system design of a performance-optimized, advanced LOX/hydrogen expander cycle space engine. The engine requirements are summarized, and the development and operational experience with the expander cycle RL10 engine were reviewed. The engine development program is outlined.

Effectiveness and Safety of Endoscopic Treatment of Benign Biliary Strictures Using a New Fully Covered Self Expandable Metal Stent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihir S. Wagh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background. In patients with benign biliary strictures, the use of fully covered self-expandable metal stents (SEMS has been proposed as an alternative to plastic stenting, but high quality prospective data are sparse. This study was performed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of a new fully covered SEMS for benign biliary strictures. Methods. All consecutive patients with benign biliary strictures were treated with placement of a fully covered SEMS (WallFlex for 6 months. Short- and long-term stricture resolution, adverse events, and ease of stent removal were recorded. Results. 23 patients were enrolled. Stricture etiology was chronic pancreatitis (14, postorthotopic liver transplant (4, idiopathic (4, and biliary stones (1. All ERCPs were technically successful. All stents were successfully removed. Short-term stricture resolution was seen in 22/23 (96% patients. Long-term success was 15/18 (83.3%. All 3 failures were patients with biliary strictures in the setting of chronic calcific pancreatitis. Conclusions. The use of the new SEMS for the treatment of benign biliary strictures led to short-term stricture resolution in the vast majority of patients. Over a long-term followup the success rate appears favorable compared to historical results achieved with multiple plastic stenting, particularly in patients with chronic pancreatitis. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01238900.

Safety culture aspects of managing for safety. Experience of a large nuclear reprocessing site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rycraft, H.S.

1996-01-01

The Nuclear Industry is going through turbulent times both in terms of public acceptance and business issues. Safety is one area which impacts on whether the business is allowed to continue, and how an organisation organizes itself. The need to cut costs to make nuclear power a viable energy resource, has forced the nuclear utilities to review manning policies, and management style, and in particular how to maintain safety standards during a period of change, and ultimately support continuing improvement of standards. The shrinking workforce requires a new style of management, one that depends more on the people of the organisation taking responsibility for safety at all levels of the organisation. Not only personal safety but the safety of their colleagues, general public and the environment. The safety culture of an organisation is indivisible from the company culture, each aspect of a culture influences the whole and so the balance between business, safety and quality, has to be managed. BNFL provides a full fuel cycle service to nuclear power plants, and associated services to many national and international organisations. The following notes are taken from the work carried out in the company, and mostly at the Nuclear Reprocessing and Waste storage Site at Sellafield, based in the North West of England. Following the recent re-organisation, the site now employs 6200 people and has a further 1500 contractors working on construction activities on the site. Activities on the site range from remote handling to hands on tasks, involving highly active materials to low level waste. (author)

Expanding Resilience Indicators: A Case Study on Buffering Capacity Indicator in a Process Plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirali

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background The complexity of modern sociotechnical systems has created new challenges for safety, so that traditional approaches are not able to cope with them. Resilience engineering (RE is a good alternative to traditional approaches for safety management, however resilience is still a difficult concept to measure, and indicators such as buffering capacity, flexibility, and so on, which are thought to contribute to it, are undeveloped. Objectives This study aimed at expanding buffering capacity as one of the main indicators in order to facilitate measurement of resilience of a system. Materials and Methods We used the Delphi method in order to identify indicators, and data related to all the indicators were gathered by observation and interview. In this line, 32 of the experienced operators with at least 15 years of operational record were selected for semi-structured interviews. Gathered data was processed by the principal component analysis technique. The results were processed by the Minitab 15 software. Results In this study, 29 factors affecting this indicator were determined using the Delphi method; the scores of all factors were less than the scores of the best practice. On the other hand, the state of this indicator was poor in plant included in the study. Conclusions This was the first study that focused on expanding resilience indicators, and presents a new framework to simplify assessment of resilience and safety of a complex system.

Comparison of self-expandable and balloon-expanding stents for hybrid ductal stenting in hypoplastic left heart complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Goreczny, Sebastian; Qureshi, Shakeel A; Rosenthal, Eric; Krasemann, Thomas; Nassar, Mohamed S; Anderson, David R; Morgan, Gareth J

2017-07-01

We aimed to compare the procedural and mid-term performance of a specifically designed self-expanding stent with balloon-expandable stents in patients undergoing hybrid palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome and its variants. The lack of specifically designed stents has led to off-label use of coronary, biliary, or peripheral stents in the neonatal ductus arteriosus. Recently, a self-expanding stent, specifically designed for use in hypoplastic left heart syndrome, has become available. We carried out a retrospective cohort comparison of 69 neonates who underwent hybrid ductal stenting with balloon-expandable and self-expanding stents from December, 2005 to July, 2014. In total, 43 balloon-expandable stents were implanted in 41 neonates and more recently 47 self-expanding stents in 28 neonates. In the balloon-expandable stents group, stent-related complications occurred in nine patients (22%), compared with one patient in the self-expanding stent group (4%). During follow-up, percutaneous re-intervention related to the ductal stent was performed in five patients (17%) in the balloon-expandable stent group and seven patients (28%) in self-expanding stents group. Hybrid ductal stenting with self-expanding stents produced favourable results when compared with the results obtained with balloon-expandable stents. Immediate additional interventions and follow-up re-interventions were similar in both groups with complications more common in those with balloon-expandable stents.

Nuclear Safety Review for the Year 2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-07-01

In 2007, the 50th anniversary year of the Agency, the safety performance of the nuclear industry, on the whole, remained high, although incidents and accidents with no significant impact on public health and safety continue to make news headlines and challenge operators and regulators. It is therefore essential to maintain vigilance, continuously improve safety culture and enhance the international sharing and utilization of operating and other safety experience, including that resulting from natural events. The establishment and sustainability of infrastructures for all aspects of nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety will remain a high priority. Member States embarking on nuclear power programmes will need to be active participants in the global nuclear safety regime. Harmonized safety standards, the peer review mechanism among contracting parties of the safety conventions, and sharing safety knowledge and best practices through networking are key elements for the continuous strengthening of the global nuclear safety regime. Technical and scientific support organizations (TSOs), whether part of the regulatory body or a separate organization, are gaining increased importance by providing the technical and scientific basis for safety related decisions and activities. There is a need for enhanced interaction and cooperation between TSOs. Academic and industrial expert communities also play a vital role in improving safety cooperation and capacity building. Countries embarking on nuclear power programmes, as well as countries expanding existing programmes, have to meet the challenge of building a technically qualified workforce. A vigorous knowledge transfer programme is key to capacity building - particularly in view of the ageing of experienced professionals in the nuclear field. National and regional safety networks, and ultimately a global safety network will greatly help these efforts. Changes in world markets and technology are having an impact on both

AREVA advanced safety IC solutions and licensing experience for new nuclear builds and modernization projects - 15545

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fourestie, B.; Pickelmann, J.; Richter, S.; Hilsenkopf, P.; Paris, P.

2015-01-01

Regulatory requirements for the Instrumentation and Control (IC) for Nuclear Power Plants have become significantly more stringent during the last 10 years in the areas of software development and qualification, traceability, diversity, or seismic requirements for instance, and with the introduction of new standards (such as the IEC 62566, or the IEC 62003). Based on a large and comprehensive experience gained from projects in several regulatory environments and different plant types (including non-OEM plants), AREVA has developed and adapted its processes and products to provide state-of-the-art IC solutions in full compliance with the regulatory demands and requirements in terms of robustness (independence, defense-in-depth, diversity and cyber-security). In this paper we present the safety IC platforms developed by AREVA. These platforms include TELEPERM XS as the computerized safety IC platform for class 1 system implementation, the Qualified Display System (QDS) for safety classified screen-based interface, and UNICORN as fully diverse analog safety IC platform for backup systems

Quality and safety in radiotherapy: precursor events and experience feedback;Qualite et securite en radiotherapie: evenements precurseurs et retour d'experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lartigau, E. [Centre de Lutte Contre le Cancer Oscar-Lambret, Dept. Universitaire de Radiotherapie, Lille-1 Univ., 59 - Lille (France)

2009-12-15

The safety in radiotherapy through a method using the experience feedback. It corresponds to a global process organised around a prospective and systematic statement of incidents occurring during the cure activity or around it. The events are registered, analyzed, treated by the committee of experience feedback in order to avoid their repetition and to eliminate the passage to accident. The analysis of the events enlightens the organisational dysfunction.Their correction and the communication following is an essential tool of management in the framework of the non-punishment, guarantee of confidence of personnel. (N.C.)

Health facilities safety in natural disasters: experiences and challenges from South East Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Radovic, Vesela; Vitale, Ksenija; Tchounwou, Paul B

2012-05-01

The United Nations named 2010 as a year of natural disasters, and launched a worldwide campaign to improve the safety of schools and hospitals from natural disasters. In the region of South East Europe, Croatia and Serbia have suffered the greatest impacts of natural disasters on their communities and health facilities. In this paper the disaster management approaches of the two countries are compared, with a special emphasis on the existing technological and legislative systems for safety and protection of health facilities and people. Strategic measures that should be taken in future to provide better safety for health facilities and populations, based on the best practices and positive experiences in other countries are recommended. Due to the expected consequences of global climate change in the region and the increased different environmental risks both countries need to refine their disaster preparedness strategies. Also, in the South East Europe, the effects of a natural disaster are amplified in the health sector due to its critical medical infrastructure. Therefore, the principles of environmental security should be implemented in public health policies in the described region, along with principles of disaster management through regional collaborations.

Health Facilities Safety in Natural Disasters: Experiences and Challenges from South East Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vesela Radovic

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The United Nations named 2010 as a year of natural disasters, and launched a worldwide campaign to improve the safety of schools and hospitals from natural disasters. In the region of South East Europe, Croatia and Serbia have suffered the greatest impacts of natural disasters on their communities and health facilities. In this paper the disaster management approaches of the two countries are compared, with a special emphasis on the existing technological and legislative systems for safety and protection of health facilities and people. Strategic measures that should be taken in future to provide better safety for health facilities and populations, based on the best practices and positive experiences in other countries are recommended. Due to the expected consequences of global climate change in the region and the increased different environmental risks both countries need to refine their disaster preparedness strategies. Also, in the South East Europe, the effects of a natural disaster are amplified in the health sector due to its critical medical infrastructure. Therefore, the principles of environmental security should be implemented in public health policies in the described region, along with principles of disaster management through regional collaborations.

Experiences in the promotion of the safety culture in radiological activities in Cuba

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferro, Ruben; Guillen, Alba; Ilizastigui, Fidel

2001-01-01

During the last decade, the need to promote and achieve high safety culture levels has been one of the priorities in the nuclear sector around the world, although it has been focused basically on nuclear power. Nevertheless, it is an important and current topic for any risk related activity, since it results in a greater involvement and commitment of managers and personnel to safety, thereby reducing the so called 'organizational failures', one of the most frequent contributors to several of the major industrial disasters in the recent years. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also pointed that out and in some of its recent publications and meetings has recognized the need for extending this concept to the area of radioactive source. In Cuba, the Regulatory Body has been working in this direction during several years, promoting national research and studies in this field, issuing documents and organizing events and other activities. With this it is expected to introduce new work methods and practices to be applied by management and personnel involved in the use of radioactive sources, reflecting a higher safety culture level. This paper summarizes the experience of Cuban Regulatory Body in this field. (author)

Food safety and sustainable nutrition workshops: educational experiences for primary school children in Turin, Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amaranta Traversa

2017-01-01

Full Text Available European control and prevention policies are focused to guarantee a high level of protection of consumers’ health. Foodborne diseases as obesity, diabetes, food allergy, and food-borne outbreaks are increasing. To prevent food-borne diseases, it is fundamental to involve consumers, in particular children, in educational experiences aimed to learn the proper behaviours to be applied. In this context, we designed and performed 5 educational workshops about food safety, hidden allergens in food and nutrition aimed to involve children attending primary and summer school. These experiences let us collect observations about children knowledge and behaviours. From May to October 2015, a total of 1708 children aged 6 to 11 years joined our workshops. Children were involved in listening activities, laboratory experiments, handling games and sensory experiences. All participants were familiar with food allergy and were interested to know how to behave with allergic people. Children showed great curiosity in discovering that many foods normally contain live bacteria. Less than 25% of children reported to skip breakfast, to have it watching TV or to spend few minutes for it. Many of them (>75% thought that fruits and vegetables are all year-round available and are not related to a specific period. Very few participants (<25% knew that freezing is the treatment to be applied to make fresh fish safe from parasites. Children involved in food safety and nutrition educational experiences have the opportunity to increase their awareness about the correct behaviours to prevent food-borne diseases and to improve their own critical thinking about food consumption.

Sodium Loop Safety Facility W-2 experiment fuel pin rupture detection system. [LMFBR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoffman, M.A.; Kirchner, T.L.; Meyers, S.C.

1980-05-01

The objective of the Sodium Loop Safety Facility (SLSF) W-2 experiment is to characterize the combined effects of a preconditioned full-length fuel column and slow transient overpower (TOP) conditions on breeder reactor (BR) fuel pin cladding failures. The W-2 experiment will meet this objective by providing data in two technological areas: (1) time and location of cladding failure, and (2) early post-failure test fuel behavior. The test involves a seven pin, prototypic full-length fast test reactor (FTR) fuel pin bundle which will be subjected to a simulated unprotected 5 cents/s reactivity transient overpower event. The outer six pins will provide the necessary prototypic thermal-hydraulic environment for the center pin.

HIPAA's Individual Right of Access to Genomic Data: Reconciling Safety and Civil Rights.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Barbara J

2018-01-04

In 2014, the United States granted individuals a right of access to their own laboratory test results, including genomic data. Many observers feel that this right is in tension with regulatory and bioethical standards designed to protect the safety of people who undergo genomic testing. This commentary attributes this tension to growing pains within an expanding federal regulatory program for genetic and genomic testing. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 expanded the regulatory agenda to encompass civil rights and consumer safety. The individual access right, as it applies to genomic data, is best understood as a civil-rights regulation. Competing regulatory objectives-safety and civil rights-were not successfully integrated during the initial rollout of genomic civil-rights regulations after 2008. Federal law clarifies how to prioritize safety and civil rights when the two come into conflict, although with careful policy design, the two need not collide. This commentary opens a dialog about possible solutions to advance safety and civil rights together. Copyright © 2017 American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The application of MVC design pattern in Daya bay reactor neutrino experiments online safety training system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Guanchuan; Chu Yuanping

2011-01-01

The article made an introduction to MVC, which is an architectural pattern used in software engineering. It specified the advantages and disadvantages of MVC and also the application of MVC in Daya Bay nuclear reactor neutrino experiment online safety training system. (authors)

Developing a strong safety culture - a safety management challenge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Low, M.; Gipson, G. P.; Williams, M.

1995-01-01

The approach is presented adapted by Nuclear Electric to build a strong safety culture through the development of its safety management system. Two features regarded as critical to a strong safety culture are: provision of effective communications to promote an awareness and ownership of safety among craft, and commitment to continuous improvement with a genuine willingness to learn from own experiences and those from others. (N.T.) 5 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Two Types of Expanding Lie Algebra and New Expanding Integrable Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Huanhe; Yang Jiming; Wang Hui

2010-01-01

From a new Lie algebra proposed by Zhang, two expanding Lie algebras and its corresponding loop algebras are obtained. Two expanding integrable systems are produced with the help of the generalized zero curvature equation. One of them has complex Hamiltion structure with the help of generalized Tu formula (GTM). (general)

Safety experiences in using cryogenic liquid in IGCAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senthilkumar, B.; Singh, Dharmendra S.; Kandasamy, S.

2009-01-01

Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research is engaged in large-scale development work in the field of Fast Reactor Technology associated fuel cycle facilities metallurgy and material science. To meet the growing demands of these activities, the cryogenic are manufactured, stored, and handled in the Centre. Lot of precautionary measures are taken during the plant operations. However, the safety of the men and machine can be ensured only by systematic safety studies. So this study was taken up to identify the hazards of cryogenic, unsafe acts/unsafe conditions and to improve the safety standards in the Centre

French PWR Safety Philosophy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conte, M. M.

1986-01-01

The first 900 MWe units, built under the American Westinghouse licence and with reference to the U. S. regulation, were followed by 28 standardized units, C P1 and C P2 series. Increasing knowledge and lessons learned from starting and operating experience of French nuclear power plants, completed by the experience learned from the operation of foreign reactors, has contributed to the improvement of French PWR design and safety philosophy. As early as 1976, this experience was taken into account by French Safety organisms to discuss, with Electricite de France, the safety options for the planned 1300 MWe units, P4 and P4 series. In 1983, the new reactor scheduled, Ni4 series 1400 MWe, is a totally French design which satisfies the French regulations and other French standards and codes. Based on a deterministic approach, the French safety analysis was progressively completed by a probabilistic approach each of them having possibilities and limits. Increasing knowledge and lessons learned from operating experience have contributed to the French safety philosophy improvement. The methodology now applied to safety evaluation develops a new facet of the in depth defense concept by taking highly unlikely events into consideration, by developing the search of safety consistency of the design, and by completing the deterministic approach by the probabilistic one

Specific experiments carried out in Germany in order to demonstrate the safety of existing structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krutzik, Norbert

2002-01-01

Specific experiments are carried out in Germany in order to demonstrate the safety of existing NPPs. HDR research program includes operational loads testing (pressure test, pressure and temperature test, thermal shock, fatigue); extreme loads (earthquake, aircraft crash, external explosion); internal emergency loads (blowdown, hydrogen combustion, fire, thermal shock, water hammer, condensation loads)

Management services, quality assurance, and safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1987-01-01

Broad technical and administrative support for the programmatic research and development activities of the Fusion Energy Division is provided by the Management Services Section and by the division's quality assurance (QA) and safety programs. Support is provided through effective communication with division programmatic staff and through the coordination of resources from disciplines outside the division. The QA activity in the division emphasizes the development and documentation of a QA program that conforms to national standards, the review and approval of engineering documents, supplier surveillance, identification and documentation of nonconforming items, audits, and QA assessments/plans. The division's safety activities include a formal safety program, emergency planning activities, and environmental protection services. Efforts devoted to the removal of hazardous wastes from division facilities were expanded during 1986

Chernobyl experience of emergency data management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linge, I.; Ossipants, I.

1998-01-01

Experience of work on the Chernobyl problem carried out by the Nuclear Safety Institute within 1990-95 for the information analytic support of the USSR and Russian government bodies is briefly examined. During this period approaches to the problem have become more corresponding to those realised by the government of a democratic State responsible to its population. Within the limits of the information analytic support of Russian government bodies an information management system was created. It included: Central bank of generalised data, Bank of models, Information systems for federal and local authorities intercommunicated with information systems of departments and scientific database. Analysis of results of this practical exercise permits to ascertain that the preparation of argued proposals on the population protection in time-limit conditions as well as the material resource insufficiency and the available information incompleteness are difficult problems. The acquired experience of work with the Chernobyl area databases is constantly developing and expanding. (R.P.)

Current status of nuclear safety research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1977-01-01

Efforts at nuclear safety research have expanded year by year in Japan, in term of money and technical achievement. The Atomic Energy Commission set last year the five year nuclear safety research program, a guideline by which various research institutes will be able to develop their own efforts in a concerted manner. From the results of the nuclear safety research which cover very wide areas ranging from reactor engineering safety, safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities, prevention of radiation hazards to the adequate treatment and disposal of radioactive wastes, AIJ hereafter focuses of LWR engineering safety and prevents two articles, one introducing the current results of the NSSR program developed by JAERI and the other reporting the LWR reliability demonstration testing projects being promoted by MITI. The outline of these demonstration tests was reported in this report. The tests consist of earthquake resistance reliability test of nuclear power plants, steam generator reliability tests, valve integrity tests, fuel assembly reliability tests, reliability tests of heat affected zones and reliability tests of pumps. (Kobatake, H.)

The nuclear power safety programme of the International Atomic Energy Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosen, M.

1981-01-01

The expanded role of the IAEA in the field of nuclear power safety will be discussed. Emphasis will be given to the NUSS program (the letters being an acronym for Nuclear Safety Standards) to establish internationally accepted safety codes and guides for nuclear power plants dealing with governmental regulatory organizations, siting, design, operation and quality assurance. Other activities discussed will be advisory services, exchange of information and training, emergency accident assistance, and technical assistance. (orig./RW)

Food safety in Vietnam: where we are at and what we can learn from international experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen-Viet, Hung; Tuyet-Hanh, Tran Thi; Unger, Fred; Dang-Xuan, Sinh; Grace, Delia

2017-02-16

Food-borne diseases are attracting a lot of attention in Vietnam as a result of repeated episodes of adulterated and unsafe food. In this paper, we provide some perspectives on food safety in Vietnam from the point of view of an international research institution working on food safety with partners in the country. We argue that one of the key issues of food safety in Vietnam is that certain food value chain stakeholders lack ethics, which leads to the production and trading of unsafe foods in order to make profits irrespective of adverse health effects on consumers. In turn, the shortfall in ethical behaviours around food can be attributed to a lack of incentives or motivating factors.Although food safety causes panic in the population, it is unclear how much contaminated food contributes to the burden of food-borne diseases and food poisonings in Vietnam. However, globally, the biggest health problem associated with food are infections from consuming food contaminated with viruses, bacteria or parasites. A major food safety challenge is the inappropriate way of communicating food risks to the public. Another key constraint is the inherent difficulty in managing food in wet markets and from smallholder production. On the other hand, local foods, and local food production and processing are an important cultural asset as well as being essential to food safety, and these aspects can be put at risk if food safety concerns motivate consumers to purchase more imported foods.In this paper, we also discuss good experiences in food safety management from other countries and draw lessons learnt for Vietnam on how to better deal with the current food safety situation.

PROSPER guidelines: Guidelines for peer review and for plant self-assessment of operational experience feedback process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

Effective use of operational performance information is an important element in any plant operator's arrangements for enhancing the operational safety of a nuclear power plant (NPP). This has been recognized in the IAEA Safety Fundamental, The Safety of Nuclear Installations (Safety Series No. 110). Under the technical aspects of safety, one of the principles of operation and maintenance is that the operating organization and the regulatory body shall establish complementary programmes to analyse operating experience to ensure that lessons are learned and acted upon. Such experience shall be shared with relevant national and international bodies. The Convention on Nuclear Safety, which entered into force in July 1996, also recognized the importance of operational experience feedback as a tool of high importance for the safety of nuclear plant operation and its further enhancement. It follows that the arrangements and results achieved under the operation experience feedback process in Member States will be covered by the national report under the Convention and will be subject to periodical review. These principles are further expanded in the IAEA Safety Standards Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation (Safety Standard Series No. NS-R-2, year 2000) under the Feedback of The IAEA-led Peer Review of the effectiveness of the Operational Safety Performance Experience Review process (PROSPER) and associated guidelines have been developed to provide advice and assistance to utilities or individual power plants to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of operational experience programmes in achieving these fundamental objectives. The objectives of the former IAEA Assessment of Significant Safety Events Team (ASSET) service have been expanded to include an evaluation of the effective use of all operating performance information available to the plant (e.g. external operating experience, internal low-level and near miss event reports and other relevant operating

Expander for Thin-Wall Tubing

Science.gov (United States)

Pessin, R.

1983-01-01

Tool locally expands small-diameter tubes. Tube expander locally expands and deforms tube: Compressive lateral stress induced in elastomeric sleeve by squeezing axially between two metal tool parts. Adaptable to situations in which tube must have small bulge for mechanical support or flow control.

NARCISS critical stand experiments for studying the nuclear safety in accident water immersion of highly enriched uranium dioxide fuel elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponomarev-Stepnoj, N.N.; Glushkov, E.S.; Bubelev, V.G.

2005-01-01

A brief description of the Topaz-2 SNPS designed under scientific supervision of RRC KI in Russia, and of the NARCISS critical facility, is given. At the NARCISS critical facility, neutronic peculiarities and nuclear safety issues of the Topaz-2 system reactor were studied experimentally. This work is devoted to a detailed description of experiments on investigation of criticality safety in accident water immersion og highly enriched uranium dioxide fuel elements, performed at the NARCISS facility. The experiments were carried out at water-moderated critical assemblies with varying height, number, and spacing of fuel elements. The results obtained in the critical experiments, computational models of the investigated critical configurations, and comparison of the computational and experimental results are given [ru

In Vitro Comparison of Self-Expanding Versus Balloon-Expandable Stents in a Human Ex Vivo Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grenacher, Lars; Rohde, Stefan; Gaenger, Ellen; Deutsch, Jochen; Kauffmann, Guenter W.; Richter, Goetz M.

2006-01-01

The objective was to compare the radial strength and expansile precision of self-expanding stents and balloon-expandable stents in a human cadaver bifurcation model. Seven different self-expanding (LUMINEXX, JOSTENT SelfX, JOSTENT SelfX hrf, Sinus-Repo, Sinus SuperFlex, Easy Wallstent, SMART) and four different balloon-expandable stent models (Palmaz, Sinus Stent, SAXX Medium, JOSTENT peripheral), each type 10 stents (total n = 110 stents) were implanted into the common iliac arteries of human cadaver corpses. The maximum stent diameter was 10 mm for all models. After stent implantation, the specimens were filled with silicone caoutchouc. After 24 h, the vascular walls including the stents were removed from the hardened casts. Diameters were taken and the weight of the cast cylinders was measured in air and in purified water to calculate the volume of the bodies (according to Archimedes Law) as a relative but precise degree for the radial strength of the implanted stents. The cylindrical casts of the self-expanding stents showed lower mean diameters (8.2 ± 1.0 mm) and mean volumes (0.60 ± 0.14 ml/cm) than in the balloon-expandable stent group (10.1 ± 0.3 mm and 0.71 ± 0.04 ml/cm, respectively; p < 0.01). The nominal maximum diameter of 10 mm was not achieved in any of the self-expanding stents, but this was achieved in more than 70% (29/40) of the balloon-expandable stent specimens (p < 0.05). The variation between achieved volumes was significantly larger in self-expanding (range: 0.23-0.78 ml/cm) than in balloon-expandable stents (range: 0.66-0.81 ml/cm; p < 0.05). Self-expanding stents presented considerably lower radial expansion force and lower degree of precision than balloon-expandable stents

EFFECT OF THE METHOD OF PREPARATION OF RYE GRAIN ON ITS MICROSTRUCTURE AND SAFETY INDICATORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. I. Ponomareva

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Summary. One of the main issues in the baking industry is currently the development and introduction of new products increased nutritional value. By promising area of enrichment products include the use of whole grains. Currently pressing issue is expanding the range of bakery products by applying the functional orientation of the whole grain rye. Expand the range of bread from a mixture of rye and wheat flour can be due to the use of whole grain rye. German company "Irex" developed a method of preparing a mixture of products from rye and wheat flour with the addition of acidified whole rye "Saftkorn." The experiment was conducted microstructure definition, content of toxic elements (cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic and microbiological indicators rye "Saftkorn" and "Avanguard". The microstructure and grain safety performance prepared in different ways. The difference in the microstructure of rye "Saftсorn" (Germany and "Аvangard" (Russia. Proven that their microbiological parameters were within acceptable limits.

Adjustable perineal male sling using tissue expander as an effective treatment of post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melih Balci

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose To report our intermediate experience in treating patients with severe incontinence using an adjustable perineal male sling with a tissue expander. Materials and Methods An adjustable male sling procedure was performed on 21 patients with severe incontinence. The underlying etiology of urinary incontinence was radical prostatectomy in 13 patients, open prostatectomy in 5 patients and transurethral prostate resection in 3 patients. The difference between the classical and the adjustable sling is that in the latter there is a 25 mL tissue expander between the two layers of polypropylene mesh with an injection port. Adjustment of the sling was performed with saline via an inflation port, in case of recurrence or persistence of incontinence. Results The mean age of the patients was 66.2±7.3 (50-79 years and mean pad usage was 6.4±0.6 per day. The mean follow-up time was 40.1±23.2 (6-74 months. The balloon was postoperatively inflated on average with 11.6±5.7 (5-25 mL. After the mean 40.1 months of follow-up, 16 of the 21 patients (76.2% were dry (11 patients, 0 pads; 5 patients using safety pads, 3 patients (14% had mild and 2 (9.8% had moderate degree post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence (PPI. The average maximum urine flow rate of the patients was 15.6±4.7 (10-31 mL/s. No residual urine was found. In 2 patients, all parts of the device were removed due to infection and discomfort, and in 3 patients only the inflation component was removed due to local scrotal infection. Conclusions Our results show that using an adjustable perineal male sling with a tissue expander seems to be an efficient, and safe surgical treatment option in patients with PPI.

Reactor Safety Research: Semiannual report, January-June 1986: Reactor Safety Research Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-05-01

Sandia National Laboratories is conducting, under USNRC sponsorship, phenomenological research related to the safety of commercial nuclear power reactors. The research includes experiments to simulate the phenomenology of accident conditions and the development of analytical models, verified by experiment, which can be used to predict reactor and safety systems performance behavior under abnormal conditions. The objective of this work is to provide NRC requisite data bases and analytical methods to (1) identify and define safety issues, (2) understand the progression of risk-significant accident sequences, and (3) conduct safety assessments. The collective NRC-sponsored effort at Sandia National Laboratories is directed at enhancing the technology base supporting licensing decisions

Safety Climate and Occupational Stress According to Occupational Accidents Experience and Employment Type in Shipbuilding Industry of Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyung Woo; Park, Sung Jin; Lim, Hae Sun; Cho, Hm Hak

2017-09-01

Safety climate and occupational stress are related with occupational accident. The present study tried to identify the differences in safety climate and occupational stress according to occupational accidents experience and employment type (e.g., direct workers and subcontract workers). In this study, we conducted a survey using safety climate scale and Korean Occupational Stress Scale and classified the participants into four groups: direct workers working for accident-free departments, direct workers working for accident departments, subcontract workers working for accident-free departments, and subcontract workers working for accident departments for 2 years within the same workplace in the shipbuilding industry. The direct workers and subcontract workers showed diverse results in subscales of safety climate and occupational stress. This result is supported by existing studies; however, further study is necessary for more supporting evidence and elaborative methodological approach. The necessity of management for safety climate and psychosocial factor such as occupational stress for both direct workers and subcontract workers as a whole is suggested by this study.

[Patient safety culture in hospitals: experiences in planning, organising and conducting a survey among hospital staff].

Science.gov (United States)

van Vegten, Amanda; Pfeiffer, Yvonne; Giuliani, Francesca; Manser, Tanja

2011-01-01

This article presents the first hospital-wide survey on patient safety climate, involving all staff (medical and non-medical), in the German-speaking area. Its aim is to share our experiences with planning, organising and conducting this survey. The study was performed at the university hospital in Zurich and had a response rate of 46.8% (2,897 valid questionnaires). The survey instrument ("Patientensicherheitsklimainventar") was based on the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (AHRQ). Primarily it allowed for assessing the current patient safety climate as well as identifying specific areas for improvement and creating a hospital-wide awareness and acceptance for patient safety issues and interventions (e.g., the introduction of a Critical Incident Reporting System [CIRS]). We discuss the basic principles and the feedback concept guiding the organisation of the overall project. Critical to the success of this project were the guaranteed anonymity of the respondents, adequate communication through well-established channels within the organisation and the commitment of the management across all project phases. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Teachers' Experiences Collaborating in Expanded School Mental Health: Implications for Practice, Policy and Research

Science.gov (United States)

Mellin, Elizabeth A.; Ball, Annahita; Iachini, Aidyn; Togno, Nicole; Rodriguez, Ana Maria

2017-01-01

Teachers are critical partners in expanded school mental health (ESMH) collaborations that aim to bring educators, community mental health professionals and families together to leverage expertise and resources for addressing non-academic barriers to learning. Although teachers are in a unique position to observe the day-to-day mental health needs…

Nuclear safety - Topical issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The following topical issues related to nuclear safety are discussed: steam generators; maintenance strategies; control rod drive nozzle cracks; core shrouds cracks; sump strainer blockage; fire protection; computer software important for safety; safety during shutdown; operational safety experience; external hazards and other site related issues. 5 figs, 5 tabs

Safety Culture Assessment at Regulatory Body - PNRA Experience of Implementing IAEA Methodology for Safety Culture Self Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatti, S.A.N.; Arshad, N.

2016-01-01

The prevalence of a good safety culture is equally important for all kind of organizations involved in nuclear business including operating organizations, designers, regulator, etc., and this should be reflected through all the processes and activities of these organizations. The need for inculcating safety culture into regulatory processes and practices is gradually increasing since the major accident at Fukushima. Accordingly, several international fora in last few years repeatedly highlighted the importance of prevalence of safety culture in regulatory bodies as well. The utilisation of concept of safety culture always remained applicable in regulatory activities of PNRA in the form of core values. After the Fukushima accident, PNRA considered it important to check the extent of utilisation of safety culture concept in organizational activities and decided to conduct its “Safety Culture Self-Assessment (SCSA)” for presenting itself as a role model in-order to endorse the fact that safety culture at regulatory authority plays an important role to influence safety culture at licenced facilities.

New trends in the evaluation and implementation of the safety-related operating experience associated with NRC-licensed reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michelson, C.; Heltemes, C.J.

1981-01-01

This article is an overview of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission program for the evaluation and dissemination of the safety-related operating experience associated with all NRC-licensed reactors. It discusses the historical background and past problems that led to the recent formation of NRC's Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data (AEOD) and details its activities, organization, staffing, and proposed analysis and evaluation methodology. The programs of industry organizations and nuclear plant licensees and the integration of foreign operating experience are included in the overview. The problems and limitations of the Licensee Event Report (LER) program and the Nuclear Plant Reliability Data system program are discussed. The AEOD analysis and evaluation methodology program includes some new improvements in the assessment of safety-related operating experience. Of particular note is the sequence coding and search procedure being developed by AEOD under a contract with the Nuclear Safety Information Center at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This computer-based retrieval system will have markedly improved search strategy capability for such items as commoncause failures or complex system interactions involving various failure sequences and other relationships associated with an event. The system retrieves failure data and information on the principal LER occurrence and on related component and system responses. The computer-generated Power Reactor Watch List enables AEOD to monitor all critical or unusual situations warranting close attention because of potential public health and safety. This listing is supported by a preestablished computer search strategy of the historical data base permitting identification of all past events and statistical information that are applicable to the situation being watched

Safety Review related to Commercial Grade Digital Equipment in Safety System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Yeongjin; Park, Hyunshin; Yu, Yeongjin; Lee, Jaeheung

2013-01-01

The upgrades or replacement of I and C systems on safety system typically involve digital equipment developed in accordance with non-nuclear standards. However, the use of commercial grade digital equipment could include the vulnerability for software common-mode failure, electromagnetic interference and unanticipated problems. Although guidelines and standards for dedication methods of commercial grade digital equipment are provided, there are some difficulties to apply the methods to commercial grade digital equipment for safety system. This paper focuses on regulatory guidelines and relevant documents for commercial grade digital equipment and presents safety review experiences related to commercial grade digital equipment in safety system. This paper focuses on KINS regulatory guides and relevant documents for dedication of commercial grade digital equipment and presents safety review experiences related to commercial grade digital equipment in safety system. Dedication including critical characteristics is required to use the commercial grade digital equipment on safety system in accordance with KEPIC ENB 6370 and EPRI TR-106439. The dedication process should be controlled in a configuration management process. Appropriate methods, criteria and evaluation result should be provided to verify acceptability of the commercial digital equipment used for safety function

Principles and standards of nuclear safety and their implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franzen, L.F.

1979-01-01

Nuclear safety starts with the design of a nuclear facility and is only completed with its decommissioning. In the various phases of a nuclear facility's lifetime, safety evaluations are required. The licensing prerequisites for construction, operation, modification, decommissioning are based on elements of the relevant national legislation and related ordinances as well as on international regulations. They should be expanded by a system of criteria and standards spelling out the proven practice as developed over the last decades in the industrialized countries and by international organizations such IAEA with its safety codes and guides. (NEA) [fr

Reactor safety; Description and evaluation of safety activities in Nordic countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wahlstroem, B.; Gunsell, L.

1998-03-01

The report gives a description of safety activities in the nuclear power industry. The study has been carried out as a part of the four year programme in Nordic Safety Research (NKS) which was completed in 1997. The objective of the NKS/RAK-1.1 project 'A survey and an evaluation of safety activities in nuclear power' was to make a broad description of various activities important for safety and to make an assessment of their efficiency. A special consideration was placed on a comparison of practices in Finland and Sweden, and between their nuclear utilities. The study has been divided into two parts, one theoretical part in which a model of the relationships between various activities important for safety has been constructed and one practical part where a total of 62 persons have been interviewed at the authorities, the nuclear utilities and one reactor vendor. To restrict the amount of work two activities, safety analysis and experience feedback, were selected. A few cases connected to incidents at nuclear power plants were discussed in more detail. The report has been structured around a simple model of nuclear safety consisting of the concepts of goals, means and outcomes. This model illustrates the importance of goal formulation, systematic planning and feedback of operational experience as major components in nuclear safety. In assessing organisation and management at authorities and the power utilities there is a clear trend of decentralisation and delegation of authority. The general impression from the study is that the safety activities in Finland and Sweden are efficient and well targeted. The experience from the methodology is favourable and the comparison of practices gives a good ground for a discussion of contents and targeting of safety activities. (EG) activities. (EG)

Role of Experience, Leadership and Individual Protection in the Cath Lab--A Multicenter Questionnaire and Workshop on Radiation Safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuon, E; Weitmann, K; Hoffmann, W; Dörr, M; Hummel, A; Busch, M C; Felix, S B; Empen, K

2015-10-01

Radiation exposure in invasive cardiology remains considerable. We evaluated the acceptance of radiation protective devices and the role of operator experience, team leadership, and technical equipment in radiation safety efforts in the clinical routine. Cardiologists (115 from 27 centers) answered a questionnaire and documented radiation parameters for 10 coronary angiographies (CA), before and 3.1 months after a 90-min. mini-course in radiation-reducing techniques. Mini-course participants achieved significant median decreases in patient dose area products (DAP: from 26.6 to 13.0 Gy × cm(2)), number of radiographic frames (-29%) and runs (-8%), radiographic DAP/frame (-2%), fluoroscopic DAP/s (-39%), and fluoroscopy time (-16%). Multilevel analysis revealed lower DAPs with decreasing body mass index (-1.4 Gy × cm(2) per kg/m(2)), age (-1.2 Gy × cm(2)/decade), female sex (-5.9 Gy × cm(2)), participation of the team leader (-9.4 Gy × cm(2)), the mini-course itself (-16.1 Gy × cm(2)), experience (-0.7 Gy × cm(2)/1000 CAs throughout the interventionalist's professional life), and use of older catheterization systems (-6.6 Gy × cm(2)). Lead protection included apron (100%), glass sheet (95%), lengthwise (94%) and crosswise (69%) undercouch sheet, collar (89%), glasses (28%), cover around the patients' thighs (19%), foot switch shield (7%), gloves (3%), and cap (1%). Radiation-protection devices are employed less than optimally in the clinical routine. Cardiologists with a great variety of interventional experience profited from our radiation safety workshop - to an even greater extent if the interventional team leader also participated. Radiation protection devices are employed less than optimally in invasive cardiology. The presented radiation-safety mini-course was highly efficient. Cardiologists at all levels of experience profited from the mini-course - considerably more so if the team leader also took part. Interventional experience was less relevant for

Leadership and Management for Safety. General Safety Requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

This Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements that support Principle 3 of the Fundamental Safety Principles in relation to establishing, sustaining and continuously improving leadership and management for safety and an integrated management system. It emphasizes that leadership for safety, management for safety, an effective management system and a systemic approach (i.e. an approach in which interactions between technical, human and organizational factors are duly considered) are all essential to the specification and application of adequate safety measures and to the fostering of a strong safety culture. Leadership and an effective management system will integrate safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational factor, societal and economic elements. The management system will ensure the fostering of a strong safety culture, regular assessment of performance and the application of lessons from experience. The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies, operating organizations (registrants and licensees) and other organizations concerned with facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks

The impact of [corrected] expanded nursing practice on professional identify in Denmark.

Science.gov (United States)

Piil, Karin; Kolbæk, Raymond; Ottmann, Goetz; Rasmussen, Bodil

2012-01-01

This article explores the concept of professional identity of Danish nurses working in an expanded practice. The case study explores the experiences of a small group of Danish nurses with a new professional category that reaches into a domain that customarily belonged to physicians. The aim of this case study was to explore the impact of "nurse consultations," representing an expanded nursing role, of 5 nurses focusing on their perception of autonomy, self-esteem, and confidence. The case study used semistructured interviews with 5 participants triangulated and validated with participant observations, a focus group interview, and theoretically derived insights. This study indicates that nurses working within a new expanded professional practice see themselves as still engaged in nursing and not as substitute physicians. The study also suggests that the involved nurses gained a higher sense of autonomy, self-esteem, and confidence in their practice. These elements have a positive impact on their professional identity. The research demonstrates that for the nurses involved in expanded professional practice, the boundaries of professional practice have shifted significantly. The research indicates that an expanded practice generates a new domain within the professional identity of nurses.

"Against the silence": Development and first results of a patient survey to assess experiences of safety-related events in hospital

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schwappach David LB

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Involvement of patients in the detection and prevention of safety related events and medical errors have been widely recommended. However, it has also been questioned whether patients at large are willing and able to identify safety-related events in their care. The aim of this study was to develop and pilot test a brief patient safety survey applicable to inpatient care in Swiss hospitals. Methods A survey instrument was developed in an iterative procedure. The instrument asks patients to report whether they have experienced specific undesirable events during their hospital stay. The preliminary version was developed together with experts and tested in focus groups with patients. The adapted survey instrument was pilot-tested in random samples of patients of two Swiss hospitals (n = 400. Responders to the survey that had reported experience of any incident were sampled for qualitative interviews (n = 18. Based on the interview, the researcher classified the reported incidents as confirmed or discarded. Results The survey was generally well accepted in the focus groups and interviews. In the quantitative pilot test, 125 patients returned the survey (response rate: 31%. The mean age of responders was 55 years (range 17–91, SD 18 years and 62.5% were female. The 125 participating patients reported 94 "definitive" and 34 "uncertain" events. 14% of the patients rated any of the experienced events as "serious". The definitive and uncertain events reported with highest frequency were phlebitis, missing hand hygiene, allergic drug reaction, unavailability of documents, and infection. 23% of patients reported some or serious concerns about their safety. The qualitative interviews indicate that both, the extent of patients' uncertainty in the classification of events and the likelihood of confirmation by the interviewer vary very much by type of incident. Unexpectedly, many patients reported problems and incidents related to food

Dysphagia with malignant stricture of esophagogastric junction: treatment with self-expandable nitinol stent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Choon Hyeong; Oh, Joo Hyeong; Yoon, Yup

1995-01-01

To evaluate the effectiveness, patency and safety of a self-expandable nitinol stent for palliative treatment of malignant stricture of gastroesophageal junction. An esophageal stent was inserted in five consecutive patients with malignant stricture of esophagogastric junction. Histologically, four cases were adenocarcinoma, and one was squamous cell carcinoma. The location and severity of stricture were evaluated with gastrografin just before stent insertion. In one patient with past subtotal gastrectomy, esophagography revealed fistulous fract at stricture site. No technical failure or procedural complications occurred, and improvement of dysphagia was noted in all patients soon after stent insertion. On follow up esophagograms performed 3 to 7 days after stent insertion, all stents were completely expanded and unchanged in positions. In one patient with fistulous connection at stricture site, esophagogram immediately after the procedure revealed complete occlusion of the fistula. Three patients died within 4, 7 and 8 consecutive months after stent insertion. Two patients are alive maintaining adequate body weight and passing most diet. Seft-expandable nitinol stent with it's good longitudinal flexibility and efficient radial force was effective in the palliative treatment of dysphagia in patient with malignant stricture at esophagogastric junction

Dysphagia with malignant stricture of esophagogastric junction: treatment with self-expandable nitinol stent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Choon Hyeong; Oh, Joo Hyeong; Yoon, Yup [Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1995-02-15

To evaluate the effectiveness, patency and safety of a self-expandable nitinol stent for palliative treatment of malignant stricture of gastroesophageal junction. An esophageal stent was inserted in five consecutive patients with malignant stricture of esophagogastric junction. Histologically, four cases were adenocarcinoma, and one was squamous cell carcinoma. The location and severity of stricture were evaluated with gastrografin just before stent insertion. In one patient with past subtotal gastrectomy, esophagography revealed fistulous fract at stricture site. No technical failure or procedural complications occurred, and improvement of dysphagia was noted in all patients soon after stent insertion. On follow up esophagograms performed 3 to 7 days after stent insertion, all stents were completely expanded and unchanged in positions. In one patient with fistulous connection at stricture site, esophagogram immediately after the procedure revealed complete occlusion of the fistula. Three patients died within 4, 7 and 8 consecutive months after stent insertion. Two patients are alive maintaining adequate body weight and passing most diet. Seft-expandable nitinol stent with it's good longitudinal flexibility and efficient radial force was effective in the palliative treatment of dysphagia in patient with malignant stricture at esophagogastric junction.

Optimization design of turbo-expander gas bearing for a 500W helium refrigerator

Science.gov (United States)

Li, S. S.; Fu, B.; Y Zhang, Q.

2017-12-01

Turbo-expander is the core machinery of the helium refrigerator. Bearing as the supporting element is the core technology to impact the design of turbo-expander. The perfect design and performance study for the gas bearing are essential to ensure the stability of turbo-expander. In this paper, numerical simulation is used to analyze the performance of gas bearing for a 500W helium refrigerator turbine, and the optimization design of the gas bearing has been completed. And the results of the gas bearing optimization have a guiding role in the processing technology. Finally, the turbine experiments verify that the gas bearing has good performance, and ensure the stable operation of the turbine.

The influence of experience and knowledge on reactor safety in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bointner, Raphael; Schubert, Katharina

2016-01-01

After five decades of nuclear power generation in Germany, the government decided to phase out nuclear power plants until 2022 as a consequence of the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Electricity generation is accompanied by human and technical errors, which questions if the nuclear phase-out has an influence on reactor safety. Past errors, available as so-called reportable events of nuclear power plants, can be approximated with experience measured in cumulated electricity generation by applying the Duffey-Saull method with a high coefficient of determination (R"2 = 0.84). Errors are declining with growing experience, which means the reportable events per TWh are declining over time. Today, approximately 0.9 reportable events per generated TWh occur and, given unchanging operational conditions, it is expected to remain at this magnitude in the near future. Moreover, knowledge induced by public Research and Development expenditures may supplement experience in reducing reportable events. Thus, the cumulative fission knowledge stock of Germany was added to the Duffey-Saull method for the first time. By adjusting the knowledge depreciation rate within this extended method, the prediction of reportable events is more accurate. Best results were obtained with 10.8% depreciation rate, which is also in line with the literature. (author)

Efficacy and safety of limited endoscopic sphincterotomy before self-expandable metal stent insertion for malignant biliary obstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, Hyeong Seok; Kang, Dae Hwan; Kim, Hyung Wook; Choi, Cheol Woong; Park, Su Bum; Kim, Su Jin; Ryu, Dae Gon

2017-03-07

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of limited endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) before placement of self-expandable metal stent (SEMS). This was a retrospective analysis of 244 consecutive patients with unresectable malignant biliary obstruction, who underwent placement of SEMSs following limited ES from December 2008 to February 2015. The diagnosis of malignant biliary obstruction and assessment of patient eligibility for the study was established by a combination of clinical findings, laboratory investigations, imaging and pathological results. All patients were monitored in the hospital for at least 24 h following endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography (ERCP). The incidence of immediate or early post-ERCP complications such as post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) and bleeding related to limited ES were considered as primary outcomes. Also, characteristics and complications according to the cancer type were classified. Among the 244 patients included, the underlying diagnosis was cholangiocarcinoma in 118 patients, pancreatic cancer in 79, and non-pancreatic or non-biliary malignancies in the remaining 47 patients. Early post-ERCP complications occurred in 9 patients (3.7%), with PEP in 7 patients (2.9%; mild, 6; moderate, 1) and mild bleeding in 2 patients (0.8%). There was no significant association between the incidence of post-ERCP complications and the type of malignancy (cholangiocarcinoma vs pancreatic cancer vs others, P = 0.696) or the type of SEMS used (uncovered vs covered, P = 1.000). Patients who had more than one SEMS placed at the first instance were at a significantly higher risk of post-ERCP complications (one SEMS vs two SEMS, P = 0.031). No other factors were predictive of post-ERCP complications. Limited ES is feasible and safe, and effectively facilitates the placement of SEMS, without any significant risk of PEP or severe bleeding.

Japan's international cooperation programs on seismic safety of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanada, Akira

1997-01-01

MITI is promoting many international cooperation programs on nuclear safety area. The seismic safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs) is a one of most important cooperation areas. Experts from MITI and related organization join the multilateral cooperation programs carried out by international organization such as IAEA, OECD/NEA etc. MITI is also promoting bilateral cooperation programs such as information exchange meetings, training programs and seminars on nuclear safety with several countries. Concerning to the cooperation programs on seismic safety of NPPs such as information exchange and training, MITI shall continue and expand these programs. (J.P.N.)

Oversizing and Restenosis with Self-Expanding Stents in Iliofemoral Arteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saguner, Ardan M.; Traupe, Tobias; Räber, Lorenz; Hess, Nina; Banz, Yara; Saguner, Arhan R.; Diehm, Nicolas; Hess, Otto M.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Uncoated self-expanding nitinol stents (NS) are commonly oversized in peripheral arteries. In current practice, 1-mm oversizing is recommended. Yet, oversizing of NS may be associated with increased restenosis. To provide further evidence, NS were implanted in porcine iliofemoral arteries with a stent-to-artery-ratio between 1.0 and 2.3. Besides conventional uncoated NS, a novel self-expanding NS with an antiproliferative titanium-nitride-oxide (TiNOX) coating was tested for safety and efficacy. Methods: Ten uncoated NS and six TiNOX-coated NS (5–6 mm) were implanted randomly in the iliofemoral artery of six mini-pigs. After implantation, quantitative angiography (QA) was performed for calculation of artery and minimal luminal diameter. Follow-up was performed by QA and histomorphometry after 5 months. Results: Stent migration, stent fracture, or thrombus formation were not observed. All stents were patent at follow-up. Based on the location of the stent (iliac/femoral) and the stent-to-artery-ratio, stent segments were divided into “normal-sized” (stent-to-artery-ratio < 1.4, n = 12) and “oversized” (stent-to-artery-ratio ≥ 1.4, n = 9). All stent segments expanded to their near nominal diameter during follow-up. Normal-sized stent segments increased their diameter by 6% and oversized segments by 29%. A significant correlation between oversizing and restenosis by both angiography and histomorphometry was observed. Restenosis rates were similar for uncoated NS and TiNOX-coated NS. Conclusions: TiNOX-coated NS are as safe and effective as uncoated NS in the porcine iliofemoral artery. All stents further expand to near their nominal diameter during follow-up. Oversizing is linearly and positively correlated with neointimal proliferation and restenosis, which may not be reduced by TiNOX-coating.

Animal Product Safety Information

Science.gov (United States)

... Home Animal & Veterinary Safety & Health Product Safety Information Product Safety Information Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More ... to report adverse experiences with veterinary drugs. Additional Product Information Questions and Answers: Evanger’s Dog and Cat ...

Midterm to long-term safety and efficacy of self-expandable nitinol stent implantation for coarctation of aorta in adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Haji Zeinali, Ali Mohammad; Sadeghian, Mohammad; Qureshi, Shakeel A; Ghazi, Payam

2017-09-01

Endovascular treatment of coarctation of aorta (CoA) by self-expandable Nitinol stents is one of the recognized treatment methods and may be an alternative to surgery or balloon-expandable stent implantation for CoA but there is little information about midterm to long term results of self-expandable stents. Sixty-two patients with CoA (40 men), with a mean age of 30.7 ± 11 years, (range 17-63 years) underwent stent implantation with Optimed self-expandable Nitinol stents between 2005 and 2014. Successful outcome was defined as peak systolic pressure gradient ≤20 mmHg after stent implantation. The patients were followed-up clinically and by echocardiography and in patients, in whom there was suspicion of recoarctation, CT angiography or recatheterization was performed. 65 stents were successfully implanted in all 62 patients. Peak systolic pressure gradient decreased from mean 62.4 ± 18 mmHg (range 35-100 mmHg) to mean 2.8 ± 5 mmHg (range 0-15 mmHg; P Stent displacement occurred in 3 patients during the procedure. These were managed successfully by an overlapping second stent. None of the patients had major complications such as aortic dissection, rupture, or vascular access problems. In follow up, only three patients had recoarctation, and two of these were managed successfully by balloon redilation or further stenting 16 and 18 months after the first procedure and one patient refused reintervention. There were two deaths, unrelated to the procedure, 12 and 78 months after the initial intervention. Follow-up of a mean of 45.5 ± 17 months (range 12-105 months) demonstrated no evidence of aneurysm formation or stent fracture. Self-expandable nitinol stents for the treatment of native and recurrent CoA is safe and has good efficacy with acceptable midterm to long-term outcome. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Safety related experience in FFTF startup and operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, R.E.; Halverson, T.G.; Daughtry, J.W.

1982-06-01

The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is a 400 MW(t) sodium cooled fast reactor operating at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory, Richland, Washington, to conduct fuels and materials testing in support of the US LMFBR program. Startup and initial power ascension testing of the facility involved a comprehensive series of readiness reviews and acceptance tests, many of which relate to the inherent safety of the plant. Included are physics measurements, natural circulation, integrated containment leakage, shielding effectiveness, fuel failure detection, and plant protection system tests. Described are the measurements taken to confirm the design safety margins upon which the operating authorization of the plant was based. These measurements demonstrate that large margins of safety are available in the FFTF design

Links between operating experience feedback of industrial accidents and nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eury, S.P.

2012-01-01

Since 1992, the bureau for analysis of industrial risks and pollutions (BARPI) collects, analyzes and publishes information on industrial accidents. The ARIA database lists over 40.000 accidents or incidents, most of which occurred in French classified facilities (ICPE). Events occurring in nuclear facilities are rarely reported in ARIA because they are reported in other databases. This paper describes the process of selection, characterization and review of these accidents, as well as the following consultation with industry trade groups. It is essential to publicize widely the lessons learned from analyzing industrial accidents. To this end, a web site (www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr) gives free access to the accidents summaries, detailed sheets, studies, etc. to professionals and the general public. In addition, the accidents descriptions and characteristics serve as inputs to new regulation projects or risk analyses. Finally, the question of the links between operating experience feedback of industrial accidents and nuclear safety is explored: if the rigorous and well-documented methods of experience feedback in the nuclear field certainly set an example for other activities, nuclear safety can also benefit from inputs coming from the vast diversity of accidents arisen into industrial facilities because of common grounds. Among these common grounds we can find: -) the fuel cycle facilities use many chemicals and chemical processes that are also used by chemical industries; -) the problems resulting from the ageing of equipment affect both heavy and nuclear industries; -) the risk of hydrogen explosion; -) the risk of ammonia, ammonia is a gas used by nuclear power plants as an ingredient in the onsite production of mono-chloramine and ammonia is involved in numerous accidents in the industry: at least 900 entries can be found in the ARIA database. The paper is followed by the slides of the presentation

Summary of LWR safety research in the USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murley, T.E.; Tong, L.S.; Bennett, G.L.

1977-01-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's water reactor safety research program is described and the basic results are presented. The USNRC water reactor safety research program consists of five basic research areas: integrity of vessel and piping, thermal-hydraulic test, fuel rod behaviour, code development and verification, and reactor operational safety. Results from the vessel and piping integrity research have demonstrated the high safety margins in scaled vessels and the analytical procedures for calculating vessel behaviour under pressure. Non-destructive examination techniques are being improved. Work is also proceeding to define the material constituents to reduce the susceptibility of irradiation embrittlement and stress corrosion cracking. The thermal-hydraulic tests have covered the various phases of a hypothetical loss of coolant accident (LOCA) and activation of the emergency core cooling system (ECCS). These tests have led to the development of engineering correlations to describe the phenomena to further quantify the safety margins in commercial nuclear power plants. Specifically, this paper presents selected experimental data and analytical predictions from the initial tests in LOFT and SEMISCALE. Comparisons and evaluations are made between the data and analytical predictions. Significant results and conclusions are presented regarding the behaviour of emergency core cooling systems in a LOCA environment: the ability to predict LOCA-type experiments over a scaling range of thirty and the thermal-hydraulic behaviour of components such as pumps in an integral system LOCA environment. The fuel behaviour research has provided valuable information on decay heat, cladding oxidation, fuel rod behaviour and fuel metling. Both the decay heat and the cladding oxidation have been shown to be lower than assumed in the licensing evaluations. The fuel behaviour and thermo-hydraulic research is being integrated into computer codes to be used to provide additional

Example of predictive rather than responsive safety research for fusion energy experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvares, N.J.; Hasegawa, H.K.

1979-01-01

A fault tree analysis (FTA) was used to study the fire-management systems of two LLL fusion experiments (2XIIB and SHIVA). This technique identified failure modes of existing system components and indicated what the effects of component failure might be in the event of fire in the protected spaces. This paper describes the results of the initial analytical phase of the project and indicates critical unknown parameters required for further analysis. Moreover, the analytical procedures developed are applicable to most, if not all, safety disciplines and could serve as a basis for the logical reestablishment of the FL/SCC by DOE

Safety Research Experiment Facility Project. Conceptual design report. Volume VII. Reactor cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-12-01

The Reactor Cooling System (RCS) will provide the required cooling during test operations of the Safety Research Experiment Facility (SAREF) reactor. The RCS transfers the reactor energy generated in the core to a closed-loop water storage system located completely inside the reactor containment building. After the reactor core has cooled to a safe level, the stored heat is rejected through intermediate heat exchangers to a common forced-draft evaporative cooling tower. The RCS is comprised of three independent cooling loops of which any two can remove sufficient heat from the core to prevent structural damage to the system components

Safety culture in design. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macchi, L.; Pietikaeinen, E.; Liinasuo, M.; Savioja, P.; Reiman, T.; Wahlstroem, M.; Kahlbom, U.; Rollenhagen, C.

2013-04-01

In this report we approach design from a safety culture approach As this research area is new and understudied, we take a wide scope on the issue. Different theoretical perspectives that can be taken when improving safety of the design process are considered in this report. We suggest that in the design context the concept of safety culture should be expanded from an organizational level to the level of the network of organizations involved in the design activity. The implication of approaching the design process from a safety culture perspective are discussed and the results of the empirical part of the research are presented. In the interview study in Finland and Sweden we identified challenges and opportunities in the design process from safety culture perspective. Also, a small part of the interview study concentrated on state of the art human factors engineering (HFE) practices in Finland and the results relating to that are presented. This report provide a basis for future development of systematic good design practices and for providing guidelines that can lead to safe and robust technical solutions. (Author)

Safety culture in design. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macchi, L.; Pietikaeinen, E.; Liinasuo, M.; Savioja, P.; Reiman, T.; Wahlstroem, M. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland); Kahlbom, U. [Risk Pilot AB, Stockholm (Sweden); Rollenhagen, C. [Vattenfall, Stockholm, (Sweden)

2013-04-15

In this report we approach design from a safety culture approach As this research area is new and understudied, we take a wide scope on the issue. Different theoretical perspectives that can be taken when improving safety of the design process are considered in this report. We suggest that in the design context the concept of safety culture should be expanded from an organizational level to the level of the network of organizations involved in the design activity. The implication of approaching the design process from a safety culture perspective are discussed and the results of the empirical part of the research are presented. In the interview study in Finland and Sweden we identified challenges and opportunities in the design process from safety culture perspective. Also, a small part of the interview study concentrated on state of the art human factors engineering (HFE) practices in Finland and the results relating to that are presented. This report provide a basis for future development of systematic good design practices and for providing guidelines that can lead to safe and robust technical solutions. (Author)

Health and safety concerns os migrant workers: the experience of tunisian workers in modena, Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faïçal Daly

2004-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the relatively under-researched field of healthand safety of migrant workers, with special reference to Tunisian construction workers in the city of Modena in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. The empirical material comes from questionnaires and interviews with Tunisian migrants, plus smaller numbers of interviews with employers and trade union representatives in Modena. The paper starts by critically reviewing the scattered literature onthe health and safety of minority workers, most of which refers to the United States and the United Kingdom. The discussion then moves to a consideration of migrant health and safety questions in the contexts of racism, discrimination, social class, working conditions, labour market segmentation and (non- regulation. Specialattention is given to the failed role of trade unions in defending the rights of minority workers, in advanced countries generally and in Italy in particular. A case study is then made of the construction sector in Italy, enriched by personal accounts of the experiences of Tunisian migrant workers in Modena. Employer and tradeunion interviews reveal a lack of concern and ability to tackle the relevant issues. Barriers to health and safety awareness training are outlined. In the conclusion, recommendations are made for policy initiatives in this area.

Microbial Biofilms and Breast Tissue Expanders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa J. Karau

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We previously developed and validated a vortexing-sonication technique for detection of biofilm bacteria on the surface of explanted prosthetic joints. Herein, we evaluated this technique for diagnosis of infected breast tissue expanders and used it to assess colonization of breast tissue expanders. From April 2008 to December 2011, we studied 328 breast tissue expanders at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. Of seven clinically infected breast tissue expanders, six (85.7% had positive cultures, one of which grew Propionibacterium species. Fifty-two of 321 breast tissue expanders (16.2%, 95% CI, 12.3–20.7% without clinical evidence of infection also had positive cultures, 45 growing Propionibacterium species and ten coagulase-negative staphylococci. While vortexing-sonication can detect clinically infected breast tissue expanders, 16 percent of breast tissue expanders appear to be asymptomatically colonized with normal skin flora, most commonly, Propionibacterium species.

Experimental Study in a Cascade Row for Improving the Performance of a Partially Admitted Turbo-Expander

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soo-Yong Cho

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Turbo-expanders are widely used as power generators in the field of energy conversion such as organic Rankine cycle (ORC systems. When the available thermal energy is not sufficient to operate the turbo-expander in full admission, it is much better to operate in partial admission instead of stand-down. However, the performance of the turbo-expander greatly depends on the operating conditions. Among many operating conditions, the flow angle at the nozzle and solidity can be major factors affecting the performance of the expander. In order to investigate the optimal operation conditions, experiments were conducted in a linear cascade apparatus simulating the operation of turbo-expander in partial admission. Three different nozzle flow angles of 58°, 65°, and 72° were adopted, and the experiments were conducted with respective solidities of 1.25, 1.38, and 1.67 at each nozzle flow angle. The cross section of the nozzle was rectangular and the chord of the tested blade was 200 mm. The blades moved in a rotational direction, and the forces on the blades were measured with the surface pressure at steady state. The experimental results showed that the rotational force increased for a larger solidity or for a smaller nozzle flow angle.

Safety First

Science.gov (United States)

Taft, Darryl

2011-01-01

Ned Miller does not take security lightly. As director of campus safety and emergency management at the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), any threat requires serious consideration. As community college administrators adopt a more proactive approach to campus safety, many institutions are experimenting with emerging technologies, including…

Nuclear criticality safety experiments, calculations, and analyses: 1958 to 1982. Volume 1. Lookup tables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koponen, B.L.; Hampel, V.E.

1982-01-01

This compilation contains 688 complete summaries of papers on nuclear criticality safety as presented at meetings of the American Nuclear Society (ANS). The selected papers contain criticality parameters for fissile materials derived from experiments and calculations, as well as criticality safety analyses for fissile material processing, transport, and storage. The compilation was developed as a component of the Nuclear Criticality Information System (NCIS) now under development at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The compilation is presented in two volumes: Volume 1 contains a directory to the ANS Transaction volume and page number where each summary was originally published, the author concordance, and the subject concordance derived from the keyphrases in titles. Volume 2 contains - in chronological order - the full-text summaries, reproduced here by permission of the American Nuclear Society from their Transactions, volumes 1-41

Hybrid Scenarios, Transmedia Storytelling, Expanded Ethnography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Domínguez Figaredo

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The transformation of social scenarios due to the impact of digital technologies, introduces new possibilities for ethnographic research. Once the initial approaches focused on the dichotomy of “physical-virtual spaces” have been overcame, it comes a stage of maturity that allows the ethnographers to open new avenues for conceptual and analytical methodology applied in techno-social scenarios. This article discusses the evolution of some key dimensions of ethnography according to the new social and epistemological framework. The discussion is based on the analysis of expanded practices that take place in the new techno-social spaces, defined as hybrid environments, where technologies are embedded in the physical life of the subjects. On the one hand, we consider the production of actions based on the assembly of ideas, meanings and objects through digital mediation devices. It is also analysed the transmedia component of the narratives that make sense to allow the experiments. Underlying the analysis, some elements are introduced for discussion on the scope of expanded ethnographic research, the influence of transmedia phenomenon in the notion of “field” and the methods for determining the significance through digital storytelling.

The Influence of the Heat Source Temperature on the Multivane Expander Output Power in an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotr Kolasiński

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC power systems are nowadays an option for local and domestic cogeneration of heat and electric power. Very interesting are micropower systems for heat recovery from low potential (40–90 °C waste and renewable heat sources. Designing an ORC system dedicated to heat recovery from such a source is very difficult. Most important problems are connected with the selection of a suitable expander. Volumetric machines, such as scroll and screw expanders, are adopted as turbine alternative in small-power ORC systems. However, these machines are complicated and expensive. Vane expanders on the other hand are simple and cheap. This paper presents a theoretical and experimental analysis of the operation of a micro-ORC rotary vane expander under variable heat source temperature conditions. The main objective of this research was therefore a comprehensive analysis of relation between the vane expander output power and the heat source temperature. A series of experiments was performed using the micropower ORC test-stand. Results of these experiments are presented here, together with a mathematical description of multivane expanders. The analysis presented in this paper indicates that the output power of multivane expanders depend on the heat source temperature, and that multivane expanders are cheap alternatives to other expanders proposed for micropower ORC systems.

Simulation experiments concerning functioning tests of technical safety devices with process computers. Pt. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawickhorst, W.

1976-12-01

Computerized inspection techniques of engineered safety systems improve the diagnosis capability, relative to the presently used techniques, even if anticipated system disturbances can only be qualitatively predicted. To achieve this, the system to be inspected must be partitioned into small subsystems, which can be treated independently from each other. This report contains the formulation of a standardized inspection concept based on system decomposition. Its performance is discussed by means of simulation experiments. (orig.) [de

Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Safety

Science.gov (United States)

Luckenbaugh, Raymond W.

1996-11-01

Each organic chemistry student should become familiar with the educational and governmental laboratory safety requirements. One method for teaching laboratory safety is to assign each student to locate safety resources for a specific class laboratory experiment. The student should obtain toxicity and hazardous information for all chemicals used or produced during the assigned experiment. For example, what is the LD50 or LC50 for each chemical? Are there any specific hazards for these chemicals, carcinogen, mutagen, teratogen, neurotixin, chronic toxin, corrosive, flammable, or explosive agent? The school's "Chemical Hygiene Plan", "Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals in the Laboratory" (National Academy Press), and "Laboratory Standards, Part 1910 - Occupational Safety and Health Standards" (Fed. Register 1/31/90, 55, 3227-3335) should be reviewed for laboratory safety requirements for the assigned experiment. For example, what are the procedures for safe handling of vacuum systems, if a vacuum distillation is used in the assigned experiment? The literature survey must be submitted to the laboratory instructor one week prior to the laboratory session for review and approval. The student should then give a short presentation to the class on the chemicals' toxicity and hazards and describe the safety precautions that must be followed. This procedure gives the student first-hand knowledge on how to find and evaluate information to meet laboartory safety requirements.

Measuring negative and positive caregiving experiences: A psychometric analysis of the Caregiver Strain Index Expanded

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kruithof, WJ; Post, MWM; Meily, JMA

2015-01-01

Objective: To compare the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Strain Index Expanded with those of the original Caregiver Strain Index among partners of stroke patients. Design and subjects: Cross-sectional validation study among 173 caregivers of stroke patients six months post-stroke. Main

Safety enhancement efforts after Fukushima accident in Korea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, U.C., E-mail: uclee@nssc.go.kr [Nuclear Safety & Security Commission, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2014-07-01

On March 11 of 2011, a massive earthquake and powerful tsunami hit the north-eastern region of Japan and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was massively damaged. Korea which is located closest to Japan was not directly affected, however, its people were shocked. They were concerned over the possibility of being exposed to radiation as well as for the safety of domestic nuclear power plants. The Korean government recognized the need to take prompt and immediate actions to alleviate these concerns. The Korean government immediately implemented special safety inspection and derived 50 long and short-term improvement action items to ensure safety of NPPs under extreme hazard conditions. At present, stage 3 of implementation strategy is being implemented, with completion of 22 items including ASTS (Automatic Seismic Trip System) as well as revision of 14 items including suitability review of action measures taken for investigation and research of maximum earthquake at NPP sites. The IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission was conducted for two weeks during July 10 and 22, 2011, which happened to be the very first review mission to be carried out since the Fukushima disaster. A module on the policy issues related to the actions taken after the Fukushima accident was newly added to the mission. The mission highlighted positive aspects of Korea's safety regulatory program, praising its technical competence and effectiveness. Additionally it concluded that Korea has been responding to the accident in a timely and an effective manner. The follow-up review mission is scheduled in December of this year, expanding the scope to include radiation safety as well. The most noteworthy change in Korea since the Fukushima accident is independence of the regulatory body. Not only to enhance effectiveness and independence of the regulatory body but to secure nuclear safety, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) was established on October 26

Safety climate and the distracted driving experiences of truck drivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Swedler, David I; Pollack, Keshia M; Agnew, Jacqueline

2015-07-01

For truck drivers, distracted driving is a workplace behavior that increases occupational injury risk. We propose safety climate as an appropriate lens through which researchers can examine occupational distracted driving. Using a mixed methods study design, we surveyed truck drivers using the Safety Climate Questionnaire (SCQ) complemented by semi-structured interviews of experts on distracted driving and truck safety. Safety climate was assessed by using the entire SCQ as an overall climate score, followed by factor analysis that identified the following safety climate factors: Communications and Procedures; Management Commitment; and Work Pressure. In multivariate regression, the overall safety climate scale was associated with having ever experienced a crash and/or distraction-involved swerving. Interview participants described how these SCQ constructs could affect occupational distracted driving. To reduce distraction-related crashes in their organizations, management can adhere to safe policies and procedures, invest in engineering controls, and develop safer communication procedures. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Transcatheter aortic value implantation with self-expandable nitinol valved stent: an experimental study in sheep

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Haibin; Huang Xinmiao; Bai Yuan

2011-01-01

Objective: to determine the feasibility and safety of transcatheter aortic valve implantation with domestic self-expandable nitinol valved stent in experimental sheep. Methods: A fresh pig pericardium was cross-linked with a 0.6% glutaraldehyde solution for 36 hours and then sutured on a nitinol self-expandable stent. Ten healthy sheep of (46.00±2.60) kg body weight were chosen for the study. Under general anesthesia, the device was delivered through catheter into the native aortic valve of the sheep via the femoral artery or abdominal aorta. The animals were followed up for three months. Results: Six devices were successfully delivered at the desired position in six sheep with no occurrence of complications. Angiographic and hemodynamic studies confirmed that the stents were fixed at correct position with competent valve function immediately and 90 days after the procedure. Technical failure or fatal complications occurred in the remaining four sheep. Conclusion: Implantation of a domestic nitinol self-expandable stent at the aortic valve position through a transcatheter approach is feasible in experimental sheep. (authors)

Nuclear Safety Review for the Year 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-15

States with advanced nuclear power programmes to newcomer Member States or, on request, to those States that are expanding their nuclear power programmes. The Agency is actively involved in the development of safety goals for a robust and technically consistent framework for nuclear power plants and other nuclear and radiation installations and activities. This requires a holistic consideration of quantitative and qualitative criteria to ensure that no individual bears unacceptable radiation risks, as stated in the Agency's Fundamental Safety Principles (IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1). Fuel cycle facilities, covering a diverse range of installations and processes - from mining to enrichment to fabrication to reprocessing to storage or disposal - present varying degrees of hazards and specific challenges to nuclear safety (e.g., criticality control, chemical hazards, fires and explosions). Events reported in 2010 to the Agency's Fuel Incident Notification and Analysis System (FINAS) indicated that the main root causes of these events were related to organizational and human factors. Of the 441 reactors currently operating around the world, many were built in the 1970s and 1980s, with an average lifespan of around 35 years. Their decommissioning peak will occur from 2020 to 2030 which will present a major managerial, technological, safety and environmental challenge to those States engaged in nuclear decommissioning. The need for national and international mechanisms for early planning, adequate funding and long term strategies applies not only to decommissioning, but also to radioactive waste management and spent fuel management, including disposal arrangements and clean-up, as well as the preservation of operational knowledge and experience to ensure the safety of these activities. Many of these issues were discussed in depth at the International Conference on Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors held at the Agency in May, 2010. The collective

The effect of leadership behaviours on followers’ experiences and expectations in a safety-critical industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christiaan G. Joubert

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Motivation for this study was found in concern expressed by civil aviation organisations that specialists in the air navigation services provider sector require appropriate and beneficial organisational leadership to encourage, enable and manage transformation within this highly structured setting. Also, academic research puts emphasis on a need for investigations of the roles, expectations and requirements of followers in the leadership–followership relationship. Followers’ experiences and expectations of leadership behaviours in an air navigation service provider (ANSP organisation were investigated and served as orientation and setting applicable to this study. Aim: The aim of the research was to identify and understand how follower experiences and expectations of leadership behaviours in a safety-critical commercial environment can affect leadership training and growth. The above-mentioned motivated this investigation of leadership traits and behaviours within an explicit context and from a follower’s viewpoint. Setting: The setting for the study was twenty two Air Traffic and Navigation Services Company sites where followers’ experiences and expectations of leadership behaviours in an air navigation service provider (ANSP organisation were investigated and served as orientation and setting applicable to this study. Methods: An ethnographic case study research style was adopted and followed because it allowed for an all-inclusive, holistic narrative report and interpretation. The samples for the quantitative and qualitative components of this study were parallel and methods employed addressed different aspects of the phenomenon, which allowed for a mixed methods research design. A one-way causality in the research design was observed because traits of followers that might influence leaders’ behaviours were excluded. Data were collected by means of a Leader Trait and Behaviour Questionnaire completed by participants

Regulatory supervision of safety indicators; experience with radiation safety indicators in Dukovany nuclear power plant performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urbancik, L.; Kulich, V.

2004-01-01

The State Office for Nuclear Safety uses three sets of indicators describing the following aspects of a favourable nuclear power plant operation: smooth operation in normal circumstances, low risk to the population, and operation with a positive safety attitude. These are three safety-related areas for assessment. Each area has its own set of indicators. Overall operational safety performance indicators were identified for each attribute. From this point, a level of strategic indicators was developed, and finally, a set of specific indicators was set up. While neither the overall indicators nor the strategic indicators are directly measurable, the specific indicators are directly measurable and are targeted during inspection. (author)

Risk-based safety indicators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sedlak, J.

2001-12-01

The report is structured as follows: 1. Risk-based safety indicators: Typology of risk-based indicators (RBIs); Tools for defining RBIs; Requirements for the PSA model; Data sources for RBIs; Types of risks monitored; RBIs and operational safety indicators; Feedback from operating experience; PSO model modification for RBIs; RBI categorization; RBI assessment; RBI applications; Suitable RBI applications. 2. Proposal for risk-based indicators: Acquiring information from operational experience; Method of acquiring safety relevance coefficients for the systems from a PSA model; Indicator definitions; On-line indicators. 3. Annex: Application of RBIs worldwide. (P.A.)

Visit safety

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

Experiment areas, offices, workshops: it is possible to have co-workers or friends visit these places.     You already know about the official visits service, the VIP office, and professional visits. But do you know about the safety instruction GSI-OHS1, “Visits on the CERN site”? This is a mandatory General Safety Instruction that was created to assist you in ensuring safety for all your visits, whatever their nature—especially those that are non-official. Questions? The HSE Unit will be happy to answer them. Write to safety-general@cern.ch.   The HSE Unit

Modernization of Unit 2 at Oskarshamn NPP- Main Objectives, Experience from Design, Separation of Operational and Nuclear Safety Equipment - Lessons Learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanaan, Salah K.

2015-01-01

This paper aims to give a picture of Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant (OKG) experience from design for one of the biggest modernization project in the world and focuses on what was learned that is specific to robustness of electrical power systems, especially through Fukushima Station Blackout (SBO). The planning for unit 2 at OKG was initiated in 1967 and the plant was completed on time and was synchronized to the grid October 2, 1974 and is of type BWR. Unit 2 was originally on 580 MW. In 1982 a thermal power up-rate was performed, from 1700 MWh to 1800 MWh (106% reactor output). A decision was made to perform a modernization and a new power up-rate to 850 MW and there were several reasons for this decision; New safety regulations from Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM), Ageing of important components and the initial focus was on safety and availability - Project Plant Life Extension (Plex) was established and became the largest nuclear power modernization in the world. The modernization will lead to: - New safety concept with 4 divisions instead for existing 2 with 2 new buildings South Electrical Building (SEB) and North Electrical Building (NEB); - Completely new software - based equipments for monitoring, control and I and C; - New Low Pressure Turbine, new generator and main transformer; - New MCR and simulator; - Compliance with modern reactor safety requirements; - Redundancy, Separation, Diversification, Earthquake; - Reinforcement of existing safety functions; - New Electricity - I and C (electric power incl. reinforced emergency power and control systems); - New buildings for Electricity - I and C; - Reinforcement of existing process systems as well as installation of new ones. Based on studies and good experiences on how to separate the operational and the safety equipment, the project led to a completely new safety concept. The safety concept is based on fully understanding the safety system that shall encompass all of the elements required to

Self-expandable metal stents for relieving malignant colorectal obstruction: short-term safety and efficacy within 30 days of stent procedure in 447 patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meisner, Søren; González-Huix, Ferran; Vandervoort, Jo G

2011-01-01

The self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) can alleviate malignant colonic obstruction and avoid emergency decompressive surgery.......The self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) can alleviate malignant colonic obstruction and avoid emergency decompressive surgery....

Halden fuel and material experiments beyond operational and safety limits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkov, Boris; Wiesenack, Wolfgang; McGrath, M.; Tverberg, T.

2014-01-01

One of the main tasks of any research reactor is to investigate the behavior of nuclear fuel and materials prior to their introduction into the market. For commercial NPPs, it is important both to test nuclear fuels at a fuel burn-up exceeding current limits and to investigate reactor materials for higher irradiation dose. For fuel vendors such tests enable verification of fuel reliability or for the safety limits to be found under different operational conditions and accident situations. For the latter, in-pile experiments have to be performed beyond some normal limits. The program of fuel tests performed in the Halden reactor is aimed mainly at determining: The thermal FGR threshold, which may limit fuel operational power with burn-up increase, the “lift-off effect” when rod internal pressure exceeds coolant pressure, the effects of high burn-up on fuel behavior under power ramps, fuel relocation under LOCA simulation at higher burn-up, the effect of dry-out on high burn-up fuel rod integrity. This paper reviews some of the experiments performed in the Halden reactor for understanding some of the limits for standard fuel utilization with the aim of contributing to the development of innovative fuels and cladding materials that could be used beyond these limits. (author)

DOE Handbook: Supplementary guidance and design experience for the fusion safety standards DOE-STD-6002-96 and DOE-STD-6003-96

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1999-01-01

Two standards have been developed that pertain to the safety of fusion facilities. These are DOE- STD-6002-96, Safety of Magnetic Fusion Facilities: Requirements, and DOE-STD-6003-96, Safety of Magnetic Fusion Facilities: Guidance. The first of these standards identifies requirements that subscribers to that standard must meet to achieve safety in fusion facilities. The second standard contains guidance to assist in meeting the requirements identified in the first This handbook provides additional documentation on good operations and design practices as well as lessons learned from the experiences of designers and operators of previous fusion facilities and related systems. It is intended to capture the experience gained in the various fields and pass it on to designers of future fusion facilities as a means of enhancing success and safety. The sections of this document are presented according to the physical location of the major systems of a fusion facility, beginning with the vacuum vessel and proceeding to those systems and components outside the vacuum vessel (the "Ex-vessel Systems"). The last section describes administrative procedures that cannot be localized to specific components. It has been tacitly assumed that the general structure of the fusion facilities addressed is that of a tokamak though the same principles would apply to other magnetic confinement options.

Experiments with preirradiated fuel rods in the Nuclear Safety Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horiki, O.; Kobayashi, S.; Takariko, I.; Ishijima, K.

1992-01-01

In the Nuclear Safety Research Reactor (NSRR) owned and operated by Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), extensive experimental studies on the fuel behavior under reactivity initiated accident (RIA) conditions have been continued since the start of the test program in 1975. Accumulated experimental data were used as the fundamental data base of the Japanese safety evaluation guideline for reactivity initiated events in light water cooled nuclear power plants established by the nuclear safety commission in 1984. All of the data used to establish the guideline were, however, limited to those derived from the tests with fresh fuel rods as test samples because of the lack of experimental facility to handle highly radioactive materials.The guideline, therefore, introduces the peak fuel enthalpy of 85 cal/g which was adopted from the SPERT-CDC data as a provisional failure threshold of preirradiated fuel rod and, says that this value should be revised based on the NSRR experiments in the future. According to the above requirement, new NSRR experimental program with the preirradiated fuel rods as test samples was started in 1989. Test fuel rods are prepared by refabrication of the long-sized fuel rods preirradiated in commercial PWRs and BWRs into short segments and by preirradiation of short-sized test fuel rods in the Japan Material Testing Reactor(JMTR). For the tests with preirradiated fuel rods as test samples, the special experimental capsules, the automatic instrumentation fitting device, the automatic capsule assembling device and the capsule loading device were newly developed. In addition, the existing hot cave was modified to mount the capsule assembling device and the other inspection tools and, a new small iron cell was established adjacent to the cave to store the instrumentation fitting device. (author)

Nuclear criticality safety guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pruvost, N.L.; Paxton, H.C.

1996-09-01

This technical reference document cites information related to nuclear criticality safety principles, experience, and practice. The document also provides general guidance for criticality safety personnel and regulators

Nuclear criticality safety guide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pruvost, N.L.; Paxton, H.C. [eds.

1996-09-01

This technical reference document cites information related to nuclear criticality safety principles, experience, and practice. The document also provides general guidance for criticality safety personnel and regulators.

Japan`s international cooperation programs on seismic safety of nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanada, Akira [Agency of Natural Resources and Energy, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-03-01

MITI is promoting many international cooperation programs on nuclear safety area. The seismic safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs) is a one of most important cooperation areas. Experts from MITI and related organization join the multilateral cooperation programs carried out by international organization such as IAEA, OECD/NEA etc. MITI is also promoting bilateral cooperation programs such as information exchange meetings, training programs and seminars on nuclear safety with several countries. Concerning to the cooperation programs on seismic safety of NPPs such as information exchange and training, MITI shall continue and expand these programs. (J.P.N.)

Lessons learned from the Galileo and Ulysses flight safety review experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, Gary L.

1998-01-01

In preparation for the launches of the Galileo and Ulysses spacecraft, a very comprehensive aerospace nuclear safety program and flight safety review were conducted. A review of this work has highlighted a number of important lessons which should be considered in the safety analysis and review of future space nuclear systems. These lessons have been grouped into six general categories: (1) establishment of the purpose, objectives and scope of the safety process; (2) establishment of charters defining the roles of the various participants; (3) provision of adequate resources; (4) provision of timely peer-reviewed information to support the safety program; (5) establishment of general ground rules for the safety review; and (6) agreement on the kinds of information to be provided from the safety review process

Safety research program of NUCEF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naito, Y.

1996-01-01

To contribute the safety and establishment of advanced technologies in the area of nuclear fuel cycle, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) has constructed a new research facility NUCEF (Nuclear Fuel Cycle Safety Engineering Research Facility) as the center for the research and development, particularly on the reprocessing technology and transuranium (TRU) waste management. NUCEF consist of three buildings, administration building, experiment building A and B. Building A has two experiment facilities STACY (Static Experiment Critical Facility) and TRACY (Transient Experiment Critical Facility). The experiment building B is referred to as BECKY (Back-end Fuel Cycle Key Elements Research Facility). Researches on the reprocessing and the waste management are carried out with spent fuels, high-level liquid waste, TRU etc. in the α γ cell and glove boxes. NUCEF was constructed with the following aims. Using STACY and TRACY, are aimed, (1) research on advanced technology for criticality safety control, (2) reconfirmation of criticality safety margin of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant. Using BECKY, are aimed, (1) research on advanced technology of reprocessing process, (2) contribution to develop the scenario for TRU waste disposal, (3) development of new technology for TRU partitioning and volume reduction of radioactive waste. To realize the above aims, following 5 research subjects are settled in NUCEF, (1) Criticality safety research, (2) Research on safety and advanced technology of fuel reprocessing, (3) Research on TRU waste management, (4) Fundamental research on TRU chemistry, (5) Key technology development for TRU processing. (author)

The effects of risk perception and flight experience on airline pilots' locus of control with regard to safety operation behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Xuqun; Ji, Ming; Han, Haiyan

2013-08-01

The primary objective of this paper was to integrate two research traditions, social cognition approach and individual state approach, and to understand the relationships between locus of control (LOC), risk perception, flight time, and safety operation behavior (SOB) among Chinese airline pilots. The study sample consisted of 193 commercial airline pilots from China Southern Airlines Ltd. The results showed that internal locus of control directly affected pilot safety operation behavior. Risk perception seemed to mediate the relationship between locus of control and safety operation behaviors, and total flight time moderated internal locus of control. Thus, locus of control primarily influences safety operation behavior indirectly by affecting risk perception. The total effect of internal locus of control on safety behaviors is larger than that of external locus of control. Furthermore, the safety benefit of flight experience is more pronounced among pilots with high internal loci of control in the early and middle flight building stages. Practical implications for aviation safety and directions for future research are also discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A US Multicenter Study of Safety and Efficacy of Fully Covered Self-Expandable Metallic Stents in Benign Extrahepatic Biliary Strictures.

Science.gov (United States)

Saxena, Payal; Diehl, David L; Kumbhari, Vivek; Shieh, Frederick; Buscaglia, Jonathan M; Sze, Wilson; Kapoor, Sumit; Komanduri, Srinadh; Nasr, John; Shin, Eun Ji; Singh, Vikesh; Lennon, Anne Marie; Kalloo, Anthony N; Khashab, Mouen A

2015-11-01

Endoscopic therapy is considered first line for management of benign biliary strictures (BBSs). Placement of plastic stents has been effective but limited by their short-term patency and need for repeated procedures. Fully covered self-expandable metallic stents (FCSEMSs) offer longer-lasting biliary drainage without the need for frequent exchanges. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of FCSEMS in patients with BBS. A retrospective review of all patients who underwent ERCP and FCSEMS placement at five tertiary referral US hospitals was performed. Stricture resolution and adverse events related to ERCP and/or stenting were recorded. A total of 123 patients underwent FCSEMS placement for BBS and 112 underwent a subsequent follow-up ERCP. The mean age was 62 years (±15.6), and 57% were males. Stricture resolution occurred in 81% of patients after a mean of 1.2 stenting procedures (mean stent dwell time 24.4 ± 2.3 weeks), with a mean follow-up of 18.5 months. Stricture recurrence occurred in 5 patients, and 3 patients required surgery for treatment of refractory strictures. Stent migration (9.7%) was the most common complication, followed by stent occlusion (4.9%), cholangitis (4.1%), and pancreatitis (3.3%). There was one case of stent fracture during removal, and one stent could not be removed. There was one death due to cholangitis. Majority of BBS can be successfully managed with 1-2 consecutive FCSEMS with stent dwell time of 6 months.

The significance of the human factor in the safety of nuclear reactors: the French experience and the lessons of Three Mile Island

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houze, C.; Oury, J.M.

1982-05-01

The importance of the human factor to French nuclear safety policy and the application of human fallibility as a parameter of safety analysis are described. The impact of reactor operating experience on future theoretical and practical application considerations is discussed. Particular reference is given to the lessons of Three Mile Island

Data acquisition for the Sodium Loop Safety Facility experiment P4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baldwin, R.D.; Kraimer, M.R.; Wilson, R.E.; Gilbert, D.M.

1982-01-01

Data acquisition for the Sodium Loop Safety Facility (SLSF) experiment P4 used three computers for the continuous collection of data and two computers for the routing and displaying of data. Four of these computer systems were located at the Engineering Test Reactor (ETR) site, in Idaho, to access sensor signals from the analog to digital interfaces. The fifth system was located at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), in Illinois, and was used mainly for display and storage of data. All display computers were connected together using the DECNET software package. The transmission of data was managed over a dedicated phone line using 9600 baud long distance modems. A stand-alone high speed data acquisition system was also used to record data during planned reactor transients

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

Safety goals and safety culture opening plenary. 1. WANO's Role in Maintaining and Improving Safety Culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsutsumi, Ryosuke

2001-01-01

Over the past several years, operators of the world's nuclear plants have compiled an increasingly impressive record of operational performance. Among the many factors that have led to this improvement are the unprecedented cooperation and information exchange among the world's nuclear operators. This paper presents the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) operating experience program and WANO peer review program as examples of the kinds of interaction that are occurring around the globe to maintain and improve the nuclear safety culture. In addition, some unique features of WANO are discussed. WANO has established four programs to help its members communicate effectively with each other. These include the exchange of operating experiences, voluntary peer reviews, professional and technical development, and technical support and exchange. The operating experience program alerts members to events that have occurred at other NPPs and enables members to take appropriate actions to prevent event recurrence. When an event occurs at a plant, management at that plant analyses the event and completes an event report, which is then sent to the WANO regional center to which the plant belongs. After a regional center review and necessary iteration, the report is posted onto the WANO Web site to make it available to all WANO members. By the end of 2000, more than 1500 event reports had been posted. The WANO Peer Review Program is a unique opportunity for members to learn and share the best worldwide insights into safe and reliable nuclear operations. The peer review program has become one of WANO's most important activities containing all essential elements of WANO's mission. A WANO peer review team consists of 15 to 16 people with NPP experience; most team members are from countries outside the one that they are visiting. These teams of peers from plants around the world visit host plants upon request to identify strengths and areas for improvement, with a strong

Exploring relationships between hospital patient safety culture and Consumer Reports safety scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Scott Alan; Yount, Naomi; Sorra, Joann

2017-02-16

A number of private and public companies calculate and publish proprietary hospital patient safety scores based on publicly available quality measures initially reported by the U.S. federal government. This study examines whether patient safety culture perceptions of U.S. hospital staff in a large national survey are related to publicly reported patient safety ratings of hospitals. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (Hospital SOPS) assesses provider and staff perceptions of hospital patient safety culture. Consumer Reports (CR), a U.S. based non-profit organization, calculates and shares with its subscribers a Hospital Safety Score calculated annually from patient experience survey data and outcomes data gathered from federal databases. Linking data collected during similar time periods, we analyzed relationships between staff perceptions of patient safety culture composites and the CR Hospital Safety Score and its five components using multiple multivariate linear regressions. We analyzed data from 164 hospitals, with patient safety culture survey responses from 140,316 providers and staff, with an average of 856 completed surveys per hospital and an average response rate per hospital of 56%. Higher overall Hospital SOPS composite average scores were significantly associated with higher overall CR Hospital Safety Scores (β = 0.24, p Consumer Reports Hospital Safety Score, which is a composite of patient experience and outcomes data from federal databases. As hospital managers allocate resources to improve patient safety culture within their organizations, their efforts may also indirectly improve consumer-focused, publicly reported hospital rating scores like the Consumer Reports Hospital Safety Score.

Clinical application of self-expandable metallic stents in the treatment of malignant tracheal stenosis under general anesthesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Weitao; Shi Haibin; Yang Zhengqiang; Liu Sheng; Zhou Chungao; Zhao Linbo; Xia Jinguo; Li Linsun

2009-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of self-expandable metallic stent placement for the treatment of malignant tracheal stenosis under general anesthesia and fluoroscopic guidance. Methods: Under general anesthesia the placement of self-expandable metallic stent was performed in 10 patients with malignant tracheal stenosis, the procedure was completed under fluoroscopic guidance in all patients. Results: Successful tracheal stenting was achieved in all 10 patients. In one patient, a Y-shaped stent was used as the tracheal carina was involved in the airway stenosis. The symptoms of dyspnea and asthma were markedly improved immediately after the implantation of stent in all patients. Conclusion: Tracheal implantation of self-expandable metallic stent under general anesthesia and fluoroscopic guidance is a safe and effective treatment for malignant tracheal stenosis, it can promptly relieve various symptoms caused by malignant tracheal stenosis and obviously improve patient's living quality, therefore,t his technique is of great value in clinical practice. (authors)

Self-expandable stent loaded with {sup 125}I seeds: Feasibility and safety in a rabbit model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo Jinhe [Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Road, Nanjing 210009 (China); Teng Gaojun [Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Road, Nanjing 210009 (China)]. E-mail: gjteng@vip.sina.com; Zhu Guangyu [Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Road, Nanjing 210009 (China); He Shicheng [Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Road, Nanjing 210009 (China); Deng Gang [Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Road, Nanjing 210009 (China); He Jie [Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Road, Nanjing 210009 (China)

2007-02-15

Objective: To evaluate technical feasibility and acute and subacute radiotolerance of a self-expandable stent loaded with {sup 125}I seeds in the rabbit esophagus. Methods: A self-expandable stent designed for esophageal application was made of 0.16 mm nitinol wire and loaded with {sup 125}I seeds (CIAE-6711). Twenty-seven stents with three different radioactive dosages (n = 9 in each dosage group) were implanted in the esophagus of healthy rabbits, while nine stents alone were used as controls. The stents were perorally deployed into the esophagus under fluoroscopic guidance. Radiological follow-up included plain chest film, CT scan, and barium esophagography which were undertaken in all rabbits of each group at 2, 4, and 8 weeks, respectively, which were correlated to histopathological findings. The stented esophageal segments along with their adjacent tissues were harvested for histopathological examinations. Results: The stent was successfully deployed into the targeted esophageal segment in all rabbits. Neither {sup 125}I seeds dislodged from the stent during the deployment, nor they did during the follow-up period. The greatest (16.2 Gy) absorbed dose was found in the tissue 10 mm from {sup 125}I seeds at 8 weeks. Slight epithelial hyperplasia on the stent surface and submucosal inflammatory process developed at 2 weeks, which reached the peak at 8 weeks after the procedure. Significant thickness of the esophageal muscular layer was found at 8 weeks only in the groups with {sup 125}I seeds. On radiologic follow-up, moderate strictures on both ends of the stents developed at 4 weeks and became severe at 8 weeks after the procedure in all groups. Conclusion: Deployment of a self-expandable stent loaded with {sup 125}I seeds is technically feasible and safe within the first 8 weeks. Acute and subacute radiotolerance of the treated esophagus and its adjacent tissues by {sup 125}I seeds is well preserved in a healthy rabbit model.

Thermal hydraulic reactor safety analyses and experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmstroem, H.; Eerikaeinen, L.; Kervinen, T.; Kilpi, K.; Mattila, L.; Miettinen, J.; Yrjoelae, V.

1989-04-01

The report introduces the results of the thermal hydraulic reactor safety research performed in the Nuclear Engineering Laboratory of the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) during the years 1972-1987. Also practical applications i.e. analyses for the safety authorities and power companies are presented. The emphasis is on description of the state-of-the-art know how. The report describes VTT's most important computer codes, both those of foreign origin and those developed at VTT, and their assessment work, VTT's own experimental research, as well as international experimental projects and other forms of cooperation VTT has participated in. Appendix 8 contains a comprehensive list of the most important publications and technical reports produced. They present the content and results of the research in detail.(orig.)

Effects of the Temporary Placement of a Self-Expandable Metallic Stent in Benign Pyloric Stenosis

OpenAIRE

Choi, Won Jae; Park, Jong-Jae; Park, Jain; Lim, Eun-Hye; Joo, Moon Kyung; Yun, Jae-Won; Noh, Hyejin; Kim, Sung Ho; Choi, Woo Seok; Lee, Beom Jae; Kim, Ji Hoon; Yeon, Jong Eun; Kim, Jae Seon; Byun, Kwan Soo; Bak, Young-Tae

2013-01-01

Background/Aims The use of self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) is an established palliative treatment for malignant stenosis in the gastrointestinal tract; therefore, its application to benign stenosis is expected to be beneficial because of the more gradual and sustained dilatation in the stenotic portion. We aimed in this prospective observational study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of temporary SEMS placement in benign pyloric stenosis. Methods Twenty-two patients with benign sten...

Operational safety at the FFTF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baird, Q.L.; Hagan, J.W.; Seeman, S.E.; Baker, S.M.

1981-02-01

An extensive operational nuclear safety program has been an integral part of the design, startup, and initial operating phases of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). During the design and construction of the facility, a program of independent safety overviews and analyses assured the provision of responsible safety margins within the plant, protective systems, and engineered safety features for protection of the public, operating staff, and the facility. The program is continuing through surveillance of operations to verify continued adherence to the established operating envelope and for timely identification of any trends potentially adverse to those margins. Experience from operation of FFTF is being utilized in the development of enhanced operational nuclear safety aids for application in follow-on breeder reactor power systems. The commendable plant and personnel safety experiences of FFTF through its startup and ascension to full power demonstrate the overall effectiveness of the FFTF operational nuclear safety program

Silicon microfabricated beam expander

Science.gov (United States)

Othman, A.; Ibrahim, M. N.; Hamzah, I. H.; Sulaiman, A. A.; Ain, M. F.

2015-03-01

The feasibility design and development methods of silicon microfabricated beam expander are described. Silicon bulk micromachining fabrication technology is used in producing features of the structure. A high-precision complex 3-D shape of the expander can be formed by exploiting the predictable anisotropic wet etching characteristics of single-crystal silicon in aqueous Potassium-Hydroxide (KOH) solution. The beam-expander consist of two elements, a micromachined silicon reflector chamber and micro-Fresnel zone plate. The micro-Fresnel element is patterned using lithographic methods. The reflector chamber element has a depth of 40 µm, a diameter of 15 mm and gold-coated surfaces. The impact on the depth, diameter of the chamber and absorption for improved performance are discussed.

Monitoring product safety in the postmarketing environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharrar, Robert G; Dieck, Gretchen S

2013-10-01

The safety profile of a medicinal product may change in the postmarketing environment. Safety issues not identified in clinical development may be seen and need to be evaluated. Methods of evaluating spontaneous adverse experience reports and identifying new safety risks include a review of individual reports, a review of a frequency distribution of a list of the adverse experiences, the development and analysis of a case series, and various ways of examining the database for signals of disproportionality, which may suggest a possible association. Regulatory agencies monitor product safety through a variety of mechanisms including signal detection of the adverse experience safety reports in databases and by requiring and monitoring risk management plans, periodic safety update reports and postauthorization safety studies. The United States Food and Drug Administration is working with public, academic and private entities to develop methods for using large electronic databases to actively monitor product safety. Important identified risks will have to be evaluated through observational studies and registries.

Bigelow Expandable Activity Module Project

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) project is a NASA-industry partnership with Bigelow Aerospace (BA) that has developing the first human-rated expandable...

Implantation of modified Y-shaped self-expandable stent for the treatment of stenosis of gastroenteric stoma: preliminary results in five cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Gang; Si Jiangtao; Han Xinwei; Jiao Dechao; Ding Pengxu; Fu Mingti; Li Zhen; Ma Ji

2010-01-01

Objective To investigate the feasibility and therapeutic effect of stenting therapy by using modified Y-shaped self-expandable metal stent for the stenosis of gastroenteric stoma. Methods: According to the particular anatomic structures and the pathological features of the narrowed gastroenteric stoma,the authors designed a modified Y-shaped self-expandable metal stent. Under the fluoroscopic guidance, implantation of modified Y-shaped self-expandable metal stent was performed in 5 patients with narrowed gastroenteric stoma. The technical safety and the clinical results were evaluated. Results: The modified Y-shaped self-expandable metal stent was successfully implanted with one procedure in all five patients. After the implantation the symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension were promptly relieved, and the patients' living quality was markedly improved. Conclusion: The stenting therapy with modified Y-shaped self-expandable metal stent can rapidly relieve the stenosis of gastroenteric stoma once for all. The technique is feasible and the short-term effect is reliable, therefore, it is worth popularizing this therapy in clinical practice. (authors)

Spacecraft Fire Safety Demonstration

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The objective of the Spacecraft Fire Safety Demonstration project is to develop and conduct large-scale fire safety experiments on an International Space Station...

Safety design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunitomi, Kazuhiko; Shiozawa, Shusaku

2004-01-01

JAERI established the safety design philosophy of the HTTR based on that of current reactors such as LWR in Japan, considering inherent safety features of the HTTR. The strategy of defense in depth was implemented so that the safety engineering functions such as control of reactivity, removal of residual heat and confinement of fission products shall be well performed to ensure safety. However, unlike the LWR, the inherent design features of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) enables the HTTR meet stringent regulatory criteria without much dependence on active safety systems. On the other hand, the safety in an accident typical to the HTGR such as the depressurization accident initiated by a primary pipe rupture shall be ensured. The safety design philosophy of the HTTR considers these unique features appropriately and is expected to be the basis for future Japanese HTGRs. This paper describes the safety design philosophy and safety evaluation procedure of the HTTR especially focusing on unique considerations to the HTTR. Also, experiences obtained from an HTTR safety review and R and D needs for establishing the safety philosophy for the future HTGRs are reported

Clinical Outcomes of Self-Expandable Metal Stents for Malignant Rectal Obstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyun Jung; Hong, Sung Pil; Cheon, Jae Hee; Kim, Tae Il; Kim, Won Ho; Park, Soo Jung

2018-01-01

Self-expandable metal stents are widely used to treat malignant colorectal obstruction. However, data on clinical outcomes of stent placement for rectal obstruction specifically are lacking. We aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of self-expandable metal stents in malignant rectal obstruction in comparison with those in left colonic obstruction and to identify factors associated with clinical failure and complication. This was a retrospective study. The study was conducted at a tertiary care center. Between January 2005 and December 2013, medical charts of patients who underwent stent placement for malignant rectal or left colonic obstruction were reviewed retrospectively. Study intervention included self-expandable metal stent placement. Technical success, clinical success, and complications were measured. Technical success rates for the 2 study groups (rectum vs left colon, 93.5% vs 93.1%; p = 0.86) did not differ significantly; however, the clinical success rate was lower in patients with rectal obstruction (85.4% vs 92.1%; p = 0.02). In addition, the complication rate was higher in patients with rectal obstruction (37.4% vs 25.1%; p = 0.01). Patients with rectal obstruction showed higher rates of obstruction because of extracolonic malignancy (33.8% vs 15.8%; p stent use for palliation (78.6% vs 56.3%; p stent usage to be independent risk factors for clinical failure. Factors predictive of complications in the palliative group were total obstruction, obstruction because of extracolonic malignancy, and covered stent usage. This was a retrospective, single-center study. The efficacy and safety of stent placement for malignant rectal obstruction were comparable with those for left colonic obstruction. However, obstruction attributed to extracolonic malignancy, use of covered stents, and total obstruction negatively impacted clinical outcomes of self-expandable metal stent placement and must be considered by endoscopists. See Video Abstract at http

Report of the peer review mission of national operational safety experience feedback process to the Ukraine 11-15 November 1996 Kiev

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

At the invitation of the Nuclear Regulatory Administration of Ukraine (NRA), the IAEA carried out a Peer review mission of national operational safety experience feedback process at Kiev from 11 to 15 November 1996. The objective of this mission was to provide the host country, represented by the regulatory body, with independent and comprehensive review of current status of operational safety experience feedback (OSEF) process with respect to the IAEA's recommendations and international practices. The mission concluded that principal arrangements of operational feedback process in Ukraine are, at present, in force and brought positive results since their introduction. The mission also noted several good practices in these activities. 1 tab

Effects of an educational patient safety campaign on patients' safety behaviours and adverse events.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwappach, David L B; Frank, Olga; Buschmann, Ute; Babst, Reto

2013-04-01

Rationale, aims and objectives  The study aims to investigate the effects of a patient safety advisory on patients' risk perceptions, perceived behavioural control, performance of safety behaviours and experience of adverse incidents. Method  Quasi-experimental intervention study with non-equivalent group comparison was used. Patients admitted to the surgical department of a Swiss large non-university hospital were included. Patients in the intervention group received a safety advisory at their first clinical encounter. Outcomes were assessed using a questionnaire at discharge. Odds ratios for control versus intervention group were calculated. Regression analysis was used to model the effects of the intervention and safety behaviours on the experience of safety incidents. Results  Two hundred eighteen patients in the control and 202 in the intervention group completed the survey (75 and 77% response rates, respectively). Patients in the intervention group were less likely to feel poorly informed about medical errors (OR = 0.55, P = 0.043). There were 73.1% in the intervention and 84.3% in the control group who underestimated the risk for infection (OR = 0.51, CI 0.31-0.84, P = 0.009). Perceived behavioural control was lower in the control group (meanCon  = 3.2, meanInt  = 3.5, P = 0.010). Performance of safety-related behaviours was unaffected by the intervention. Patients in the intervention group were less likely to experience any safety-related incident or unsafe situation (OR for intervention group = 0.57, CI 0.38-0.87, P = 0.009). There were no differences in concerns for errors during hospitalization. There were 96% of patients (intervention) who would recommend other patients to read the advisory. Conclusions  The results suggest that the safety advisory decreases experiences of adverse events and unsafe situations. It renders awareness and perceived behavioural control without increasing concerns for safety and

Alternate approaches to nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crane, A.T.

1985-01-01

For the US nuclear power industry to expand, a greatly increased portion of the public must come to share the industry's confidence in reactor safety. Major obstacles to establishing this confidence are frequent incidents with potential safety implications and a lack of incontrovertible proof that the risk of a major accident is very low. The most important step toward overcoming these obstacles would be for each utility to operate, maintain, and evaluate its reactors according to far higher standards. With improvements in reliability and safety margins, existing plants would be a stimulus for building new ones rather than an impediment. If changes to the operation of existing plants and improvements to the design of future ones were inadequate, the only hope for a revival of the nuclear industry would be an alternative reactor so obviously safe that risk would no longer be an issue. Three possible concepts are the modular high-temperature gas reactor, the process inherent ultimate safety reactor, and the liquid-metal fast reactor. All three have inherent safety features that should make a meltdown essentially impossible. They cannot know just how great the advantage of these alternate reactors would be, but the benefits of developing one or more of the concepts appear great

Experience with performance based training of nuclear criticality safety engineers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, R.G.

1993-01-01

For non-reactor nuclear facilities, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) does not require that nuclear criticality safety engineers demonstrate qualification for their job. It is likely, however, that more formalism will be required in the future. Current DOE requirements for those positions which do have to demonstrate qualification indicate that qualification should be achieved by using a systematic approach such as performance based training (PBT). Assuming that PBT would be an acceptable mechanism for nuclear criticality safety engineer training in a more formal environment, a site-specific analysis of the nuclear criticality safety engineer job was performed. Based on this analysis, classes are being developed and delivered to a target audience of newer nuclear criticality safety engineers. Because current interest is in developing training for selected aspects of the nuclear criticality safety engineer job, the analysis is incompletely developed in some areas

Factors associated with the enactment of safety belt and motorcycle helmet laws.

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Teik Hua; Noland, Robert B; Evans, Andrew W

2013-07-01

It has been shown that road safety laws, such as motorcycle helmet and safety belt laws, have a significant effect in reducing road fatalities. Although an expanding body of literature has documented the effects of these laws on road safety, it remains unclear which factors influence the likelihood that these laws are enacted. This study attempts to identify the factors that influence the decision to enact safety belt and motorcycle helmet laws. Using panel data from 31 countries between 1963 and 2002, our results reveal that increased democracy, education level, per capita income, political stability, and more equitable income distribution within a country are associated with the enactment of road safety laws. © 2012 Society for Risk Analysis.

Treatment of Benign and Malignant Tracheobronchial Obstruction with Metal Wire Stents: Experience with a Balloon-Expandable and a Self-Expandable Stent Type

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rieger, Johannes; Hautmann, Hubert; Linsenmaier, Ulrich; Weber, Cristoph; Treitl, Markus; Huber, R.M.; Pfeifer, Klaus-Juergen

2004-01-01

Over the last few years various types of metal wire stents have been increasingly employed in the treatment of both malignant and benign tracheobronchial obstruction. To date, however, few studies have investigated the in vivo properties of different stent types. We implanted 26 balloon-expandable tantalum Strecker stents (18 patients) and 18 self-expandable Wallstents (16 patients) into the tracheobronchial system of 30 patients with combined stenting in 4 patients. Mean age was 51 years (range: 0.5-79 years). Malignant disease was present in 23 patients, benign disease in seven patients. Both patients and individual stents were monitored clinically and radiographically. The probability of stents remaining within the tracheobronchial system, and of their remaining undislocated and uncompressed was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis for both stent types. Average stent follow-up time was 112 days until explantation and 115 days until patients' death or discharge. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a higher probability for the Wallstent to remain within the tracheobronchial system. Dislocation and compression occurred more rarely. Explantation, however, if desired, was more difficult compared to the Strecker stent. The Wallstent also led to the formation of granulation tissue, especially at the proximal stent end, frequently requiring reintervention. Both stent types proved to be effective therapeutic options in the management of obstructive tracheobronchial disease. The mechanical properties of the Strecker stent seem to be less favorable compared to the Wallstent but removal is easy. For benign disease, however, the Wallstent reveals limitations due to significant side effects

Helium turbo-expander with an alternator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akiyama, Yoshitane

1980-01-01

Study was made on a helium turbo-expander, the heart of helium refrigerator systems, in order to develop a system which satisfies the required conditions. A helium turbo-expander with externally pressurized helium gas bearings at the temperature of liquid nitrogen and an alternator as a brake have been employed. The essential difference between a helium turbo-expander and a nitrogen turbo-expander was clarified. The gas bearing lubricated with nitrogen at room temperature and the gas bearing lubricated with helium at low temperature were tested. The flow rate of helium in a helium refrigerator for a large superconducting magnet is comparatively small, therefore a helium turbine must be small, but the standard for large turbine design can be applied to such small turbine. Using the alternator as a brake, the turbo-expander was easily controllable electrically. The prototype turbo-expander was made, and the liquefaction test with it and MHD power generation test were carried out. (Kako, I.)

Small Engines as Bottoming Cycle Steam Expanders for Internal Combustion Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rohitha Weerasinghe

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Heat recovery bottoming cycles for internal combustion engines have opened new avenues for research into small steam expanders (Stobart and Weerasinghe, 2006. Dependable data for small steam expanders will allow us to predict their suitability as bottoming cycle engines and the fuel economy achieved by using them as bottoming cycles. Present paper is based on results of experiments carried out on small scale Wankel and two-stroke reciprocating engines as air expanders and as steam expanders. A test facility developed at Sussex used for measurements is comprised of a torque, power and speed measurements, electronic actuation of valves, synchronized data acquisition of pressure, and temperatures of steam and inside of the engines for steam and internal combustion cycles. Results are presented for four engine modes, namely, reciprocating engine in uniflow steam expansion mode and air expansion mode and rotary Wankel engine in steam expansion mode and air expansion mode. The air tests will provide base data for friction and motoring effects whereas steam tests will tell how effective the engines will be in this mode. Results for power, torque, and p-V diagrams are compared to determine the change in performance from air expansion mode to steam expansion mode.

Safety for all: bringing together patient and employee safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevenson, R Lynn; Moss, Lesley; Newlands, Tracey; Archer, Jana

2013-01-01

The safety of patients and of employees in healthcare have historically been separately managed and regulated. Despite efforts to reduce injury rates for employees and adverse events for patients, healthcare organizations continue to see less-than-optimal outcomes in both domains. This article challenges readers to consider how the traditional siloed approach to patient and employee safety can lead to duplication of effort, confusion, missed opportunities and unintended consequences. The authors propose that only through integrating patient and employee safety activities and challenging the paradigms that juxtapose the two will healthcare organizations experience sustained and improved safety practice and outcomes. Copyright © 2013 Longwoods Publishing.

Leadership and Management for Safety. General Safety Requirements (Arabic Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

This Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements that support Principle 3 of the Fundamental Safety Principles in relation to establishing, sustaining and continuously improving leadership and management for safety and an integrated management system. It emphasizes that leadership for safety, management for safety, an effective management system and a systemic approach (i.e. an approach in which interactions between technical, human and organizational factors are duly considered) are all essential to the specification and application of adequate safety measures and to the fostering of a strong safety culture. Leadership and an effective management system will integrate safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational factors, societal and economic elements. The management system will ensure the fostering of a strong safety culture, regular assessment of performance and the application of lessons from experience. The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies, operating organizations and other organizations concerned with facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks.

Leadership and Management for Safety. General Safety Requirements (Chinese Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

This Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements that support Principle 3 of the Fundamental Safety Principles in relation to establishing, sustaining and continuously improving leadership and management for safety and an integrated management system. It emphasizes that leadership for safety, management for safety, an effective management system and a systemic approach (i.e. an approach in which interactions between technical, human and organizational factors are duly considered) are all essential to the specification and application of adequate safety measures and to the fostering of a strong safety culture. Leadership and an effective management system will integrate safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational factors, societal and economic elements. The management system will ensure the fostering of a strong safety culture, regular assessment of performance and the application of lessons from experience. The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies, operating organizations and other organizations concerned with facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks.

Leadership and Management for Safety. General Safety Requirements (French Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

This Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements that support Principle 3 of the Fundamental Safety Principles in relation to establishing, sustaining and continuously improving leadership and management for safety and an integrated management system. It emphasizes that leadership for safety, management for safety, an effective management system and a systemic approach (i.e. an approach in which interactions between technical, human and organizational factors are duly considered) are all essential to the specification and application of adequate safety measures and to the fostering of a strong safety culture. Leadership and an effective management system will integrate safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational factors, societal and economic elements. The management system will ensure the fostering of a strong safety culture, regular assessment of performance and the application of lessons from experience. The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies, operating organizations and other organizations concerned with facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks.

Leadership and Management for Safety. General Safety Requirements (Spanish Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

his Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements that support Principle 3 of the Fundamental Safety Principles in relation to establishing, sustaining and continuously improving leadership and management for safety and an integrated management system. It emphasizes that leadership for safety, management for safety, an effective management system and a systemic approach (i.e. an approach in which interactions between technical, human and organizational factors are duly considered) are all essential to the specification and application of adequate safety measures and to the fostering of a strong safety culture. Leadership and an effective management system will integrate safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational factors, societal and economic elements. The management system will ensure the fostering of a strong safety culture, regular assessment of performance and the application of lessons from experience. The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies, operating organizations and other organizations concerned with facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks.

Silicon microfabricated beam expander

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Othman, A.; Ibrahim, M. N.; Hamzah, I. H.; Sulaiman, A. A.; Ain, M. F.

2015-01-01

The feasibility design and development methods of silicon microfabricated beam expander are described. Silicon bulk micromachining fabrication technology is used in producing features of the structure. A high-precision complex 3-D shape of the expander can be formed by exploiting the predictable anisotropic wet etching characteristics of single-crystal silicon in aqueous Potassium-Hydroxide (KOH) solution. The beam-expander consist of two elements, a micromachined silicon reflector chamber and micro-Fresnel zone plate. The micro-Fresnel element is patterned using lithographic methods. The reflector chamber element has a depth of 40 µm, a diameter of 15 mm and gold-coated surfaces. The impact on the depth, diameter of the chamber and absorption for improved performance are discussed

Silicon microfabricated beam expander

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Othman, A., E-mail: aliman@ppinang.uitm.edu.my; Ibrahim, M. N.; Hamzah, I. H.; Sulaiman, A. A. [Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Ain, M. F. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Seri Ampangan, 14300,Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia)

2015-03-30

The feasibility design and development methods of silicon microfabricated beam expander are described. Silicon bulk micromachining fabrication technology is used in producing features of the structure. A high-precision complex 3-D shape of the expander can be formed by exploiting the predictable anisotropic wet etching characteristics of single-crystal silicon in aqueous Potassium-Hydroxide (KOH) solution. The beam-expander consist of two elements, a micromachined silicon reflector chamber and micro-Fresnel zone plate. The micro-Fresnel element is patterned using lithographic methods. The reflector chamber element has a depth of 40 µm, a diameter of 15 mm and gold-coated surfaces. The impact on the depth, diameter of the chamber and absorption for improved performance are discussed.

Cooperation on impingement wastage experiment of Mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel using SWAT-1R sodium-water reaction test facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beauchamp, F.; Allou, A.; Nishimura, M.; Umeda, R.

2013-01-01

Conclusion: • 6 experiments were carried out in the SWAT-1R facility of JAEA Oarai R&D Center to study the wastage resistance of the Mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel (T91) straight tubes. • These experiments were performed under the cooperation between CEA and JAEA. • The experiments were conducted successfully: - all the tubes were punctured by the reaction jet, - wastage and steam/water leak rates were obtained, - experimental results brought some new determining sets of wastage data on T91. • This fruitful cooperation has contributed to: - expanding the wastage database on T91, - upgrading wastage rates prediction from modelling, - the safety demonstration of future steam generators units

The main goals and principles of nuclear and radiation safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huseynov, V.

2015-01-01

The use of modern radiation technology expands in various fields of human activity. The most advanced approach, methods and technologies and also radiation technologies are of great importance in industrial, medical, agricultural, construction, science, education, and etc. areas of the fastest growing Azerbaijan Republic. Ensuring of nuclear and radiation safety, safety standards, main principles and conception of safety play a crucial role. The following ten principles are taken as a basis to ensure safety measures. 1. Responsible for ensuring safety; 2. The role of government; 3. Leadership and management of security interests; 4. Devices and justification of activity; 5. Optimization of preservation; 6. Limiting of risks for physical persons; 7. The protection of present and future generations; 8. The prevention of accidents; 9. Emergency preparedness and response; 10. Reducing of risks of existing and unregulated radiation protection measures. The safety principles are applied together

Does Employee Safety Matter for Patients Too? Employee Safety Climate and Patient Safety Culture in Health Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohr, David C; Eaton, Jennifer Lipkowitz; McPhaul, Kathleen M; Hodgson, Michael J

2015-04-22

We examined relationships between employee safety climate and patient safety culture. Because employee safety may be a precondition for the development of patient safety, we hypothesized that employee safety culture would be strongly and positively related to patient safety culture. An employee safety climate survey was administered in 2010 and assessed employees' views and experiences of safety for employees. The patient safety survey administered in 2011 assessed the safety culture for patients. We performed Pearson correlations and multiple regression analysis to examine the relationships between a composite measure of employee safety with subdimensions of patient safety culture. The regression models controlled for size, geographic characteristics, and teaching affiliation. Analyses were conducted at the group level using data from 132 medical centers. Higher employee safety climate composite scores were positively associated with all 9 patient safety culture measures examined. Standardized multivariate regression coefficients ranged from 0.44 to 0.64. Medical facilities where staff have more positive perceptions of health care workplace safety climate tended to have more positive assessments of patient safety culture. This suggests that patient safety culture and employee safety climate could be mutually reinforcing, such that investments and improvements in one domain positively impacts the other. Further research is needed to better understand the nexus between health care employee and patient safety to generalize and act upon findings.

The Safety of Aesthetic Labiaplasty: A Plastic Surgery Experience.

Science.gov (United States)