Evaluation of a Generic Virtual Power Plant Framework Using Service Oriented Architecture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Peter Bach; Poulsen, Bjarne; Decker, Morten

2008-01-01

interesting properties that can influence the future shape of power markets. The concept holds many promises including cheaper power to the consumer, a more flexible and responsive power production and the support of a more environment- friendly development. In order to realize a software solution supporting...... the generic virtual power plant, an array of different software design principles, patterns and architectures must be applied. Especially Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) can aid in implementing the generic virtual power plant. An analysis of the Nordic power market has been carried out in order...... to identify potential issues and barriers, henceforth mentioned as challenges, connected with the introduction of the generic virtual power plant concept. In this paper, three use case scenarios will show how each of these challenges can be overcome by the proposed solution framework. The use case scenarios...

MAAP4 CANDU analysis of a generic CANDU-6 plant: preliminary results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petoukhov, S.M.; Mathew, P.M

2001-10-01

To support the generic probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) program at AECL, in particular to conduct Level 2 PSA analysis of a CANDU 6 plant undergoing a postulated severe accident, the capability to conduct severe accident consequence analysis for a CANDU plant is required. For this purpose, AECL selected MAAP4 CANDU from a number of other severe accident codes. The necessary models for a generic CANDU 6 station have been implemented in the code, and the code version 0.2 beta was tested using station data, which were assembled for a generic CANDU 6 station. This paper describes the preliminary results of the consequence analysis using MAAP4 CANDU for a generic CANDU 6 station, when it undergoes a station blackout and a large loss-of-coolant accident scenario. The analysis results show that the plant response is consistent with the physical phenomena modeled and the failure criteria used. The results also confirm that the CANDU design is robust with respect to severe accidents, which is reflected in the calculated long times that are available for administering accident management measures to arrest the accident progression before the calandria vessel or containment become at risk. (author)

Review of the generic aging lessons learned (GALL) report for U.S. NPPs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong Yi; Dou Yikang

2014-01-01

Generic aging lessons learned (GALL) report is a technical basis document issued by U.S. nuclear regulatory commission (NRC) for guiding the review of license renewal application (LRA) of its domestic nuclear power plants (NPPs). By form of tabulations, GALL report addresses the correlation among materials, environments, aging effects/mechanisms, and aging management programs (AMPs) from the level of specific structures and/or components. Based on literature investigation and analysis, the essential information of GALL report in the aspects of background, development history, content framework, and application was reviewed in this paper, which should be the first time in China and would have reference value for establishment of both the AMPs and the nuclear safety regulations of extending the lifetime of its NPPs. (authors)

Nuclear plant-aging research on reactor protection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, L.C.

1988-01-01

This report presents the rsults of a review of the Reactor Trip System (RTS) and the Engineered Safety Feature Actuating System (ESFAS) operating experiences reported in Licensee Event Reports (LER)s, the Nuclear Power Experience data base, Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System, and plant maintenance records. Our purpose is to evaluate the potential significance of aging, including cycling, trips, and testing as contributors to degradation of the RTS and ESFAS. Tables are presented that show the percentage of events for RTS and ESFAS classified by cause, components, and subcomponents for each of the Nuclear Steam Supply System vendors. A representative Babcock and Wilcox plant was selected for detailed study. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Nuclear Plant Aging Research guidelines were followed in performing the detailed study that identified materials susceptible to aging, stressors, environmental factors, and failure modes for the RTS and ESFAS as generic instrumentation and control systems. Functional indicators of degradation are listed, testing requirements evaluated, and regulatory issues discussed

Aging Management Guideline for commercial nuclear power plants: Motor control centers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toman, G.; Gazdzinski, R.; O'Hearn, E.

1994-02-01

This Aging Management Guideline (AMG) provides recommended methods for effective detection and mitigation of age-related degradation mechanisms in Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) and Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) commercial nuclear power plant motor control centers important to license renewal. The intent of this AMG is to assist plant maintenance and operations personnel in maximizing the safe, useful life of these components. It also supports the documentation of effective aging management programs required under the License Renewal Rule 10 CFR Part 54. This AMG is presented in a manner that allows personnel responsible for performance analysis and maintenance to compare their plant-specific aging mechanisms (expected or already experienced) and aging management program activities to the more generic results and recommendations presented herein

Aging Management Guideline for commercial nuclear power plants: Power and distribution transformers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toman, G.; Gazdzinski, R.

1994-05-01

This Aging Management Guideline (AMG) provides recommended methods for effective detection and mitigation of age-related degradation mechanisms in power and distribution transformers important to license renewal in commercial nuclear power plants. The intent of this AMG to assist plant maintenance and operations personnel in maximizing the safe, useful life of these components. It also supports the documentation of effective aging management programs required under the License Renewal Rule 10 CFR Part 54. This AMG is presented in a manner which allows personnel responsible for performance analysis and maintenance to compare their plant-specific aging mechanisms (expected or already experienced) and aging management program activities to the more generic results and recommendations presented herein

Age-Related Degradation of Nuclear Power Plant Structures and Components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braverman, J.; Chang, T.-Y.; Chokshi, N.; Hofmayer, C.; Morante, R.; Shteyngart, S.

1999-01-01

This paper summarizes and highlights the results of the initial phase of a research project on the assessment of aged and degraded structures and components important to the safe operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs). A review of age-related degradation of structures and passive components at NPPs was performed. Instances of age-related degradation have been collected and reviewed. Data were collected from plant generated documents such as Licensing Event Reports, NRC generic communications, NUREGs and industry reports. Applicable cases of degradation occurrences were reviewed and then entered into a computerized database. The results obtained from the review of degradation occurrences are summarized and discussed. Various trending analyses were performed to identify which structures and components are most affected, whether degradation occurrences are worsening, and what was the most common aging mechanisms. The paper also discusses potential aging issues and degradation-susceptible structures and passive components which would have the greatest impact on plant risk

Generic environmental impact statement for license renewal of nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-05-01

Volume 2 of the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants contains the appendices. These include: (A) General characterisitics and environmental settings of domestic nuclear plants, (B) Definition of impact initiators, (C) Socioeconomics and case studies, (D) Aquatic organisms and human health, (E) Radiation protection considerations, (F) Methodology for assessing impacts to aquatic ecology and water resources, (G) Postulated accidents, and (H) Environmental statutes and regulations affecting license renewal

IAEA effort on the evaluation and management of safety aspects of nuclear power plant ageing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pachner, J.; Yaremy, E.M.

1991-01-01

The questions attached to nuclear power plant (NPP) ageing and the need for monitoring and assessment of plant condition will grow in importance as more NPPs approach and pass the end of their nominal design lives. Ageing in nuclear plants must be effectively managed to ensure plant safety during their entire service life. This paper provides an overview of the IAEA programme and its results on the evaluation and management of safety aspects of NPP ageing. Under this programme, three generic guidance documents have been prepared on: data collection and record keeping; ageing management methodology; and the use of probabilistic safety assessment in plant life extension considerations. A two pronged strategy involving both technical and regulatory aspects has been adopted for the current and future work. (author)

Generic implications of ATWS events at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant: generic implications. Vol. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-04-01

This report is the first of two volumes. It documents the work of an interoffice, interdisciplinary NRC Task Force established to determine the generic implications of two anticipated transients without scram (ATWS) at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1 on February 22 and 25, 1983. A second report will document the NRC actions to be taken based on the work of the Task Force. The Task Force was established to address three questions: (1) Is there a need for prompt action for similar equipment in other facilities. (2) Are NRC and its licensees learning the sefety-management lessons, and, (3) How should the priority and content of the ATWS rule be adjusted. A number of short-term actions were taken through Bulletins and an Information Notice. Intermediate-term actions to address the generic issues will be addressed in the separate report and implemented through appropriate regulatory mechanisms

Draft report on compilation of generic safety issues for light water reactor nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-07-01

A generally accepted approach to characterizing the safety concerns in nuclear power plants is to express them as safety issues which need to be resolved. When such safety issues are applicable to a generation of plants of a particular design or to a family of plants of similar design, they are termed generic safety issues. Examples of generic safety issues are those related to reactor vessel embrittlement, control rod insertion reliability or strainer clogging. The safety issues compiled in this document are based on broad international experience. This compilation is one element in the framework of IAEA activities to assist Member States in reassessing the safety of operating nuclear power plants. Refs.

Draft report on compilation of generic safety issues for light water reactor nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-07-01

A generally accepted approach to characterizing the safety concerns in nuclear power plants is to express them as safety issues which need to be resolved. When such safety issues are applicable to a generation of plants of a particular design or to a family of plants of similar design, they are termed generic safety issues. Examples of generic safety issues are those related to reactor vessel embrittlement, control rod insertion reliability or strainer clogging. The safety issues compiled in this document are based on broad international experience. This compilation is one element in the framework of IAEA activities to assist Member States in reassessing the safety of operating nuclear power plants. Refs

Generic safety issues for nuclear power plants with light water reactors and measures taken for their resolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-09-01

The IAEA Conference on 'The Safety of Nuclear Power: Strategy for the Future' in 1991 was a milestone in nuclear safety. Two of the important items addressed by this conference were ensuring and enhancing safety of operating plants and treatment of nuclear power plants built to earlier safety standards. A number of publications related to these two items issued subsequent to this conference were: A Common Basis for Judging the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants Built to Earlier Standards, INSAG-9 (1995), the IAEA Safety Guide 50-SG-O12, periodic Safety Review of Operational Nuclear Power Plants (1994) and an IAEA publication on the Safety Evaluation of Operating Nuclear Power Plants Built to Earlier Standards - A Common Basis for Judgement (1997). Some of the findings of the 1991 Conference have not yet been fully addressed. An IAEA Symposium on reviewing the Safety of Existing Nuclear Power Plants in 1996 showed that there is an urgent need for operating organizations and national authorities to review operating nuclear power plants which do not meet the high safety levels of the vast majority of plants and to undertake improvements with assistance from the international community if required. Safety reviews of operating nuclear power plants take on added importance in the context of the Convention on Nuclear safety and its implementation. The purpose of this TECDOC compilation based on broad international experience, is to assist the Member States in the reassessment of operating plants by providing a list of generic safety issues identified in nuclear power plants together with measures taken to resolve these issues. These safety issues are generic in nature with regard to light water reactors and the measures for their resolution are for use as a reference for the safety reassessment of operating plants. The TECDOC covers issues thought to be significant to Member States based on consensus process. It provides an introduction to the use of generic safety issues for

78 FR 37325 - License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants; Generic Environmental Impact Statement and Standard...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-20

... Nuclear Power Plants; Generic Environmental Impact Statement and Standard Review Plans for Environmental... for Nuclear Power Plants, Supplement 1: Operating License Renewal'' (ESRP). The ESRP serves as a guide... published a final rule, ``Revisions to Environmental Review for Renewal of Nuclear Power Plant Operating...

Aging Management Guideline for commercial nuclear power plants: Battery chargers, inverters and uninterruptible power supplies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, R.; Stroinski, M.; Giachetti, R.

1994-02-01

This Aging Management Guideline (AMG) describes recommended methods for effective detection and mitigation of age-related degradation mechanisms in BWR and PWR commercial nuclear power plant battery chargers, inverters and uninterruptible power supplies important to license renewal. The intent of this AMG is to assist plant maintenance and operations personnel in maximizing the safe, useful life of these components. It also supports the documentation of effective aging management programs required under the License Renewal Rule 10 CFR Part 54. This AMG is presented in a manner that allows personnel responsible for performance analysis and maintenance to compare their plant-specific aging mechanisms (expected or already, experienced) and aging management program activities to the more generic results and recommendations presented herein

Aging assessment of large electric motors in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villaran, M.; Subudhi, M.

1996-03-01

Large electric motors serve as the prime movers to drive high capacity pumps, fans, compressors, and generators in a variety of nuclear plant systems. This study examined the stressors that cause degradation and aging in large electric motors operating in various plant locations and environments. The operating history of these machines in nuclear plant service was studied by review and analysis of failure reports in the NPRDS and LER databases. This was supplemented by a review of motor designs, and their nuclear and balance of plant applications, in order to characterize the failure mechanisms that cause degradation, aging, and failure in large electric motors. A generic failure modes and effects analysis for large squirrel cage induction motors was performed to identify the degradation and aging mechanisms affecting various components of these large motors, the failure modes that result, and their effects upon the function of the motor. The effects of large motor failures upon the systems in which they are operating, and on the plant as a whole, were analyzed from failure reports in the databases. The effectiveness of the industry's large motor maintenance programs was assessed based upon the failure reports in the databases and reviews of plant maintenance procedures and programs

Validation of generic cost estimates for construction-related activities at nuclear power plants: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simion, G.; Sciacca, F.; Claiborne, E.; Watlington, B.; Riordan, B.; McLaughlin, M.

1988-05-01

This report represents a validation study of the cost methodologies and quantitative factors derived in Labor Productivity Adjustment Factors and Generic Methodology for Estimating the Labor Cost Associated with the Removal of Hardware, Materials, and Structures From Nuclear Power Plants. This cost methodology was developed to support NRC analysts in determining generic estimates of removal, installation, and total labor costs for construction-related activities at nuclear generating stations. In addition to the validation discussion, this report reviews the generic cost analysis methodology employed. It also discusses each of the individual cost factors used in estimating the costs of physical modifications at nuclear power plants. The generic estimating approach presented uses the /open quotes/greenfield/close quotes/ or new plant construction installation costs compiled in the Energy Economic Data Base (EEDB) as a baseline. These baseline costs are then adjusted to account for labor productivity, radiation fields, learning curve effects, and impacts on ancillary systems or components. For comparisons of estimated vs actual labor costs, approximately four dozen actual cost data points (as reported by 14 nuclear utilities) were obtained. Detailed background information was collected on each individual data point to give the best understanding possible so that the labor productivity factors, removal factors, etc., could judiciously be chosen. This study concludes that cost estimates that are typically within 40% of the actual values can be generated by prudently using the methodologies and cost factors investigated herein

Select Generic Dry-Storage Pilot Plant Design for Safeguards and Security by Design (SSBD) per Used Fuel Campaign

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demuth, Scott Francis [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Sprinkle, James K. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-05-26

As preparation to the year-end deliverable (Provide SSBD Best Practices for Generic Dry-Storage Pilot Scale Plant) for the Work Package (FT-15LA040501–Safeguards and Security by Design for Extended Dry Storage), the initial step was to select a generic dry-storage pilot plant design for SSBD. To be consistent with other DOE-NE Fuel Cycle Research and Development (FCR&D) activities, the Used Fuel Campaign was engaged for the selection of a design for this deliverable. For the work Package FT-15LA040501–“Safeguards and Security by Design for Extended Dry Storage”, SSBD will be initiated for the Generic Dry-Storage Pilot Scale Plant described by the layout of Reference 2. SSBD will consider aspects of the design that are impacted by domestic material control and accounting (MC&A), domestic security, and international safeguards.

76 FR 54507 - Proposed Generic Communication; Draft NRC Generic Letter 2011-XX: Seismic Risk Evaluations for...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-01

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2011-0204] Proposed Generic Communication; Draft NRC Generic... functions. SSCs in operating nuclear power plants are designed either in accordance with, or have been... nuclear reactors. The background information relevant to this GL includes the individual plant...

Nuclear plant service water system aging degradation assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarrell, D.B.; Larson, L.L.; Stratton, R.C.; Bohn, S.J.; Gore, M.L.

1992-10-01

This report discusses the second phase of the aging assessment of nuclear plant service water systems (SWSs) which was performed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to support the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program. The SWS was selected for study because of its essential role in the mitigation of and recovery from accident scenarios involving the potential for core-melt, and because it is subject to a variety of aging mechanisms. The objectives of the SWS task under the NPAR program are to identify and characterize the principal age-related degradation mechanisms relevant to this system, to assess the impact of aging degradation on operational readiness, and to provide a methodology for the management of aging on the service water aspect of nuclear plant safety. The primary degradation mechanism in the SWSs as stated in the Phase I assessment and confirmed by the analysis in Phase II, is corrosion compounded by biologic and inorganic accumulation. It then follows that the most effective means for mitigating degradation in these systems is to pursue appropriate programs to effectively control the water chemistry properties when possible and to use biocidal agents where necessary. A methodology for producing a complete root-cause analysis was developed as a result of needs identified in the Phase I assessment for a more formal procedure that would lend itself to a generic, standardized approach. It is recommended that this, or a similar methodology, be required as a part of the documentation for corrective maintenance performed on the safety-related portions of SWSs to provide an accurate focus for effective management of aging

Comparison of generic-to-brand switchback patterns for generic and authorized generic drugs

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Richard A.; Qian, Jingjing; Berg, Richard; Linneman, James; Seoane-Vazquez, Enrique; Dutcher, Sarah K.; Raofi, Saeid; Page, C. David; Peissig, Peggy

2018-01-01

Background While generic drugs are therapeutically equivalent to brand drugs, some patients and healthcare providers remain uncertain about whether they produce identical outcomes. Authorized generics, which are identical in formulation to corresponding brand drugs but marketed as a generic, provide a unique post-marketing opportunity to study whether utilization patterns are influenced by perceptions of generic drugs. Objectives To compare generic-to-brand switchback rates between generics and authorized generics. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using claims and electronic health records data from a regional U.S. healthcare system. Ten drugs with authorized generics and generics marketed between 1999 and 2014 were evaluated. Eligible adult patients received a brand drug during the 6 months preceding generic entry, and then switched to a generic or authorized generic. Patients in this cohort were followed for up to 30 months from the index switch date to evaluate occurrence of generic-to-brand switchbacks. Switchback rates were compared between patients on authorized generics versus generics using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models, controlling for individual drug effects, age, sex, Charlson comorbidity score, pre-index drug use characteristics, and pre-index healthcare utilization. Results Among 5,542 unique patients that switched from brand-to-generic or brand-to-authorized generic, 264 (4.8%) switched back to the brand drug. Overall switchback rates were similar for authorized generics compared with generics (HR=0.86; 95% CI 0.65-1.15). The likelihood of switchback was higher for alendronate (HR=1.64; 95% CI 1.20-2.23) and simvastatin (HR=1.81; 95% CI 1.30-2.54) and lower for amlodipine (HR=0.27; 95% CI 0.17-0.42) compared with other drugs in the cohort. Conclusions Overall switchback rates were similar between authorized generic and generic drug users, indirectly supporting similar efficacy and tolerability profiles for

LISSAT Analysis of a Generic Centrifuge Enrichment Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambert, H; Elayat, H A; O'Connell, W J; Szytel, L; Dreicer, M

2007-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is interested in developing tools and methods for use in designing and evaluating safeguards systems for current and future plants in the nuclear power fuel cycle. The DOE is engaging several DOE National Laboratories in efforts applied to safeguards for chemical conversion plants and gaseous centrifuge enrichment plants. As part of the development, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has developed an integrated safeguards system analysis tool (LISSAT). This tool provides modeling and analysis of facility and safeguards operations, generation of diversion paths, and evaluation of safeguards system effectiveness. The constituent elements of diversion scenarios, including material extraction and concealment measures, are structured using directed graphs (digraphs) and fault trees. Statistical analysis evaluates the effectiveness of measurement verification plans and randomly timed inspections. Time domain simulations analyze significant scenarios, especially those involving alternate time ordering of events or issues of timeliness. Such simulations can provide additional information to the fault tree analysis and can help identify the range of normal operations and, by extension, identify additional plant operational signatures of diversions. LISSAT analyses can be used to compare the diversion-detection probabilities for individual safeguards technologies and to inform overall strategy implementations for present and future plants. Additionally, LISSAT can be the basis for a rigorous cost-effectiveness analysis of safeguards and design options. This paper will describe the results of a LISSAT analysis of a generic centrifuge enrichment plant. The paper will describe the diversion scenarios analyzed and the effectiveness of various safeguards systems alternatives

Generic Containment: Detailed comparison of containment simulations performed on plant scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelm, St.; Klauck, M.; Beck, S.; Allelein, H.-J.; Preusser, G.; Sangiorgi, M.; Klein-Hessling, W.; Bakalov, I.; Bleyer, A.; Bentaib, A.; Kljenak, I.; Stempniewicz, M.; Kostka, P.; Morandi, S.; Ada del Corno, B.; Bratfisch, C.; Risken, T.; Denk, L.; Parduba, Z.; Paci, S.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Consequent implementation of the recommendations derived from the OECD/NEA ISP-47. • Phenomenological code-to-code comparison performed on plant scale. • Systematic identification and elimination of the user effect. • Identification of fundamental differences in the model basis. • Application to PAR system analysis. - Abstract: One outcome of the OECD/NEA ISP-47 activity was the recommendation to elaborate a ‘Generic Containment’ in order to allow comparing and rating the results obtained by different lumped-parameter models on plant scale. Within the European SARNET2 project ( (http://www.sar-net.eu)), such a Generic Containment nodalisation, based on a German PWR (1300 MW el ), was defined. This agreement on the nodalisation allows investigating the remaining differences among the results, especially the ‘user-effect’, related to the modelling choices, as well as fundamental differences in the underlying model basis in detail. The methodology applied in order to compare the different code predictions consisted of a series of three benchmark steps with increasing complexity as well as a systematic comparison of characteristic variables and observations. This paper summarises the benchmark series, the lessons learned during specifying the steps, comparing and discussing the results and finally gives an outlook on future steps

Aging and service wear of air compressors and dryers in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moyers, J.C.

1989-01-01

Compressed air systems and their associated compressors and dryers as incorporated in LWR power plants usually are not classified as safety related systems and components because their continued operation is not required to bring the plant to a safe shutdown condition. However, control air is a vital requirement for maintaining stable plant operation and its loss often results in a reactor trip and, on occasion, the actuation of engineered safety feature systems. Concerns caused by repeated instances of failures in air systems resulted in the high-priority ranking of Generic Issue No. 43, ''Reliability of Air Systems'' by the NRC. In support of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is carrying out a Phase I aging assessment of air compressors and dryers used in LWR power plants. The objectives of this study include: (1) determination of the types and ratings of equipment utilized in typical plants; (2) identification of aging and service wear stressors imposed on the machines; (3) evaluation of operating experience with the machines; (4) comparison of user and manufacturer-recommended inspection, surveillance, and monitoring (ISM) methods; and (5) the identification of any improved ISM methods that might lead to longer, more reliable, service. 2 refs

Seismic sensitivity study of a generic CANDU nuclear power plant: Soil-structure interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, L.S.S.; Duff, C.G.

1983-01-01

The seismic sensitivity and capability study for a generic CANDU Plant is part of an overall development program of design standardization. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the sensitivities of structural responses and floor response spectra (FRS) to variations of structural and soil parameters. In the seismic design standardization, a wide range of soil conditions is considered and the envelopes of the resulting site spectra (soil-structure interaction effect) are then used for the design of the generic plant. The nuclear island structures considered herein have different relative stiffness and one of them has two layout/structure schemes: one is relatively flexible and the other is moderately stiff. In the preliminary phase of the seismic sensitivity study presented hereby, the soil-structure interaction seismic analysis is based on the half-space modelling (soil-spring lumped-mass) method and the response spectrum method for the seismic responses. Distinct patterns and sensitivity of the site spectrum analysis for structure schemes of different relative stiffness and for different structural elevations are observed and discussed. (orig.)

Comparison of Generic-to-Brand Switchback Rates Between Generic and Authorized Generic Drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Richard A; Qian, Jingjing; Berg, Richard; Linneman, James; Seoane-Vazquez, Enrique; Dutcher, Sarah K; Raofi, Saeid; Page, C David; Peissig, Peggy

2017-04-01

Generic drugs contain identical active ingredients as their corresponding brand drugs and are pharmaceutically equivalent and bioequivalent, whereas authorized generic drugs (AGs) contain both identical active and inactive ingredients as their corresponding brand drugs but are marketed as generics. This study compares generic-to-brand switchback rates between generic and AGs. Retrospective cohort study. Claims and electronic health record data from a regional U.S. health care system. The full cohort consisted of 5542 unique patients who received select branded drugs during the 6 months prior to their generic drug market availability (between 1999 and 2014) and then were switched to an AG or generic drug within 30 months of generic drug entry. For these patients, 5929 unique patient-drug combinations (867 with AGs and 5062 with generic drugs) were evaluated. Ten drugs with AGs and generics marketed between 1999 and 2014 were evaluated. The date of the first generic prescription was considered the index date for each drug, and it marked the beginning of follow-up to evaluate the occurrence of generic-to-brand switchback patterns over the subsequent 30 months. Switchback rates were compared between patients receiving AGs versus those receiving generics using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, controlling for individual drug effects, age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Score, pre-index drug use characteristics, and pre-index health care utilization. Among the 5542 unique patients who switched from brand to generic or brand to AG, 264 (4.8%) switched back to the brand drug. Overall switchback rates were similar for AGs compared with generics (hazard ratio [HR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-1.15). The likelihood of switchback was higher for alendronate (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.20-2.23) and simvastatin (HR 1.81, 95% CI 1.30-2.54) and lower for amlodipine (HR 0.27, 95% CI 0.17-0.42) compared with the other drugs evaluated. Overall switchback rates were similar

Aging management of reactor internals and license renewal of US PWR plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang, H. T. [Electric Power Research Institute, EPRI, 3420 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304 (United States)

2006-09-15

Age-related degradation mechanisms of key components are subject to aging management review by utilities considering plant license renewal. The management of aging effects in PWR internals must be demonstrated as specified in the US NRC Standard Review. The US NRC staff has also issued a Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) report that documents the staff's basis for determining when existing generic programs are adequate to manage aging without change and when existing generic programs should be augmented for license renewal. The EPRI Materials Reliability Program (MRP) has been conducting studies to develop technical bases and guidelines to support aging management of PWR internals, with a particular attention to utility License Renewal commitments. The strategic approach taken by the MRP includes: developing an overall aging management framework, defining degradation mechanism screening values, categorizing and ranking internals components based on screening, performing functionality analyses and safety evaluation, and developing inspection and evaluation guidelines associated with each category of components. Screening criteria are developed for the following potential internals degradation mechanisms: - Stress Corrosion Cracking [Excluding Irradiation Effects]; - Irradiation-Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking; - Thermal Aging Embrittlement; - Irradiation Embrittlement; - Void Swelling; - Stress Relaxation and Creep [Irradiation-enhanced]; - Wear; - Fatigue. The ranking and categorization calls to bin internals components into four categories: - Category A: component items for which aging degradation significance is minimal and aging effects are below the screening criteria; - Category C: 'lead' component items for which aging degradation significance is high or moderate and aging effects are above screening levels; - Category B: component items above screening levels but are not 'lead' component items and aging degradation significance

IAEA's experience in compiling a generic component reliability data base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomic, B.; Lederman, L.

1988-01-01

Reliability data are an essential part of probabilistic safety assessment. The quality of data can determine the quality of the study as a whole. It is obvious that component failure data originated from the plant being analyzed would be most appropriate. However, in few cases complete reliance on plant experience is possible, mainly because of the rather limited operating experience. Nuclear plants, although of different design, often use fairly similar components, so some of the experience could be combined and transferred from one plant to another. In addition information about component failures is available also from experts with knowledge on component design, manufacturing and operation. That bring us to the importance of assessing generic data. (Generic is meant to be everything that is not plant specific regarding the plant being analyzed). The generic data available in the open literature, can be divided in three broad categories. The first one includes data base used in previous analysis. These can be plant specific or updated from generic with plant specific information (latter case deserve special attention). The second one is based on compilation of plants' operating experience usually based on some kind of event reporting system. The third category includes data sources based on expert opinions (single or aggregate) or combination of expert opinions and other nuclear and non-nuclear experience. This paper reflects insights gained in compiling data from generic data sources and highlights advantages and pitfalls of using generic component reliability data in PSAs

Simulation study of near-real-time accounting in a generic reprocessing plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coulter, C.A.; Whiteson, R.; Zardecki, A.

1992-01-01

Our simulation program FacSim has been used to estimate balance closure variances for a number of real proposed nuclear material processing facilities that rely primarily on item measurements. We are enhancing the program so that it can be applied to facilities such as reprocessing plants that handle bulk materials ad primarily perform bulk and flow measurements. The extended simulation program can apply any of several types of sequential statistical tests to near-real-time accounting information to evaluate the capability of the facility accounting system to detect material and operational anomalies in a timely fashion. The program allows facility designers and operators to evaluate measurement and anomaly detection strategies before system implementation and to demonstrate facility's capability for maintaining accurate inventory information during plant operation. These features are illustrated by application to a generic reprocessing plant

Method for developing cost estimates for generic regulatory requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

The NRC has established a practice of performing regulatory analyses, reflecting costs as well as benefits, of proposed new or revised generic requirements. A method had been developed to assist the NRC in preparing the types of cost estimates required for this purpose and for assigning priorities in the resolution of generic safety issues. The cost of a generic requirement is defined as the net present value of total lifetime cost incurred by the public, industry, and government in implementing the requirement for all affected plants. The method described here is for commercial light-water-reactor power plants. Estimating the cost for a generic requirement involves several steps: (1) identifying the activities that must be carried out to fully implement the requirement, (2) defining the work packages associated with the major activities, (3) identifying the individual elements of cost for each work package, (4) estimating the magnitude of each cost element, (5) aggregating individual plant costs over the plant lifetime, and (6) aggregating all plant costs and generic costs to produce a total, national, present value of lifetime cost for the requirement. The method developed addresses all six steps. In this paper, we discuss on the first three

[Generic drugs: good or bad? Physician's knowledge of generic drugs and prescribing habits].

Science.gov (United States)

García, A J; Martos, F; Leiva, F; Sánchez de la Cuesta, F

2003-01-01

In this article we analyze the responses of 1220 Spanish physicians who participated in a survery about generic drugs. A previously validated questionnaire was sent to physicians through the Spanish Medical Councils of the different provinces. Four items were analyzed: what doctors know about generic drugs (knowledge); physicians' prescribing habits concerning these drugs (attitude and professional competence); how prescription of generic drugs effects pharmaceutical costs amd, finally, what doctors believe a generic drug should be. The influence of physician-related variables (age, type of contract, specialty, workload, etc.) on prescribing of generic drugs was also analyzed. In view of the results, we believe that to rationalize expenditure through and appropriate policy on generic drugs Spanish health authorities should offer more and better training and information (clear and independent) about what generic drugs are.

Ageing effects modelling in probabilistic safety assessment of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nitoi, M.; Turcu, I.; Florescu, G.; Apostol, M.; Farcasiu, M.; Pavelescu, M.

2005-01-01

Ageing management has become a major concern for many responsible organizations during the last years, because as the operating power plants have got older, they may have the tendency to become less safe. The effects of age-related degradation of plant components, systems and structures are necessary to be assessed in order to assure a continuous safe operation of nuclear power plants. The Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) is an efficient system analysis method which is used to assess the risk of operation of nuclear power plants. In the assessment of risk level for a plant, most of the PSA studies generally didn't take into account the ageing effects, and uses a time averaged unavailability. By incorporation of ageing effects, the results enable an identification of the components that have the greatest effect on risk if their failure rates increase due to ageing effects modelling. In this paper, it was assessed the impact on Class IV Electrical Power System unavailability of the assumed increase in components failure probability caused by components ageing. The electrical system was chosen for the study because there are a lot of cables and for these types of equipment there is no planned preventive or corrective maintenance, and they are originally designed to reach the end of plant life with an adequate safety margin. To quantify the effects of age-related degradation on components, the linear ageing model was used. In this model, the failure rate of a component λ (t) is expressed as a sum of two independent failure rates, one associated with random failure, λ 0 , and the other associated with failures due to aging α, so: λ(t) = λ 0 + αt. The basic events were coded using a computer code similar to CAFTA, developed in INR Pitesti. For the reliability data allocation for basic events a intern data base was used. This data base contains data from the following generic data bases: IAEA Component Reliability Data for use in PSA, Point Lepreau Component

Resolution of Generic Safety Issue 29: Bolting degradation or failure in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, R.E.

1990-06-01

This report describes the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Generic Safety Issue 29, ''Bolting Degradation or Failure in Nuclear Power Plants,'' including the bases for establishing the issue and its historical highlights. The report also describes the activities of the Atomic Industrial Forum (AIF) relevant to this issue, including its cooperation with the Materials Properties Council (MPC) to organize a task group to help resolve the issue. The Electric Power Research Institute, supported by the AIF/MPC task group, prepared and issued a two-volume document that provides, in part, the technical basis for resolving Generic Safety Issue 29. This report presents the NRC's review and evaluation of the two-volume document and NRC's conclusion that this document, in conjunction with other information from both industry and NRC, provides the bases for resolving this issue

AGE RELATED DEGRADATION OF STEAM GENERATOR INTERNALS BASED ON INDUSTRY RESPONSES TO GENERIC LETTER 97-06

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

SUBUDHI, M.; SULLIVAN, JR. E.J.

2002-01-01

THIS PAPER PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF AN AGING ASSESSMENT OF THE NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY RESPONSES TO NRC GENERIC LETTER 97-06 ON THE DEGRADATION OF STEAM GENERATOR INTERNALS EXPERIENCED AT ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE (EDF) PLANTS IN FRANCE AND AT A UNITED STATES PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR (PWR). WESTINGHOUSE (W), COMBUSTION ENGINEERING (CE), AND BABCOCK AND WILCOX (BW) STEAM GENERATOR MODELS, CURRENTLY IN SERVICE AT U.S. NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS, POTENTIALLY COULD EXPERIENCE DEGRADATION SIMILAR TO THATFOUND AT EDF PLANTS AND THE U.S. PLANT. THE STEAM GENERATORS IN MANY OF THE U.S. PWRS HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH STEAM GENERATORS WITH STEAM GENERATORS WITH IMPROVED DESIGNS AND MATERIALS. THESE REPLACEMENT STEAM GENERATORS HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED IN THE U.S. AND ABROAD. DURING THIS ASSESSMENT, EACH OF THE THREE OWNERS GROUPS (W,CE, AND BW) IDENTIFIED FOR ITS STEAM GENERATOR, MODELS ALL THE POTENTIAL INTERNAL COMPONENTS THAT ARE VULNERABLE TO DEGRADATION WHILE IN SERVICE. EACH OWNERS GROUPDEVELOPED INSPEC TION AND MONITORING GUIDANCE AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ITS PARTICULAR STEAM GENERATOR MODELS. THE NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE INCORPORATED IN NEI 97-06 STEAM GENERATOR PROGRAM GUIDELINES, A REQUIREMENT TO MONITOR SECONDARY SIDE STEAM GENERATOR COMPONENTS IF THEIR FAILURE COULD PREVENT THE STEAM GENERATOR FROM FULFILLING ITS INTENDED SAFETY-RELATED FUNCTION. LICENSEES INDICATED THAT THEY IMPLEMENTED OR PLANNED TO IMPLEMENT, AS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR STEAM GENERATORS, THEIR OWNERS GROUPRECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THE POTENTIAL DEGRADATION MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STEAM GENERATOR INTERNALS

Development of a generic data base for failure rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosleh, A.; Apostolakis, G.

1985-01-01

The data analysis task in a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) involves the assessment of data needs, the collection of information, and, finally, the analysis of the data to generate estimates for various parameters. This paper describes a framework for developing a data base for component failure rates and presents mathematical methods for the analysis of various types of information. The discussion is focused on the development of generic data bases used in PRAs. For plants without an operating history, the generic distributions are used directly to calculate component unavailability. In the case of plants that have operated for some time, the generic distributions can be used as priors in Bayesian analysis and, thus, specialized by plant-specific experience

Diagnosing component faults in a generic nuclear power plant using counterfactual and temporal reasoning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oehrstroem, P.; Nielsen, F.R.; Pedersen, S.A.

1992-01-01

The subject of main interest is the logical and epistemological aspects of diagnostic reasoning. The aim was to understand the role of conditionals and causality in this respect. A model of causal and temporal reasoning was developed and evaluated in a controlled but complex setting. The generic nuclear power plant was used as a test ground. The coherence and scope of a logical theory of diagnostic reasoning was studied in order to discover whether the theory constitutes an adequate tool for making correct diagnoses of component faults in a generic nuclear power plant. A diagnosing system based on the CIMP system was run on a computer model of a nuclear power plant, various errors were then introduced. The aim of the diagnosis is mainly explanation and only partly repair. The causal field defines a conceptual framework within which the diagnostic purpose is given and within which various diagnostic possibilities and causal relationships are given, here with regard to error detection in a control room. The causal field is tacitly given and related to the operator's training and experience. The logical aspects of the problem of the diagnosis is described. The computer model is described and the symptom language is introduced. The process of reasoning about the possible diagnosis is presented. The utilization of ideas similiar to the heuristic classification is discussed. A data base command language for manipulating lists of symptoms is described and the design of a CIMP user interface for symptom language visualization is outlined. (AB)

HTGR generic technology program plan (FY 80)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

Purpose of the program is to develop base technology and to perform design and development common to the HTGR Steam Cycle, Gas Turbine, and Process Heat Plants. The generic technology program breaks into the base technology, generic component, pebble-bed study, technology transfer, and fresh fuel programs

Overview of the age-related degradation of nuclear power plant structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, Daniel

2004-01-01

License renewal of nuclear power plants is an issue of increasing interest to the U.S. nuclear industry and the U.S. NRC. This paper presents and evaluates the plausible age-related degradation mechanisms that may affect the concrete and steel containment structures and other Class I structures to continue to perform their safety functions. Preventive and/or mitigative options are outlined for managing degradation mechanisms that could significantly affect plant performance during the license renewal period. The provided technical information and the degradation management options may be used as references for comparison with plant specific conditions to ensure that age-related degradation is controlled during the license renewal term. Plausible degradation mechanisms described and analyzed as they may affect the concrete, reinforcing steel, containment steel shell, prestressed-tendon, steel liner and other structural components typically used in Class I structures. The significance of these age-related degradation mechanisms to the structural components are evaluated, giving consideration to the design basis and quality of construction; typical service conditions; operating and maintenance history; and current test, inspection and refurbishment practices for containment and Class I structures. Degradation mechanisms which cannot be generically dispositioned on the basis of the two-step approach: (1) they will not cause significant degradation, or (2) any potential degradation will be bounded by current test, inspection, analytical evaluation, and/or refurbishment programs are identified. Aging degradation management measures are recommended to address the remaining age-related degradation mechanisms. A three-phase approach for the management of the containment and Class I structures is introduced. Various techniques, testing tools and the acceptable criteria for each step of the evaluation of the structures status are provided. The preventive and mitigative

Generic Virtual Power Plants: Management of Distributed Energy Resources under Liberalized Electricity Market

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

You, Shi; Træholt, Chresten; Poulsen, Bjarne

2009-01-01

The emergence of Virtual Power Plant (VPP) can be attributed to the major boost of distributed energy resources (DER), which satisfies the changing needs of modern society on energy industry. Based on this concept, DER units disregarding the differences in each individualtechnology are loosely...... aggregated with a unique interface to the external grid and energy market. This paper gives a broad overview of state-of-the-art VPP concepts and proposes a detailed generic VPP (GVPP) model running in liberalized electricity market environment. An attempt is made to provide an outline of the main functions...

Safe ageing management of nuclear power plants: An European synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grandemange, J.M.

2002-01-01

for the most important (nonreplaceable) components; generic evaluations of specific important issues on the main ageing phenomena. Comparisons of ageing management approaches cover the following aspects, according to IAEA AMAT guidelines: strategy, utility organisation, activities including methodologies, procedures, and surveillance programs, and monitoring and assessment. The various ageing phenomena have been identified, with possible evaluation and mitigation methods. Management strategies include: identification and prioritisation of components of importance to safety and plant life; selection and identification of significant ageing mechanisms; ageing prediction criteria; surveillance and periodic testing methods; mitigation of ageing effects; maintenance programs and updating of operating parameters. Other aspects including industrial obsolescence and human, organisation and knowledge ageing are also identified and recommendations expressed. Material ageing management programs are given to illustrate the above strategies. Taking into account the physical understanding of these phenomena, zones of components concerned and potential effects are identified, prediction laws established, surveillance programs prepared, criteria applied and mitigation methods proposed

A generic task approach to a real time nuclear power plant fault diagnosis and advisory system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajek, B.K.; Miller, D.W.; Bhatnagar, R.; Stasenko, J.E.; Punch, W.F. III; Yamada, N.

1988-01-01

A generic task toolkit developed at The Ohio State University Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence Research (LAIR) has been used in the development of an aid for operators of nuclear power plants. The toolkit consists of high level programming tools that enable knowledge to be used in accordance with its need. That is, if diagnosis is the need, a framework for performing diagnosis is provided. The operator aid provides for monitoring the conditions in the plant, detecting abnormal events, and providing the operator with guidance and advice through procedures on what path should be followed to mitigate the consequences. 8 refs., 5 figs

A generic Approach for Reliability Predictions considering non-uniformly Deterioration Behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krause, Jakob; Kabitzsch, Klaus

2012-01-01

Predictive maintenance offers the possibility to prognosticate the remaining time until a maintenance action of a machine has to be scheduled. Unfortunately, current predictive maintenance solutions are only suitable for very specific use cases like reliability predictions based on vibration monitoring. Furthermore, they do not consider the fact that machines may deteriorate non-uniformly, depending on external influences (e.g., the work piece material in a milling machine or the changing fruit acid concentration in a bottling plant). In this paper two concepts for a generic predictive maintenance solution which also considers non-uniformly aging behaviour are introduced. The first concept is based on system models representing the health state of a technical system. As these models are usually statically (viz. without a timely dimension) their coefficients are determined periodically and the resulting time series is used as aging indicator. The second concept focuses on external influences (contexts) which change the behaviour of the previous mentioned aging indicators in order to increase the accuracy of reliability predictions. Therefore, context-depended time series models are determined and used to predict machine reliability. Both concepts were evaluated on data of an air ventilation system. Thereby, it could be shown that they are suitable to determine aging indicators in a generic way and to incorporate external influences in the reliability prediction. Through this, the quality of reliability predictions can be significantly increased. In reality this leads to a more accurate scheduling of maintenance actions. Furthermore, the generic character of the solutions makes the concepts suitable for a wide range of aging processes.

Benefits of Digital Equipment Generic Qualification Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, James E.; Steiman, Samuel C.

2002-01-01

As a result of nuclear power plant instrumentation and control obsolescence issues, there have been numerous activities during recent years relating to the qualification of digital equipment. Some of these activities have been 'generic' in nature in that the qualification was not limited to plant specific applications, but was intended to cover a broad base of potential applications of the digital equipment. These generic qualifications have been funded by equipment manufacturers and by utility groups and organizations. The generic activities sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have been pilot projects for an overall generic qualification approach. The primary benefit resulting from the generic qualification work to date is that a number of digital platforms and digital devices are now available for use in various nuclear safety-related applications. Many of the tests and evaluations necessary to support plant specific applications have been completed. The amount of data and documentation that each utility must develop on a case by case basis has been significantly reduced. There are also a number of additional benefits resulting from these industry efforts. The challenges and difficulties in qualifying digital equipment for safety-related applications are now more clearly understood. EPRI has published a lessons learned document (EPRI Report 1001452, Generic Qualification of Commercial Grade Digital Devices: Lessons Learned from Initial Pilots, which covers several different qualification areas, including device selection, project planning, vendor surveys and design reviews, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) qualification. Application of the experience and lessons learned from the EPRI pilot activities should help reduce the effort and cost required for future qualification work. Most generic qualification activities for commercial equipment have been conducted using the approach of EPRI TR-106439, Guideline on Evaluation and Acceptance

Bayesian methodology for generic seismic fragility evaluation of components in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Akira; Campbell, R.D.; Ravindra, M.K.

1991-01-01

Bayesian methodology for updating the seismic fragility of components in nuclear power plants is presented. The generic fragility data which have been evaluated based on the past SPSAs are combined with the seismic experience data. Although the seismic experience is limited to the acceleration range below the median capacity of the components, it has been found that the evidence is effective to update the fragility tail. In other words, the uncertainty of the fragility is reduced although the median capacity itself is not modified to a great extent. The annual frequency of failure is also reduced as a result of the updating of the fragility tail. The PDF of the seismic capacity is handled in discrete form, which enables the use of arbitrary type of prior distribution. Accordingly, the Log-N prior can be used which is consistent with the widely used fragility model. For evaluating posterior fragility parameters (A m and B U ), two methods have been proposed. Furthermore, it has been found that the importance of evidence used in the Bayesian methodology can be quantified by the entropy of the evidence. Only the events with high entropy need to be considered in the Bayesian updating of the fragility. The currently available seismic experience database for typical components can be utilized to develop the fragility tail which is contributive to the seismically-induced failure frequency. The combined use of generic fragility and seismic experience data, with the aid of Bayesian methodology, provides refined generic fragility curves which are useful for SPSA studies. (author)

IAEA's experience in compiling a generic component reliability data base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomic, B.; Lederman, L.

1991-01-01

Reliability data are essential in probabilistic safety assessment, with component reliability parameters being particularly important. Component failure data which is plant specific would be most appropriate but this is rather limited. However, similar components are used in different designs. Generic data, that is all data that is not plant specific to the plant being analyzed but which relates to components more generally, is important. The International Atomic Energy Agency has compiled the Generic Component Reliability Data Base from data available in the open literature. It is part of the IAEA computer code package for fault/event tree analysis. The Data Base contains 1010 different records including most of the components used in probabilistic safety analyses of nuclear power plants. The data base input was quality controlled and data sources noted. The data compilation procedure and problems associated with using generic data are explained. (UK)

NPAR [Nuclear Plant Aging Research] approach to managing aging in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, J.A.

1989-01-01

Over the past 5 years, the Nuclear Plant Aging Research program (NPAR) has been devoted to developing technical understanding of the time dependent processes that, through deterioration of components, systems, or structures (C/S/S), can reduce safety margins in nuclear power plants. A major and necessary element of the program involves the application of this basic knowledge in defining functional approaches to managing aging by anticipating and mitigating important deterioration processes. Fundamental understanding and characterization of aging processes are being accomplished through NPAR-sponsored research projects, review and analysis of aging related information, integration of NPAR results with those from industry and other aging studies, and interfacing of all of these with the existing body of codes, standards and regulatory instruments that convey aging-related guidance to NPP licensees. Products of these efforts are applied to structuring and providing aging-related technical recommendations in forms that are useful in: (1) developing and implementing good aging management practices, (2) developing regulatory guidance and requirements for understanding and managing aging during normal plant operations and in support of license renewal, and (3) planning and implementing other regulatory actions and initiatives in which aging-related concerns have a bearing on scope or priority

A developmental analysis of generic nouns in Southern Peruvian Quechua.

Science.gov (United States)

Mannheim, Bruce; Gelman, Susan A; Escalante, Carmen; Huayhua, Margarita; Puma, Rosalía

2010-01-01

Generic noun phrases (e.g., "Cats like to drink milk") are a primary means by which adults express generalizations to children, yet they pose a challenging induction puzzle for learners. Although prior research has established that English speakers understand and produce generic noun phrases by preschool age, little is known regarding the cross-cultural generality of generic acquisition. Southern Peruvian Quechua provides a valuable comparison because, unlike English, it is a highly inflected language in which generics are marked by the absence rather than the presence of any linguistic markers. Moreover, Quechua is spoken in a cultural context that differs markedly from the highly educated, middle-class contexts within which earlier research on generics was conducted. We presented participants from 5 age groups (3-6, 7-9, 10-12, 14-35, and 36-90 years of age) with two tasks that examined the ability to distinguish generic from non-generic utterances. In Study 1, even the youngest children understood generics as applying broadly to a category (like "all") and distinct from indefinite reference ("some"). However, there was a developmental lag before children understood that generics, unlike "all", can include exceptions. Study 2 revealed that generic interpretations are more frequent for utterances that (a) lack specifying markers and (b) are animate. Altogether, generic interpretations are found among the youngest participants, and may be a default mode of quantification. These data demonstrate the cross-cultural importance of generic information in linguistic expression.

Generic safety insights for inspection of boiling water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higgins, J.C.; Taylor, J.H.; Fresco, A.N.; Hillman, B.M.

1987-01-01

As the number of operating nuclear power plants (NPP) increases, safety inspection has increased in importance. However, precisely what is important, and what is not important? What should one focus inspection efforts on. Over the last two years Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PR) techniques have been developed to aid in the inspection process. Broad interest in generic PRA-based methods has arisen in the past year, since only about 25% of the US nuclear power plants have completed PRAs, and also, inspectors want PRA-based tools for these plants. This paper describes the BNL program to develop generic BWR PRA-based inspection insights or inspection guidance designed to be applied to plants without PRAs

Knowledge-based operation guidance system for nuclear power plants based on generic task methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, Naoyuki; Chandrasekaran, B.; Bhatnager, R.

1989-01-01

A knowledge-based system for operation guidance of nuclear power plants is proposed. The Dynamic Procedure Management System (DPMS) is designed and developed to assist human operators interactively by selecting and modifying predefined operation procedures in a dynamic situation. Unlike most operation guidance systems, DPMS has been built based on Generic Task Methodology, which makes the overall framework of the system perspicuous and also lets domain knowledge be represented in a natural way. This paper describes the organization of the system, the definition of each task, and the form and organization of knowledge, followed by an application example. (author)

Preventive maintenance-A countermeasure to plant aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hlubek, W.

1985-01-01

The aging of power plants is caused by manifold and different influences. For instance, mechanical and thermal stress, radiation exposure, denting or wastage can considerably affect the aging of plant components and thus cause premature failures of components. In this presentation, the term 'Plant Aging' in nuclear power plants is to be understood more comprehensively than wear on components and material fatigue. In addition, nuclear power plants are to be adjusted to the advancing state of the science and technology (state-of-the-art) in order to guarantee safe operation at all times. The preventive maintenance - as a countermeasure to plant aging - comprises the systematic checks and servicing of the plant systems in operation and follows aging by inspection and tests. Experience with Rheinisch-Westfaelisches Elektrizitaetswerk AG (RWE) preventive maintenance program at the Biblis NNP (1300 MW, PWR) is discussed. The concept of an 'Integrated Maintenance System' as a means to avoid 'Plant Aging' is presented

Guide for generic application of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) recommendations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwan, C.A.; Toomey, G.E.; Morgan, T.A.; Darling, S.S.

1991-02-01

Previously completed reliability centered maintenance (RCM) studies form the basis for developing or refining a preventive maintenance program. This report describes a generic methodology that will help utilities optimize nuclear plant maintenance programs using RCM techniques. This guide addresses the following areas: history of the generic methodology development process, and use of the generic methodology for conducting system-to-system and component-to-component evaluations. 2 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs

Generic hyper-diversity in Stachybotriaceae

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lombard, L.; Houbraken, J.; Decock, C.; Samson, R.A.; Meijer, M.; Réblová, Martina; Groenewald, J.Z.; Crous, P. W.

2016-01-01

Roč. 36, SI Jun (2016), s. 156-246 ISSN 0031-5850 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP506/12/0038 Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : biodegraders * generic concept * human and plant pathogens Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 7.511, year: 2016

Development of generic floor response spectra for equipment qualification for seismic loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curren, J.R.; Costantino, C.J.

1984-01-01

A generic floor response spectra has been developed for use in the qualification of electrical and mechanical equipment in operating nuclear power plants. Actual PWR and BWR - Mark I structural models were used as representative of a class of structures. For each model, the stiffness properties were varied, with the same mass, so as to extend the fundamental base structure natural frequency from 2 cps to 36 cps. This resulted in fundamental mode coupled natural frequencies as low as 0.86 cps and as high as 30 cps. The characteristics of 1000 floor response spectra were studied to determine the generic spectra. A procedure for its application to any operating plant has been established. The procedure uses as much or as little information that currently exists at the plant relating to the question of equipment qualification. A generic floor response spectra is proposed for the top level of a generic structure. Reduction factors are applied to the peak acceleration for equipment at lower levels

Development of generic floor response spectra for equipment qualification for seismic loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curreri, J.R.; Costantino, C.J.

1984-10-01

A generic floor response spectra has been developed for use in the qualification of electrical and mechanical equipment in operating nuclear power plants. Actual PWR and BWR - Mark I structural models were used as representative of a class of structures. For each model, the stiffness properties were varied, with the same mass, so as to extend the fundamental base structure natural frequency from 2 cps to 36 cps. This resulted in fundamental mode coupled natural frequencies as low as 0.86 cps and as high as 30 cps. The characteristics of 1000 floor response spectra were studied to determine the generic spectra. A procedure for its application to any operating plant has been established. The procedure uses as much or as little information that currently exists at the plant relating to the question of equipment qualification. A generic floor response spectra is proposed for the top level of a generic structure. Reduction factors are applied to the peak acceleration for equipment at lower levels

Nuclear plant aging research program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eissenberg, D.M.

1987-01-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, has established the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program in its Division of Engineering Technology. Principal contractors for this program include Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The program goals are: to identify and characterize time-dependent degradation (aging) of nuclear plant safety-related electrical and mechanical components which could lead to loss of safety function; to identify and recommend methods for detecting and trending aging effects prior to loss of safety function so that timely maintenance can be implemented; and to recommend maintenance practices for mitigating the effects of aging. Research activities include prioritization of system and component aging in nuclear plants, characterization of aging degradation of specific components including identification of functional indicators useful for trending degradation, and testing of practical methods and devices for measuring the functional indicators. Aging assessments have been completed on electric motors, snubbers, motor-operated valves, and check valves. Testing of trending methods and devices for motor-operated valves and check valves is in progress

Advances on generic exemption levels and generic clearance levels in the argentinean regulatory field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muñiz, C.C.; Bossio, M.C.

2011-01-01

With the aim of optimizing the regulatory effort in Argentina, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) evaluated two worldwide concepts used in the radioactive waste management field: “Generic Exemption Levels” and “Generic Clearance Levels”. The objective of this paper is to present the progress made in the past two years in relation to these topics and to present the results of the specific requests received from users of radioactive material. Since the approval of both Generic Levels, the ARN received two exemption requests. The first one, regarding the practice of dismantling lighting rods with 241 Am. The other case regards the international trade, distribution, usage and final disposal of lighting products with radioactive material ( 85 Kr and 232 Th). Concerning clearance, there has not been any request yet. However, in the future the ARN expects to receive this kind of requests from nuclear power plants and other facilities related to the nuclear fuel cycle. (authors) [es

Development of generic soil profiles and soil data development for SSI analyses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parker, Josh, E-mail: jparker@nuscalepower.com [NuScale Power, 1000 NE Circle Boulevard, Suite 10310, Corvallis, OR 97330 (United States); Khan, Mohsin; Rajagopal, Raj [ARES Corporation, 1990N California Boulevard, Suite 500, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (United States); Groome, John [NuScale Power, 1000 NE Circle Boulevard, Suite 10310, Corvallis, OR 97330 (United States)

2014-04-01

This paper presents the approach to developing generic soil profiles for the design of reactor building for small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power plant developed by NuScale Power. The reactor building is a deeply embedded structure. In order to perform soil structure interaction (SSI) analyses, generic soil profiles are required to be defined for the standardized Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) designs for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in a design control document (DCD). The development of generic soil profiles is based on utilization of information on generic soil profiles from the new standardized nuclear power plant designs already submitted to the NRC for license certification. Eleven generic soil profiles have been recommended, and those profiles cover a wide range of parameters such as soil depth, shear wave velocity, unit weight, Poisson's ratio, water table, and depth to rock strata. The soil profiles are developed for a range of shear wave velocities between bounds of 1000 fps and 8000 fps as inferred from NRC Standard Review Plan (NUREG 0800) Sections 3.7.1 and 3.7.2. To account for the soil degradation due to seismic events, the strain compatible soil properties are based on the EPRI generic soil degradation curves. In addition, one dimensional soil dynamic response analyses were performed to study the soil layer input motions for performing the SSI analyses.

RBMK nuclear power plants: Generic safety issues. A publication of the extrabudgetary programme on the safety of WWER and RBMK nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-05-01

This report has been prepared on the basis of above mentioned report and it is intended to provide information on RBMK NPPs generic safety issues. As all other insights, recommendations and conclusions resulting from the IAEA Programme, this report is intended to assist national decision makers, who have sole responsibility for the regulation and safe operation of their nuclear power plants. It also serves to focus national and international projects on priority of the RBMK safety improvements. 23 refs, 10 figs, 3 tabs

Ageing management of french NPP civil work structures

Science.gov (United States)

Gallitre, E.; Dauffer, D.

2011-04-01

This paper presents EDF practice about concrete structure ageing management, from the mechanisms analysis to the formal procedure which allows the French company to increase 900 MWe NPP lifetime until 40 years; it will also introduce its action plan for 60 years lifetime extension. This practice is based on a methodology which identifies every ageing mechanism; both plants feedback and state of the art are screened and conclusions are drawn up into an "ageing analysis data sheet". That leads at first to a collection of 57 data sheets which give the mechanism identification, the components that are concerned and an analysis grid which is designed to assess the safety risk. This analysis screens the reference documents describing the mechanism, the design lifetime hypotheses, the associated regulation or codification, the feedback experiences, the accessibility, the maintenance actions, the repair possibility and so one. This analysis has to lead to a conclusion about the risk taking into account monitoring and maintenance. If the data sheet conclusion is not clear enough, then a more detailed report is launched. The technical document which is needed, is a formal detailed report which summarizes every theoretical knowledge and monitoring data: its objective is to propose a solution for ageing management: this solution can include more inspections or specific research development, or additional maintenance. After a first stage on the 900 MWe units, only two generic ageing management detailed reports have been needed for the civil engineering part: one about reactor building containment, and one about other structures which focuses on concrete inflating reactions. The second stage consists on deriving this generic analysis (ageing mechanism and detailed reports) to every plant where a complete ageing report is required (one report for all equipments and structures of the plant, but specific for each reactor). This ageing management is a continuous process because the

Aging assessment of reactor instrumentation and protection system components, Phase 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gehl, A.C.; Hagen, E.W.; Farmer, W.S.

1992-01-01

A study of the aging-related operating experiences throughout a five year period (1984--1988) of six generic instrumentation modules (indicators, sensors, controllers, transmitters, annunciators, and recorders) was performed as a part of the USNRC Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program. The effects of aging from operational and environmental stressors were characterized from results depicted in Licensee Event Reports (LERs). The data are graphically displayed as frequency of events per plant year for operating plant ages from 1 to 28 years to determine aging-related failure trend patterns. This document describes the results and conclusions from this study

77 FR 21813 - Changes to the Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) Report Revision 2 AMP XI.M41, “Buried and...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-11

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0055] Changes to the Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) Report Revision 2 AMP XI.M41, ``Buried and Underground Piping and Tanks'' AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory... Guidance (LR-ISG), LR-ISG-2011-03, ``Changes to GALL Report Revision 2 Aging Management Program (AMP) XI...

Effect of generic issues program on improving safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fard, M. R.; Kauffman, J. V.

2010-01-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) identifies (by its assessment of plant operation) certain issues involving public health and safety, the common defense and security, or the environment that could affect multiple entities under NRC jurisdiction. The Generic Issues Program (GIP) addresses the resolution of these Generic Issues (GIs). The resolution of these issues may involve new or revised rules, new or revised guidance, or revised interpretation of rules or guidance that affect nuclear power plant licensees, nuclear material certificate holders, or holders of other regulatory approvals. U.S. NRC provides information related to the past and ongoing GIP activities to the general public by the use of three main resources, namely NUREG-0933, 'Resolution of Generic Safety Issues, ' Generic Issues Management Control System (GIMCS), and GIP public web page. GIP information resources provide information such as historical information on resolved GIs, current status of the open GIs, policy documents, program procedures, GIP annual and quarterly reports and the process to contact GIP and propose a GI This paper provides an overview of the GIP and several examples of safety improvements resulting from the resolution of GIs. In addition, the paper provides a brief discussion of a few recent GIs to illustrate how the program functions to improve safety. (authors)

Generic medications for you, but brand-name medications for me.

Science.gov (United States)

Keenum, Amy J; Devoe, Jennifer E; Chisolm, Deena J; Wallace, Lorraine S

2012-01-01

Because generic medications are less expensive than brand-name medications, government and private insurers have encouraged and/or mandated the use of generics. This study aimed at evaluating perceptions about generic medications among English-speaking women of childbearing age currently enrolled in U.S. TennCare (Medicaid). We recruited a convenience sample of patients from the waiting room of a primary care/gynecology health clinic, with 80% recruitment rate among those approached. We orally administered a 25-item questionnaire to gather sociodemographic information and to assess beliefs regarding the efficacy, safety, cost, and preferences for personal use of generic medications. The average age of the women (n=172) was 28.8 ± 6.4 years, and most were white (82.0%) and currently married (58.1%). Nearly one-fifth (19.2%) had not completed high school. Most women believed that generic medications were less expensive (97.6%) and better value (60.5%) than brand-name medications, but only 45.3% preferred to take generics themselves. About a quarter (23.3%) believed that brand-name medications were more effective than generics, whereas 13.4% believed that generics caused more side effects. Few women reported that their doctor (29.7%) and/or pharmacist (35.5%) had ever talked to them about taking generics. Awareness of the benefits of generics did not equal preferences for personal use of generics among this sample of women enrolled in U.S. TennCare. Furthermore, women reported that providers-both physicians and pharmacists-infrequently discussed generic substitution with them. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Generic safety issues for nuclear power plants with pressurized heavy water reactors and measures for their resolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-06-01

be used in reassessing the safety of individual operating plants. In 1998, the IAEA completed IAEA-TECDOC-1044 entitled Generic Safety Issues for Nuclear Power Plants with Light Water Reactors and Measures Taken for their Resolution and established the associated LWRGSIDB database (Computer Manual Series No. 13). The present compilation, which is based on broad international experience, is an extension of this work to cover pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs). As in the case of LWRs, it is one element in the framework of IAEA activities to assist Member States in reassessing the safety of operating nuclear power plants. It addresses generic safety issues identified in nuclear power plants using PHWRs. In most cases, the measures taken or planned to resolve these issues are also identified. The work on this report was initiated by the Senior Regulators of Countries Operating CANDU-Type Nuclear Power Plants at one of their annual meetings. It was carried out within the framework of the IAEA's programme on National Regulatory Infrastructure for Nuclear Installation Safety and serves to enhance regulatory effectiveness through the exchange of safety related information

Generic component failure data base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eide, S.A.; Calley, M.B.

1992-01-01

This report discusses comprehensive component generic failure data base which has been developed for light water reactor probabilistic risk assessments. The Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR) was used to generate component failure rates. Using this approach, most of the failure rates are based on actual plant data rather then existing estimates

Generic evaluation of feedwater transients and small break loss-of-coolant accidents in combustion engineering designed operating plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

The purpose of this report is to summarize the results of a generic evaluation of feedwater transients, small break loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs), and other TMI-2-related events in the Combustion Engineering (CE)-designed operating plants and to establish or confirm the bases for their continued operation. The results of this evaluation are presented in this report in the form of a set of findings and recommendations in each of the principal review areas

Safety aspects of nuclear power plant ageing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The nuclear community is facing new challenges as commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) of the first generation get older. At present, some of the plants are approaching or have even exceeded the end of their nominal design life. Experience with fossil fired power plants and in other industries shows that reliability of NPP components, and consequently general plant safety and reliability, may decline in the middle and later years of plant life. Thus, the task of maintaining operational safety and reliability during the entire plant life and especially, in its later years, is of growing importance. Recognizing the potential impact of ageing on plant safety, the IAEA convened a Working Group in 1985 to draft a report to stimulate relevant activities in the Member States. This report provided the basis for the preparation of the present document, which included a review in 1986 by a Technical Committee and the incorporation of relevant results presented at the 1987 IAEA Symposium on the Safety Aspects of the Ageing and Maintenance of NPPs and in available literature. The purpose of the present document is to increase awareness and understanding of the potential impact of ageing on plant safety; of ageing processes; and of the approach and actions needed to manage the ageing of NPP components effectively. Despite the continuing growth in knowledge on the subject during the preparation of this report it nevertheless contains much that will be of interest to a wide technical and managerial audience. Furthermore, more specific technical publications on the evaluation and management of NPP ageing and service life are being developed under the Agency's programme, which is based on the recommendations of its 1988 Advisory Group on NPP ageing. Refs, figs and tabs

Human factors: A major issue in plant aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Widrig, R.D.

1985-01-01

Humans play a significant role in the effects of aging on safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants. These human issues may be more important than the issues of materials and component degradation with age. Human actions can accelerate or decelerate physical aging of a plant. And an aging plant can have a significant negative impact on staff quality and performance. The purpose of this paper is to provide some insights into the nature of these human factors issues and their relationship to plant aging. An early awareness of these issues facilitates timely action to at least mitigate these problems before they become insurmountable

Glossary of nuclear power plant ageing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

A glossary is presented of the terminology for understanding and managing the ageing of nuclear power plant systems, structures and components. This glossary has been published by NEA, in cooperation with CEC and IAEA, as a handy reference to facilitate and encourage use of common ageing terminology. The main benefits are improved reporting and interpretation of plant data on SSC degradation and failure, and improved interpretation and compliance with codes, regulations and standards related to nuclear plant ageing. The goal is to provide plant personnel with a common set of terms that have uniform, industry-wide meanings, and to facilitate discussion between experts from different countries. The glossary is in five languages: English, French, German, Spanish and Russian. In each language section terms are listed alphabetically, with sequential members which are repeated in the English section thus allowing cross-reference between al languages. (R.P.)

Modified enforcement policy relating to 10 CFR 50.49, ''Environmental qualification of electrical equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants'' (Generic Letter 88-07)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miraglia, F.J.

1992-01-01

Generic Letters, Bulletins, and Information Notices have been issued to provide guidance regarding the application and enforcement of 10 CFR 50.49, ''Environmental Qualification of Electric Equipment Important to Safety for Nuclear Power Plants.'' Generic Letter 85-15, issued August 6, 1985, and Generic Letter 86-15, issued September 22, 1986, provided information related to the deadlines for compliance with 10 CFR 50.49 and possible civil penalties applicable to licensees who were not in compliance with the rule as of the November 30, 1985 deadline. Upon review, the Commission found that the EQ Enforcement Policy promulgated in Generic Letter 86-15, could result in imposition of civil penalties that did not properly reflect the safety significance of EQ violations with respect to civil penalties imposed in the past. In the interest of continuing a tough but fair enforcement policy, the Commission determined that the EQ Enforcement Policy should be revised. The purpose of this letter is to provide a modification to the NRC's enforcement policy, as approved by the Commission, for environmental qualification (EQ) violations. This letter replaces the guidance provided in Generic Letters 85-15 and 86-15

Status of safety issues at licensed power plants: TMI Action Plan requirements, unresolved safety issues, generic safety issues, other multiplant action issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-12-01

This report is to provide a comprehensive description of the implementation and verification status of Three Mile Island (TMI) Action Plan requirements, safety issues designated as Unresolved Safety Issues (USIs), Generic Safety Issues(GSIs), and other Multiplant Actions (MPAs) that have been resolved and involve implementation of an action or actions by licensees. This report makes the information available to other interested parties, including the public. An additional purpose of this NUREG report is to serve as a follow-on to NUREG-0933, ''A Prioritization of Generic Safety Issues,'' which tracks safety issues up until requirements are approved for imposition at licensed plants or until the NRC issues a request for action by licensees

Determinants of generic drug substitution in Switzerland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lufkin Thomas M

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Since generic drugs have the same therapeutic effect as the original formulation but at generally lower costs, their use should be more heavily promoted. However, a considerable number of barriers to their wider use have been observed in many countries. The present study examines the influence of patients, physicians and certain characteristics of the generics' market on generic substitution in Switzerland. Methods We used reimbursement claims' data submitted to a large health insurer by insured individuals living in one of Switzerland's three linguistic regions during 2003. All dispensed drugs studied here were substitutable. The outcome (use of a generic or not was modelled by logistic regression, adjusted for patients' characteristics (gender, age, treatment complexity, substitution groups and with several variables describing reimbursement incentives (deductible, co-payments and the generics' market (prices, packaging, co-branded original, number of available generics, etc.. Results The overall generics' substitution rate for 173,212 dispensed prescriptions was 31%, though this varied considerably across cantons. Poor health status (older patients, complex treatments was associated with lower generic use. Higher rates were associated with higher out-of-pocket costs, greater price differences between the original and the generic, and with the number of generics on the market, while reformulation and repackaging were associated with lower rates. The substitution rate was 13% lower among hospital physicians. The adoption of the prescribing practices of the canton with the highest substitution rate would increase substitution in other cantons to as much as 26%. Conclusions Patient health status explained a part of the reluctance to substitute an original formulation by a generic. Economic incentives were efficient, but with a moderate global effect. The huge interregional differences indicated that prescribing behaviours and

U.S. NRC's generic issues program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kauffman, J.V.; Foster, J.W.

2008-01-01

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has a Generic Issues Program (GIP) to address Generic Issues (GI). A GI is defined as 'a regulatory matter involving the design, construction, operation, or decommissioning of several, or a class of, NRC licensees or certificate holders that is not sufficiently addressed by existing rules, guidance, or programs'. This rather legalistic definition has several practical corollaries: First, a GI must involve safety. Second, the issue must involve at least two plants, or it would be a plant-specific issue rather than a GI. Third, the potential safety question must not be covered by existing regulations and guidance (compliance). Thus, the effect of a GI is to potentially change the body of regulations and associated guidance (e.g., regulatory guides). The GIP was started in 1976, thus it is a relatively mature program. Approximately 850 issues have been processed by the program to date. More importantly, even after 30 years, new GIs continue to be proposed. The entire set of Generic Issues (GIs) is updated annually in NUREG-0933, 'A Prioritization of Generic Safety Issues'. GIs normally involve complex questions of safety and regulation. Efficient and effective means of addressing these issues are very important for regulatory effectiveness. If an issue proves to pose a genuine, significant safety question, then swift, effective, enforceable, and cost-effective action needs to be taken. Conversely, if an issue is of little safety significance, the issue should be dismissed in an expeditious manner, avoiding unnecessary expenditure of resources and regulatory burden or uncertainty. This paper provides a summary of the 5-stage program, from identification through the regulatory assessment stage. The paper also includes a discussion of the program's seven criteria, sources of proposed GIs, recent improvements, publicly available information, historical performance, and status of current GIs. (authors)

Reliability methods in nuclear power plant ageing management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simola, K.

1999-01-01

The aim of nuclear power plant ageing management is to maintain an adequate safety level throughout the lifetime of the plant. In ageing studies, the reliability of components, systems and structures is evaluated taking into account the possible time-dependent degradation. The phases of ageing analyses are generally the identification of critical components, identification and evaluation of ageing effects, and development of mitigation methods. This thesis focuses on the use of reliability methods and analyses of plant- specific operating experience in nuclear power plant ageing studies. The presented applications and method development have been related to nuclear power plants, but many of the approaches can also be applied outside the nuclear industry. The thesis consists of a summary and seven publications. The summary provides an overview of ageing management and discusses the role of reliability methods in ageing analyses. In the publications, practical applications and method development are described in more detail. The application areas at component and system level are motor-operated valves and protection automation systems, for which experience-based ageing analyses have been demonstrated. Furthermore, Bayesian ageing models for repairable components have been developed, and the management of ageing by improving maintenance practices is discussed. Recommendations for improvement of plant information management in order to facilitate ageing analyses are also given. The evaluation and mitigation of ageing effects on structural components is addressed by promoting the use of probabilistic modelling of crack growth, and developing models for evaluation of the reliability of inspection results. (orig.)

Reliability methods in nuclear power plant ageing management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simola, K. [VTT Automation, Espoo (Finland). Industrial Automation

1999-07-01

The aim of nuclear power plant ageing management is to maintain an adequate safety level throughout the lifetime of the plant. In ageing studies, the reliability of components, systems and structures is evaluated taking into account the possible time-dependent degradation. The phases of ageing analyses are generally the identification of critical components, identification and evaluation of ageing effects, and development of mitigation methods. This thesis focuses on the use of reliability methods and analyses of plant- specific operating experience in nuclear power plant ageing studies. The presented applications and method development have been related to nuclear power plants, but many of the approaches can also be applied outside the nuclear industry. The thesis consists of a summary and seven publications. The summary provides an overview of ageing management and discusses the role of reliability methods in ageing analyses. In the publications, practical applications and method development are described in more detail. The application areas at component and system level are motor-operated valves and protection automation systems, for which experience-based ageing analyses have been demonstrated. Furthermore, Bayesian ageing models for repairable components have been developed, and the management of ageing by improving maintenance practices is discussed. Recommendations for improvement of plant information management in order to facilitate ageing analyses are also given. The evaluation and mitigation of ageing effects on structural components is addressed by promoting the use of probabilistic modelling of crack growth, and developing models for evaluation of the reliability of inspection results. (orig.)

Utilisation of real-scale renewable energy test facility for validation of generic wind turbine and wind power plant controller models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zeni, Lorenzo; Gevorgian, Vahan; Wallen, Robb

2016-01-01

This article presents an example of application of a modern test facility conceived for experiments regarding the integration of renewable energy in the power system. The capabilities of the test facility are used to validate dynamic simulation models of wind power plants and their controllers....... The models are based on standard and generic blocks. The successful validation of events related to the control of active power (control phenomena in...

Clinical and economic consequences of treating patients with peripheral neuropathic pain with brand name or generic drugs in routine clinical practice: The effects of age and sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Navarro-Artieda, R; Rejas-Gutiérrez, J; Pérez-Paramo, M; Sicras-Mainar, A

2018-04-01

We aimed to analyse the effects of age and sex on pain and cost for patients with chronic peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) who have started treatment with brand name gabapentin versus generic gabapentin (EFG). We conducted a retrospective multicentre study using electronic medical records (EMR) for patients of both sexes, older than 18, who began treatment with brand name or generic gabapentin. Adherence (medication possession ratio [MPR]), persistence, use of healthcare resources, cost, and pain reduction were measured for one year. We analysed 1369 EMRs [61.1% women; mean age 64.6 (15.9), 52.4%≥65 years]; 400 used brand name drugs while 969 used generic gabapentin. Persistence and adherence were higher in patients using brand name gabapentin (7.3 vs 6.3 months, Pbrand-name gabapentin in both age groups (brand treatment showed greater pain relief: 13.5% (10.9-16.2) and 10.8% (8.2-13.5) in brand name medication showed greater persistence and adherence to treatment than those taking generic drugs. Brand name treatment also involved lower healthcare costs, and greater pain relief. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

IPRDS: component histories and nuclear plant aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borkowski, R.J.; Kahl, W.K.

1984-01-01

A comprehensive assessment of nuclear power plant component operating histories, maintenance histories, and design and fabrication details is essential to understanding aging phenomena. As part of the In-Plant Reliability Data System (IPRDS), an attempt is being made to collect and analyze such information from a sampling of US nuclear power plants. Utilizing the IPRDS, one can reconstruct the failure history of the components and gain new insight into the causes and modes of failures resulting from normal or premature aging. This information assembled from the IPRDS can be combined with operating histories and postservice component inspection results for cradle-to-grave assessments of component aging under operating conditions. A comprehensive aging assessment can then be used to provide guidelines for improving the detection, monitoring, and mitigation of aging-related failures

Generic medicines and generic substitution: contrasting perspectives of stakeholders in Ireland.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Leary, A; Usher, C; Lynch, M; Hall, M; Hemeryk, L; Spillane, S; Gallagher, P; Barry, M

2015-12-15

The Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 passed into law in July 2013 and legislated for generic substitution in Ireland. The aim of the study was to ascertain the knowledge and perceptions of stakeholders i.e. patients, pharmacists and prescribers, of generic medicines and to generic substitution with the passing of legislation. Three stakeholder specific questionnaires were developed to assess knowledge of and perceptions to generic medicines and generic substitution. Purposive samples of patients, prescribers and pharmacists were analysed. Descriptive quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken. A total of 762 healthcare professionals and 353 patients were recruited. The study highlighted that over 84% of patients were familiar with generic medicines and are supportive of the concept of generic substitution. Approximately 74% of prescribers and 84% of pharmacists were supportive of generic substitution in most cases. The main areas of concern highlighted by the healthcare professionals that might impact on the successful implementation of the policy, were the issue of bioequivalence with generic medicines, the computer software systems used at present in general practitioner (GP) surgeries and the availability of branded generics. The findings from this study identify a high baseline rate of acceptance to generic medicines and generic substitution among patients, prescribers and pharmacists in the Irish setting. The concerns of the main stakeholders provide a valuable insight into the potential difficulties that may arise in its implementation, and the need for on-going reassurance and proactive dissemination of the impact of the generic substitution policy. The existing positive attitude to generic medicines and generic substitution among key stakeholders in Ireland to generic substitution, combined with appropriate support and collaboration should result in the desired increase in rates of prescribing, dispensing and use of generic

Aging effects in PWR power plants components

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borges, Diogo da S.; Guimaraes, Antonio C.F.; Moreira, Maria de Lourdes, E-mail: diogosb@outlook.com, E-mail: tony@ien.gov.br, E-mail: malu@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2013-07-01

This paper presents a contribution to the study of aging process of components in commercial plants of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). The analysis is made through application of the Fault Trees Method, Monte Carlo Method and Fussell-Vesely Importance Measure. The approach of the study of aging in nuclear power plants, besides giving attention to the economic factors involved directly with the extent of their operational life, also provide significant data on security issues. The latest case involving process of life extension of a PWR could be seen in Angra 1 Nuclear Power Plant through investing of $27 million for the installation of a new reactor lid. The corrective action has generated an estimated operating life extension of Angra I in twenty years, offering great economy compared with building cost of a new plant and anterior decommissioning, if it had reached the time operating limit of forty years. The Extension of the operating life of a nuclear power plant must be accompanied by a special attention to the components of the systems and their aging process. After the application of the methodology (aging analysis of the injection system of the containment spray) proposed in this work, it can be seen that 'the increase in the rate of component failure, due the aging process, generates the increase in the general unavailability of the system that containing these basic components'. The final results obtained were as expected and may contribute to the maintenance policy, preventing premature aging process in Nuclear Plant Systems. (author)

The use of NPAR [Nuclear Plant Aging Research] results in plant inspection activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunther, W.; Taylor, J.

1989-01-01

The US NRC's Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program is a hardware oriented research program which has produced a large data base of equipment and system operating, maintenance, and testing information. Equipment and systems which have a propensity for age related degradation are identified, and methods for detecting and mitigating aging effects have been evaluated. As plants age, it becomes increasingly important that NRC inspectors be cognizant of plant aging phenomena. This paper describes the NPAR information which can enhance inspection activities, and provides a mechanism for making pertinent research available to the inspectors. 7 refs., 2 figs

IPRDS - Component histories and nuclear plant aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borkowski, R.J.; Kahl, W.K.

1984-01-01

A comprehensive assessment of nuclear power plant component operating histories, maintenance histories, and design and fabrication details is essential to understanding aging phenomena. As part of the In-Plant Reliability Data System (IPRDS), an attempt is being made to collect and analyze such information from a sampling of U.S. nuclear power plants. Utilizing the IPRDS, one can reconstruct the failure history of the components and gain new insight into the causes and modes of failures resulting from normal or premature aging. This information assembled from the IPRDS can be combined with operating histories and postservice component inspection results for ''cradle-to-grave'' assessments of component aging under operating conditions. A comprehensive aging assessment can then be used to provide guidelines for improving the detection, monitoring, and mitigation of aging-related failures. The examples chosen for this paper illustrate two aging-related areas: the effects of an improved preventive maintenance policy in mitigating aging of a feedwater pump and the identification of reoccuring failures in parts of diesel generators

Basis for snubber aging research: Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, D.P.; Palmer, G.R.; Werry, E.V.; Blahnik, D.E.

1990-01-01

This report describes a research plan to address the safety concerns of aging in snubbers used on piping and equipment in commercial nuclear power plants. The work is to be performed under Phase 2 of the Snubber Aging Study of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) as the prime contractor. Research conducted by PNL under Phase 1 provided an initial assessment of snubber operating experience and was primarily based on a review of licensee event reports. The work proposed is an extension of Phase 1 and includes research at nuclear power plants and in test laboratories. Included is technical background on the design and use of snubbers in commercial nuclear power applications; the primary failure modes of both hydraulic and mechanical snubbers are discussed. The anticipated safety, technical, and regulatory benefits of the work, along with concerns of the NRC and the utilities, are also described. 21 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab

Managing ageing of Karachi nuclear power plant (KANUPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoda, M. Qamrul; Jamal-ur-Rahman

2002-01-01

Full text: Karachi Nuclear power Plant (KANUPP), a 137 MWe CANDU plant, was built on a turn-key basis by the Canadian General Electric (CGE) in the late sixties. The plant with a design life of thirty years went into commercial operation in October, 1972. After nearly three decades of operation, KANUPP like all other plants has faced the problem of equipment ageing and obsolescence. KANUPP has been striving hard to combat these problems with the assistance from IAEA, COG and WANO. During early eighties IAEA expert missions were called at KANUPP on various safety issues and on their recommendations various projects such as Safe Operation of KANUPP, Technical Upgradation Project, Balancing, Modernization and Rehabilitation project were initiated to combat equipment ageing and obsolescence. KANUPP has made substantial progress in the implementation of the tasks under these projects and the operating life of the plant is expected to be extended by 15 years. Three IAEA expert missions were invited at KANUPP during 1999-2000 to carry out assessment of the ongoing activities related to plant ageing management. On the basis of their recommendations an ageing Management Programme has been formally established at KANUPP to manage age-related degradation of plant systems, structures and components important to safety and to ensure that the required safety functions are available for the extended life of the plant. Being close to completion of its nominal design life in October 2002, KANUPP has already applied to Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority for renewal of operating license. This paper briefly describes the activities related to ageing management of KANUPP to fulfil the requirement for its continued operation beyond its design life. (author)

Savannah River Site generic data base development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanchard, A.

2000-01-01

This report describes the results of a project to improve the generic component failure database for the Savannah River Site (SRS). Additionally, guidelines were developed further for more advanced applications of database values. A representative list of components and failure modes for SRS risk models was generated by reviewing existing safety analyses and component failure data bases and from suggestions from SRS safety analysts. Then sources of data or failure rate estimates were identified and reviewed for applicability. A major source of information was the Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability, or NUCLARR. This source includes an extensive collection of failure data and failure rate estimates for commercial nuclear power plants. A recent Idaho National Engineering Laboratory report on failure data from the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant was also reviewed. From these and other recent sources, failure data and failure rate estimates were collected for the components and failure modes of interest. For each component failure mode, this information was aggregated to obtain a recommended generic failure rate distribution (mean and error factor based on a lognormal distribution). Results are presented in a table in this report. A major difference between generic database and previous efforts is that this effort estimates failure rates based on actual data (failure events) rather than on existing failure rate estimates. This effort was successful in that over 75% of the results are now based on actual data. Also included is a section on guidelines for more advanced applications of failure rate data. This report describes the results of a project to improve the generic component failure database for the Savannah River site (SRS). Additionally, guidelines were developed further for more advanced applications of database values

Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-07-01

The nuclear plant aging research described in this plan is intended to resolve issues related to the aging and service wear of equipment and systems at commercial reactor facilities and their possible impact on plant safety. Emphasis has been placed on identification and characterization of the mechansims of material and component degradation during service and evaluation of methods of inspection, surveillance, condition monitoring and maintenance as means of mitigating such effects. Specifically the goals of the program are as follows: (1) to identify and characterize aging and service wear effects which, if unchecked, could cause degradation of structures, components, and systems and thereby impair plant safety; (2) to identify methods of inspection, surveillance and monitoring, or of evaluating residual life of structures, components, and systems, which will assure timely detection of significant aging effects prior to loss of safety function; and (3) to evaluate the effectiveness of storage, maintenance, repair and replacement practices in mitigating the rate and extent of degradation caused by aging and service wear

Evaluation and proposed improvements to effectiveness of US Nuclear Regulatory Commission generic communications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thurber, J.A.; Melber, B.D.; Geisendorfer, C.L.; Vallario, R.W.

1988-01-01

This report describes an evaluation of NRC generic communications with industry concerning safety related issues of commercial nuclear power plandts. The analysis builds on the findings presented in the 1986 Office of Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data (AEOD) Special Study Report, ''An Overview of Nuclear Power Plant Operating Experience Feedback Programs'' (AEOD/S602). The primary objective of the report is to present practical recommendations for improving NRC's documents and generic communications system. The report is based upon a systematic review and evaluation of NRC and industry operating experience documents. It also includes an analysis of interviews with licensee personnel at five utilities and their nuclear power plants. NRC regional and headquarters managers and staff were also interviewed for the study. NRC and licensee personnel interviewed are generally satisfied with the current NRC-industry communications system; however, several problems and potential solutions to those problems are identified in this study. The report makes seven major recommendations for improvement in the effectiveness of NRC-industry generic communications about nuclear power plant operating experience

[Users sceptical about generic drugs: an anthropological approach].

Science.gov (United States)

Sarradon-Eck, A; Blanc, M-A; Faure, M

2007-06-01

Since the enactment of the 2002 legislative measures favoring the prescription of generic drugs, various quantitative studies have shown that approval by prescribers and users has risen in France. Nevertheless, scepticism remains as well as distrust towards these drugs focusing on their effectiveness compared with brand-name drugs, on potential dangers, and on the interruption they cause in prescription and consumption habits. Using a comprehensive approach, this article analyzes the social and cultural logic behind the negative image of generic drugs. The materials issued from an ethnographic study on the prescription of drugs for high blood pressure. Sixty-eight interviews were undertaken between April 2002 and October 2004 with people (39 women and 29 men, between the age of 40 and 95, 52 over the age of 60) treated for over a year for high blood pressure in rural areas in the Southeast of France. Thirteen people provided unsolicited opinions about generic drugs. Analysis of the information collected shows that users have various representations of generic drugs, including the idea of counterfeited and foreign drugs. These representations interfere with the adjustment process and the development of consumer loyalty. They are part of a set of social representations about drugs which form and express the user's reality. In these representations, the drug is an ambivalent object, carrier of both biological effectiveness and toxicity; it is also the metonymical extension of the prescriber, bestowing upon the prescription a symbolic value. By placing the generic drug in its network of symbolic and social meaning, this study highlights the coherence of the scepticism towards generic drugs by consumers (and prescribers) with a system of common opinion in which drugs are everyday things, personalized and compatible with users, symbolic exchange carriers in the physician-patient relationship, and in which confidence in the drug is also that given to the health care

Handbook for quick cost estimates. A method for developing quick approximate estimates of costs for generic actions for nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ball, J.R.

1986-04-01

This document is a supplement to a ''Handbook for Cost Estimating'' (NUREG/CR-3971) and provides specific guidance for developing ''quick'' approximate estimates of the cost of implementing generic regulatory requirements for nuclear power plants. A method is presented for relating the known construction costs for new nuclear power plants (as contained in the Energy Economic Data Base) to the cost of performing similar work, on a back-fit basis, at existing plants. Cost factors are presented to account for variations in such important cost areas as construction labor productivity, engineering and quality assurance, replacement energy, reworking of existing features, and regional variations in the cost of materials and labor. Other cost categories addressed in this handbook include those for changes in plant operating personnel and plant documents, licensee costs, NRC costs, and costs for other government agencies. Data sheets, worksheets, and appropriate cost algorithms are included to guide the user through preparation of rough estimates. A sample estimate is prepared using the method and the estimating tools provided.

Handbook for quick cost estimates. A method for developing quick approximate estimates of costs for generic actions for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, J.R.

1986-04-01

This document is a supplement to a ''Handbook for Cost Estimating'' (NUREG/CR-3971) and provides specific guidance for developing ''quick'' approximate estimates of the cost of implementing generic regulatory requirements for nuclear power plants. A method is presented for relating the known construction costs for new nuclear power plants (as contained in the Energy Economic Data Base) to the cost of performing similar work, on a back-fit basis, at existing plants. Cost factors are presented to account for variations in such important cost areas as construction labor productivity, engineering and quality assurance, replacement energy, reworking of existing features, and regional variations in the cost of materials and labor. Other cost categories addressed in this handbook include those for changes in plant operating personnel and plant documents, licensee costs, NRC costs, and costs for other government agencies. Data sheets, worksheets, and appropriate cost algorithms are included to guide the user through preparation of rough estimates. A sample estimate is prepared using the method and the estimating tools provided

Catalogue of generic plant states leading to core melt in PWRs: includes appendix 1: detailed description of sequences leading to core melt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-11-01

The Task Group on thermal-hydraulic system behaviour was given a mandate from PWG 2 on Coolant System-Behaviour with the approval of CSNI to deal with the topic of Accident Management. A writing group was set up to identify generic plant states leading to core melt for pressurized water reactors (PWR) and find 'possible approaches to accident management measures' (AM-Measures) for dealing with them. From a matrix of 15 initiating events and 12 system failures (i.e. from 180 possibilities), 32 event sequences have been identified as leading to core melt. Each sequence has been divided into characteristic plant state intervals according to safety function challenges. For each of the 141 defined characteristic plant state intervals, the members of the Writing Group made proposals for AM-Measures

Performance measures for aging of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, D.F. Jr.

1993-01-01

The Nuclear Power Plant licenses are granted by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a 40-year term. There is at present consideration being given to extending the authorized service lifetime beyond that, perhaps for a total of 60 or 70 years total. A logical concern for such a length of operation is whether the plant ages in such a way as to be significantly less safe as it gets older. As a corollary to this, there would be the question as to how to measure a diminution in plant safety. Each operating utility has, of course, ways to observe the plant performance. It has maintenance and surveillance programs which are used for this purpose. The NRC maintains a presence at each operating plant in the form of resident inspectors. The NRC also receives utility reports which may then be used to synthesize operating performance. It also reviews plant performance directly through what is known as the Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP). In the paper the various data management programs used by the NRC will be described. The results of each program is presented, and observations are made as to the potential effect of age on safety performance. It is also necessary to define the size of the population being examined. There are at present 109 operating reactors. The age distribution is used to normalize the data. Some of the indicators discussed in this paper are concerned more with the indirect effect of aging, such as inadvertent shutdown. The regulated industry maintains a program known as the Nuclear Power Reliability Data System (NPRDS) to which the electric utilities participate in a voluntary manner. Data from NPRDS can be accessed to observe the direct aging effect; this is not covered in this paper. To the degree that plant operating staff learns how to cope with aging equipment and operate in a safe manner nonetheless, the performance indicators would not fully reflect the aging effect

Nuclear power plant ageing management programmes in foreign countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simola, K.; Laakso, K.; Pekkonen, A.

1992-09-01

The report describes ageing studies of nuclear power plants and research programmes on plant life extension in foreign countries. Ageing studies are aimed to ascertain that the availability and safety of components and structures can be maintained throughout the plant lifetime. In life extension programmes the purpose is to evaluate the technical and economical possibilities to extend the plant lifetime beyond the originally planned operation period, without reducing the plant safety. The main emphasis of the report is put on the ageing and life extension programmes in the United States. Besides the U.S. studies, research on plant life extension possibilities conducted in France and Japan are also described. Examples of studies performed in other nuclear energy producing countries are given. These examples are mainly related to the development of maintenance programmes and techniques

Ageing and plant life management software Comsy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nopper, H.; Daeuwel, W.; Kastner, W. [Siemens Nuclear Power GmbH (SNP), Erlangen (Germany)

2001-07-01

Cost-effective power generation is becoming more important as the prices charged by power producers in the energy market continue to fall. To ease the cost situation there is a growing demand for innovative maintenance management methods which allow power plants to be economically operated over their entire lifetime. The purpose of a systematic ageing and plant life management program is to allow the lifetime of plant components to be planned, and to indicate when a component has reached the end of its effective lifetime before it fails. Another important function of such programs is to increase the availability of power plants as they age, and to enable implementation of a targeted maintenance strategy in terms of its economic and technical effect. Implementation of such programs requires the existence of detailed information concerning the status of the components as well as their operating conditions. Based on this information, an understanding of how the relevant ageing and degradation mechanisms work enables a prediction to be made concerning component lifetime. Advanced software programs provide such predictions at reasonable cost across all systems. (author)

Ageing and plant life management software Comsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nopper, H.; Daeuwel, W.; Kastner, W.

2001-01-01

Cost-effective power generation is becoming more important as the prices charged by power producers in the energy market continue to fall. To ease the cost situation there is a growing demand for innovative maintenance management methods which allow power plants to be economically operated over their entire lifetime. The purpose of a systematic ageing and plant life management program is to allow the lifetime of plant components to be planned, and to indicate when a component has reached the end of its effective lifetime before it fails. Another important function of such programs is to increase the availability of power plants as they age, and to enable implementation of a targeted maintenance strategy in terms of its economic and technical effect. Implementation of such programs requires the existence of detailed information concerning the status of the components as well as their operating conditions. Based on this information, an understanding of how the relevant ageing and degradation mechanisms work enables a prediction to be made concerning component lifetime. Advanced software programs provide such predictions at reasonable cost across all systems. (author)

Ageing of power plants socio-economical, sanitary and environmental impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bataille, Ch.; Denner, M.; Vouilloux, F.; Foucher, L.; Serviere, M.; Vila d'Abadal Serra, M.

2005-01-01

The National Association of the local Commissions of Information (A.N.C.L.I.) presents a colloquium about the ageing of nuclear power plants. The different following points are presented. The life cycle of nuclear power plants and the new types of reactors. The ageing of power plants: stakes and perspectives for the French and world nuclear park. A power plant of 30 years is it sure? The role of the studies of ageing and the follow-up according to the age. Stop or continue to exploit a nuclear power plant: who decides, when and how. The socio-economic consequences of a stop of power plant: the Spanish experience. Ten-year visits of a power plant: the associative experience. 58 reactors today: how to assume their end of life and welcome equipments to come. (N.C.)

Human factors: a major issue in plant aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Widrig, R.D.

1985-07-01

Human factors issues will be of great significance in the safe and reliable operation of aging nuclear power plants, and they may be more important than materials/component-type issues. Human actions can accelerate or decelerate te physical aging process. And an aging plant can have significant negative implications on staff performance and actions. Some examples include difficulties in attracting and retaining good managers, financial decisions based on a short and uncertain remaining plant life, difficulties in replacing retiring staff, increased maintenance complexity, and increased burden on training. These problems can be dealt with more effectively by early recognition and a well conceived mitigation effort

Aging of electric motors in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subudhi, M.; Taylor, J.H.

1987-06-01

Motor degradation due to aging and service wear decreases reliability and increases the potential for failure during nuclear plant accident and post accident conditions. The impact of motor failures on plant safety is an important concern among the nuclear utilities and the government agency regulating this industry. Economic impacts, relating to plant availability and safety, as well as corrective maintenance, have prompted utilities to improve their maintenance programs to mitigate such aging effects. 2 refs., 3 figs

HTGR generic technology program. Semiannual report ending March 31, 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-05-01

This document reports the technical accomplishments on the HTGR Generic Technology Program at General Atomic during the first half of FY-80. It covers a period when the design direction of the National HTGR Program is in the process of an overall review. The HTGR Generic Technology Program activities have continued so as to provide the basic technology required for all HTGR applications. The activities include the need to develop an MEU fuel and the need to qualify materials and components for the higher temperatures of the gas turbine and process heat plants

Model of a Generic Natural Uranium Conversion Plant ? Suggested Measures to Strengthen International Safeguards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raffo-Caiado, Ana Claudia [ORNL; Begovich, John M [ORNL; Ferrada, Juan J [ORNL

2009-11-01

This is the final report that closed a joint collaboration effort between DOE and the National Nuclear Energy Commission of Brazil (CNEN). In 2005, DOE and CNEN started a collaborative effort to evaluate measures that can strengthen the effectiveness of international safeguards at a natural uranium conversion plant (NUCP). The work was performed by DOE s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and CNEN. A generic model of a NUCP was developed and typical processing steps were defined. Advanced instrumentation and techniques for verification purposes were identified and investigated. The scope of the work was triggered by the International Atomic Energy Agency s 2003 revised policy concerning the starting point of safeguards at uranium conversion facilities. Prior to this policy only the final products of the uranium conversion plant were considered to be of composition and purity suitable for use in the nuclear fuel cycle and therefore, subject to the IAEA safeguards control. DOE and CNEN have explored options for implementing the IAEA policy, although Brazil understands that the new policy established by the IAEA is beyond the framework of the Quadripartite Agreement of which it is one of the parties, together with Argentina, the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) and the IAEA. Two technical papers on this subject were published at the 2005 and 2008 INMM Annual Meetings.

Patients' concern about their medicine after a generic switch

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard Rathe, Jette; Søndergaard, Jens; Jarbøl, Dorte E

2014-01-01

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the possible association between patients' concerns about their medicine and generic switch. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey was carried out comprising responses from 2217 randomly selected persons aged 20 years or older and living in the Region of Southern...... Denmark, who had redeemed generically substitutable drugs in September 2008. For each patient, we focused on the purchase of one generically substitutable drug (index drug). We applied the specific concerns subscale from the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire (BMQ) to analyse lack of confidence....... RESULTS: No statistically significant associations were found between concerns about the index medicine and the generic switch (-0.02 95% CI: -0.10; 0.05). Viewing medicines as harmful in general was associated with increased concerns (BMQ general harm: 0.39 95% CI: 0.30; 0.47 and BMQ general overuse: 0...

Generic licensing issues applicable to Wolsong 3 and 4 licensing review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyd, Frederick C.

1994-01-01

The Wolsong 3 and 4 nuclear power plants are of CANDU type which were designed according to the rules and regulations of the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) of Canada. In 1992 AECB staff issued a first formal report (to the AECB Board) on 'generic safety issues affecting power reactors'. This was followed by a second report in 1993. These reports dealt with safety issues associated with Canadian CANDU nuclear power plants that applied to all or several plants and were considered insufficiently resolved. In most cases the concern was lack of certainty in the related safety analyses. The AECB staff report of 1993 identified eight 'generic action items' and six 'long-term research issues', three of which AECB staff have indicated may be moved into the 'action' category. This report, prepared for the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), reviews the background of the AECB 'generic action items' and the three 'long-term research issues' noted above. It also reviews an additional topic - steam line failure outside of containment - which was included in the request from KINS. In all, twelve issues are covered. These background reviews are followed by a discussion of the relevance of each issue to the licensing review (for Construction Permit) of Wolsong 3 and 4 and recommended actions to be taken by KINS

Differences in rates of switchbacks after switching from branded to authorized generic and branded to generic drug products: cohort study

Science.gov (United States)

Sarpatwari, Ameet; Dejene, Sara; Khan, Nazleen F; Lii, Joyce; Rogers, James R; Dutcher, Sarah K; Raofi, Saeid; Bohn, Justin; Connolly, John; Fischer, Michael A; Kesselheim, Aaron S; Gagne, Joshua J

2018-01-01

Abstract Objectives To compare rates of switchbacks to branded drug products for patients switched from branded to authorized generic drug products, which have the same active ingredients, appearance, and excipients as the branded product, with patients switched from branded to generic drug products, which have the same active ingredients as the branded product but may differ in appearance and excipients. Design Observational cohort study. Setting Private (a large commercial health plan) and public (Medicaid) insurance programs in the US. Participants Beneficiaries of a large US commercial health insurer between 2004 and 2013 (primary cohort) and Medicaid beneficiaries between 2000 and 2010 (replication cohort). Main outcome measures Patients taking branded products for one of the study drugs (alendronate tablets, amlodipine tablets, amlodipine-benazepril capsules, calcitonin salmon nasal spray, escitalopram tablets, glipizide extended release tablets, quinapril tablets, and sertraline tablets) were identified when they switched to an authorized generic or a generic drug product after the date of market entry of generic drug products. These patients were followed for switchbacks to the branded drug product in the year after their switch to an authorized generic or a generic drug product. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals after adjusting for demographics, including age, sex, and calendar year. Inverse variance meta-analysis was used to pool adjusted hazard ratios across all drug products. Results A total of 94 909 patients switched from branded to authorized generic drug products and 116 017 patients switched from branded to generic drug products and contributed to the switchback analysis. Unadjusted incidence rates of switchback varied across drug products, ranging from a low of 3.8 per 100 person years (for alendronate tablets) to a high of 17.8 per 100 person years (for amlodipine

The generic article

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Farkas, D.F.; Swart, Henriëtte de

2005-01-01

We take a fresh look at the connection between genericity and (in)definiteness by reconsidering a long-standing puzzle concerning the relation between definiteness and genericity. We contrast English on the one hand and Romance languages and Hungarian on the other, focusing on generic sentences

FPFPspace2: A code for following airborne fission products in generic nuclear plant flow paths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owcarski, P.C.; Burk, K.W.; Ramsdell, J.V.; Yasuda, D.D.

1991-03-01

In order to assure that a nuclear power plant control room remains habitable during certain types of postulated accidents, Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has undertaken a special study for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This purpose of this study is to develop software that can aid in the analyses of control room habitability during accidents in which airborne fission products could challenge internal air pathways to the control room. PNL has completed an initial version (FPFP) and final version (FPFP 2) of a software package that can estimate the unsteady-state invasion of quantities of fission products into the control room or any other destination within the nuclear plant via generic internal flow paths. This report consists of three parts: Section 2.0, Technical Bases, describes the flow path components and mechanisms of natural fission product deposition; Section 3.0, FPFP 2 Code Description, describes code organization and the functions of the subroutines; and Section 4.0, Code Operation, discusses details of input requirements, code output, and a sample case demonstration. The appendices consist of an FPFP 2 Fortran code listing, a listing of a code for building input files, forms for building input files, and the sample case input and output files. 7 refs., 3 figs

Seismic and dynamic qualification of safety-related electrical and mechanical equipment in operating nuclear power plants: development of a method to generate generic floor-response spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curreri, J.; Costantino, C.; Subudhi, M.; Reich, M.

1983-09-01

Generic floor response spectra were developed for use in the qualification of electrical and mechanical equipment in operating nuclear power plants. The characteristics of 1000 floor response spectra were studied to determine the generic spectra. The procedure developed uses as much or as little information that currently exists at the plant relating to the question of equipment qualification. The general approach was to study the effects on the dynamic characteristics of each of the elements in the chain of events that goes between the loads and the responses. This includes the loads, the soils and the structures. A free-field earthquake response spectra was used to generate horizontal earthquake time histories. The excitation was applied through the soil and into the various structures to produce responses in equipment. An entire range of soil conditions was used with each structure. Actual PWR and BWR - Mark I structural models were used. For each model, the stiffness properties were varied, with the same mass, so as to extend the fundamental base structure natural frequency from 2 cps to 36 cps. The natural frequencies of the structures were varied to obtain maximum response conditions. The actual properties were first used to locate the natural frequencies. The stiffness properties were than varied, with the same mass, to extend the range of the fundamental base structure natural frequency. The intention was to have the coupled structural material frequencies in the vicinity of the peak amplitude frequency content of the excitation spectrum. Particular attention was therefore given to the frequency band between 2 Hz and 4 Hz. A horizontal generic floor response spectra is proposed for the top level of a generic structure. Reduction factors are applied to the peak acceleration for equipment at lower levels

77 FR 12089 - Proposed Generic Communication; Regulatory Issue Summary 2012-XX: Developing Inservice Testing...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-28

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0048] Proposed Generic Communication; Regulatory Issue... CFR) Part 52, ``Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants,'' to satisfy the... inservice testing programs during the initial 120-month program interval following nuclear power plant...

Generic evaluation of feedwater transients and small break loss-of-coolant accidents in GE-designed operating plants and near-term operating license applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

The results are presented of a generic evaluation of feedwater transients, small-break loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs), and other TMI-2-related events for General Electric Company (GE)-designed operating plants and near-term operating license applications to confirm or establish the bases for the continued safe operation of the operating plants. The results of this evaluation are presented in this report in the form of a set of findings and recommendations in each of the principal review areas. Additional review of the accident is continuing and further information is being obtained and evaluated. Any new information will be reviewed and modifications will be made as appropriate

Probabilistic methods in nuclear power plant component ageing analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simola, K.

1992-03-01

The nuclear power plant ageing research is aimed to ensure that the plant safety and reliability are maintained at a desired level through the designed, and possibly extended lifetime. In ageing studies, the reliability of components, systems and structures is evaluated taking into account the possible time- dependent decrease in reliability. The results of analyses can be used in the evaluation of the remaining lifetime of components and in the development of preventive maintenance, testing and replacement programmes. The report discusses the use of probabilistic models in the evaluations of the ageing of nuclear power plant components. The principles of nuclear power plant ageing studies are described and examples of ageing management programmes in foreign countries are given. The use of time-dependent probabilistic models to evaluate the ageing of various components and structures is described and the application of models is demonstrated with two case studies. In the case study of motor- operated closing valves the analysis are based on failure data obtained from a power plant. In the second example, the environmentally assisted crack growth is modelled with a computer code developed in United States, and the applicability of the model is evaluated on the basis of operating experience

Current status of countermeasures for ageing of nuclear power plants in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koyama, M.; Ishikawa, M.; Tajima, K.

2002-01-01

This paper summarizes ageing coutermeasure program of the nuclear power plants performed by the Japanese Government and industries and related activities, and describes current research program and utilization of the research results for the aged nuclear power plants. Regulatory bodies (NISA of METI: Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) reviewed the ageing issues of nuclear power plants to enhance countermeasures for the aged plants. Nuclear Power Plant Life Engineering Center (PLEC) entrusted by NISA is carrying out the task relating to the aged plants. (orig.)

PRAAGE-1988: An interactive IBM-PC code for aging analysis of NUREG-1150 systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fullwood, R.R.; Shier, W.G.

1988-01-01

Probabilistic Risk Assessments (PRA) contain a great deal of information for estimating the risk of a nuclear power plant but do not consider aging. PRAAGE (PRA+AGE) is an interactive, IBM-PC code for processing PRA-developed system models using non-aged failure rate data in conjunction with user-supplied time-dependent nuclear plant experience component failure rate data to determine the effects of component aging on a system's reliability as well as providing the age-dependent importances of various generic components. This paper describes the structure, use and application of PRAAGE to the aging analysis of the Peach Bottom 2 RHR system in the LPCI and SDC modes of operation. 4 refs., 15 figs., 5 tabs

Leveraging consumer's behaviour to promote generic drugs in Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Zerbini, Cristina; Luceri, Beatrice; Vergura, Donata Tania

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to fill the lack of knowledge regarding a more grounded exploration of the consumer's decision-making process in the context of generic drugs. In this perspective, a model, within the theoretical framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), for studying the consumers' purchase intention of generic drugs was developed. An online survey on 2,222 Italian people who bought drugs in the past was conducted. The proposed model was tested through structural equation modelling (SEM). Almost all the constructs considered in the model, except the perceived behavioural control, contribute to explain the consumer's purchase intention of generic drugs, after controlling for demographic variables (age, income, education). Specifically, attitude, subjective norm, past behaviour, self-identity and trust in the pharmacist have a positive influence on the intention to buy generic drugs. On the contrary, perceived risk towards products and brand sensitivity act negatively. The results of the present study could be useful to public policy makers in developing effective policies and educational campaigns aimed at promoting generic drugs. Specifically, marketing efforts should be directed to inform consumers about the generic drugs' characteristics to mitigate the perceived risk towards these products and to raise awareness during their decision-making process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

COMSY - A Software Tool for Aging and Plant Life Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zander, Andre; Nopper, Helmut

2012-01-01

A Plant-wide and systematic Aging and Plant Life Management is essential for the safe operation and/or availability of nuclear power plants. The Aging Management (AM) has the objective to monitor and control degradation effects for safety relevant Systems, Structures and Components (SSCs) which may compromise safety functions of the plant. The Plant Life Management (PLM) methodology also includes aging surveillance for availability relevant SSCs. AM and PLM cover mechanical components, electrical and I and C systems and civil structures All Aging and Plant Life Management rules call for a comprehensive approach, requiring the systematic collection of various aging and safety relevant data on a plant-wide basis. This data needs to be serviced and periodically evaluated. Due to the complexity of the process, this activity needs to be supported by a qualified software tool for the management of aging relevant data and associated documents (approx. 30 000 SSCs). In order to support the power plant operators AREVA NP has developed the software tool COMSY. The COMSY software with its integrated AM modules enables the design and setup of a knowledge-based power plant model compatible to the requirements of international and national rules (e.g. IAEA Safety Guide NS-G-2.12, KTA 1403). In this process, a key task is to identify and monitor degradation mechanisms. For this purpose the COMSY tool provides prognosis and trending functions, which are based on more than 30 years of experience in the evaluation of degradation effects and numerous experimental studies. Since 1998 COMSY has been applied successfully in more than fifty reactor units in this field. The current version 3.0 was revised completely and offers additional AM functions. All aging-relevant component data are compiled and allocated via an integrated power plant model. Owing to existing interfaces to other software solutions and flexible import functions, COMSY is highly compatible with already existing data

Nuclear plant aging research - an overview (electrical and mechanical components)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vora, J.P.

1985-01-01

As the operating nuclear power plants advance in age there must be a conscious national and international effort to understand the influence and safety implications of aging and service wear of components and structures in nuclear power plants and develop measures which are practical and cost effective for timely mitigation of aging degradation that could significantly affect plant safety. The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research has, therefore, initiated a multi-year, multi-disciplinary program on Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR). The overall goals identified for the program are as follows: 1) to identify and characterize aging and service wear effects associated with electrical and mechanical components, interfaces, and systems whose failure could impair plant safety; 2) to identify and recommend methods of inspection, surveillance and condition monitoring of electrical and mechanical components and systems which will be effective in detecting significant aging effects prior to loss of safety function so that timely maintenance and repair or replacement can be implemented; and, 3) to identify and recommend acceptable maintenance practices which can be undertaken to mitigate the effects of aging and to diminish the rate and extent of degradation caused by aging and service wear. The specific research activities to be implemented to achieve these goals are described

Regulatory analysis for the resolution of Generic Safety Issue 106: Piping and the use of highly combustible gases in vital areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graves, C.C.

1993-06-01

Highly combustible gases such as hydrogen, propane, and acetylene are used at all nuclear power plants. Hydrogen is of particular importance because it is stored in large quantities and is distributed and used continuously in buildings containing safety-related equipment. Large hydrogen releases at the hydrogen storage facilities or in these buildings could lead to fires or explosions that might result in loss of safety-related equipment. This report gives the regulatory analysis for the resolution of Generic Safety Issue 106, open-quotes Piping and the Use of Highly Combustible Gases in Vital Areas.close quotes Scoping analyses showed that the risk associated with the storage and distribution of hydrogen for cooling electric generators at boiling-water reactors (BWRs), the off-gas system at BWRs, the waste gas system at pressurized-water reactors (PWRs), and station battery rooms and portable bottles of combustible gas used for maintenance at PWRs and BWRs is small. On the basis of generic evaluations, the NRC staff has concluded that several possible methods to reduce risk could provide cost-effective safety benefits at some plants. However, in view of the observed large differences in plant-specific characteristics affecting the risk associated with the use of hydrogen, and the marginal generic safety benefit that can be achieved in a cost-effective manner, it is recommended that this generic issue be resolved simply by making these results available in a generic letter. This information may help licensees in their plant evaluations recommended by Generic Letter 88-20, Supplement 4, open-quotes Individual Plant Examination of External Events for Severe Accident Vulnerabilities,close quotes June 28, 1991

Utilization of aging program results in plant inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunther, W.; Fullwood, R.

1989-01-01

Research conducted under the auspices of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program has resulted in a large data base of component and system operating experience. This data base has been used to determine equipment aging susceptibility and the potential for equipment aging to impact plant safety and reliability. Methods of detecting and mitigating component and system aging have also been identified. This paper discusses how the NPAR results could be used to focus inspection activities on age-sensitive components and systems and on the specific modes and mechanisms of age degradation. These activities range from the regular inspections conducted by resident inspectors to extensive special inspections such as the Safety System Functional Inspection typically conducted by a team of inspectors. 5 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Utilization of aging program results in plant inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunther, W.; Fullwood, R.

1988-01-01

Research conducted under the auspices of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program has resulted in a large data base of component and system operating experience. This data base has been used to determine equipment aging susceptibility and the potential for equipment aging to impact plant safety and reliability. Methods of detecting and mitigating component and system aging have also been identified. This paper discusses how the NPAR results could be used to focus inspection activities on age-sensitive components and systems and on the specific modes and mechanisms of age degradation. These activities range from the regular inspections conducted by resident inspectors to extensive special inspections such as the Safety System Functional Inspection typically conducted by a team of inspectors. 5 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Consumption of polyphenol plants may slow aging and associated diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Uysal, Utku; Seremet, Sila; Lamping, Jeffrey W; Adams, Jerome M; Liu, Deede Y; Swerdlow, Russell H; Aires, Daniel J

2013-01-01

Slowing aging is a widely shared goal. Plant-derived polyphenols, which are found in commonly consumed food plants such as tea, cocoa, blueberry and grape, have been proposed to have many health benefits, including slowing aging. In-vivo studies have demonstrated the lifespan-extending ability of six polyphenol-containing plants. These include five widely consumed foods (tea, blueberry, cocoa, apple, pomegranate) and a flower commonly used as a folk medicine (betony). These and multiple other plant polyphenols have been shown to have beneficial effects on aging-associated changes across a variety of organisms from worm and fly to rodent and human.

A PLC generic requirements and specification for safety-related applications in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Jea Bok; Lee, C. K.; Lee, D. Y.

2001-12-01

This report presents the requirements and specification to be applied to the generic qualification of programmable Logic Controller(PLC), which is being developed as part of the KNICS project, 'Development of the Digital Reactor Safety Systems' of which purpose is the application to safety-related instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power plants. This report defines the essential and critical characteristics that shall be included as part of a PLC design for safety-related application. The characteristics include performance, reliability, accuracy, the overall response time from an input to the PLC exceeding it trip condition to the resulting outputs, and the specification of processors and memories in digital controller. It also specifies the quality assurance process for software development, dealing with executive software, firmware, application software tools for developing the application software, and human machine interface(HMI). In addition, this report reviews the published standards and guidelines that are required for the PLC development and the quality assurance processes such as environment requirements, seismic withstand requirements, EMI/RFI withstand requirements, and isolation test

Nuclear power plant ageing and life extension: Safety aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novak, S.; Podest, M.

1987-01-01

Experience with large fossil-fired electrical generating units, as well as in all process industries, shows that plants begin to deteriorate with age after approximately 10 years of operation. Similar phenomena will prevail for nuclear plants, and it is reasonable to postulate that their availability will be affected, as will their safety, if appropriate measures are not taken. It is evident that the average age of power reactors in the IAEA's Member States is increasing. By 2000, more than 50 nuclear plants will have been providing electricity for 25 years or longer. Most nuclear power plants have operating lifetimes of between 20 and 40 years. Ageing is defined as a continuing time-dependent degradation of material due to service conditions, including normal operation and transient conditions. It is common experience that over long periods of time, there is a gradual change in the properties of materials. These changes can affect the capability of engineered components, systems, or structures to perform their required function. Not all changes are deleterious, but it is commonly observed that ageing processes normally involve a gradual reduction in performance capability. All materials in a nuclear power plant can suffer from ageing and can partially or totally lose their designed function. Ageing is not only of concern for active components (for which the probability of malfunction increases with time) but also for passive ones, since the safety margin is being reduced towards the lowest allowable level

Brand vs generic adverse event reporting patterns: An authorized generic-controlled evaluation of cardiovascular medications.

Science.gov (United States)

Alatawi, Y; Rahman, Md M; Cheng, N; Qian, J; Peissig, P L; Berg, R L; Page, C D; Hansen, R A

2018-06-01

Some public scepticism exists about generics in terms of whether brand and generic drugs produce identical outcomes. This study explores whether adverse event (AE) reporting patterns are similar between brand and generic drugs, using authorized generics (AGs) as a control for possible generic drug perception biases. Events reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System from the years 2004-2015 were analysed. Drugs were classified as brand, AG or generic based on drug and manufacturer names. Reports were included if amlodipine, losartan, metoprolol extended release (ER) or simvastatin were listed as primary or secondary suspect drugs. Disproportionality analyses using the reporting odds ratio (ROR) assessed the relative rate of reporting labelled AEs compared to reporting these AEs with all other drugs. The Breslow-Day test compared RORs across brand, AG and generic. Interrupted time series analysis evaluated the impact of generic entry on reporting trends. Generics accounted for significant percentages of total U.S. reports, but AGs accounted for smaller percentages of reports, including for amlodipine (14.26%), losartan (1.48%), metoprolol ER (0.35%) and simvastatin (0.70%). Whereas the RORs were significantly different for multiple brand vs generic comparisons, the AG vs generic comparisons yielded fewer statistically significant findings. Namely, only the ROR for AG differed from generic for amlodipine with peripheral oedema (P brand and generic compared with AG and generic. Use of AGs as a control for perception biases against generics is useful, but this approach can be limited by small AG report numbers. Requiring the manufacturer name to be printed on the prescription bottle or packaging could improve the accuracy of assignment for products being reported. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Recommendations for managing equipment aging in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunther, W.E.; Subudhi, M.; Aggarwal, S.K.

1992-01-01

Research conducted under the auspices of the US NRC's Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program has resulted in a large database of component and system operating, maintenance, and testing information. This database has been used to determine the susceptibility to aging of selected components, and the potential for equipment aging to impact plant safety and availability. it has also identified methods for detecting and mitigating component and system aging. This paper describes the research recommendations on electrical components which could be applied to maintenance, testing, and inspection activities to detect and mitigate the effects of aging prior to equipment failures

Control of heavy loads at nuclear power plants: Resolution of Generic Technical Activity A-36. Technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, H.J.

1980-07-01

This report summarizes work performed by the NRC staff in the resolution of Generic Technical Activity A-36, Control of Heavy Loads Near Spent Fuel. Generic Technical Activity A-36 is one of the generic technical subjects designated as unresolved safety issues pursuant to Section 210 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974. The report describes the technical studies and evaluations performed by the NRC staff, the staff's guidelines based on these studies, and the staff's plans for implementaton of its technical guidelines

Structural Design of HRA Database using generic task for Quantitative Analysis of Human Performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Seung Hwan; Kim, Yo Chan; Choi, Sun Yeong; Park, Jin Kyun; Jung Won Dea [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

This paper describes a design of generic task based HRA database for quantitative analysis of human performance in order to estimate the number of task conductions. The estimation method to get the total task conduction number using direct counting is not easy to realize and maintain its data collection framework. To resolve this problem, this paper suggests an indirect method and a database structure using generic task that enables to estimate the total number of conduction based on instructions of operating procedures of nuclear power plants. In order to reduce human errors, therefore, all information on the human errors taken by operators in the power plant should be systematically collected and examined in its management. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is carrying out a research to develop a data collection framework to establish a Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) database that could be employed as technical bases to generate human error probabilities (HEPs) and performance shaping factors (PSFs)]. As a result of the study, the essential table schema was designed to the generic task database which stores generic tasks, procedure lists and task tree structures, and other supporting tables. The number of task conduction based on the operating procedures for HEP estimation was enabled through the generic task database and framework. To verify the framework applicability, case study for the simulated experiments was performed and analyzed using graphic user interfaces developed in this study.

Structural Design of HRA Database using generic task for Quantitative Analysis of Human Performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seung Hwan; Kim, Yo Chan; Choi, Sun Yeong; Park, Jin Kyun; Jung Won Dea

2016-01-01

This paper describes a design of generic task based HRA database for quantitative analysis of human performance in order to estimate the number of task conductions. The estimation method to get the total task conduction number using direct counting is not easy to realize and maintain its data collection framework. To resolve this problem, this paper suggests an indirect method and a database structure using generic task that enables to estimate the total number of conduction based on instructions of operating procedures of nuclear power plants. In order to reduce human errors, therefore, all information on the human errors taken by operators in the power plant should be systematically collected and examined in its management. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is carrying out a research to develop a data collection framework to establish a Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) database that could be employed as technical bases to generate human error probabilities (HEPs) and performance shaping factors (PSFs)]. As a result of the study, the essential table schema was designed to the generic task database which stores generic tasks, procedure lists and task tree structures, and other supporting tables. The number of task conduction based on the operating procedures for HEP estimation was enabled through the generic task database and framework. To verify the framework applicability, case study for the simulated experiments was performed and analyzed using graphic user interfaces developed in this study.

Differentiation of plant age in grasses using remote sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Knox, Nichola M.; Skidmore, Andrew K.; van der Werff, Harald M. A.; Groen, Thomas A.; de Boer, Willem F.; Prins, Herbert H. T.; Kohi, Edward; Peel, Mike

2013-10-01

Phenological or plant age classification across a landscape allows for examination of micro-topographical effects on plant growth, improvement in the accuracy of species discrimination, and will improve our understanding of the spatial variation in plant growth. In this paper six vegetation indices used in phenological studies (including the newly proposed PhIX index) were analysed for their ability to statistically differentiate grasses of different ages in the sequence of their development. Spectra of grasses of different ages were collected from a greenhouse study. These were used to determine if NDVI, NDWI, CAI, EVI, EVI2 and the newly proposed PhIX index could sequentially discriminate grasses of different ages, and subsequently classify grasses into their respective age category. The PhIX index was defined as: (AVNIRn+log(ASWIR2n))/(AVNIRn-log(ASWIR2n)), where AVNIRn and ASWIR2n are the respective normalised areas under the continuum removed reflectance curve within the VNIR (500-800 nm) and SWIR2 (2000-2210 nm) regions. The PhIX index was found to produce the highest phenological classification accuracy (Overall Accuracy: 79%, and Kappa Accuracy: 75%) and similar to the NDVI, EVI and EVI2 indices it statistically sequentially separates out the developmental age classes. Discrimination between seedling and dormant age classes and the adult and flowering classes was problematic for most of the tested indices. Combining information from the visible near infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared region (SWIR) region into a single phenological index captures the phenological changes associated with plant pigments and the ligno-cellulose absorption feature, providing a robust method to discriminate the age classes of grasses. This work provides a valuable contribution into mapping spatial variation and monitoring plant growth across savanna and grassland ecosystems.

Consumer choice between common generic and brand medicines in a country with a small generic market.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraeyman, Jessica; Peeters, Lies; Van Hal, Guido; Beutels, Philippe; De Meyer, Guido R Y; De Loof, Hans

2015-04-01

Generic medicines offer an opportunity for governments to contain pharmaceutical expenditures, since generics are generally 10%-80% lower in price than brand medicines. Belgium has a small generic market that takes up 15% of the total pharmaceutical market in packages sold. To determine the knowledge of consumers about the different available packages of a common over-the-counter medicine (acetaminophen) with regard to price advantage, quality, and effectiveness in a country with a small generic market. We conducted an online survey in the general Flemish population using a questionnaire with 25 statements. The questionnaire also contained 2 informative interventions. First, we showed the price per package and per tablet that the patient would pay in the pharmacy. Second, we provided the respondent with general information about generic medication (equivalence, effectiveness, price, and recognition). Before and after the interventions, we probed for preferences and knowledge about the different packages. Multivariate logistic models were used to examine the independent effects of consumer characteristics on responses to the survey statements. We obtained a sample of 1,636 respondents. The general attitude towards generic medication was positive-only 5% would rather not use a generic. Nevertheless, only 17% of the respondents were able to recognize a generic medicine. Older consumers (aged 60 years and above) were more often confused about the different packages (OR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.76-3.80, P ≤ 0.001). Consumers without a higher education degree tended to be more doubtful about the difference in effectiveness and quality between the different brands (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.44-0.79, P ≤ 0.001). Consumer recognition of the name of the active substance of acetaminophen was poor. When different brands were displayed, possible price advantage seemed to be an important motive to switch to a cheaper brand. Consumers generally found medicines

Generic antibiotics in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujimura, Shigeru; Watanabe, Akira

2012-08-01

Generic drugs have been used extensively in many developed countries, although their use in Japan has been limited. Generic drugs reduce drug expenses and thereby national medical expenditure. Because generic drugs provide advantages for both public administration and consumers, it is expected that they will be more widely used in the future. However, the diffusion rate of generic drugs in Japan is quite low compared with that of other developed countries. An investigation on generic drugs conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan revealed that 17.2 % of doctors and 37.2 % of patients had not used generic drugs. The major reasons for this low use rate included distrust of off-patent products and lower drug price margin compared with the brand name drug. The generic drugs available in the market include external drugs such as wet packs, antihypertensive agents, analgesics, anticancer drugs, and antibiotics. Among them, antibiotics are frequently used in cases of acute infectious diseases. When the treatment of these infections is delayed, the infection might be aggravated rapidly. The pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) theory has been adopted in recent chemotherapy, and in many cases, the most appropriate dosage and administration of antibiotics are determined for individual patients considering renal function; high-dosage antibiotics are used preferably for a short duration. Therefore, a highly detailed antimicrobial agent is necessary. However, some of the generic antibiotics have less antibacterial potency or solubility than the brand name products. We showed that the potency of the generic products of vancomycin and teicoplanin is lower than that of the branded drugs by 14.6 % and 17.3 %, respectively. Furthermore, we confirmed that a generic meropenem drug for injection required about 82 s to solubilize in saline, whereas the brand product required only about 21 s. It was thought that the cause may be the difference in size of bulk

Application of the ICRP approach for radiological protection of the marine environment in generic impact assessments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kliaus, Viktoryia [Republican Scientific-Practical Centre of Hygiene, Laboratory of Radiation Safety, Akademicheskaya str. 8, 220012, Minsk (Belarus); Telleria, Diego M. [IAEA-Assessment and Management of Environmental Releases Unit, Wagramer Strasse 5 - PO Box 100, A-1400, Vienna (Austria); Cabianca, Tiberio [Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, PHE, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RQ (United Kingdom)

2014-07-01

This paper presents a way to use the ICRP approach for protection of the environment in generic assessments of the radiological impact of radioactive releases to the marine environment. Generic assessments of radiological impact to the environment are needed in certain circumstances, for example, when input data are limited or when the likely radiological consequences are expected to be not significant. Under these circumstances the effort in performing the assessment must be commensurate with the potential radiological consequences. The generic assessment described in this paper is a simple tool which provides reasonable and cautious results and is applicable to multiple exposure scenarios associated with the assessment of the radiological impact of releases to the marine the environment. This generic assessment can be also used to provide preliminary results which, when compared to radiological criteria, may determine the need of further specific assessments. The ICRP based its approach to protect the environment in the definition of a set of reference animals and plants and the use of related radiological criteria, in the form of derived consideration reference levels. The paper discusses selection and exposure conditions of the reference animals and plants, methods to estimate their doses and the use of the radiological criteria, for the purpose of a generic assessment. The IAEA is elaborating applications of these generic impact assessments presented in the paper to be included in international guidance under development. (authors)

Integration of renewable energy plants based on generic data models in the energy management of a virtual power plant; Integration von erneuerbaren Energieanlagen auf Basis generischer Datenmodelle in das Energiemanagement eines virtuellen Kraftwerks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wickert, Manuel; Slaby, Wolfgang; Hochloff, Patrick [Fraunhofer Institut fuer Windenergie und Energiesystemtechnik (IWES), Kassel (Germany); Winter, Martin [Siemens AG, Muenchen (Germany). Corporate Technology

2012-07-01

The integration of different types of energy resources manufactured by different vendors is one of the main challenges for virtual power plants. One of the important problems is a highly heterogeneous standardization environment for decentralized renewable energy resources. On the one hand proprietary solutions are implemented for some types of energy resources. In a future smart grid it is getting more and more important to handle decentralized energy generation. The project RegModHarz researched the dynamic integration of energy resources in virtual power plants based on generic data models. This paper introduces a concept for the integration of heterogeneous energy resources into the energy management of a virtual power plant using a uniform data model. On the assumption of a market-oriented virtual power plant the main attributes of this data model are generally identified and afterwards explained by examples. The capability of this data model is shown in a comprehensive field test with different renewable energy resources. (orig.)

Allowance for aging in Spanish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez, C.

2009-01-01

In Spain, as in most European Union countries, the nuclear power plants (NPP) operation license is open regarding its duration, there being no legal restrictions for extending the operational life of the NPP by renewing their licenses. Plant operation permits are renewed every ten years, following the performance of periodic safety reviews, which constitute a reasonable guarantee that safety conditions will be maintained throughout the next ten years period. Plant ageing management programmes in Spain started in mid 80's with a joint programme shared by all Spanish utilities through their common organisation, U.N.E.S.A., and the Spanish nuclear regulatory Authority (C.S.N.). The development of the methodology was based mainly in technical documents from IAEA and from U.S.N.R.C. rulemaking and documents, as well as in the international experience available. C.S.N. is interested in realising an effective management of components ageing processes. Therefore C.S.N. has introduced within its inspection and control functions specific requirements related to ageing management. The regulatory requirements related to NPP lifetime management are basically the following: NPP operation license requires preparing and submitting to the C.S.N. an annually updated report on the ageing control activities or the Lifetime Management Programme; - continuous NPP safety evaluation process by C.S.N., complemented with periodic safety reviews, to be performed every 10 years, including: a) review of components behaviour (identify degradation mechanism and current corrective measures adopted by the plant for ageing mechanisms control and mitigation) and b) updating of the safety evaluation and improvement programmes (Lifetime management programme is included among them). In the case the period of validity of a new operation permit exceeds the lifetime considered in the initial design of the plant, the periodic safety review process remains valid, but it must be supplemented with additional

Assessment of electrical equipment aging for nuclear power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-15

The electrical and instrumentation equipments, especially whose parts are made of polymer material, are gradually degraded by thermal and radiation environment in the normal operation, and the degradation is thought to progress rapidly when they are exposed to the environment of the design basis event (DBE). The integrity of the equipments is evaluated by the environmental qualification (EQ) test simulating the environment of the normal operation and the DBE. The project of 'Assessment of Cable Aging for Nuclear Power Plants' (ACA, 2002-2008) indicated the importance of applying simultaneous thermal and radiation aging for simulating the aging in normal operation. The project of 'Assessment of Electrical Equipment Aging for Nuclear Power Plants' (AEA) was initiated in FY2008 to apply the outcome of ACA to the other electrical and instrumentation equipment and to establish an advanced EQ test method that can appropriately simulate the environment in actual plants. In FY2012, aging characteristics of thermal aging and simultaneous aging were obtained for the epoxy resin of electrical penetrations and the O-ring of connectors. Physical property measurement was carried out for epoxy resin of electrical penetration subject to the type testing in FY2010. (author)

Assessment of electrical equipment aging for nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

The electrical and instrumentation equipments, especially whose parts are made of polymer material, are gradually degraded by thermal and radiation environment in the normal operation, and the degradation is thought to progress rapidly when they are exposed to the environment of the design basis event (DBE). The integrity of the equipments is evaluated by the environmental qualification (EQ) test simulating the environment of the normal operation and the DBE. The project of 'Assessment of Cable Aging for Nuclear Power Plants' (ACA, 2002-2008) indicated the importance of applying simultaneous thermal and radiation aging for simulating the aging in normal operation. The project of 'Assessment of Electrical Equipment Aging for Nuclear Power Plants' (AEA) was initiated in FY2008 to apply the outcome of ACA to the other electrical and instrumentation equipment and to establish an advanced EQ test method that can appropriately simulate the environment in actual plants. In FY2012, aging characteristics of thermal aging and simultaneous aging were obtained for the epoxy resin of electrical penetrations and the O-ring of connectors. Physical property measurement was carried out for epoxy resin of electrical penetration subject to the type testing in FY2010. (author)

Scripting XML with Generic Haskell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Atanassow, F.; Clarke, D.; Jeuring, J.T.

2003-01-01

A generic program is written once and works on values of many data types. Generic Haskell is a recent extension of the functional programming language Haskell that supports generic programming. This paper discusses how Generic Haskell can be used to implement XML tools whose behaviour depends on

Scripting XML with Generic Haskell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Atanassow, F.; Clarke, D.; Jeuring, J.T.

2007-01-01

A generic program is written once and works on values of many data types. Generic Haskell is a recent extension of the functional programming language Haskell that supports generic programming. This paper discusses how Generic Haskell can be used to implement XML tools whose behaviour depends on

Prioritization of generic safety issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emrit, R.; Minners, W.; VanderMolen, H.

1983-12-01

This report presents the priority rankings for generic safety issues related to nuclear power plants. The purpose of these rankings is to assist in the timely and efficient allocation of NRC resources for the resolution of those safety issues that have a significant potential for reducing risk. The report focuses on the prioritization of generic safety issues. Issues primarily concerned with the licensing process or environmental protection and not directly related to safety have been excluded from prioritization. The prioritized issues include: TMI Action Plan items under development; previously proposed issues covered by Task Action Plans, except issues designated at Unresolved Safety Issues (USIs) which had already been assigned high priority; and newly-proposed issues. Future supplements to this report will include the prioritization of additional issues. The safety priority rankings are HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW, and DROP and have been assigned on the basis of risk significance estimates, the ratio of risk to costs and other impacts estimated to result if resolutions of the safety issues were implemented, and the consideration of uncertainties and other quantitative or qualitative factors. To the extent practical, estimates are quantitative

The global biopharma industry and the rise of Indian drug multinationals: implications for Australian generics policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Löfgren, Hans

2007-06-01

This article provides a synopsis of the new dynamics of the global biopharma industry. The emergence of global generics companies with capabilities approximating those of 'big pharma' has accelerated the blurring of boundaries between the innovator and generics sectors. Biotechnology-based products form a large and growing segment of prescription drug markets and regulatory pathways for biogenerics are imminent. Indian biopharma multinationals with large-scale efficient manufacturing plants and growing R&D capabilities are now major suppliers of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and generic drugs across both developed and developing countries. In response to generic competition, innovator companies employ a range of life cycle management techniques, including the launch of 'authorised generics'. The generics segment in Australia will see high growth rates in coming years but the prospect for local manufacturing is bleak. The availability of cheap generics in international markets has put pressure on Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) pricing arrangements, and a new policy direction was announced in November 2006. Lower generics prices will have a negative impact on some incumbent suppliers but industrial renewal policies for the medicines industry in Australia are better focused on higher value R&D activities and niche manufacturing of sophisticated products.

Evaluation of cable aging degradation based on plant operating condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong-Seog

2005-01-01

Extending the lifetime of nuclear power plant [(hereafter referred simply as ''NPP'')] is one of the most important concerns in the world nuclear industry. Cables are one of the long live items which have not been considered to be replaced during the design life of NPP. To extend the cable life beyond the design life, we need to prove that the design life is too conservative compared with the actual aging. Condition monitoring is one of the useful ways for evaluating the aging condition of cable. In order to simulate the natural aging in nuclear power plant, a study on accelerated aging needs to be conducted first. In this paper, evaluations of mechanical aging degradation for cable jacket were performed after accelerated aging under the continuous heating and intermittent heating. Contrary to general expectation, the intermittent heating to cable jacket showed low aging degradation, 50% break-elongation and 60% indenter modulus, compared with continuous heating. With the plant maintenance period of 1 month after every 12 or 18 months operation, we can easily deduce that the life time of cable jacket can be extended much longer than estimated through the general EQ (Environmental Qualification) test, which adopts continuous accelerated aging for determining cable life. Therefore, a systematic approach which considers the actual environment condition of nuclear power plant is required for determining the life of cables. (author)

Value impact analysis of Generic Issue 143, Availability of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Chilled Water Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daling, P.M.; Marler, J.E.; Vo, T.V.; Phan, H.; Friley, J.R. [Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)

1993-11-01

This study evaluates the values (benefits) and impacts (costs) associated with potential resolutions to Generic Issue 143, ``Availability of HVAC and Chilled Water Systems.`` The study identifies vulnerabilities related to failures of HVAC, chilled water, and room cooling systems; develops estimates of room heatup rates and safety-related equipment vulnerabilities following losses of HVAC/room cooler systems; develops estimates of the core damage frequencies and public risks associated with failures of these systems; develops three proposed resolution strategies to this generic issue; and performs a value/impact analysis of the proposed resolutions. Existing probabilistic risk assessments for four representative plants, including one plant from each vendor, form the basis for the core damage frequency and public risk calculations. Both internal and external events were considered. It was concluded that all three proposed resolution strategies exceed the $1,000/person-rem cost-effectiveness ratio. Additional evaluations were performed to develop ``generic`` insights on potential design-related and configuration-related vulnerabilities and potential high-frequency ({approximately}1E-04/RY) accident sequences that involve failures of HVAC/room cooling functions. It was concluded that, although high-frequency accident sequences may exist at some plants, these high-frequency sequences are plant-specific in nature or have been resolved through hardware and/or operational changes. The plant-specific Individual Plant Examinations are an effective vehicle for identification and resolution of these plant-specific anomalies and hardware configurations.

Value impact analysis of Generic Issue 143, Availability of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Chilled Water Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daling, P.M.; Marler, J.E.; Vo, T.V.; Phan, H.; Friley, J.R.

1993-11-01

This study evaluates the values (benefits) and impacts (costs) associated with potential resolutions to Generic Issue 143, ''Availability of HVAC and Chilled Water Systems.'' The study identifies vulnerabilities related to failures of HVAC, chilled water, and room cooling systems; develops estimates of room heatup rates and safety-related equipment vulnerabilities following losses of HVAC/room cooler systems; develops estimates of the core damage frequencies and public risks associated with failures of these systems; develops three proposed resolution strategies to this generic issue; and performs a value/impact analysis of the proposed resolutions. Existing probabilistic risk assessments for four representative plants, including one plant from each vendor, form the basis for the core damage frequency and public risk calculations. Both internal and external events were considered. It was concluded that all three proposed resolution strategies exceed the $1,000/person-rem cost-effectiveness ratio. Additional evaluations were performed to develop ''generic'' insights on potential design-related and configuration-related vulnerabilities and potential high-frequency (∼1E-04/RY) accident sequences that involve failures of HVAC/room cooling functions. It was concluded that, although high-frequency accident sequences may exist at some plants, these high-frequency sequences are plant-specific in nature or have been resolved through hardware and/or operational changes. The plant-specific Individual Plant Examinations are an effective vehicle for identification and resolution of these plant-specific anomalies and hardware configurations

Study on aging management of fire protection system in nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Huasong; Du Yu; Li Jianwen; Shi Haining; Tu Fengsheng

2010-01-01

Fire prevention, fire fighting and fire automatic alarms are three aspects which be included in fire protection system in nuclear power plants. The fire protection system can protect personnel, equipment etc in the fire, so their performance will have a direct influence on the safe operation in nuclear power plants. The disabled accidents caused by aging have happened continuously with the extension of time in the fire protection system, which is the major security risk during the running time in nuclear power plants. In view of the importance of fire protection system and the severity of aging problems, the aging are highly valued by the plant operators and related organizations. Though the feedback of operating experience in nuclear power plant, the impact of the fire-fighting equipment aging on system performance and reliability be assessed, the aging sensitive equipment be selected to carry out the aging analysis and to guide the management and maintenance to guarantee the healthy operation in life time of fire protection system in nuclear power plant. (authors)

Aging assessment of reactor instrumentation and protection system components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gehl, A.C.; Hagen, E.W.

1992-07-01

A study of the aging-related operating experiences throughout a five-year period (1984--1988) of six generic instrumentation modules (indicators, sensors, controllers, transmitters, annunciators, and recorders) was performed as a part of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program. The effects of aging from operational and environmental stressors were characterized from results depicted in Licensee Event Reports (LERs). The data are graphically displayed as frequency of events per plant year for operating plant ages from 1 to 28 years to determine aging-related failure trend patterns. Three main conclusions were drawn from this study: (1) Instrumentation and control (I ampersand C) modules make a modest contribution to safety-significant events: 17% of LERs issued during 1984--1988 dealt with malfunctions of the six I ampersand C modules studied, and 28% of the LERs dealing with these I ampersand C module malfunctions were aging related (other studies show a range 25--50%); (2) Of the six modules studied, indicators, sensors, and controllers account for the bulk (83%) of aging-related failures; and (3) Infant mortality appears to be the dominant aging-related failure mode for most I ampersand C module categories (with the exception of annunciators and recorders, which appear to fail randomly)

Aging management guideline for commercial nuclear power plants - tanks and pools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blocker, E.; Smith, S.; Philpot, L.; Conley, J.

1996-02-01

Continued operation of nuclear power plants for periods that extend beyond their original 40-year license period is a desirable option for many U.S. utilities. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval of operating license renewals is necessary before continued operation becomes a reality. Effective aging management for plant components is important to reliability and safety, regardless of current plant age or extended life expectations. However, the NRC requires that aging evaluations be performed and the effectiveness of aging management programs be demonstrated for components considered within the scope of license renewal before granting approval for operation beyond 40 years. Both the NRC and the utility want assurance that plant components will be highly reliable during both the current license term and throughout the extended operating period. In addition, effective aging management must be demonstrated to support Maintenance Rule (10 CFR 50.65) activities

Aging management guideline for commercial nuclear power plants - tanks and pools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blocker, E.; Smith, S.; Philpot, L.; Conley, J.

1996-02-01

Continued operation of nuclear power plants for periods that extend beyond their original 40-year license period is a desirable option for many U.S. utilities. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval of operating license renewals is necessary before continued operation becomes a reality. Effective aging management for plant components is important to reliability and safety, regardless of current plant age or extended life expectations. However, the NRC requires that aging evaluations be performed and the effectiveness of aging management programs be demonstrated for components considered within the scope of license renewal before granting approval for operation beyond 40 years. Both the NRC and the utility want assurance that plant components will be highly reliable during both the current license term and throughout the extended operating period. In addition, effective aging management must be demonstrated to support Maintenance Rule (10 CFR 50.65) activities.

Failure analysis and success analysis: roles in plant aging assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, A.B. Jr.

1985-06-01

Component aging investigations are an important element in NRC's Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) strategy. Potential sources of components include plants in decommissioning and commercial plant, both for in situ tests and for examination of equipment removed from service. Nuclear utilities currently have voluntary programs addressing aspects of equipment reliability, such as root cause analysis for safety-related equipment that malfunctions, and trending analysis to follow the course of both successful and abnormal equipment performance. Properly coordinated, the NPAR and utility programs offer an important approach to establish the data base necessary for life extension of nuclear electrical generating plants

Plant responses to variable timing of aboveground clipping and belowground herbivory depend on plant age

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, Minggang; Bezemer, T. Martijn; van der Putten, W.H.; Brinkman, Pella; Biere, Arjen

2017-01-01

Aims Plants use different types of responses such as tolerance and induced defense to mitigate the effects of herbivores. The direction and magnitude of both these plant responses can vary with plant age. However, most studies have focused on aboveground herbivory, whereas important feeding occurs

Lessons learned from the CEOG generic accident management guidelines confirmation (validation) exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalil, Y.F.; Schneider, R.E.; Greene, M.A.

1996-01-01

In July 1995, the CE Owner's Group completed and issued Revision 0 of the Generic Accident Management Guidelines (AMG's) to the owners group task participants. This guidance provides a structured mechanism for the plant staff at CE utilities to respond to accidents that beyond the plant design basis and, possibly, the Emergency Operating Procedures. Prior to final issue of the generic AMGs, the CEOG conducted an AMG Confirmation Exercise to establish the ability of the AMGs to fulfill this important role. The specific objectives of the AMG Confirmation Exercise were to (1) clarify the interactions and transitions between the AMG/Technical Support Center (TSC) and the EOPS/Operations Personnel (2) validate the adequacy of the AMG data collection and plant condition diagnostic evaluation process and (3) assess the feasibility of the mechanical material and recommendations contained in the AMG's. The purpose of paper is to provide a detailed description of the AMG Confirmation Exercise as well as important lessons learned during the planning and implementation of the exercise. In addition, a discussion will be presented pertaining to the relationship between the AMG's (incumbent to the Technical Support Center) and the plants Emergency Operating Procedures (incumbent to the Control Room Operations Staff)

HTGR Generic Technology Program. Semiannual report for the period ending September 30, 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-11-01

This document reports the technical accomplishments on the HTGR Generic Technology Program at General Atomic during the second half of FY-80. It covers a period when the design direction of the National HTGR Program is in the process of an overall review. The HTGR Generic Technology Program activities have continued so as to provide the basic technology required for all HTGR applications. The activities include the need to develop an LEU fuel and the need to qualify materials and components for the higher temperatures of the gas turbines and process heat plants

Plant age, communication, and resistance to herbivores: young sagebrush plants are better emitters and receivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiojiri, Kaori; Karban, Richard

2006-08-01

Plants progress through a series of distinct stages during development, although the role of plant ontogeny in their defenses against herbivores is poorly understood. Recent work indicates that many plants activate systemic induced resistance after herbivore attack, although the relationship between resistance and ontogeny has not been a focus of this work. In addition, for sagebrush and a few other species, individuals near neighbors that experience simulated herbivory become more resistant to subsequent attack. Volatile, airborne cues are required for both systemic induced resistance among branches and for communication among individuals. We conducted experiments in stands of sagebrush of mixed ages to determine effects of plant age on volatile signaling between branches and individuals. Young and old control plants did not differ in levels of chewing damage that they experienced. Systemic induced resistance among branches was only observed for young plants. Young plants showed strong evidence of systemic resistance only if airflow was permitted among branches; plants with only vascular connections showed no systemic resistance. We also found evidence for volatile communication between individuals. For airborne communication, young plants were more effective emitters of cues as well as more responsive receivers of volatile cues.

Properties of different aged jicama (Pachyrhizus Erozus) plants

Science.gov (United States)

Nursandi, F.; Machmudi, M.; Santoso, U.; Indratmi, D.

2017-07-01

Jicama crop potential is very large, the tuber is used as a fresh fruit, ice mix fruit, salad, and can be made into flour, starch and inulin. The nutritional content of yam tubers depends on the age of the harvest, while farmers harvest jicama tubers at the age varying between 4-6 months. The research objective is to analyze the content of proximate fresh tubers and three kinds of flour (flour, starch and starch dregs) by harvesting different age plants. The study was conducted in Malang at a height of 560 m above sea level. Planting was done using plastic mulch with a spacing of 80 cm × 20 cm. Research using complete Randomized block Design with one factor harvesting consisting of 16, 18, 20 and 22 weeks after planting. Jicama tubers were harvested and analyzed the proximate for moisture, ash, fat, protein and carbohydrates in the fresh tubers, flour, starch and jicama flour dregs. The results showed that the late harvest resulted in moisture content, ash content, fiber and fat increase while the protein and carbohydrate decreased. The content of carbohydrates in the flour, starch and starch dregs was almost the same at different harvest time. The protein content of the flour is from 4.22 to 5.87%; while protein content of starch and protein content flour dregs is from 1.05 to 1.90% and 3.95 to 4.84%. Flour fiber content increased with increasing age of plants, while the fiber content of starch decreased but the dregs flour fiber content is almost the same

Optimizing Generic Functions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alimarine, A.; Smetsers, J.E.W.

2004-01-01

Generic functions are defined by induction on the structural representation of types. As a consequence, by defining just a single generic operation, one acquires this operation over any particular type. An instance on a specific type is generated by interpretation of the type's structure. A direct

Perception of the value of generic drugs in São Paulo, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elene Paltrinieri Nardi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the perceptions of opinion-leaders, patients and their accompanying family members or carers about generic drugs. Three groups of participants were surveyed: (i 50 customers while they were visiting commercial pharmacies located in São Paulo city, Brazil, (ii 25 patients and 25 companions while they were waiting at the university outpatient clinic, and (iii 50 healthcare opinion-leaders from government, hospitals, health plans, academia, and pharmaceutical companies. The questions explored socio-demographic characteristics and perceptions regarding value attributes of generic drugs compared to brand name drugs. Respondents had an average age of 52 years and 53% were women. Respondents believed generic drugs to be cheaper than brand name drugs (97%, and 31% thought generic drugs to be less effective than brand name drugs. Also, generic drugs were perceived by 54% of respondents to be as safe as brand name drugs and 74% would prefer brand name drugs if there was no price difference. In conclusion, multiple factors may contribute to the decision to buy generic drugs; among these, perceived effectiveness, safety and price appear to be the most important factors.

Perception of the value of generic drugs in São Paulo, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Nardi, Elene Paltrinieri; Ferraz, Marcos Bosi

2016-02-01

The objective of this study was to assess the perceptions of opinion-leaders, patients and their accompanying family members or carers about generic drugs. Three groups of participants were surveyed: (i) 50 customers while they were visiting commercial pharmacies located in São Paulo city, Brazil, (ii) 25 patients and 25 companions while they were waiting at the university outpatient clinic, and (iii) 50 healthcare opinion-leaders from government, hospitals, health plans, academia, and pharmaceutical companies. The questions explored socio-demographic characteristics and perceptions regarding value attributes of generic drugs compared to brand name drugs. Respondents had an average age of 52 years and 53% were women. Respondents believed generic drugs to be cheaper than brand name drugs (97%), and 31% thought generic drugs to be less effective than brand name drugs. Also, generic drugs were perceived by 54% of respondents to be as safe as brand name drugs and 74% would prefer brand name drugs if there was no price difference. In conclusion, multiple factors may contribute to the decision to buy generic drugs; among these, perceived effectiveness, safety and price appear to be the most important factors.

Factors influencing the preference for purchasing generic drugs in a Southern Brazilian city.

Science.gov (United States)

Guttier, Marília Cruz; Silveira, Marysabel Pinto Telis; Luiza, Vera Lucia; Bertoldi, Andréa Dâmaso

2017-06-26

The objective of this study is to identify factors associated with the preference for purchasing generic drugs in a medium-sized municipality in Southern Brazil. We have analyzed data from a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in 2012 with a sample of 2,856 adults (≥ 20 years old). The preference for purchasing generic drugs was the main outcome. The explanatory variables were the demographic and socioeconomic variables. Statistical analyses included Poisson regressions. The preference for purchasing generic drugs was 63.2% (95%CI 61.4-64.9). The variables correlated with this preference in the fully adjusted models were: male (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.08; 95%CI 1.03-1.14), age of 20-39 years (PR = 1.10; 95%CI 1.02-1.20), low socioeconomic status (PR = 1.15; 95%CI 1.03-1.28), and good knowledge about generic drugs (PR= 4.66; 95%CI 2.89-7.52). Among those who preferred to purchase generic drugs, 55.1% have reported accepting to replace the prescribed drug (if not a generic) with the equivalent generic drug. Another correlate of the preference for purchasing generic drugs was because individuals consider their quality equivalent to reference medicines (PR = 2.15; 95%CI 1.93-2.41). Knowledge about generic drugs was the main correlate of the preference for purchasing generic drugs. The greater the knowledge or positive perception about generic drugs, the greater is the preference to purchase them. Therefore, educational campaigns for healthcare professionals and consumers appear to be the best strategy for expanding the use of generic drugs in Brazil.

Aging management review for license renewal and plant life management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rinckel, M.A.; Young, G.G.

2002-01-01

Full text: United States nuclear power plants are initially licensed for a period of 40-years. The 40-year term, which was established by the Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950s, is believed to be based on engineering judgement and is consistent with the typical amortization schedule for purchasing fossil power plants. Under 10 CFR Part 54, the license renewal rule, additional terms of 20-years may be obtained through the preparation of a license renewal application that must be reviewed and approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The license renewal rule requires that applicants perform ageing management reviews on passive long-lived structures and components to demonstrate that ageing will be managed during the period of extended operation (i.e., additional 20 years of operation). ageing of active components, which are excluded from 10 CFR Part 54, is accomplished through the Maintenance Rule, 10 CFR Part 65, using performance-based monitoring. The license renewal rule, 10 CFR Part 54, was initially published in 1991. After significant interaction with the nuclear industry from 1991 through 1994, the NRC revised the rule in 1995 to focus on passive long-lived structures and components. In 1998, the first two applications for license renewal were submitted to the NRC by Baltimore Gas and Electric for the two-unit Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant and by Duke Energy for the three-unit Oconee nuclear power plant. In March 2000, the NRC approved the application for the two-unit Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant for an additional 20 years. Two months later, the NRC approved the renewal of the operating licenses for the three-unit Oconee nuclear station. The NRC completed these reviews in a timely, predictable, and stable manner. As of February 2002, the NRC has approved renewal of operating licenses for eight nuclear units and has applications under review for 15 more units. Twelve additional companies have notified the NRC of their intention to seek

Overview of plant reliability and aging in Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eckered, T.

1985-01-01

In a wide sense aging includes all the phenomena that cause properties of a system to deviate from those existing at the time of start of operation of the system. Such phenomena are of course those well known ones as corrosion, erosion, fatigue and wear. But other phenomena can be included like technological development making original designs obsolete or the learning or forgetting of operators. In this presentation the Swedish nuclear power programme will be briefly described, especially as concerns different generations of nuclear reactors and their operation history. Operating experience, including scram statistics and trends, will be covered as well as availability and reliability as functions of plant age and plant generation. Specific aging phenomena which have been experienced in Sweden, will be described as well as the actions taken or planned for coping with them. The means and tools used in Sweden for tracking aging phenomena will also be covered. The question is posed whether we need an international data bank for aging, maintenance and repair information similar to the already existing, successful incident data banks

Light Water Reactor Generic Safety Issues Database (LWRGSIDB). User's manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

resolved in other plants and which can be used in reassessing the safety of individual operating plants. The IAEA-TECDOC-1044, Generic Safety Issues for Nuclear Power Plants with Light Water Reactors and Measures Taken for Their Resolution (September 1998), is a compilation of such safety issues which is based on broad international experience. This compilation is one element within the framework of IAEA activities to assist Member States in reassessing the safety of operating nuclear power plants. It is a compilation not only of the generic safety issues identified in nuclear power plants but also, in almost all cases, the measures taken to resolve these issues. The safety issues, which are generic in nature with regard to light water reactors (LWRs), and the measures taken for their resolution, are intended for use as a reference in the reassessment of the safety of operating plants.The information contained in the main body of the TECDOC has been used to establish a database. This database has search, query and report functions. This information is thus available in an electronic form which can be selectively queried and with which reports can be produced according to the requirements of the user. The database also enables the IAEA to update the data periodically on the basis of information made available by Member States

An economical method of maintenance for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Mengyi; Wu Liming; Zhong Zhimin

2014-01-01

A new method of enhancing operation economy without loss any reliability method is called Proactive Ageing Management (PAM in short). PAM can be used for generic and specific plant in almost all situations that concern reliability and economy problem. PAM 2.0 software, which is a professional software during PAM process application, plays an important role to help analysts evaluate all strategies showed above and also provides decision advises to nuclear power plant manager using Net Present Values (NPV) criteria. Additionally, one case was taken as an example to illustrate PAM process, the role of software and explain the results for use. (authors)

Generic Example Proving Criteria for All

Science.gov (United States)

Yopp, David; Ely, Rob; Johnson­-Leung, Jennifer

2015-01-01

We review literature that discusses generic example proving and highlight ambiguities that pervade our research community's discourse about generic example arguments. We distinguish between pedagogical advice for choosing good examples that can serve as generic examples when teaching and advice for developing generic example arguments. We provide…

Generic Escherichia coli contamination of spinach at the preharvest stage: effects of farm management and environmental factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sangshin; Navratil, Sarah; Gregory, Ashley; Bauer, Arin; Srinath, Indumathi; Jun, Mikyoung; Szonyi, Barbara; Nightingale, Kendra; Anciso, Juan; Ivanek, Renata

2013-07-01

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of farm management and environmental factors on preharvest spinach contamination with generic Escherichia coli as an indicator of fecal contamination. A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted by visiting spinach farms up to four times per growing season over a period of 2 years (2010 to 2011). Spinach samples (n = 955) were collected from 12 spinach farms in Colorado and Texas as representative states of the Western and Southwestern United States, respectively. During each farm visit, farmers were surveyed about farm-related management and environmental factors using a questionnaire. Associations between the prevalence of generic E. coli in spinach and farm-related factors were assessed by using a multivariable logistic regression model including random effects for farm and farm visit. Overall, 6.6% of spinach samples were positive for generic E. coli. Significant risk factors for spinach contamination with generic E. coli were the proximity (within 10 miles) of a poultry farm, the use of pond water for irrigation, a >66-day period since the planting of spinach, farming on fields previously used for grazing, the production of hay before spinach planting, and the farm location in the Southwestern United States. Contamination with generic E. coli was significantly reduced with an irrigation lapse time of >5 days as well as by several factors related to field workers, including the use of portable toilets, training to use portable toilets, and the use of hand-washing stations. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an association between field workers' personal hygiene and produce contamination with generic E. coli at the preharvest level. Collectively, our findings support that practice of good personal hygiene and other good farm management practices may reduce produce contamination with generic E. coli at the preharvest level.

Generic Escherichia coli Contamination of Spinach at the Preharvest Stage: Effects of Farm Management and Environmental Factors

Science.gov (United States)

Navratil, Sarah; Gregory, Ashley; Bauer, Arin; Srinath, Indumathi; Jun, Mikyoung; Szonyi, Barbara; Nightingale, Kendra; Anciso, Juan; Ivanek, Renata

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of farm management and environmental factors on preharvest spinach contamination with generic Escherichia coli as an indicator of fecal contamination. A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted by visiting spinach farms up to four times per growing season over a period of 2 years (2010 to 2011). Spinach samples (n = 955) were collected from 12 spinach farms in Colorado and Texas as representative states of the Western and Southwestern United States, respectively. During each farm visit, farmers were surveyed about farm-related management and environmental factors using a questionnaire. Associations between the prevalence of generic E. coli in spinach and farm-related factors were assessed by using a multivariable logistic regression model including random effects for farm and farm visit. Overall, 6.6% of spinach samples were positive for generic E. coli. Significant risk factors for spinach contamination with generic E. coli were the proximity (within 10 miles) of a poultry farm, the use of pond water for irrigation, a >66-day period since the planting of spinach, farming on fields previously used for grazing, the production of hay before spinach planting, and the farm location in the Southwestern United States. Contamination with generic E. coli was significantly reduced with an irrigation lapse time of >5 days as well as by several factors related to field workers, including the use of portable toilets, training to use portable toilets, and the use of hand-washing stations. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an association between field workers' personal hygiene and produce contamination with generic E. coli at the preharvest level. Collectively, our findings support that practice of good personal hygiene and other good farm management practices may reduce produce contamination with generic E. coli at the preharvest level. PMID:23666336

Canadian programs on understanding and managing aging degradation of nuclear power plant components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chadha, J.A.; Pachner, J.

1989-06-01

Maintaining adequate safety and reliability of nuclear power plants and nuclear power plant life assurance and life extension are growing in importance as nuclear plants get older. Age-related degradation of plant components is complex and not fully understood. This paper provides an overview of the Canadian approach and the main activities and their results towards understanding and managing age-related degradation of nuclear power plant components, structures and systems. A number of pro-active programs have been initiated to anticipate, detect and mitigate potential aging degradation at an early stage before any serious impact on plant safety and reliability. These programs include Operational Safety Management Program, Nuclear Plant Life Assurance Program, systematic plant condition assessment, refurbishment and upgrading, post-service examination and testing, equipment qualification, research and development, and participation in the IAEA programs on safety aspects of nuclear power plant aging and life extension. A regulatory policy on nuclear power plants is under development and will be based on the domestic as well as foreign and international studies and experience

Generic and biosimilar medicines: quid?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven Simoens

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Once intellectual property protection, data and marketing exclusivity of reference medicines have expired, generic medicines and biosimilar medicines can enter the off-patent market. This market entry is conditional on the approval of marketing authorization, pricing and reimbursement. Given that there tends to be confusion surrounding generic and biosimilar medicines, this Editorial introduces basic concepts related to generic and biosimilar medicines and presents the different studies and articles included in this supplement dedicated to generic and biosimilar medicines.

A prioritization of generic safety issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emrit, R.; Riggs, R.; Milstead, W.; Pittman, J.

1991-07-01

This report presents the priority rankings for generic safety issues and related to nuclear power plants. The purpose of these rankings is to assist in the timely and efficient allocation of NRC resources for the resolution of those safety issues that have a significant potential for reducing risk. The report focuses on the prioritization of generic safety issues. Issues primarily concerned with the licensing process or environmental protection and not directly related to safety have been excluded from prioritization. The prioritized issues include: TMI Action Plan items under development; previously proposed issues covered by Task Action Plans, except issues designated as Un-resolved Safety Issues (USIs) which had already been assigned high priority; and newly-proposed issues. Future supplements to this report will include the prioritization of additional issues. The safety priority rankings are High, Medium, Low, and Drop and have been assigned on the basis of risk significance estimates, the ratio of risk to costs and other impacts estimated to result if resolutions of the safety issues were implemented, and the consideration of uncertainties and other quantitative or qualitative factors. To the extent practical, estimates are quantitative. 1310 refs

NPAR approach to controlling aging in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, J.A.

1990-01-01

Aging degradation in nuclear power plants must be controlled to prevent safety margins from declining below limits provided in plant design bases. The NPAR Program and other aging-related programs conducted under the auspices of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Research are developing needed technical guidance for control of aging. Results from these programs, together with relevant information developed by industry and elsewhere, are implemented through various ongoing NRC and industry programs and initiatives as well as by means of conventional regulatory instruments. The aging control process central to these efforts consists of three key elements: (1) selection of components, systems, and structures (CSS) in which aging must be controlled, (2) understanding of the mechanisms and rates of degradation in these CSS, and (3) managing degradation through effective surveillance and maintenance. These elements are addressed in Good Practices Guidance that integrates information developed under NPAR and other studies of aging into a systems-oriented format that tracks directly with the safety analysis reports

Factors influencing the preference for purchasing generic drugs in a Southern Brazilian city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marília Cruz Guttier

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to identify factors associated with the preference for purchasing generic drugs in a medium-sized municipality in Southern Brazil. METHODS We have analyzed data from a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in 2012 with a sample of 2,856 adults (≥ 20 years old. The preference for purchasing generic drugs was the main outcome. The explanatory variables were the demographic and socioeconomic variables. Statistical analyses included Poisson regressions. RESULTS The preference for purchasing generic drugs was 63.2% (95%CI 61.4–64.9. The variables correlated with this preference in the fully adjusted models were: male (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.08; 95%CI 1.03–1.14, age of 20–39 years (PR = 1.10; 95%CI 1.02–1.20, low socioeconomic status (PR = 1.15; 95%CI 1.03–1.28, and good knowledge about generic drugs (PR= 4.66; 95%CI 2.89–7.52. Among those who preferred to purchase generic drugs, 55.1% have reported accepting to replace the prescribed drug (if not a generic with the equivalent generic drug. Another correlate of the preference for purchasing generic drugs was because individuals consider their quality equivalent to reference medicines (PR = 2.15; 95%CI 1.93–2.41. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge about generic drugs was the main correlate of the preference for purchasing generic drugs. The greater the knowledge or positive perception about generic drugs, the greater is the preference to purchase them. Therefore, educational campaigns for healthcare professionals and consumers appear to be the best strategy for expanding the use of generic drugs in Brazil.

Japan's policy on the nuclear power plant life management, life management for nuclear power plants and measures to cope with aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takuma, Masao

2002-01-01

Full text: Nuclear Plant is born after a lengthy, multi-year construction period, and ends its life decades later, having generated a vast amount of electricity. Its period of operation is, far longer than its period of construction. 'Construction' is the process of 'creating something of value', a new nuclear plant, using technology. 'Operation' is the process of 'raising the child with care' so that its potential can be realized to the fullest over the course of its life. From the view point of plant life management, it is appropriate to divide the life of a power plant into three stages, 'fostering, mature and aging', from the start of operation to the end of its operation. It is important to manage a plant accordingly. It is recently become important to the Utility companies under the competitive power market to manage aging plants effectively, in order to extend its life with sustained high level of performances, with plant safety in the first place. Whether this is, in fact, possible or not, depends upon how the plant was operated in the prior stages, that means, depends upon how it was 'brought up'. This report briefly shows what are important points of management in these 3 stages, and also describes general significances of plant maintenance and inspection, with the practices applied to the plants in Japan. Currently 52 plants Light Water Reactor Nuclear Plants are in operation in Japan, and 13 plants within next 5 years and 23 plants within 10 years are regarded as aged plants. So the contents of periodic inspections by the government and maintenance requirements on the Utilities will be modified to keep and enhance safe and stable operations of the aged plants. In the year 1994, Japanese Government released the report 'Basic Concepts on the Nuclear Power Plant Aging', the objectives of which was the evaluation of the soundness of major equipment and to establish the concepts of aging measures, assuming the plant to be operated 60 years. Utilities, in

Aging of concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Pland, C.B.; Arndt, E.G.

1991-01-01

The Structural Aging (SAG) Program, sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) and conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), had the overall objective of providing the USNRC with an improved basis for evaluating nuclear power plant structures for continued service. The program consists of three technical tasks: materials property data base, structural component assessment/repair technology, and quantitative methodology for continued service determinations. Major accomplishments under the SAG Program during the first two years of its planned five-year duration have included: development of a Structural Materials Information Center and formulation of a Structural Aging Assessment Methodology for Concrete Structures in Nuclear Power Plants. 9 refs

Aging management of containment structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.R.; Graves, H.L. III; Norris, W.E.

1996-01-01

Research is being conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory under US nuclear regulatory commission (USNRC) sponsorship to address aging management of nuclear power plant containment and other safety-related structures. Documentation is being prepared to provide the USNRC with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service evaluations of nuclear power plants. Accomplishments include development of a structural materials information center containing data and information on the time variation of 144 material properties under the influence of pertinent environmental stressors or aging factors, evaluation of models for potential concrete containment degradation factors, development of a procedure to identify critical structures and degradation factors important to aging management, evaluations of non-destructive evaluation techniques, assessments of European and North American repair practices for concrete, review of parameters affecting corrosion of metals embedded in concrete, and development of methodologies for making current condition assessments and service life predictions of new or existing reinforced concrete structures in nuclear power plants. (orig.)

Aging management of containment structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.R.

1994-01-01

Research is being conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory under U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission sponsorship to address aging management of nuclear power plant containment and other safety-related structures. Documentation is being prepared to provide the US-NRC with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service evaluations of nuclear power plants. Accomplishments include development of a Structural Materials Information Center containing data and information on the time variation of 144 material properties under the influence of pertinent environmental stressors or aging factors, evaluation of models for potential concrete containment degradation factors, development of a procedure to identify critical structures and degradation factors important to aging management, evaluations of nondestructive evaluation techniques, assessments of European and North American repair practices for concrete, review of parameters affecting corrosion of metals embedded in concrete, and development of methodologies for making current condition assessments and service life predictions of new or existing reinforced concrete structures in nuclear power plants. (author). 29 refs., 2 figs

Aging management of containment structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.R.; Graves, H.L. III; Norris, W.E.

1994-01-01

Research is being conducted by ORNL under US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) sponsorship to address aging management of nuclear power plant containment and other safety-related structures. Documentation is being prepared to provide the USNRC with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service evaluations of nuclear power plants. Accomplishments include development of a Structural Materials Information Center containing data and information on the time variation of 144 material properties under the influence of pertinent environmental stressors or aging factors, evaluation of models for potential concrete containment degradation factors, development of a procedure to identify critical structures and degradation factors important to aging management, evaluations of nondestructive evaluation techniques. assessments of European and North American repair practices for concrete, review of parameters affecting corrosion of metals embedded in concrete, and development of methodologies for making current condition assessments and service life predictions of new or existing reinforced concrete structures in nuclear power plants

Advertising and generic market entry.

Science.gov (United States)

Königbauer, Ingrid

2007-03-01

The effect of purely persuasive advertising on generic market entry and social welfare is analysed. An incumbent has the possibility to invest in advertising which affects the prescribing physician's perceived relative qualities of the brand-name and the generic version of the drug. Advertising creates product differentiation and can induce generic market entry which is deterred without differentiation due to strong Bertrand competition. However, over-investment in advertising can deter generic market entry under certain conditions and reduces welfare as compared to accommodated market entry.

Cost assessment of a generic magnetic fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheffield, J.; Dory, R.A.; Cohn, S.M.; Delene, J.G.; Parsly, L.F.; Ashby, D.E.T.F.; Reiersen, W.T.

1986-03-01

A generic reactor model is used to examine the economic viability of generating electricity by magnetic fusion. The simple model uses components that are representative of those used in previous reactor studies of deuterium-tritium-burning tokamaks, stellarators, bumpy tori, reversed-field pinches (RFPs), and tandem mirrors. Conservative costing assumptions are made. The generic reactor is not a tokamak; rather, it is intended to emphasize what is common to all magnetic fusion rectors. The reactor uses a superconducting toroidal coil set to produce the dominant magnetic field. To this extent, it is not as good an approximation to systems such as the RFP in which the main field is produced by a plasma current. The main output of the study is the cost of electricity as a function of the weight and size of the fusion core - blanket, shield, structure, and coils. The model shows that a 1200-MW(e) power plant with a fusion core weight of about 10,000 tonnes should be competitive in the future with fission and fossil plants. Studies of the sensitivity of the model to variations in the assumptions show that this result is not sensitively dependent on any given assumption. Of particular importance is the result that a fusion reactor of this scale may be realized with only moderate advances in physics and technology capabilities

Plant aging and design bases documentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, J.

1985-01-01

As interest in plant aging and lifetime extension continues to grow, the need to identify and capture the original design bases for the plant becomes more urgent. Decisions on lifetime extension and availability must be based on a rational understanding of design input, assumptions, and objectives. As operating plant time accumulates, the history of the early design begins to fade. The longer the utility waits, the harder it will be to re-establish the original design bases. Therefore, the time to develop this foundation is now. This paper demonstrates the impact that collecting and maintaining the original design bases of the plant can have on a utility's lifetime extension program. This impact becomes apparent when considering the technical, regulatory and financial aspects of lifetime extension. It is not good enough to know that the design information is buried somewhere in the corporate archives, and that given enough time, it could be retrieved. To be useful to the lifetime extension program, plant design information must be concise, readily available (i.e., retrievable), and easy to use. These objectives can only be met through a systematic program for collecting and presenting plant design documentation. To get the maximum benefit from a lifetime extension program, usable design bases documentation should be available as early in the plant life as possible. It will help identify areas that require monitoring today so that data is available to make rational decisions in the future

Public opinion on age-related degradation in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Toshihiro

2005-01-01

The first objective of this study is to shed light on the public opinion on age-related degradation at nuclear power plants, namely, on how the general public recognizes or views age-related degradation, which is a safety-related issue and one of the factors contributing to accidents and failures which occur at nuclear power plants. The second objective is to look into the impacts of the accident at Mihama Unit 3, which was caused by a failure to check on the piping wall thickness, on the public opinion on age-related degradation. The first survey was conducted in August 2003, followed by the second survey in October 2004, two months after the accident. The surveys found that the age-related degradation is being perceived by people as one of the risk factors that affect the safety of nuclear power plants. The characteristics of the citizens' perceptions toward age-related degradation in the form of piping cracks are that: (a) many respondents feel uneasy but a relatively few people consider that nuclear operators are technologically capable of coping with this problem; (b) many people believe that radioactivity may be released; and (c) numerous respondents consider that signs of cracks must be thoroughly detected through inspections, while on the other hand, a large percentage of the respondents attribute the accident to improper inspections/maintenance. Based on these results, the government and nuclear operators are expected to give most illuminating explanation on the current situation of and remedial measures against age-related degradation at nuclear power plants. As for the effects of the Mihama-3 accident on the public opinion on age-related degradation, it was revealed that the accident has not so significantly affected the general view for the safety of nuclear power plants, but has newly or strongly aroused people's consciousness of two of the risk factors - improper inspections/maintenance and the age-related degradation of piping. (author)

The effects of age on nuclear power plant containment cooling systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lofaro, R.; Subudhi, M.; Travis, R.; DiBiasio, A.; Azarm, A. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Davis, J. [Science Applications International Corp., New York, NY (United States)

1994-04-01

A study was performed to assess the effects of aging on the performance and availability of containment cooling systems in US commercial nuclear power plants. This study is part of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The objectives of this program are to provide an understanding of the aging process and how it affects plant safety so that it can be properly managed. This is one of a number of studies performed under the NPAR program which provide a technical basis for the identification and evaluation of degradation caused by age. The effects of age were characterized for the containment cooling system by reviewing and analyzing failure data from national databases, as well as plant-specific data. The predominant failure causes and aging mechanisms were identified, along with the components that failed most frequently. Current inspection, surveillance, and monitoring practices were also examined. A containment cooling system unavailability analysis was performed to examine the potential effects of aging by increasing failure rates for selected components. A commonly found containment spray system design and a commonly found fan cooler system design were modeled. Parametric failure rates for those components in each system that could be subject to aging were accounted for in the model to simulate the time-dependent effects of aging degradation, assuming no provisions are made to properly manage it. System unavailability as a function of increasing component failure rates was then calculated.

The effects of age on nuclear power plant containment cooling systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lofaro, R.; Subudhi, M.; Travis, R.; DiBiasio, A.; Azarm, A.; Davis, J.

1994-04-01

A study was performed to assess the effects of aging on the performance and availability of containment cooling systems in US commercial nuclear power plants. This study is part of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The objectives of this program are to provide an understanding of the aging process and how it affects plant safety so that it can be properly managed. This is one of a number of studies performed under the NPAR program which provide a technical basis for the identification and evaluation of degradation caused by age. The effects of age were characterized for the containment cooling system by reviewing and analyzing failure data from national databases, as well as plant-specific data. The predominant failure causes and aging mechanisms were identified, along with the components that failed most frequently. Current inspection, surveillance, and monitoring practices were also examined. A containment cooling system unavailability analysis was performed to examine the potential effects of aging by increasing failure rates for selected components. A commonly found containment spray system design and a commonly found fan cooler system design were modeled. Parametric failure rates for those components in each system that could be subject to aging were accounted for in the model to simulate the time-dependent effects of aging degradation, assuming no provisions are made to properly manage it. System unavailability as a function of increasing component failure rates was then calculated

Generic risk insights for General Electric boiling water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Travis, R.; Taylor, J.; Chung, J.

1991-05-01

A methodology has been developed to extract generic risk-based information from probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) of General Electric boiling water rectors and applying the insights gained to plants that have not been subjected to a PRA. The available risk assessments (six plants) were examined to identify the most probable, i.e., dominant accident sequences at each plants. The goal was to include all sequences which represented at least 80% of core damage frequency. If the same plant specific dominant accident sequence appeared within this boundary in at least two plant PRAs, the sequence was considered to be a representative sequence. Eight sequences met this definition. From these sequences, the most important component failures and human error that contributed to each sequence have been prioritized. Guidance is provided to prioritize the representative sequences and modify selected basic events that have been shown to be sensitive to the plant specific design or operating variations of the contributing PRAs. This risk-based guidance can be used for utility and NRC activities including operator training, maintenance, design review, and inspections. 13 refs., 6 tabs

Industry's efforts toward technology development related to aging management of PWR plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Hideo

2010-01-01

The term, 'aging plants', which refers to nuclear power plants operating more than 30 years, has become popular among local residents around nuclear power plants as well as among the media. The term 'aging' was first used in the title of the document issued by Agency of Natural Resources and Energy in 1996, 'The Basic Concept of Aging Management'. In addressing aging degradation, it was a matter of question which measure of time (date, month or year) should be used as a unit to consider an events. Although the aging plant was defined as a plant operating more than 30 years, the mode and timing of aging degradation depend on the environment and service conditions under which a component has been operating. Previous efforts made by related parties have contributed to the prevention of potential aging events which may challenge the reactor safety. Owing to such efforts, causes of some events attributable to defective design have been clarified and preventive maintenance measures, including the replacement and mitigation, have been taken accordingly. As a result, the number of events resulting from such aging phenomena has been reduced. On other other hand, the events caused by aging phenomena attributable to manufacturing processes (welding, surface treatment, etc.), which hardly emerge, are slightly increasing. There have been many cases that a shorter weld line due to lack of penetration in the narrow gap has been led to fatigue cracking. More recently, incidents of stress corrosion cracking due to work hardening and local tensile stresses on the surface have been observed. It should be noted that an effort to analyze not only the phenomena but also the mechanisms of the above events to clarify the root causes can improve the quality of preventive maintenance by means of rolling-out the analytical results to relevant plants. This paper introduces valuable experiences with the application of the results of technology development regarding to aging degradation of

The effects of aging on electrical and I ampersand C components: Results of US Nuclear Plant Aging Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aggarwal, S.K.; Gunther, W.E.

1993-01-01

The US NRC's hardware oriented engineering research program for plant aging and degradation monitoring has achieved results in the area of electrical, control, and instrumentation (ECI) components used in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The principal goals of the program, known as the Nuclear Power Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program, are to understand the effects of age-related degradation in NPPs and how to manage and mitigate them effectively. This paper describes how these goals have been achieved for key ECI components used in the safety systems of NPPs. The status of relevant on-going and planned research projects is also provided

The effects of aging on electrical and I ampersand C components: Results of US nuclear plant aging research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aggarwal, S.K.; Gunther, W.E.

1991-01-01

The US NRC's hardware oriented engineering research program for plant aging and degradation monitoring has achieved results in the area of electrical, control, and instrumentation (ECI) components used in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The principal goals of the program, known as the Nuclear Power Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program, are to understand the effects of age-related degradation in NPPs and how to manage and mitigate them effectively. This paper describes how these goals have been achieved for key ECI components used in the safety systems of NPPs. The status of relevant on-going and planned research projects is also provided

In-plant natural versus artificial aging study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaw, M.

1989-01-01

A few years ago, cable specimens and small electrical components were placed in the reactor buildings of several operating nuclear plants in the United States. Temperature and radiation at the specimen locations are being monitored during the life of the plants. Measured physical properties of materials removed periodically during planned outages over the next 10 to 30 years will be compared with properties of artificially aged materials in identical specimens to assess artificial aging practice. This will also lead to improved lifetime predictions for cables and equipment. The study is being performed by the University of Connecticut's Institute for Materials Science in collaboration with U. S. utilities under the sponsorship of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Cofunding is being provided by Northeast Utilities and Detroit Edison. This paper gives the status of the study, along with some preliminary results

Aging research program at the LaCrosse nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DiBenedetto, P.A.; Goller, K.R.; Sideris, T.

1988-01-01

A research program on the time-dependent, environmentally and operationally induced degradation of components, systems and structures---that is aging---is being conducted at the LaCrosse Boiling Water Reactor (LACBWR) nuclear power plant. In the spring of 1987, Dairyland Power Cooperative, the owner/licensee of the LACBWR plant announced that it was permanently shutting down this plant and intended to decommission it. Shortly thereafter, Dairyland entered into an agreement with DiBenedetto Associates (DBA) to be the exclusive agent and manager of the Aging Research Program (ARP). Wyle Laboratories is the primary supporting contractor to DBA in this effort

Encouraging generic use can yield significant savings.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmerman, Christina

2012-11-01

Key findings. (1) Zero copayment for generic drugs is the greatest influencer of generic statin utilization. (2) Both higher copayments for generic drugs and lower copayments for competing brands are associated with a decreased probability of using generic statins. (3) Prior authorization and step therapy requirements for brand-name statins are associated with an increased use of generic drugs. (4) Greater use of generic statins should reduce costs for patients, plans, and Medicare.

Integrated management for aging of Atucha Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ranalli, J.M.; Marchena, M.H.; Sabransky, M.; Fonseca, M.; Santich, J.; Pedernera, P.

2012-01-01

Atucha NPP is a two PHWR unit site located in Lima, Province of Buenos Aires, 120 km north of Buenos Aires, Argentina.. With the start-up of Atucha II and aiming to integrate the Ageing Management of the plants, the Utility (Nucleolectrica Argentina Sociedad Anonima - NASA) created an Ageing Management Department to cope with all ageing issues of both Atucha I and II. In this project both organization has formed a joint working group. The role of CNEA is providing technical support to the plant in the development of procedures a methodological framework for the Ageing Management Program of Atucha NPP. The main documents that have being issued so far are: . An Ageing Management Manual, including standard definition of Materials, Ageing Related Degradation Mechanisms, Operation Environments customized for Atucha NPP. . Walk down procedures and checklists aimed to systematize data collection during outages. . Procedures for performing Ageing Management Reviews and Maintenance Reviews for passive and active components. . Condition Assessments of several safety related systems. . Condition assessment of electrical components. In the present work a summary of the activities, documental structure and first outputs of the Integrated Ageing Management Program of Atucha NPP is presented (author)

76 FR 57767 - Proposed Generic Communication; Draft NRC Generic Letter 2011-XX: Seismic Risk Evaluations for...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-16

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2011-0204] Proposed Generic Communication; Draft NRC Generic Letter 2011-XX: Seismic Risk Evaluations for Operating Reactors AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission... FR 54507), that requested public comment on Draft NRC Generic Letter 2011- XX: Seismic Risk...

Generic Screening Models for Assessing Exposures to the Public and ICRP Reference Animals and Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yankovich, Tamara L.; Proehl, Gerhard; Telleria, Diego [International Atomic Energy Agency, P.O. Box 100, 1400 Vienna (Austria); Berkovskyy, Volodymyr [Ukrainian Radiation Protection Institute (RPI), 53, Melnikova Street, 04050, Kiev (Ukraine)

2014-07-01

With the update of the IAEA Fundamental Safety Principles (SF-1) stating the objective to protect people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation, it has been necessary to update International Basic Safety Standards (BSS) on Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources and the underlying safety guides and technical documents to provide guidance on how this could be achieved in practice. The current paper provides an update on the status and plans to revise the IAEA Safety Report 'Generic Models for Use in Assessing the Impact of Discharges of Radioactive Substances to the Environment' (SRS 19) that was published in 2001. The models of SRS 19 (2001), which was focused on assessment of exposures to the public, is being expanded into three volumes that provide methodologies for screening assessments for the public, as well as for flora and fauna. The revised SRS 19 guide will ultimately facilitate the application of screening models for different levels of assessment using updated parameter values from database that have been developed as part of the IAEA's EMRAS (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety) and EMRAS II international model validation programmes. The scope of the revised SRS 19 covers prospective screening assessment of doses to the representative person and Reference Animals and Plants (RAPs), and will provide simple and robust assessment methods for radiological assessment related to planning and design, applying a graded approach. Tabulated screening coefficients and environmental dilution factors will be included for 825 radionuclides. The screening coefficients are developed assuming equilibrium conditions; they can be used to assess radiological impacts arising from routine discharges of radionuclides to terrestrial and aquatic receptors for planned exposure situations. Volumes 1 and 2 of the revised SRS 19 are at an advanced stage of completion and are focused on 'Screening Assessment of Public

Using systematic aging assessments to improve effectiveness of plant maintenance programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, P.; Yang, J.X.; Dam, R.F.; Nickerson, J.H.

2003-01-01

Nuclear plant equipment aging assessment studies provided by AECL include life assessments, condition assessments or systematic assessments of maintenance. AECL has developed several tools to apply the results of aging assessment studies to improve the effectiveness of actual plant maintenance programs. The Systematic Assessment of Maintenance and the SYSTMS tool generate maintenance tasks for a system. The System Maintenance Datastore tool assesses the maintenance resources on a system basis, and can thus quantify the savings realized by optimizing the maintenance program. Long term trends in condition-based maintenance due to component aging can be predicted, and resource savings due to optimum timing of component replacement or general plant refurbishment can be quantified. The System based Adaptive Maintenance Process ensures the maintenance program is continually updated to reflect the latest plant equipment condition and maintenance strategy information. (author)

Report on aging of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.R.

1996-03-01

The Structural Aging Program provides the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service assessments of nuclear power plant safety-related concrete structures. The program was organized under four task areas: Program Management, Materials Property Data Base, Structural Component Assessment/Repair Technology, and Quantitative Methodology for Continued Service Determinations. Under these tasks, over 90 papers and reports were prepared addressing pertinent aspects associated with aging management of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures. Contained in this report is a summary of program results in the form of information related to longevity of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures, a Structural Materials Information Center presenting data and information on the time variation of concrete materials under the influence of environmental stressors and aging factors, in-service inspection and condition assessments techniques, repair materials and methods, evaluation of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures, and a reliability-based methodology for current and future condition assessments. Recommendations for future activities are also provided. 308 refs., 61 figs., 50 tabs

Report on aging of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Ellingwood, B.R. [Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States). Dept. of Civil Engineering

1996-03-01

The Structural Aging Program provides the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service assessments of nuclear power plant safety-related concrete structures. The program was organized under four task areas: Program Management, Materials Property Data Base, Structural Component Assessment/Repair Technology, and Quantitative Methodology for Continued Service Determinations. Under these tasks, over 90 papers and reports were prepared addressing pertinent aspects associated with aging management of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures. Contained in this report is a summary of program results in the form of information related to longevity of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures, a Structural Materials Information Center presenting data and information on the time variation of concrete materials under the influence of environmental stressors and aging factors, in-service inspection and condition assessments techniques, repair materials and methods, evaluation of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures, and a reliability-based methodology for current and future condition assessments. Recommendations for future activities are also provided. 308 refs., 61 figs., 50 tabs.

Towards a generic user support system (GUS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garland, W.J.; Wilson, R.J.

1993-01-01

One relevant issue confronting the operator of a nuclear power plant is information and task overload. The goal, then, of the various developers is to improve the current situations by creating an environment where the operator can perform at optimum capacity. This is to be accomplished by providing tools and techniques which reduce operator involvement in low level tasks (freeing up time for higher level cognitive tasks) and assist in information and knowledge manipulation so that high level tasks can be performed more efficiently. This paper reviews the operational environment of nuclear plants from the viewpoint of engineering design and from the viewpoint of the operators and technical support staff. Principles are advanced for a generic operator companion. These design principles are being applied to a test case: the Point Lepreau NGS secondary side central sampling system. 6 refs., 6 figs

Generics Pricing: The Greek Paradox.

Science.gov (United States)

Karafyllis, Ioannis; Variti, Lamprini

2017-01-01

This paper explains and develops a methodological framework to help evaluate the performance of generic pharmaceutical policies and the correct evaluation of generics sales. Until today erroneous recording of generics does not help proper pricing and their penetration in the Greek market. This classifies Greece on the outliners in every study or comparison that is referred on papers or studies.

Research on technological assessment for ageing management of commercial reprocessing plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-15

The research program has been carried out to provide technical database and review manuals for evaluating the adequacy of Tokai plant's Ageing Management report from F.Y.2006 to F.Y.2011. In the near future, the regulator will be to carry out the evaluation of Rokkasho plant, which is commercial-size plant mainly designed by the technologies in Britain and France. This plant is different from Tokai plant in a technique of the prevention of corrosion. The purpose of the research program is to provide supplementary database and improve the review manual in order to evaluate the adequacy of Rokkasho plant's Ageing Management report. We selected three experimental subjects on ageing phenomena listed bellow in this program on the basis of the result of the operational experience of the foreign plants and the related previous studies. Effect of solid deposit adhering on the metal, Np(VI) and nitrous ions in solution on the corrosion of stainless steel made reduced pressure evaporator in boiling nitric acid solutions, Conditions of initiation of Stress Corrosion Cracking of the zirconium made components in boiling nitric acid solutions including highly-concentrated plutonium, Conditions of initiation of Hydrogen Embrittlement Stress Corrosion Cracking of Pipe Fittings Composed of Zirconium, Tantalum and Stainless Steel in high radioactive nitric acid solutions. (author)

NRC program for the resolution of generic issues related to nuclear power plants. (Includes plans for the resolution of ''unresolved safety issues'' pursuant to Section 210 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-12-01

This report provides a description of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Program for the Resolution of Generic Issues Related to Nuclear Power Plants. The NRC program is of considerably broader scope than the ''Unresolved Safety Issues Plan'' required by Section 210. The NRC program does include plans for the resolution of ''Unresolved Safety Issues''; however, in addition, it includes generic tasks for the resolution of environmental issues, for the development of improvements in the reactor licensing process and for consideration of less conservative design criteria or operating limitations in areas where over conservatisms may be unnecessarily restrictive or costly

Status of safety issues at licensed power plants: TMI action plan requirements, unresolved safety issues, generic safety issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-12-01

As part of ongoing US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) efforts to ensure the quality and accountability of safety issue information, a program was established whereby an annual NUREG report would be published on the status of licensee implementation and NRC verification of safety issues in major NRC requirements areas. This information was compiled and reported in three NUREG volumes. Volume 1, published in March 1991, addressed the status of of Three Mile Island (TMI) Action Plan Requirements. Volume 2, published in May 1991, addressed the status of unresolved safety issues (USIs). Volume 3, published in June 1991, addressed the implementation and verification status of generic safety issues (GSIs). This annual NUREG report combines these volumes into a single report and provides updated information as of September 30, 1991. The data contained in these NUREG reports are a product of the NRC's Safety Issues Management System (SIMS) database, which is maintained by the Project Management Staff in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and by NRC regional personnel. This report is to provide a comprehensive description of the implementation and verification status of TMI Action Plan Requirements, safety issues designated as USIs, and GSIs that have been resolved and involve implementation of an action or actions by licensees. This report makes the information available to other interested parties, including the public. An additional purpose of this NUREG report is to serve as a follow-on to NUREG-0933, ''A Prioritization of Generic Safety Issues,'' which tracks safety issues up until requirements are approved for imposition at licensed plants or until the NRC issues a request for action by licensees

Ageing of cables and new approach for the study of polymer ageing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monchy-Leroy, C.; Therond, P.

2011-01-01

The study of nuclear cable ageing has become an important subject in particular within the framework of the lifetime extension of nuclear power plants. Until 2000, the approach developed by EDF was a purely empirical one, which establishes from a behavior law, the temporal evolution of a macroscopic property of the jacket or the insulation (generally elongation at break), according to the ageing conditions, such as the temperature and the dose rate. These simulations, coupled with analyses of cables taken on sites after several years of ageing, can demonstrate and justify the good behavior in time of the cables installed in the French nuclear power plants. However from an industrial point of view, this approach, as any empirical approach, is not sustainable and suffers numerous limitations. In particular, the results obtained are not transposable from one industrial formulation to another. That is why for some years, EDF has developed a more generic approach based on the understanding and the modeling of the ageing of polymers by thermo-oxidation and radio-oxidation. This new approach consists of identifying all the occurring reactions at the molecular scale during the polymer ageing. The numerical resolution of the system of differential equations stemming from the scheme of reactions, allows access to the spatial and temporal distributions of the oxidation products formed during the ageing. Today the studies are focused on elastomer matrices of type Polyethylene (PE) and co-polymers of type Ethylene-Propylene-Rubber (EPR) to which were added stabilizers and fillers. Later, the model will allow us to simulate the ageing of any industrial polymer. (authors)

Management of age-related degradation for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregor, Frank E.

2004-01-01

Life extension for nuclear power plants has been studied in the USA for the last six years, largely supported by EPRI, DOE and the USNRC. Though there are diverse opinions for the strategies and priorities of life extension and aging management, one common conclusion has been formulated regarding the need of current maintenance programs having to focus on aging and degradation management. Such program, called 'Maintenance Effectiveness Evaluation and Enhancement' or M3E for short, has been developed to assist plant operators to upgrade and enhance existing programs by integrating aging/degradation management activities for important or critical equipment and components. The key elements of the M3E program consist of the definition and selection of the critical components or commodities to be included in the scope, the survey/inventory of the current programs and their respective action steps, frequencies, corrective measures and extent of coverage, the component/commodity degradation mechanism, sites and severity, safety functions and service environments and lastly, the correlation of degradation/aging with the individual maintenance activities. The degree of correlation provides a measure of effectiveness and the opportunity to identify/specify needed enhancements, abandonment or generation of new maintenance activities. Implementation of the activities can then be prioritized at the option of the plant staff. (author)

Aging countermeasures for nuclear power plants in Japan and PLEC's activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tajima, K.; Ishikawa, M.; Koyama, M.

2002-01-01

Full text: This summarizes aging countermeasure program of the nuclear power plants performed by the Japanese Government and industries, and describes current R and D program and utilization of the research results for the aged plants. The regulatory bodies (NISA of METI: the Nuclear Industry Safety Agency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, MITI was reorganized to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in 2001) reviewed the results of technical assessments of aging phenomena of structures and components of nuclear power plants, conducted by the electric utilities. Major technical research projects related to aging of nuclear power plants in Japan have been conducted by Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Corporation (JAPEIC) under the asepses of the regulatory bodies. The results of the research projects were applied to the review and technical assessments. Environmental Fatigue Tests of Nuclear Power Plants Materials for Reliability Verification Project (EFT Project), has been conducting the fatigue tests for carbon steels, low alloy steels and austenitic steels under the simulated light water reactor (LWR) water environmental conditions. Based on the results, EFT project developed the models for evaluating fatigue initiation life reduction in LWR environment. The models were applied to the fatigue evaluation in the technical assessments mentioned above. On the other hand, the Nuclear Power Plant Life Engineering Center (PLEC) entrusted by NISA is conducting to coordinate planning of technology research on aging, to integrate technologies and knowledge of aging for management and assessment, to promote practical applications of results of technical research, and to promote sharing of information on aging technology. As to codes and standards the PLEC plans to develop them, based on the research results of the national projects performed by JAPEIC, with completion of the projects in order. Current planning technical standard is based to

NET 40 Generics Beginner's Guide

CERN Document Server

Mukherjee, Sudipta

2012-01-01

This is a concise, practical guide that will help you learn Generics in .NET, with lots of real world and fun-to-build examples and clear explanations. It is packed with screenshots to aid your understanding of the process. This book is aimed at beginners in Generics. It assumes some working knowledge of C# , but it isn't mandatory. The following would get the most use out of the book: Newbie C# developers struggling with Generics. Experienced C++ and Java Programmers who are migrating to C# and looking for an alternative to other generic frameworks like STL and JCF would find this book handy.

HTGR Generic Technology Program. Semiannual report for the period ending September 30, 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-11-01

The technical accomplishments on the HTGR Generic Technology Program at General Atomic during the second half of FY-79 are reported. The report covers a period when the major design direction of the National HTGR Program is in the process of changing from the HTGR-SC emphasis to an HTGR-GT emphasis in the near term. The HTGR Generic Technology Program activities have been redirected to ensure that the tasks covered are supportive of this changing emphasis in HTGR applications. The activities include the need to develop an MEU fuel, and the need to qualify materials and components for the higher temperatures of the gas turbine plant

HTGR Generic Technology Program. Semiannual report for the period ending March 31, 1979

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-06-01

This document reports the technical accomplishments on the HTGR Generic Technology Program at General Atomic during the first half of FY-79. It covers a period when the major design direction of the National HTGR Program is in the process of changing from the HTGR-SC emphasis to an HTGR-GT emphasis in the near term. The HTGR Generic Technology Program activities have been redirected to ensure that the tasks covered are supportive of this changing emphasis in HTGR applications. The activities include the need to develop a medium enriched uranium (MEU) fuel, and the need to qualify materials and components for the higher temperatures of the gas turbine plant.

HTGR Generic Technology Program. Semiannual report for the period ending March 31, 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-06-01

This document reports the technical accomplishments on the HTGR Generic Technology Program at General Atomic during the first half of FY-79. It covers a period when the major design direction of the National HTGR Program is in the process of changing from the HTGR-SC emphasis to an HTGR-GT emphasis in the near term. The HTGR Generic Technology Program activities have been redirected to ensure that the tasks covered are supportive of this changing emphasis in HTGR applications. The activities include the need to develop a medium enriched uranium (MEU) fuel, and the need to qualify materials and components for the higher temperatures of the gas turbine plant

The Generic Containment SB-LOCA accident simulation: Comparison of the parameter uncertainties and user-effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Povilaitis, Mantas; Kelm, Stephan; Urbonavičius, Egidijus

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for the Generic Containment severe accident. • Comparison of the analysis results with the uncertainties based in the user effect. • Demonstration of the similar importance of both the reducing the user effect and input uncertainties. - Abstract: Uncertainties in safety assessment of the nuclear power plants using computer codes come from several sources: choice of computer code, user effect (a strong impact of user choices on the simulation’s outcome) and uncertainty of various physical parameters. The “Generic Containment” activity was performed in the frames of the EU-FP7 project SARNET2 to investigate the influence of user effect and computer code choice on the results on the nuclear power plant scale. During this activity, a Generic Containment nodalisation was developed and used for exercise by the participants applying various computer codes. Even though the model of the Generic Containment and the transient scenario were precisely and uniquely defined, considerably different results were obtained not only among different codes but also among participants using the same code, showing significant influence of the user effect. This paper present analysis, which is an extension of the “Generic Containment” benchmark and investigates the effect of input parameter’s uncertainties in comparison to the user effect. Calculations were performed using the computer code ASTEC, the uncertainty and sensitivity of the results were estimated using GRS method and tool SUSA. The results of the present analysis show, that while there are differences between the uncertainty bands of the parameters, in general the deviation bands caused by parameters’ uncertainty and the user effect are comparable and of the same order. The properties of concrete and the surface areas may have more influence on containment pressure than the user effect and choice of computer code as identified in the SARNET2 Generic

Factors affecting the opinions of family physicians regarding generic drugs – a questionnaire based study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pawel Lewek

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A range of factors are believed to exert a negative influence on opinions of physicians about generic drugs.The aim of this study was to survey the opinions of primary care doctors on generics, and determine the factors which may affect them. A questionnaire comprising thirty eight questions was distributed among primary care doctors working in seventy out-patient clinics of the Lodzkie province, Poland, during the period of January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010. A total of170 of 183 participants completed the survey (average age 48.5; 70.0% women: a 92.9%response rate. While 38.8% of physicians claimed that generics were worse than brand name drugs, 54.1% considered them to be better. However, 36.5% of the doctors did not choose generics for their own use. Two key opinions were identified among the responses concerning the effectiveness of generic drugs: use of generic drugs by the physician (p<0.001, and their opinion that pharmacists do inform patients about generic drugs (p<0.05. Although existing evidence confirms that generic and brand name drugs are equally effective, many physicians doubt this, which prevents them from being used as cost effective drug therapy. In order to increase healthcare savings through the use of generics, these factors should be addressed: for example, convincing a physician to adopt generics for personal use may be an efficient way to support more cost effective treatment of his patients.

Handbook for cost estimating. A method for developing estimates of costs for generic actions for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, J.R.; Cohen, S.; Ziegler, E.Z.

1984-10-01

This document provides overall guidance to assist the NRC in preparing the types of cost estimates required by the Regulatory Analysis Guidelines and to assist in the assignment of priorities in resolving generic safety issues. The Handbook presents an overall cost model that allows the cost analyst to develop a chronological series of activities needed to implement a specific regulatory requirement throughout all applicable commercial LWR power plants and to identify the significant cost elements for each activity. References to available cost data are provided along with rules of thumb and cost factors to assist in evaluating each cost element. A suitable code-of-accounts data base is presented to assist in organizing and aggregating costs. Rudimentary cost analysis methods are described to allow the analyst to produce a constant-dollar, lifetime cost for the requirement. A step-by-step example cost estimate is included to demonstrate the overall use of the Handbook

Efficient Generic Functional Programming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alimarine, A.; Smetsers, J.E.W.

2005-01-01

Generic functions are defined by induction on the structural representation of types. As a consequence, by defining just a single generic operation, one acquires this operation over any particular data type. An instance on a specific type is generated by interpretation of the type's structure. A

EPRI research on component aging and nuclear plant life extension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sliter, G.E.; Carey, J.J.

1985-01-01

This paper first describes several research efforts sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) that examine the aging degradation of organic materials and the nuclear plant equipment in which they appear. This research includes a compendium of material properties characterizing the effects of thermal and radiation aging, shake table testing to evaluate the effects of aging on the seismic performance of electrical components, and a review of condition monitoring techniques applicable to electrical equipment. Also described is a long-term investigation of natural versus artificial aging using reactor buildings as test beds. The paper then describes how the equipment aging research fits into a broad-scoped EPRI program on nuclear plant life extension. The objective of this program is to provide required information, technology, and guidelines to enable utilities to significantly extend operating life beyond the current 40-year licensed term

Generic implications of ATWS events at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant. Licensee and staff actions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-08-01

This report, Volume 2 of two volumes of NUREG-1000, describes the intermediate term actions to be taken by licensees and applicants of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), on the one hand, and by NRC staff, on the other, to address the generic issues raised by two anticipated transients without scram (ATWS) at the Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 1, on February 22 and 25, 1983. These actions came about as a result of the findings of NUREG-1000, Volume 1, and of reviews by the NRC Committee to Review Generic Requirements, the NRC Program Offices, and the Commission. The actions to be taken by licensees and applicants have been detailed in a letter pursuant to 10 CFR 50.54(f)

Generic robot architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Bruemmer, David J [Idaho Falls, ID; Few, Douglas A [Idaho Falls, ID

2010-09-21

The present invention provides methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses for a generic robot architecture providing a framework that is easily portable to a variety of robot platforms and is configured to provide hardware abstractions, abstractions for generic robot attributes, environment abstractions, and robot behaviors. The generic robot architecture includes a hardware abstraction level and a robot abstraction level. The hardware abstraction level is configured for developing hardware abstractions that define, monitor, and control hardware modules available on a robot platform. The robot abstraction level is configured for defining robot attributes and provides a software framework for building robot behaviors from the robot attributes. Each of the robot attributes includes hardware information from at least one hardware abstraction. In addition, each robot attribute is configured to substantially isolate the robot behaviors from the at least one hardware abstraction.

U.S.-NPAR approach to managing aging in operating nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosnak, R.; Vagins, M.; Vora, J.

1991-01-01

Aging degradation in operating nuclear power plants must be managed to prevent safety margins from eroding below the levels provided in plant design bases. The NPAR program and other aging-related programs conducted under the auspices of the US NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research are developing needed technical bases and guidance for understanding and managing aging in operating nuclear power plants (NPP) of all ages. Results from these programs, together with relevant information developed by industry are implemented through various ongoing NRC and industry programs. The aging management process central to these efforts consists of three key element: 1) selection and prioritization of components, systems, and structures (CSS) in which aging must be managed, 2) understanding of the relevant aging mechanisms and rates of degradation processes in these CSS, and 3) managing degradation through effective inspection, surveillance, condition monitoring, trending, preventive and corrective maintenance, and mitigation. This paper provides a historical perspective on the aging related research programs sponsored by the Office of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Research. Also, briefly described are the major element of the NPAR program and its status and results or accomplishments. In the process the authors emphasize the need for total industry commitment and participation in implementing programs for understanding and managing aging in operating nuclear power plants. 'Aging' is universal in nature. No industrial complex including NPP should be considered immune from its effects. For NPP aging is manageable its ti symptoms are recognized and predicted, if it is monitored and appropriate steps are taken for timely mitigation of age-related degradation. (author)

Life Cycle Management Managing the Aging of Critical Nuclear Plant Components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, Theodore A.; Elder, G. Gary; Llovet, Ricardo

2002-01-01

Life Cycle Management is a structured process to manage equipment aging and long-term equipment reliability for nuclear plant Systems, Structures and Components (SSCs). The process enables the identification of effective repair, replace, inspect, test and maintenance activities and the optimal timing of the activities to maximize the economic value to the nuclear plant. This paper will provide an overview of the process and some of the tools that can be used to implement the process for the SSCs deemed critical to plant safety and performance objectives. As nuclear plants strive to reduce costs, extend life and maximize revenue, the LCM process and the supporting tools summarized in this paper can enable development of a long term, cost efficient plan to manage the aging of the plant SSCs. (authors)

Task Action Plans for generic activities: Category A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-10-01

The document contains listings of generic technical activities as identified and placed in priority categories by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR). In addition, it contains definitions of Priority Categories A, B, C, and D and copies of forty approved Task Action Plans for Category A activites. Problem Descriptions for the Category B, C and D tasks are contained in NUREG--0471. This material was developed within the context of NRR's Program for the Resolution of Generic Issues Related to Nuclear Power Plants. As part of this program, the assignment of identified issues to priority categories and the approval of Task Action Plans were made by NRR's Technical Activities Steering Committee, chaired by the Deputy Director, NRR. The original document was published in November 1977. In December 1977 it was updated to add the Task Action Plan for Task No. A-17, Systems Interactions in Nuclear Power Plants. This update adds Task Action Plans for Tasks A-13, A-18, A-21, A-22, A-32, A-37, A-38 and A-40. Task A-41 has been included in Task A-40. In addition, as part of this update, the following changes were made to each Task Action Plan (with the exception of the Task Action Plan for Task A-9): (1) a title page was added that includes information such as Lead NRR Organization, Lead Supervisor, Task Manager, Applicability, and Projected Completion Date; (2) detailed schedule information was deleted; and (3) a new Section 3 entitled Basis for Continued Plant Operation and Licensing Pending Completion of Task was added. These changes represent general reformatting and the addition or deletion of certain general types of information. Some substantive revisions were made to several of the plans, however, a general revision of all of the plans was not undertaken at this time

Generic conditional clearance for very low level active charcoal generated in nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez Perales, J. J.; Burgos Gallego, J.; Alvarez Mir, F.; Luis de Diego, J.; Adrada Garcia, J.

1998-01-01

This report proposes a generic conditional exemption to the very low level active charcoal generated in the operation of a NPP. The project has been developed in two parts: a common one (applied to the stream to be exempted) and a specific one (specific to the NPP that fulfills already the common part requirements). The common project specifies the methodology and the disposal options. It provides derived exemption levels and maximum amount of activity the exemption of which be feasible, demonstrating the viability of their conventional management. The specific project of each NPP will develop the amount of waste to be managed and other details that supplement the previous project, adjusting to the methodology and disposal options in the common project. The proposed management suggestion consists in burning the waste in a coal-burning plant and disposing of the scum in a controlled landfill. The resultant radiological dose is considered negligible according to the document Safety Series N 89 of the IAEA. The calculation of the radiological dose associated to several stages has been carried out using the IMPACTS-BRC code, contained in NUREG/CR-3585 and NUREG/5517. The methodology used in the radiological dose evaluation is as recommended in the Safety Guide n. 7.8 of the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council. (Author)

Results of an aging-related failure survey of light water safety systems and components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meale, B.M.; Satterwhite, D.G.; MacDonald, P.E.

1988-01-01

The collection and evaluation of operating experience data are necessary in determining the effects of aging on the safety of operating nuclear plants. This paper presents the final results of a two-year research effort evaluating aging impacts on components in light water reactor systems. This research was performed as a part of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research program, sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Two unique types of data analyses were performed. In the first, an aging-survey study, aging-related failure data for fifteen light water reactor systems were obtained from the Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System (NPRDS). These included safety, support, and power conversion systems. A computerized sort of these records classified each record into one of five generic categories, based on the utility's choice of the failure's NPRDS cause category. Systems and components within the systems that were most affected by aging were identified. In the second analysis, information on aging-related reported causes of failures was evaluated for component failures reported to NPRDS for auxiliary feedwater, high pressure injection, service water, and Class 1E electrical power distribution systems. 3 refs., 13 figs., 4 tabs

Medication persistence and the use of generic and brand-name blood pressure-lowering agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Corrao, Giovanni; Soranna, Davide; La Vecchia, Carlo; Catapano, Alberico; Agabiti-Rosei, Enrico; Gensini, Gianfranco; Merlino, Luca; Mancia, Giuseppe

2014-05-01

Because of their lower cost, healthcare systems recommend physicians to prefer generic products, rather than brand-name medicaments. There is then considerable interest and debate concerning safety and effectiveness of generic products. Few studies have compared patients treated with brand-name and generic drugs for adherence to treatment, with somewhat inconsistent results. The primary objective of this study was to compare the risk of discontinuing antihypertensive drug therapy in patients treated with generic or brand-name agents. The 101,618 beneficiaries of the Healthcare system of Lombardy, Italy, aged 18 years or older who were newly treated on monotherapy with antihypertensive generic or brand-name drugs during 2008, were followed until the earliest date among those of the occurrence of treatment discontinuation to whatever antihypertensive drug therapy (outcome), or censoring (death, emigration, 12 months after treatment initiation). Hazard ratios of discontinuation associated with starting on generic or brand-name products (intention-to-treat analysis), and incidence rate ratio of discontinuation during periods on generic and brand-name products (as-treated analysis) were respectively estimated from a cohort and self-controlled case series analyses. Patients who started on generics did not experience a different risk of discontinuation compared with those starting on brand-name agents (hazard ratio: 1.00; 95% confidence interval 0.98-1.02). Discontinuation did not occur with different rates during periods covered by generics or brand-name agents (incidence rate ratio: 1.01; 95% confidence interval 0.96-1.11) within the same individuals. A number of sensitivity and subgroup analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings. Generic products are not responsible for the high rate of discontinuation from antihypertensive drug therapy. Assuming therapeutic equivalence, clinical implication is of prescribing generic drug therapies.

[Acceptance of generic prescribing in general practice: effect of patient education and reference prices].

Science.gov (United States)

Vallès, J A; Barreiro, M; Cereza, G; Ferro, J J; Martínez, M J; Cucurull, E; Barceló, E

2002-01-01

To assess patient acceptance of the substitution of brand-name drugs for generic equivalents in the context of repeat prescriptions for chronic diseases. A prospective multicenter study of drug use was performed. Of the 31 centers included in the study, 8 were randomized to the intervention group and 23 to the control group. For 1 year, patients in the intervention group who visited the center to collect repeat prescriptions received verbal and written information on the advantages and disadvantages of generic and brand name drugs. Data on the number of patients taking brand-name drugs for which generic equivalents were available, as well as the reasons and variables related to refusal of generic drugs (age, gender, education, primary care centre, general practitioner, type of drug and total number of repeat prescriptions) were collected. The percentage of generic drugs among the total number of drugs prescribed was calculated at 2-monthly intervals. A total of 98.9% of the 4620 patients in the intervention group agreed to change to a generic formulation. The percentage of patients accepting generic drugs was significantly associated with the primary care centre, the class of drug, doctors' influence, and patient satisfaction with the drug. Generic prescriptions represented 5.9% in the intervention practices compared with 2.8% in controls. After the intervention, and before the application of reference prices, the percentages were 6.7% and 3.9%, respectively. Immediately after application of the reference prices, the percentages were 8.6% and 6.3%, respectively. Direct patient education is an effective strategy in increasing the prescription of generic equivalents. General practitioners' motivation and knowledge of generic drugs influenced their use. The application of reference prices increased the use of generic equivalents.

An overview of the United States Department of Energy Plant Lifetime Improvement Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosinski, S.T.; Clauss, J.M.; Harrison, D.L.

2004-01-01

Since 1985, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been working with the nuclear industry and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to establish and demonstrate the option to extend the life of nuclear power plants through the renewal of operating licenses. This paper focuses primarily on DOE'S Plant Lifetime Improvement (PLIM) Program efforts to develop the technical criteria and bases for effective aging management and lifetime improvement for continued operation of nuclear power plants. This paper describes current projects to resolve generic technical issues, including degradation of long-lived components, reactor pressure vessel (RPV) embrittlement management approaches, and analytical methodologies to characterize RPV integrity. (author)

Ageing degradation mechanisms in nuclear power plants: lessons learned from operating experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bieth, M.; Zerger, B.; Duchac, A.

2014-01-01

This paper presents main results of a comprehensive study performed by the European Clearinghouse on Operating Experience Feedback of Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) with the support of IRSN (Institut de Surete Nucleaire et de Radioprotection) and GRS (Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit mbH). Physical ageing mechanisms of Structures, Systems and Components (SSC) that eventually lead to ageing related systems and components failures at nuclear power plants were the main focus of this study. The analysis of ageing related events involved operating experience reported by NPP operators in France, Germany, USA and to the IAEA/NEA International Reporting System on operating experience for the past 20 years. A list of relevant ageing related events was populated. Each ageing related event contained in the list was analyzed and results of analysis were summarized for each ageing degradation mechanism which appeared to be the dominant contributor or direct cause. This paper provides insights into ageing related operating experience as well as recommendations to deal with the physical ageing of nuclear power plant SSC important to safety. (authors)

Ice age plant refugia in East Greenland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Funder, Svend Visby

1979-01-01

From the distribution of plants it has been inferred by some botanists that ice-free areas existed in East Greenland accommodating a flora which survived one or several ice ages in the area. Comparing this evidence with recent information on the chronology of glaciations and post-glacial vegetation...

42 CFR 447.506 - Authorized generic drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Authorized generic drugs. 447.506 Section 447.506... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS PAYMENTS FOR SERVICES Payment for Drugs § 447.506 Authorized generic drugs. (a) Authorized generic drug defined. For the purposes of this subpart, an authorized generic drug...

Framatome ANP worldwide experience in ageing and plant life management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daeuwel, W.; Kastner, B.; Nopper, H.

2004-01-01

The deregulation of the power generation industry has resulted in increased competitive pressure and is forcing operators to improve plant operating economy while maintaining high levels of plant safety. A key factor to meet this challenge is to apply a comprehensive plant life management (PLIM) approach which addresses all relevant ageing and degradation mechanisms regarding the safety concept, plant components and documentation, plant personnel, consumables, operations management system and administrative controls. For this reason, Framatome ANP has developed an integrated PLIM concept focussing on the safety concept, plant components and documentation. Representative examples for plant wide analyses are described in the following. The results of the analyses support the plant owner for taking the strategic decisions, involved in plant life extension (PLEX). (orig.)

Aging of safety class 1E transformers in safety systems of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, E.W.; Edson, J.L.; Udy, A.C.

1996-02-01

This report discusses aging effects on safety-related power transformers in nuclear power plants. It also evaluates maintenance, testing, and monitoring practices with respect to their effectiveness in detecting and mitigating the effects of aging. The study follows the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Nuclear Plant-Aging Research approach. It investigates the materials used in transformer construction, identifies stressors and aging mechanisms, presents operating and testing experience with aging effects, analyzes transformer failure events reported in various databases, and evaluates maintenance practices. Databases maintained by the nuclear industry were analyzed to evaluate the effects of aging on the operation of nuclear power plants

Aging and lifetime management - A plant-wide concept and examples for realization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erve, M.

1998-01-01

It is of central importance to understand, analyze and manage aging-related phenomena and to apply this information in the systematic utilization and as-necessary extension of the service life of components and systems. 'Aging' in this context is understood to mean the change over time of the service-related characteristics and properties of the following nuclear power plant items: the equipment (mechanical components, structures, electrical and I and C systems); the computer systems (hardware and software) required for plant operation; the plant specifications and documentation. From this it is obvious that a competent strategy for aging and plant life management must cover all key-components relevant for safety and availability of the plant. Besides mechanical components, instrumentation and control devices, and civil engineering structures are to be considered, regarding both aspects, function and integrity. 'Aging and plant life management' encompasses all organizational and technical measures with which aging phenomena are recognized and managed by the plant operator, and which thereby guarantee full utilization of a component or system over its entire service life, or which must be taken at the proper time to extend service life and guarantee long-term plant integrity. An adequate strategy follows for taking measures to avoid detrimental effects on lifetime. Preventive measures can be the change of operation modes to suppress rigid degradation, the change of operating parameters or system engineering methods to optimize the operation of systems and components, and the replacement of aged component parts, components, or systems by new ones, made with an improved design or representing an advanced technique. The strategy is challenging: the improvement of availability by optimizing the outage times and the operation; the increase of safety and reliability; the reduction of man-rem exposure and costs for waste management and amount of waste; the optimized early

A Methodology for Modeling Nuclear Power Plant Passive Component Aging in Probabilistic Risk Assessment under the Impact of Operating Conditions, Surveillance and Maintenance Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Guler Yigitoglu, Askin

In the context of long operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs) (i.e., 60-80 years, and beyond), investigation of the aging of passive systems, structures and components (SSCs) is important to assess safety margins and to decide on reactor life extension as indicated within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program. In the traditional probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methodology, evaluating the potential significance of aging of passive SSCs on plant risk is challenging. Although passive SSC failure rates can be added as initiating event frequencies or basic event failure rates in the traditional event-tree/fault-tree methodology, these failure rates are generally based on generic plant failure data which means that the true state of a specific plant is not reflected in a realistic manner on aging effects. Dynamic PRA methodologies have gained attention recently due to their capability to account for the plant state and thus address the difficulties in the traditional PRA modeling of aging effects of passive components using physics-based models (and also in the modeling of digital instrumentation and control systems). Physics-based models can capture the impact of complex aging processes (e.g., fatigue, stress corrosion cracking, flow-accelerated corrosion, etc.) on SSCs and can be utilized to estimate passive SSC failure rates using realistic NPP data from reactor simulation, as well as considering effects of surveillance and maintenance activities. The objectives of this dissertation are twofold: The development of a methodology for the incorporation of aging modeling of passive SSC into a reactor simulation environment to provide a framework for evaluation of their risk contribution in both the dynamic and traditional PRA; and the demonstration of the methodology through its application to pressurizer surge line pipe weld and steam generator tubes in commercial nuclear power plants. In the proposed methodology, a

Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program plan: Components, systems, and structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-09-01

The nuclear plant aging research described in this plan is intended to resolve issues related to the aging and service wear of equipment and systems and major components at commercial reactor facilities and their possible impact on plant safety. Emphasis has been placed on identification and characterization of the mechanisms of material and component degradation during service and evaluation of methods of inspection, surveillance, condition monitoring, and maintenance as means of mitigating such effects. Specifically, the goals of the program are as follows: (1) to identify and characterize aging and service wear effects which, if unchecked, could cause degradation of equipment, a systems, and major components and thereby impair plant safety; (2) to identify methods of inspection, surveillance, and monitoring, or of evaluating residual life of equipment, systems, and major components, which will ensure timely detection of significant aging effects prior to loss of safety function; and (3) to evaluate the effectiveness of storage, maintenance, repair, and replacement practices in mitigating the rate and extent of degradation caused by aging and service wear

Some drugs more equal than others: pseudo-generics and commercial practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Probyn, Andrew J

2004-11-08

This article analyses the impact of the Department of Health and Ageing's brand price premium policy for some products listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The policy, introduced in 1990, allows pharmaceutical companies to charge patients an out-of-pocket expense for post-patent brands of pharmaceuticals. One of the policy's intended goals was to increase consumer awareness of price differentials between competing brands, with a view to encouraging greater use of cheaper generic products. More than fourteen years since its introduction, it is debatable whether the policy has achieved this aim. This article looks at how the brand price premium policy can be exploited by global pharmaceutical giants to entrench big-name brands in the Australian pharmaceutical market and, in some cases, prevent 'true' competition from generic pharmaceuticals. This is being done through the establishment of 'pseudo-generics' that are sourced from the same factory floor as the original product.

Aging assessment of essential HVAC chillers used in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blahnik, D.E.; Camp, T.W.

1996-09-01

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory conducted a comprehensive aging assessment of chillers used in the essential safety air-conditioning systems in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The chillers used, and air-conditioning systems served, vary in design from plant to plant. The review of operating experience indicated that chillers experience aging degradation and failures. The primary aging factors of concern for chillers include vibration, excessive temperatures and pressures, thermal cycling, chemical attack, and poor quality cooling water. The evaluation of Licensee Event Reports (LERs) indicated that about 38% of the failures were primarily related to aging, 55% were partially aging related, and 7% of the failures were unassignable. About 25% of the failures were primarily caused by human, design, procedure, and other errors. The large number of errors is probably directly related to the complexity of chillers and their interfacing systems. Nearly all of the LERs were the result of entering plant Technical Specification Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) that initiated remedial actions like plant shutdown procedures. The trend for chiller-related LERs has stabilized at about 0.13 LERs per plant year since 1988. Carefully following the vendor procedures and monitoring the equipment can help to minimize and/or eliminate most of the premature failures. Recording equipment performance can be useful for trending analysis. Periodic operation for a few hours on a weekly or monthly basis is useful to remove moisture and non-condensable gases that gradually build up inside the chiller. Chiller pressurization kits are available that will help minimize the amount of moisture and air ingress to low-pressure chillers during standby periods. The assessment of service life condition monitoring of chillers indicated there are many simple to sophisticated methods available that can help in chiller surveillance and monitoring

Aging assessment of essential HVAC chillers used in nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blahnik, D.E.; Camp, T.W.

1996-09-01

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory conducted a comprehensive aging assessment of chillers used in the essential safety air-conditioning systems in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The chillers used, and air-conditioning systems served, vary in design from plant to plant. The review of operating experience indicated that chillers experience aging degradation and failures. The primary aging factors of concern for chillers include vibration, excessive temperatures and pressures, thermal cycling, chemical attack, and poor quality cooling water. The evaluation of Licensee Event Reports (LERs) indicated that about 38% of the failures were primarily related to aging, 55% were partially aging related, and 7% of the failures were unassignable. About 25% of the failures were primarily caused by human, design, procedure, and other errors. The large number of errors is probably directly related to the complexity of chillers and their interfacing systems. Nearly all of the LERs were the result of entering plant Technical Specification Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) that initiated remedial actions like plant shutdown procedures. The trend for chiller-related LERs has stabilized at about 0.13 LERs per plant year since 1988. Carefully following the vendor procedures and monitoring the equipment can help to minimize and/or eliminate most of the premature failures. Recording equipment performance can be useful for trending analysis. Periodic operation for a few hours on a weekly or monthly basis is useful to remove moisture and non-condensable gases that gradually build up inside the chiller. Chiller pressurization kits are available that will help minimize the amount of moisture and air ingress to low-pressure chillers during standby periods. The assessment of service life condition monitoring of chillers indicated there are many simple to sophisticated methods available that can help in chiller surveillance and monitoring.

Generic phytosanitary irradiation treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hallman, Guy J.

2012-01-01

The history of the development of generic phytosanitary irradiation (PI) treatments is discussed beginning with its initial proposal in 1986. Generic PI treatments in use today are 150 Gy for all hosts of Tephritidae, 250 Gy for all arthropods on mango and papaya shipped from Australia to New Zealand, 300 Gy for all arthropods on mango shipped from Australia to Malaysia, 350 Gy for all arthropods on lychee shipped from Australia to New Zealand and 400 Gy for all hosts of insects other than pupae and adult Lepidoptera shipped to the United States. Efforts to develop additional generic PI treatments and reduce the dose for the 400 Gy treatment are ongoing with a broad based 5-year, 12-nation cooperative research project coordinated by the joint Food and Agricultural Organization/International Atomic Energy Agency Program on Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. Key groups identified for further development of generic PI treatments are Lepidoptera (eggs and larvae), mealybugs and scale insects. A dose of 250 Gy may suffice for these three groups plus others, such as thrips, weevils and whiteflies. - Highlights: ► The history of phytosanitary irradiation (PI) treatments is given. ► Generic PI treatments in use today are discussed. ► Suggestions for future research are presented. ► A dose of 250 Gy for most insects may suffice.

Research on U.S. nuclear power plant major equipment aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakos, J.T.; Rosinski, S.T.

1994-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in cooperation with nuclear power plant utilities and the Nuclear Energy Institute, have prepared equipment aging evaluations of nuclear power plant equipment for life extension considerations. Specifically, these evaluations focused on equipment considered important for plant license renewal (U.S. Code of Federal Regulations 10CFR54). open-quotes Industry Reportsclose quotes (IRs), jointly funded by DOE and EPRI, evaluated the aging of major systems, structures, and components (e.g., reactor pressure vessels, Class I structures, PWR and BWR containments, etc.) and contain a mixture of technical and licensing information. open-quotes Aging Management Guidelinesclose quotes (AMGs), funded by DOE, evaluate aging for commodity types of equipment (e.g., pumps, electrical switchgear, heat exchangers, etc.) and concentrate on technical issues only. AMGs are intended for systems engineers and plant maintenance staff. A significant number of technical issues were resolved during IR interactions with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). However, certain technical issues have not been resolved and are considered open-quotes openclose quotes. Examples include certain issues related to fatigue, neutron irradiation embrittlement, intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) and electrical cable equipment qualification. Direct NRC interaction did not take place during preparation of individual AMGs due to their purely technical nature. The eventual use of AMGs in a future license renewal application will likely require NRC interaction at that time. With a few noted exceptions, the AMG process indicated that current aging management practices of U.S. utilities were effective in preventing age-related degradation. This paper briefly describes the IR and AMG processes and summarizes the unresolved technical issues identified through preparation of the documents

Guideline for ageing management in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herter, K.H.; Schuler, X.; Hienstorfer, W.; Pompe, W.

2007-01-01

During operation of nuclear power plants, the quality of systems, structures and components may change as a result of ageing (conceptional ageing, technological ageing or physical ageing), which will affect the system quality. Ageing management is necessary to ensure safety and availability throughout the life of the systems. This necessitates a systematic, integrative and knowledge-based approach. Systems, structures and components are grouped according to their relevance for meeting the set goals. Ageing mangement should be process-oriented and should be integrated in the organisational procedure in cooperation with the safety manager. The procedure should follow the PDCA principle (plan - do - check - act). The data, documents, knowledge and evaluations required for ageing management are part of the knowledge base of the nuclear power station and are updated regularly. The efficiency of ageing management must be reassessed at regular intervals. (orig.)

Generic clearance values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bossio, M.C.; Muniz, C.C.

2009-01-01

This paper analyzes the Generic Clearance Values established for natural and artificial radionuclides with the objective of evaluating their degree of conservatism in views of adopting them into the regulatory body. Generic clearance values for natural radionuclides have been chosen by experts judgments as the optimum boundary between, on one hand, the ubiquitous unmodified soil concentrations and, on the other hand, activity concentrations in ores, mineral sands, industrial residues and wastes. For artificial radionuclides the clearance levels have been derived from the scenarios postulated in the document 'Safety Reports Series Nr 44' of the IAEA considering quantitative exemption criteria. A set of 8 scenarios were postulated covering external, ingestion and inhalation exposure pathways. For each radionuclide, the generic clearance level was derived as the more restrictive value obtained from the scenarios, that is the lowest ratio between the applicable individual dose and the dose per unit activity concentration (Bq/g). The individual dose was calculated by a formula depending on each scenario and pathway, with different parameters, such as exposure time, dosimetric factors, dilution factor, density of the material, geometric factors, etc. It was concluded that the basis and parameters used for the derivation of the generic clearance levels are quite conservative and therefore its the adoption in Argentina has been recommended. It is expected that their implementation will contribute to optimize the regulatory management system. (author)

Generic Clearance Values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bossio, M.C.; Muniz, C.C.

2010-01-01

This paper analyzes the Generic Clearance Values established for natural and artificial radionuclides with the objective of evaluating their degree of conservatism in views of adopting them into the regulatory body. Generic clearance values for natural radionuclides have been chosen by experts judgments as the optimum boundary between, on the one hand, the ubiquitous unmodified soil concentrations and, on the other hand, activity concentrations in ores, mineral sands, industrial residues and wastes. For artificial radionuclides the clearance levels have been derived from the scenarios postulated in the document Safety Reports Series 44 of the IAEA considering quantitative exemption criteria. A set of 8 scenarios were postulated covering external, ingestion and inhalation exposure pathways. For each radionuclide, the generic clearance level was derived as the more restrictive value obtained from the scenarios, that is the lowest ratio between the applicable individual dose and the dose per unit activity concentration (Bq/g). The individual dose was calculated by a formula depending on each scenario and pathway, with different parameters, such as exposure time, dosimetric factors, dilution factor, density of the material, geometric factors, etc. It was concluded that the basis and parameters used for the derivation of the generic clearance levels are quite conservative and therefore its the adoption in Argentina has been recommended. It is expected that their implementation will contribute to optimize the regulatory management system. (authors) [es

Evidence of aging effects on certain safety-related components: summary and analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-09-01

In response to interest shown by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), Principal Working Group I (PWG- 1) of the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) conducted a generic study on the effects of aging of active components in nuclear power plants. Representatives from France, Sweden, Finland, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom participated in the study by submitting reports documenting aging studies performed in their countries. This report consists of summaries of those reports, along with a comparison of the various statistical analysis methods used in the studies. The studies indicate that with some exceptions, active components generally do not present a significant aging problem in nuclear power plants. Design criteria and effective preventative maintenance programs, including timely replacement of components, are effective in mitigating potential aging problems. However, aging studies (such as qualitative and statistical analyses of failure modes and maintenance data) are an important part of efforts to identify and solve potential aging problems. Solving these problems typically includes such strategies as replacing suspect components with improved components, and implementing improved maintenance programs

Generic phytosanitary irradiation treatments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hallman, Guy J [United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Weslaco, TX (United States)

2013-01-15

The history of the development of generic phytosanitary irradiation (PI) treatments is discussed beginning with its initial proposal in 1986. Generic PI treatments in use today are 150 Gy for all hosts of Tephritidae, 250 Gy for all arthropods on mango and papaya shipped from Australia to New Zealand, 300 Gy for all arthropods on mango shipped from Australia to Malaysia, 350 Gy for all arthropods on lychee shipped from Australia to New Zealand and 400 Gy for all hosts of insects other than pupae and adult Lepidoptera shipped to the United States. Efforts to develop additional generic PI treatments and reduce the dose for the 400 Gy treatment are ongoing with a broad based 5-year, 12-nation cooperative research project coordinated by the joint Food and Agricultural Organization/International Atomic Energy Agency Program on Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. Key groups identified for further development of generic PI treatments are Lepidoptera (eggs and larvae), mealybugs and scale insects. A dose of 250 Gy may suffice for these three groups plus others, such as thrips, weevils and whiteflies. (author)

Generic phytosanitary irradiation treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Hallman, Guy J.

2012-07-01

The history of the development of generic phytosanitary irradiation (PI) treatments is discussed beginning with its initial proposal in 1986. Generic PI treatments in use today are 150 Gy for all hosts of Tephritidae, 250 Gy for all arthropods on mango and papaya shipped from Australia to New Zealand, 300 Gy for all arthropods on mango shipped from Australia to Malaysia, 350 Gy for all arthropods on lychee shipped from Australia to New Zealand and 400 Gy for all hosts of insects other than pupae and adult Lepidoptera shipped to the United States. Efforts to develop additional generic PI treatments and reduce the dose for the 400 Gy treatment are ongoing with a broad based 5-year, 12-nation cooperative research project coordinated by the joint Food and Agricultural Organization/International Atomic Energy Agency Program on Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. Key groups identified for further development of generic PI treatments are Lepidoptera (eggs and larvae), mealybugs and scale insects. A dose of 250 Gy may suffice for these three groups plus others, such as thrips, weevils and whiteflies.

Ageing management of nuclear power plant - the Tarapur experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anilkumar, K.R.; Das, P.K.; Bhattacharjee, S.; Ramamurty, U.

2006-01-01

Tarapur Atomic Power Station, the longest serving Nuclear Power Plant in the Asian continent has completed 36 years of successful operation and generated more than 70,000 million units of electric power. Built in late sixties, with the state-of-the-art safety features prevailing then, TAPS through the process of evolution has become safer plant due to efforts of upgradation, renovation and refurbishment prompted by the station's operating experience, feed back from overseas reactors, lessons learnt from nuclear incidents, accidents and fresh review of design basis and safety analysis of the plant. All components of a Nuclear power plant experience some degradation with time. The Reactor Pressure Vessels (RPV) designed for 40 effective full power years (EFPY) of operation have operated for less than 20 EFPY and the material condition is assessed to be fit for some more years of service. The condition of the containment and main plant buildings was assessed to be satisfactory. The Ageing Management Programme (AMP) involved identification of key systems, structures and components (SSCs) that may experience degradation due to ageing, and take corrective measures through maintenance, repair and/or replacement. The identified components were classified as major critical components, important systems and other critical components. For each component mode of degradation was identified, ageing assessment was done and action plan was finalized. Replacement of some important equipment like 3 x 50 % capacity Emergency Diesel Generators (EDG) with 3 x 100 % capacity EDG, Salt Service Water (SSW) pumps, Control rod drive (CRD) pumps, Emergency Condenser tube bundles, Station battery has been done on the basis of condition monitoring and to obviate common cause failure and enhance the system reliability. Samples of Safety related cables were subjected to residual life assessment (RLA) and replacement action firmed up on the basis of the RLA findings. Condition survey of Main

Aging of safety class 1E transformers in safety systems of nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberts, E.W.; Edson, J.L.; Udy, A.C. [Lockheed Idaho Technologies Co., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

1996-02-01

This report discusses aging effects on safety-related power transformers in nuclear power plants. It also evaluates maintenance, testing, and monitoring practices with respect to their effectiveness in detecting and mitigating the effects of aging. The study follows the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission`s (NRC`s) Nuclear Plant-Aging Research approach. It investigates the materials used in transformer construction, identifies stressors and aging mechanisms, presents operating and testing experience with aging effects, analyzes transformer failure events reported in various databases, and evaluates maintenance practices. Databases maintained by the nuclear industry were analyzed to evaluate the effects of aging on the operation of nuclear power plants.

Generic Advantages

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Generic Advantages. Scalability an incremental coverage. Standardization. Business Plan Flexibility. Lifecycle Flexibility. Reliability. Service Interoperability. Changed Industry dynamics.

Generic penetration in the retail antidepressant market.

Science.gov (United States)

Ventimiglia, Jeffrey; Kalali, Amir H

2010-06-01

In this article, we explore the accelerated penetration of generic antidepressants in the United States market following the availability of generic citalopram and sertraline. Analysis suggests that overall, generic penetration into the antidepressant market has grown from approximately 41 percent in January 2004 to over 73 percent in January 2010. Similar trends are uncovered when branded and generic prescriptions are analyzed by specialty.

Managing aging in nuclear power plants: Insights from NRC maintenance team inspection reports

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fresco, A.; Subudhi, M.; Gunther, W.; Grove, E.; Taylor, J. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

1993-12-01

A plant`s maintenance program is the principal vehicle through which age-related degradation is managed. From 1988 to 1991, the NRC evaluated the maintenance program of every nuclear power plant in the United States. Forty-four out of a total of 67 of the reports issued on these in-depth team inspections were reviewed for insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the programs as related to the need to understand and manage the effects of aging on nuclear plant systems, structures, and components. Relevant information was extracted from these inspection reports and sorted into several categories, including Specific Aging Insights, Preventive Maintenance, Predictive Maintenance and Condition Monitoring, Post Maintenance Testing, Failure Trending, Root Cause Analysis and Usage of Probabilistic Risk Assessment in the Maintenance Process. Specific examples of inspection and monitoring techniques successfully used by utilities to detect degradation due to aging have been identified. The information also was sorted according to systems and components, including: Auxiliary Feedwater, Main Feedwater, High Pressure Injection for both BWRs and PWRs, Service Water, Instrument Air, and Emergency Diesel Generator Air Start Systems, and Emergency Diesel Generators Air Start Systems, emergency diesel generators, electrical components such as switchgear, breakers, relays, and motor control centers, motor operated valves and check valves. This information was compared to insights gained from the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program. Attributes of plant maintenance programs where the NRC inspectors felt that improvement was needed to properly address the aging issue also are discussed.

Comparing recurrent antibiotic prescriptions in children treated with a brand name or a generic formulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Piovani, Daniele; Clavenna, Antonio; Cartabia, Massimo; Bortolotti, Angela; Fortino, Ida; Merlino, Luca; Bonati, Maurizio

2015-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of recurrent prescriptions and hospital admissions in children receiving a brand name or generic antibiotic prescription. The data source was a database of reimbursed prescriptions. Outpatient children/adolescents brand name formulations and for each age strata (0-5, 6-11, and 12-17 years old) for four antibiotics: amoxicillin, amoxicillin clavulanate, clarithromycin, and cefaclor. The percentage of therapy switches was calculated. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test was used to compare the age-adjusted outcomes. In all, 17.5% (57 346) of children received at least one recurrent prescription. The rate of recurrent prescriptions was slightly lower in children receiving any generic (OR 0.96; 95%CI 0.93-0.98), compared with any brand name, antibiotic. The percentage of hospital admissions occurring in children initially treated with a brand name (1.01%; 95%CI 0.98-1.08) or generic (1.03%; 0.96-1.06) antibiotic was not different (p = 0.43). For children receiving amoxicillin clavulanate, the hospital admission rate was slightly higher in the brand name group (p = 0.002), while no differences were found for the other active substances. Children treated with generic antibiotics had no worse safety and effectiveness outcomes when compared with those receiving brand name ones. These results provide additional evidence on the safety of generic antibiotics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A generic model for estimating biomass accumulation and greenhouse gas emissions from perennial crops

Science.gov (United States)

Ledo, Alicia; Heathcote, Richard; Hastings, Astley; Smith, Pete; Hillier, Jonathan

2017-04-01

Agriculture is essential to maintain humankind but is, at the same time, a substantial emitter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With a rising global population, the need for agriculture to provide secure food and energy supply is one of the main human challenges. At the same time, it is the only sector which has significant potential for negative emissions through the sequestration of carbon and offsetting via supply of feedstock for energy production. Perennial crops accumulate carbon during their lifetime and enhance organic soil carbon increase via root senescence and decomposition. However, inconsistency in accounting for this stored biomass undermines efforts to assess the benefits of such cropping systems when applied at scale. A consequence of this exclusion is that efforts to manage this important carbon stock are neglected. Detailed information on carbon balance is crucial to identify the main processes responsible for greenhouse gas emissions in order to develop strategic mitigation programs. Perennial crops systems represent 30% in area of total global crop systems, a considerable amount to be ignored. Furthermore, they have a major standing both in the bioenergy and global food industries. In this study, we first present a generic model to calculate the carbon balance and GHGs emissions from perennial crops, covering both food and bioenergy crops. The model is composed of two simple process-based sub-models, to cover perennial grasses and other perennial woody plants. The first is a generic individual based sub-model (IBM) covering crops in which the yield is the fruit and the plant biomass is an unharvested residue. Trees, shrubs and climbers fall into this category. The second model is a generic area based sub-model (ABM) covering perennial grasses, in which the harvested part includes some of the plant parts in which the carbon storage is accounted. Most second generation perennial bioenergy crops fall into this category. Both generic sub

Aging management of instrumentation and control sensors in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashemian, H.M.

2010-01-01

Pressure to improve plant efficiency and maximize safety and the increasing age of existing NPPs are forcing the global nuclear power industry to confront the challenges of aging - caused by stressors such as temperature, humidity, radiation, electricity, and vibration - in key instrument and control (I and C) components like pressure transmitters, temperature sensors, neutron detectors, and cables. Traditional aging management methods, such as equipment replacement, required the process to be shut down. Recent aging management technologies, collectively known as online monitoring (OLM), enable plants to monitor the condition and aging of their installed I and C while the plant is operating. Developed through R and D initiatives worldwide, such OLM techniques include low- and high-frequency methods that use existing sensors, such as noise analysis; methods based on test or diagnostic sensors, such as for vibration-measuring accelerometers; and methods, such as the power interrupt (PI) test, based on active measurements made by injecting a test signal into the component under test. A review of these aging management methods, their effectiveness, and their interrelation provides a foundation for understanding the next stage in the evolution of OLM: truly integrated hybrid OLM systems capable of robust condition monitoring in both novel and familiar operating conditions.

A Proactive Aging/Asset Management Model to Optimize Equipment Maintenance Resources Over Plant Lifetime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, Theodore A.; Perdue, Robert K.; Woodcock, Joel; Elder, G. Gary

2002-01-01

Experience has shown that proactive aging/asset management can best be defined as an ongoing process. Station goals directly supported by such a process include reducing Unplanned Capability Loss Factor and gaining the optimum value from maintenance and aging management budgets. An effective aging/asset management process must meet evolving and sometimes conflicting requirements for efficient and reliable nuclear power plant operation. The process should identify most likely contributors before they fail, and develop cost-effective contingencies. Current trends indicate the need for focused tools that give quantitative input to decision-making. Opposing goals, such as increasing availability while optimizing aging management budgets, must be balanced. Recognizing the importance of experience in reducing the uncertainty inherent in predicting equipment degradation rates, nuclear industry demographics suggest the need to capture existing expert knowledge in a usable form. The Proactive Aging/Asset Management Process has been developed to address these needs. The proactive approach is a process supported by tools. The process identifies goals and develops criteria - including safety, costs, and power production - that are used to prioritize systems and equipment across the plant. The process then draws upon tools to most effectively meet the plant's goals. The Proactive Aging/Asset Management Model TM is one software-enabled tool designed for mathematical optimization. Results assist a plant in developing a plant-wide plan of aging management activities. This paper describes the proactive aging/asset management process and provides an overview of the methodology that has been incorporated in a model to perform a plant-wide optimization of aging management activities. (authors)

Technical strategy map to employing nuclear power plant aging management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekimura, Naoto; Kanno, Masanori

2008-01-01

Stated in this report are back ground of technical strategy map for nuclear power plant aging management, result of the first road map, significance of technical strategy map, introduction scenario, technology map, road map, upgrade in every year, three groups of academia, industry and government, plan of technical strategy map, upgrade system, comprehensive introduction scenario, measures of nuclear power plant aging management in Japan and the world, new inspection system, outline of 'technical strategy map 2008', preparation of technical information bases in industry, academia and government, collaboration of them, safety researches of neutron radiation damage, stress corrosion crack, fatigue, piping thinning, insulation degradation, concrete degradation, thermal aging, evaluation technologies of earthquake resistance, preparation of rules and standards, ideal maintenance, and training talent. (S.Y.)

Availability Performance Analysis of Thermal Power Plants

Science.gov (United States)

Bhangu, Navneet Singh; Singh, Rupinder; Pahuja, G. L.

2018-03-01

This case study presents the availability evaluation method of thermal power plants for conducting performance analysis in Indian environment. A generic availability model has been proposed for a maintained system (thermal plants) using reliability block diagrams and fault tree analysis. The availability indices have been evaluated under realistic working environment using inclusion exclusion principle. Four year failure database has been used to compute availability for different combinatory of plant capacity, that is, full working state, reduced capacity or failure state. Availability is found to be very less even at full rated capacity (440 MW) which is not acceptable especially in prevailing energy scenario. One of the probable reason for this may be the difference in the age/health of existing thermal power plants which requires special attention of each unit from case to case basis. The maintenance techniques being used are conventional (50 years old) and improper in context of the modern equipment, which further aggravate the problem of low availability. This study highlights procedure for finding critical plants/units/subsystems and helps in deciding preventive maintenance program.

Exploring the opinions and experiences of patients with generic substitution: a representative study of Polish society.

Science.gov (United States)

Drozdowska, Aleksandra; Hermanowski, Tomasz

2015-02-01

Generics have the potential to contain drug therapy costs; successful implementation of generic substitution policy largely depends on consumers' willingness to choose generics. This study aims to analyse the opinions, experiences and preferences of Polish patients towards generic medicines. The study was performed in Poland. The survey was conducted in June 2013 by means of face-to-face interviews. Respondents were drawn from the general population according to a population structure. The study covered a representative sample of 1,000 Poles; the results can be generalized to apply to the Polish population at large. Fifty-two percent of respondents declared to be more often choosing generics, twenty-three percent did not have any specific preferences, and twenty-five percent were more willing to choose brand-name medicines. Past experience with cheaper generic medicines, secondary or lower education, low income and residence in specific regions of Poland were all significantly associated with an increased willingness to choose generics. Respondents' attitudes towards generics were mostly influenced by the opinions of doctors and pharmacists. According to respondents, attitudes towards generics among doctors, pharmacists, family and friends, and in the mass media were mostly positive. There was no relationship between the preference of respondents for generics and factors such as their age, life stage, gender, household size or urban/rural locality. As a result of substituting a brand-name drug with its generic equivalent, 72 % of respondents reported that they had not noticed any difference in drug effectiveness; 21 % had experienced a reduced effectiveness of treatment or increased side effects at least once; and 7 % claimed the generic worked better. The majority of respondents who used cheaper substitutes claimed that generics represented good or very good quality. The study demonstrates that, when choosing medicines, Poles rely mainly on the opinions of their

Rethinking generic skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roy Canning

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The paper provides a critical analysis of the notion of generic or transversal skillscontained with European Union policy discourses. The author presents a conceptualframework that challenges the idea that generic skills are universal, transferable andautonomous. An alternative analysis is put forward that argues the case forcontextualising skills and knowledge within particular understandings and cultures thatare more collective than individualistic in nature. The arguments are framed withinwider cross-disciplinary debates in linguistics, geosemiotics and social-cultural theoryand build upon an earlier paper exploring core skills in the UK (Canning, 2007.

Identification and Assessment of Material Models for Age-Related Degradation of Structures and Passive Components in Nuclear Power Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nie,J.; Braverman, J.; Hofmayer, C.; Kim, M. K.; Choi, I-K.

2009-04-27

When performing seismic safety assessments of nuclear power plants (NPPs), the potential effects of age-related degradation on structures, systems, and components (SSCs) should be considered. To address the issue of aging degradation, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has embarked on a five-year research project to develop a realistic seismic risk evaluation system which will include the consideration of aging of structures and components in NPPs. Three specific areas that are included in the KAERI research project, related to seismic probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), are probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, seismic fragility analysis including the effects of aging, and a plant seismic risk analysis. To support the development of seismic capability evaluation technology for degraded structures and components, KAERI entered into a collaboration agreement with Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in 2007. The collaborative research effort is intended to continue over a five year period with the goal of developing seismic fragility analysis methods that consider the potential effects of age-related degradation of SSCs, and using these results as input to seismic PRAs. In the Year 1 scope of work BNL collected and reviewed degradation occurrences in US NPPs and identified important aging characteristics needed for the seismic capability evaluations that will be performed in the subsequent evaluations in the years that follow. This information is presented in the Annual Report for the Year 1 Task, identified as BNL Report-81741-2008 and also designated as KAERI/RR-2931/2008. The report presents results of the statistical and trending analysis of this data and compares the results to prior aging studies. In addition, the report provides a description of U.S. current regulatory requirements, regulatory guidance documents, generic communications, industry standards and guidance, and past research related to aging degradation of SSCs. This report

Quality of generic medicines in South Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Patel, Aarti; Gauld, Robin; Norris, Pauline

2012-01-01

Generic Medicines are an important policy option allowing for access to affordable, essential medicines. Quality of generic medicines must be guaranteed through the activities of national medicines regulatory authorities. Existing negative perceptions surrounding the quality of generic medicines ...

Study on risk indicator for appropriate plant maintenance considering aging effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mano, Akihiro; Yamaguchi, Akira; Takata, Takashi

2014-01-01

Since, nuclear power plants run for a long term and plant component may deteriorate due to aging, plant safety must be maintained through maintenance activities of components. The maintenance will become more important as the number of aged plant increases. In the planning of maintenance, one must select appropriate components and interval. In general, Fussell-Vesely importance (FV) and Risk Achievement Worth (RAW) are used as a risk indicator for the maintenance. A priority order of each component can be evaluated using those risk indicators at a certain condition. However, the influence of aging (time history) on the order cannot be estimated directly. In the paper, a change of conditional core damage probability (ΔCCDP) and a change of conditional containment failure probability (ΔCCFP) are proposed as additional indicators in which the aging effect is evaluated directly so as to determine the priority order. A simplified level one probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) has been carried out in order to investigate the change of the risk indicators by considering the change of a component failure probability due to aging. In the analyses, three conditions are assumed; base (original) state, aging state and further aging state without maintenance activities. It is demonstrated that the proposed indicator (ΔCCDP and ΔCCFP) reveals the aging effect of each component, while the change of the FV and RAW represent unrealistic behavior through the states. As a result, it is found that the ΔCCDP and ΔCCFP are superior to the others in terms of the ability to evaluate components appropriately in deteriorated (aging) states and take account of differences of deterioration behavior. It is also found that the priority order of the multiple-components maintenance at the same time can also be evaluated using the ΔCCDP and ΔCCFP. Additionally, a risk informed decision making based on the risk acceptance criteria can be discussed for the maintenance procedure using the

An approach to safety problems relating to ageing of nuclear power plant components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conte, M.; Deletre, G.; Henry, J.Y.; Le Meur, M.

1989-10-01

The safety of nuclear power plants, in France, is discussed. The attention is focused on the ageing phenomena, as a potential cause of the degradation of the systems functional capabilities. The allowance for ageing in design and its importance on safety, are analyzed. The understanding of phenomena relating to ageing and the components surveillance, are considered. As the effective ageing on the components of nuclear power plants is not fully understood, technical improvements and more accurate analysis are required

Nuclear plant service water system aging degradation assessment: Phase 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarrell, D.B.; Johnson, A.B. Jr.; Zimmerman, P.W.; Gore, M.L.

1989-06-01

The initial phase of an aging assessment of nuclear power plant service water systems (SWSs) was performed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory to support the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program. The SWS was selected for study because of its essential role in the mitigation of and recovery from accident scenarios involving the potential for core-melt. The objectives of the SWS task under the NPAR program are to identify and characterize the principal aging degradation mechanisms relevant to this system and assess their impact on operational readiness, and to provide a methodology for the mitigation of aging on the service water aspect of nuclear plant safety. The first two of these objectives have been met and are covered in this Phase 1 report. A review of available literature and data-base information indicated that motor operated valve torque switches (an electro-mechanical device) were the prime suspect in component service water systems failures. More extensive and detailed data obtained from cooperating utility maintenance records and personnel accounts contradicted this conclusion indicating that biologic and inorganic accumulation and corrosive attack of service water on component surfaces were, in fact, the primary degradation mechanisms. A review of the development of time dependent risk assessment (aging) models shows that, as yet, this methodology has not been developed to a degree where implementation is reliable. Improvements in the accuracy of failure data documentation and time dependent risk analysis methodology should yield significant gains in relating aging phenomena to probabilistic risk assessment. 23 refs., 8 figs., 10 tabs

Aging management of nuclear power plants in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeda, Noriyoshi

2003-01-01

The Resource and Energy Agency of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (at present, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Industry) carried out technical and present state conservation evaluations on soundness on a case of supposing operation of main apparatuses important for safety for sixty years, on three nuclear power plants constructed at initial period, on April, 1996, to open her basic concept on their aging management. The electricity companies also carried out their technical evaluation to investigate aging management measures for apparatuses important for safety and succession of operation, to summarize some essential measures for its long-term conservation plan. And, long-term and steady efforts such as technical development, preparation on national technical codes and private standards, data accumulation on materials and apparatuses are also required, to successively act them under adequate role-sharing and cooperation among government, universities and industries. Here were described periodical safety review, containing aging management technical evaluation, preparations of standards on apparatus maintenance standard, and so on, promotion of technical development, and Nuclear Power Plant Life Engineering Center (PLEC). (G.K.)

Exploring knowledge, perceptions and attitudes about generic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Exploring knowledge, perceptions and attitudes about generic medicines among final-year health science students. ... had knowledge deficits about the safety, quality and efficacy of generic medicines. The dissemination of information about generic medicines may strengthen future knowledge, attitudes and perceptions.

Generic methods for design of small-bore pipe supports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, G.L.; LaSalle, F.R.

1981-01-01

Large numbers of supports for small-bore, low-temperature pipe are utilized in nuclear power plants. These supports often must meet ASME code and project seismic design requirements. Detailed analysis for each support is time consuming and costly. This paper describes some economical generic methods developed to design and qualify supports for two-inch and smaller pipe operating at temperatures less than 300 0 F (185 0 C), on the Fast Flux Test Facility. Use of standard designs, standard support spacing tables, anchor bolt and baseplate considerations, and field qualification methods are discussed

Generic medicines: solutions for a sustainable drug market?

Science.gov (United States)

Dylst, Pieter; Vulto, Arnold; Godman, Brian; Simoens, Steven

2013-10-01

Generic medicines offer equally high-quality treatment as originator medicines do at much lower prices. As such, they represent a considerable opportunity for authorities to obtain substantial savings. At the moment, the pharmaceutical landscape is changing and many pharmaceutical companies have altered their development and commercial strategies, combining both originator and generic divisions. In spite of this, the generic medicines industry is currently facing a number of challenges: delayed market access; the limited price differential with originator medicines; the continuous downwards pressure on prices; and the negative perception regarding generic medicines held by some key stakeholder groups. This could jeopardize the long-term sustainability of the generic manufacturing industry. Therefore, governments must focus on demand-side policies, alongside policies to accelerate market access, as the generic medicines industry will only be able to deliver competitive and sustainable prices if they are ensured a high volume. In the future, the generic medicines industry will increasingly look to biosimilars and generic versions of orphan drugs to expand their business.

Generic medicines: Perceptions of Physicians in Basrah, Iraq

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adheed Khalid Sharrad

2009-08-01

Full Text Available BackgroundThe use of cheaper generic medicines is a strategy promotedin many countries to reduce rising health care costs. The aimof this study was to explore factors affecting generic medicineprescribing by physicians in Basrah, Iraq.MethodologyA purposive sample of ten physicians practicing in Basrahwas interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide.ResultsAnalysis of the interviews identified seven major themes:medicine prescribing practice, knowledge of therapeuticequivalency of generic medicine, patients’ acceptance ofgeneric medicine, counterfeit medicine, drug informationsource and effect of drug advertising on medicines choice,brand substitution practice by community pharmacists, and,finally strategies to improve generic medicine usefulness.Participants identified helpful strategies to increase genericprescribing including; physician and patient education ongeneric medicine; persuading physicians about the safety andefficacy of generic medicines; and finally educating seniormedical students on generic prescribing.ConclusionThe data suggest that participants were enthusiasticabout prescribing generic medicines. However physiciansinsist that pharmacists should not be allowed tosubstitute generic drugs without prior approval ofdoctors.

Service water system aging assessment - Phase I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarrell, D.B.; Zimmerman, P.W.; Gore, M.L.

1988-01-01

The Service Water System (SWS) represents the final heat transfer loop between decay heat generated in the nuclear core and the safe dispersal of that heat energy in the environment. It is the objective of this investigation to demonstrate that aging phenomena can be identified and quantified such that aging degradation of system components can be detected and mitigated prior to the reduction of system availability to below an acceptable threshold. The approach used during the Phase I task was to (1) perform a literature search of government and private sector reports which relate to service water, aging related degradation, and potential methodologies for analysis; (2) assemble a data base which contains all the commercial power plants in the US, their Service Water System configuration, characteristics, and water source; (3) obtain and examine the available service water data from large generic data bases, i.e. NPRDS, LER, NPE, inspection reports, and other relevant plant reference data; (4) perform a fault tree analysis of a typical plant service water systems to examine failure propagation and understand specific input requirements of probabilistic risk analyses; (5) develop an in-depth questionnaire protocol for examining the information resource at a power plant which is not available through data base query and visit a central station power plant and solicit the required information; (6) analyze the information obtained from the in-depth plant interrogation and draw contrasts and conclusions with the data base information; (7) utilize the plant information to perform an interim assessment of service water system degradation mechanisms and focus future investigations. This paper addresses the elements of this task plan numbered 1, 3, 6, and 7. The remaining items are detailed in the phase-I report

Interim report on assessment of cable aging for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-12-01

Research on assessment of cable aging for nuclear power plants (NPPs) started in 2002 in order to obtain data of safety-related cables affected by thermal aging, simultaneous thermal and radiation aging, and Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA) equivalent test, which could contribute to draft guideline on comprehensive assessment of cable aging for NPPs while taking into consideration the latest knowledge. For the cable aging test, cross-linked polyethylene, flame-retardant cross-linked polyethylene, ethylene propylene rubber, flame-retardant ethylene propylene rubber, silicone rubber and special heat-resistant polyvinyl chloride insulators were selected from the safety-related cables used in the nuclear power plants. Furthermore, 2 to 3 kinds of cables with insulators of different manufacturers were added making a total of 14 kinds of cable specimens for the test. Aging period was selected as a basic parameter while three temperature conditions for thermal aging specimen and combined nine conditions of three temperatures with three dose rates for simultaneous aging specimens. Degradation of cable aging was characterized by elongation at break of tensile test. LOCA test for 9 kinds of cables was also conducted using the simultaneous aging specimens. Furthermore, the investigation of applicability of non-destructive degradation diagnostic technologies for aged cables was conducted to confirm the validity of cable aging evaluation at actual operating plants. Interim report was issued in 2006 and based on cable aging test until 21,000 hrs maximum; 1) a significant difference might be observed at times in the aging progress depending on the insulator manufacturer even if the insulator type was identical, 2) activation energy values calculated from the thermal aging test data were smaller than those currently used and principles of calculation and application of the activation energy were developed for evaluation and 3) superposition of time dependent data was applicable to

Component aging and reliability trends in Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jankala, K.E.; Vaurio, J.K.

1989-01-01

A plant-specific reliability data collection and analysis system has been developed at the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant to perform tests for component aging and analysis of reliability trends. The system yields both mean values an uncertainty distribution information for reliability parameters to be used in the PSA project underway and in living-PSA applications. Several different trend models are included in the reliability analysis system. Simple analytical expressions have been derived from the parameters of these models, and their variances have been obtained using the information matrix. This paper is focused on the details of the learning/aging models and the estimation of their parameters and statistical accuracies. Applications to the historical data of the Loviisa plant are presented. The results indicate both up- and down-trends in failure rates as well as individuality between nominally identical components

Ageing study of protection automation components of Olkiluoto nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simola, K.; Haenninen, S.

1993-07-01

A study on ageing of reactor protection system of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant is described. The objective of the study was to present an ageing analysis approach and apply in to the automation chains of reactor protection system of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. The study includes the measuring instrumentation, the protection logics, and the control electronics of some pumps and valves. The analysis is based on the information collected on the structure of the system, environmental conditions and maintenance practices of components, and operating experience. Based on this information, the possible ageing effects of equipment and their safety significance are evaluated. (orig.). (15 refs., 16 figs., 12 tabs.)

Comparing approaches to generic programming in Haskell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hinze, R.; Jeuring, J.T.; Löh, A.

2006-01-01

The last decade has seen a number of approaches to generic programming: PolyP, Functorial ML, `Scrap Your Boilerplate', Generic Haskell, `Generics for the Masses', etc. The approaches vary in sophistication and target audience: some propose full-blown pro- gramming languages, some suggest

Generic Switching and Non-Persistence among Medicine Users

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard Rathe, Jette; Andersen, Morten; Jarbøl, Dorte Ejg

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Generic substitution means that one medicinal product is replaced by another product containing the same active substance. It is strictly regulated with respect to its bioequivalence, and all products must have undergone appropriate studies. Although generic substitution is widely...... implemented, it still remains to be answered how generic switch influences persistence to long-term treatment, and if it is modified by patients' concerns about medicine and views on generic medicine. This study focuses on users of antidepressants and antiepileptics, and their experience of generic switching....... METHODS: The study was an observational cohort study. By use of a prescription database, we identified patients who had redeemed prescriptions on generically substitutable drugs, and a questionnaire was mailed to them. We analyzed predictors of discontinuation in relation to generic switch and patients...

Generic Safety Issue (GSI) 171 -- Engineered Safety Feature (ESF) failure from a loop subsequent to LOCA: Assessment of plant vulnerability and CDF contributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez-Guridi, G.; Samanta, P.; Chu, L.; Yang, J.

1998-01-01

Generic Safety Issue 171 (GSI-171), Engineered Safety Feature (ESF) from a Loss Of Offsite Power (LOOP) subsequent to a Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA), deals with an accident sequence in which a LOCA is followed by a LOOP. This issue was later broadened to include a LOOP followed by a LOCA. Plants are designed to handle a simultaneous LOCA and LOOP. In this paper, the authors address the unique issues that are involved i LOCA with delayed LOOP (LOCA/LOOP) and LOOP with delayed LOCA (LOOP/LOCA) accident sequences. LOCA/LOOP accidents are analyzed further by developing event-tree/fault-tree models to quantify their contributions to core-damage frequency (CDF) in a pressurized water reactor and a boiling water reactor (PWR and a BWR). Engineering evaluation and judgments are used during quantification to estimate the unique conditions that arise in a LOCA/LOOP accident. The results show that the CDF contribution of such an accident can be a dominant contributor to plant risk, although BWRs are less vulnerable than PWRs

Article choice in plural generics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Farkas, D.F.; Swart, Henriëtte de

2007-01-01

We discuss two groups of languages where article use contrasts in generic plural sentences but is otherwise essentially similar. The languages in the first group (English and Dutch) use bare plurals in the expression of kind reference (‘Dinosaurs are extinct’) and in generic

Ageing of significant to safety structure elements of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maksimovas, G.; Ramanauskiene, A.; Ziliukas, A.

1999-01-01

The paper analyzes the ageing problems of structure elements in nuclear power plants. The standard documents and principal parts of the ageing evaluation program are presented. The ageing evaluation model is being worked out and degradation mechanisms of different atomic reactor materials are being compared. (author)

Ageing management program of wires for Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zorrilla, J.; Antonaccio, E.; Luraschi, C.; Simionato, E.; Nieto, H.

2012-01-01

Electrical cables constitute one of the most important components of NPP in terms o maintenance, safety and availability of the plant. Due to their large extension (thousands of kilometers) it is impossible to fully replace them and aging management becomes essential for long term operation of NPP. Since Atucha II is under construction there was a good opportunity to establish and implement a holistic cable aging management program from the beginning according to the state of the art in this field. The scope of this program involves safety related cables, including EQ cables and non EQ cables as well. Due to the diversity of the installed cables is impossible to address an aging management program of every single specimen. However it is possible to establish 'cables families' of similar aging behavior based on insulation and jacket material, manufacture, etc Several aging management strategies were set for the different 'cables families'. These strategies include cables deposit in plant, elaboration of procedures of visual and tactile inspection, NDE techniques, etc Currently the aging management program is being implemented covering topic such as: Cable screening and grouping. Review of EQ documentation and conventional qualification information referring to the installed cables. Establishment of base line of condition monitoring techniques. Calibration and set up of test parameters for NDE techniques. Aging mechanism characterization and determination of. Design construction and installation of cable deposit in plant (author)

Aging management and preventive maintenance for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bessho, Toichi; Sagawa, Wataru; Oyamada, Osamu; Uchida, Shunsuke

1995-01-01

It is expected that nuclear power generation will bear main electric power supply for long term. For this purpose, by applying proper preventive maintenance to the nuclear power plants in operation, the maintenance of high reliability and the rate of plant operation is extremely important. Especially it has been strongly demanded to execute efficiently the periodic inspection which is carried out every year to shorten its period and increase the rate of operation, and to maintain the reliability by the proper maintenance for the aged plants with long operation years. As to efficient and short periodic inspection, the preparation is advanced by the guidance of electric power companies aiming at realizing it in nearest fiscal year, and further, effort is exerted for the development of technology in long term to optimize periodic inspection. For securing the reliability of aged plants, it is important to do proper inspection and diagnosis and to take the countermeasures by repair and replacement, based on the grasp of secular change mechanism and the evaluation of life of machinery, equipment and materials. In particular, effort is exerted for the development of maintenance technology for reactor pressure vessels and in-core equipment which are hard to access. The confirmation of the function of remote operation equipment and the establishment of execution condition are carried out by uisng the full scale mock-up of BWR plant. The problems in maintenance service and the activities and results of reliability improvement are reported. (K.I.)

40 CFR 721.9973 - Zirconium dichlorides (generic).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Zirconium dichlorides (generic). 721... Substances § 721.9973 Zirconium dichlorides (generic). (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substances identified generically as zirconium dichlorides (PMNs P...

Comparing approaches to generic programming in Haskell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hinze, R.; Jeuring, J.T.; Löh, A.

2006-01-01

The last decade has seen a number of approaches to data- type-generic programming: PolyP, Functorial ML, `Scrap Your Boiler- plate', Generic Haskell, `Generics for the Masses', etc. The approaches vary in sophistication and target audience: some propose full-blown pro- gramming languages, some

AVISE, ageing anticipation methodology using expert judgement and stimulation. Application to a nuclear power plant component: the pressurizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouzaiene-Marle, L.

2005-04-01

This thesis deals with components ageing anticipation in the context of life cycle management. The proposed approach, called AVISE, allows the identification of potentials problems related to ageing, to measure the risks in terms of degradation probability and degradation consequences and gives the adequate solutions to stop or to postpone ageing. This research was undertaken in a particular industrial context, the nuclear industry. Equipments used in this context are specific and particularly reliable. These characteristics result in limited feedback (low number of failures). To compensate for this limited information, two solutions are proposed in this approach. The first solution that we can consider as a classical one consists in using expert judgement. The second one, more original, consists in using the operation feedback of 'similar' components. In order to apply these solutions and to obtain the anticipation results, a set of methodological tools was developed and tested in a real industrial application on a nuclear power plant component: the pressurizer. The first tool is a generic process for expert judgement, identified thanks to a comparison between eleven existing methods using expert judgement. Two methods based on expert stimulation and called STIMEX-IMDP and STIMEX-IPP were elaborated. A reference list of degradation mechanisms and a reference list of ageing effects were constructed and used in the method STIMEX-IMDP in order to help expert stimulation. Then, the developed approach proposes the use of belief networks to model and quantify the risks related to the potential degradations. Finally, the construction of a conceptual data model and specifications are given for the creation of an ageing database. The data to capitalize was identified on the basis of the research undertaken in this thesis. (author)

Aging of concrete containment structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.; Mori, Yasuhiro; Arndt, E.G.

1992-01-01

Concrete structures play a vital role in the safe operation of all light-water reactor plants in the US Pertinent concrete structures are described in terms of their importance design, considerations, and materials of construction. Degradation factors which can potentially impact the ability of these structures to meet their functional and performance requirements are identified. Current inservice inspection requirements for concrete containments are summarized. A review of the performance history of the concrete components in nuclear power plants is provided. A summary is presented. A summary is presented of the Structural Aging (SAG) Program being conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The SAG Program is addressing the aging management of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants for the purpose of providing improved bases for their continued service. The program consists of a management task and three technical tasks: materials property data base, structural component assessment/repair technologies, and quantitiative methodology for continued service conditions. Objectives and a summary of accomplishments under each of these tasks are presented

Aging characteristics of nuclear plant RTDs and pressure transmitters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashemian, H.M.

2004-01-01

Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs) and pressure, level, and flow transmitters provide almost all the vital signals that are used for the control and safety of nuclear power plants. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the performance of these sensors remain acceptable as they age in the process under normal operating conditions. Four comprehensive research projects were conducted for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to evaluate the effects of normal aging on calibration stability and response time of RTDs and pressure transmitters of the types used for safety-related measurements in nuclear power plants. Each project was conducted over a three year period. The projects involved laboratory testing of representative RTDs and pressure transmitters aged in simulated reactor conditions. The main purpose of these projects was to establish the degradation rate of the sensors and use the information to determine if the current testing intervals practiced by the nuclear power industry are adequate for management of aging of the sensors. The results have indicated that the current nuclear industry practice of testing the response time and calibration of the sensors once every fuel cycle is adequate. (author)

Are generic and brand-name statins clinically equivalent? Evidence from a real data-base.

Science.gov (United States)

Corrao, Giovanni; Soranna, Davide; Arfè, Andrea; Casula, Manuela; Tragni, Elena; Merlino, Luca; Mancia, Giuseppe; Catapano, Alberico L

2014-10-01

Use of generic drugs can help contain drug spending. However, there is concern among patients and physicians that generic drugs may be clinically inferior to brand-name ones. This study aimed to compare patients treated with generic and brand-name statins in terms of therapeutic interruption and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. 13,799 beneficiaries of the health care system of Lombardy, Italy, aged 40 years or older who were newly treated with generic or brand-name simvastatin during 2008, were followed until 2011 for the occurrence of two outcomes: 1) therapeutic discontinuation and 2) hospitalization for CV events. Hazard ratios (HR) associated with use of generic or brand-name at starting therapy (intention-to-treat analysis) and during follow-up (as-treated analysis) were estimated by fitting proportional hazard Cox models. A Monte-Carlo sensitivity analysis was performed to account for unmeasured confounders. Patients who started on generic did not experience a different risk of discontinuation (HR: 0.98; 95% CI 0.94 to 1.02) nor of CV outcomes (HR: 0.98; 95% CI 0.79 to 1.22) from those starting on brand-name. Patients who spent >75% of time of follow-up with statin available on generics did not experience a different risk of discontinuation (HR: 0.94; 95% CI 0.87 to 1.01), nor of CV outcomes (HR: 1.06; 95% CI 0.83 to 1.34), compared with those who mainly or only used brand-name statin. Our findings do not support the notion that in the real world clinical practice brand-name statins are superior to generics for keeping therapy and preventing CV outcomes. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Randomized, double blind comparison of brand and generic antibiotic suspensions: II. A study of taste and compliance in children.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Chaar, G M; Mardy, G; Wehlou, K; Rubin, L G

1996-01-01

The taste of oral liquid medications influences compliance in children. Generic preparations are prescribed to reduce cost and may taste worse than brand name products. This was a prospective, randomized, double blind, crossover trial of the differences in taste and compliance between brand and generic antibiotic suspensions in children 3 to 14 years of age. Verbal and visual assessment methods were used to assess taste, and compliance was measured by the amount of drug returned after use. Ten children in each of the cephalexin and erythromycin-sulfisoxazole groups did not report that the brand and generic formulations tasted differently. Fifteen children thought that brand trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole tasted better than the generic preparation. Brand name oral liquid antibiotics do not necessarily taste better than their generic counterparts. Despite preference for the taste of brand trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, all of the children in this study were compliant with both brand and generic medications.

40 CFR 721.9959 - Polyurethane polymer (generic).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Polyurethane polymer (generic). 721... Substances § 721.9959 Polyurethane polymer (generic). (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as a polyurethane polymer (PMN P-01...

Proceedings Workshop on Generic Programming (WGP2000)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jeuring, J.T.

2000-01-01

This report contains the papers selected for presentation at the 2nd Workshop on Generic Programming (WGP2000), which was held on July 6, 2000 in Ponte de Lima, Portugal. Generic programming is about making programs more adaptable by making them more general. Generic programs often embody

Skin rash during treatment with generic itraconazole.

Science.gov (United States)

De Vuono, Antonio; Palleria, Caterina; Scicchitano, Francesca; Squillace, Aida; De Sarro, Giovambattista; Gallelli, Luca

2014-04-01

Generic drugs have the same active substance, the same pharmaceutical form, the same therapeutic indications and a similar bioequivalence with the reference medicinal product (branded). Although a similar efficacy is postulated, some cases of clinical inefficacy during treatment with generic formulations have been reported. In this case, we describe a woman with onychomycosis that developed a skin rash during treatment with a generic formulation of itraconazole. Drug administration and its re-challenge confirmed the association between itraconazole and skin rash. Both Naranjo probability scale and World Health Organization causality assessment scale documented a probable association between generic-itraconazole and skin rash. The switch from generic formulation to brand one induced an improvement of symptoms. Since we are unable to evaluate the role of each excipient in the development of skin rash, we cannot rule out their involvement. However, more data are necessary to better define the similarities or differences between branded and generic formulations.

Developing a computerized aging management system for concrete structures in finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Neshawy, F.; Piironen, J.; Sistonen, E.; Vesikari, E.; Tuomisto, M.; Hradil, P.; Ferreira, M.

2013-01-01

Finland has four nuclear reactors units in two power plants. The first unit started operation in 1977 and in the early 1980's all four units were in use. During the last few years the aging management of the Nuclear Power Plant's (NPP) concrete structures has grown an important issue because the existing structures are reaching the end of their licensed operating lifetime (about 40 years). Therefore the nuclear power companies are developing aging management systems to avoid premature degradation of NPP facilities and to be able to extend their operating lifetime. This paper is about the development of a computerized ageing management system for the nuclear power plants concrete structures. The computerized ageing management system is built upon central database and implementation applications. It will assist the personnel of power companies to implement the aging management activities at different phases of the lifetime of a power plant. It will provide systematic methods for planning, surveillance, inspection, monitoring, condition assessment, maintenance and repair of structures. (authors)

Lithium Ion Batteries Ageing Analysis when used in a PV Power Plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beltran, H.; Swierczynski, Maciej Jozef; Aparicio, N.

2012-01-01

This paper analyzes the integration of lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries into large scale grid-connected PV plants. It performs a systematic analysis on both the operation improvement obtained by a PV+ES power plant and the ageing experienced by the Li-ion batteries used as Energy Storage (ES) system...... when operating under different energy management strategies (EMS). In this paper, the PV+ES power plant structure is presented and the selection of Li-on batteries as ES system (ESS) is justified. Moreover, the simulation model used for studying the Li-ion battery ageing is explained and tested...

Is bioavailability altered in generic versus brand anticonvulsants?

Science.gov (United States)

Jankovic, Slobodan M; Ignjatovic Ristic, Dragana

2015-03-01

Therapeutic window of anticonvulsants is not a wide one, with phenytoin being one extreme, which can be classified as a narrow therapeutic index drug, since its ratio between the least toxic and the least effective concentration is less than twofold. In order to obtain marketing authorization, a generic anticonvulsant should demonstrate relative bioequivalence with its brand-name counterpart. However, although bioequivalent, generic anticonvulsants still do not have the same bioavailability as brand-name drugs, which may lead to larger fluctuations of steady-state plasma concentrations, and sometimes to loss of seizure control if a patient is switched from brand-name to generic or from generic to generic anticonvulsant. Generic anticonvulsants are effective, safe and affordable drugs for treatment of epilepsy, and patients could be successfully treated with them from the very beginning. It is switching from brand-name to generic anticonvulsant or from one generic anticonvulsant to another that should be avoided in clinical practice, since subtle differences in bioavailability may disturb optimal degree of seizure control to which the patient was previously successfully titrated.

Generic risk insights for Westinghouse and Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Travis, R.; Taylor, J.; Fresco, A.; Chung, J.

1990-11-01

A methodology has been developed to extract generic risk-based information from probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) of Westinghouse and Combustion Engineering (CE) pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and apply the insights gained to Westinghouse and Ce plants have not been subjected to a PRA. The available PRAs (five Westinghouse plants and one CE plant) were examined to identify the most probable, i.e., dominant accident sequences at each plant. The goal was to include all sequences which represented at least 80% of core damage frequency. If the same plant specific dominant accident sequence appeared within this boundary in at least two plant PRAs, the sequence was considered to be a representative sequence. Eleven sequences met this definition. From these sequences, the most important component failures and human errors that contributed to each sequence have been prioritized. Guidance is provided to prioritize the representative sequences and modify selected basic events that have been shown to be sensitive to the plant specific design or operating variations of the contributing PRAs. This risk-based guidance can be used for utility and NRC activities including operator training maintenance, design review, and inspections

A multicenter experience with generic tacrolimus conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

McDevitt-Potter, Lisa M; Sadaka, Basma; Tichy, Eric M; Rogers, Christin C; Gabardi, Steven

2011-09-27

The first generic tacrolimus product gained Food and Drug Administration approval in August 2009. This prospective, observational trial sought to determine the need for dose titrations and measure drug cost savings on conversion to generic tacrolimus. Transplant recipients on stable tacrolimus doses were converted from brand to generic tacrolimus on a mg:mg basis. Data were collected at the time of generic conversion (study arm) and at a time point exactly 6 months before conversion (control arm) for all subjects. Seventy conversions from four centers are reported. Subjects were a mean of 70 months after kidney (n=37), liver (n=28), or multiorgan (n=5) transplant. In the study arm, mean tacrolimus doses were 4.4 and 4.5 mg/d and mean tacrolimus trough concentrations were 5.8 and 5.9 ng/mL before and after conversion, respectively. In the control arm, mean tacrolimus doses were 4.6 and 4.6 mg/d and mean tacrolimus trough concentrations were 6.1 and 5.9 ng/mL before and after the control time point, respectively. Dose titrations occurred in five patients (7%) in the control arm and 15 patients (21%) in the study arm (P=0.028). Mean monthly drug costs were $645 for brand, $593 for generic, and $595 for generic after dose titrations. Mean monthly patient copays were $38 for brand and $15 for generic. These cumulative data show that dose requirements and trough levels are similar between brand and generic tacrolimus and that generic substitution allows for savings. However, postconversion monitoring is prudent as patients may require dose titration.

Brand loyalty, patients and limited generic medicines uptake.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa-Font, Joan; Rudisill, Caroline; Tan, Stefanie

2014-06-01

The sluggish development of European generic drug markets depends heavily on demand side factors, and more specifically, patients' and doctors' loyalty to branded products. Loyalty to originator drugs, to the point where originator prices rise upon generic entry has been described as the 'generics paradox'. Originator loyalty can emerge for a plethora of reasons; including costs, perceptions about quality and physician advice. We know very little about the behavioural underpinnings of brand loyalty from the consumer or patient standpoint. This paper attempts to test the extent to which patients are brand loyal by drawing upon Spain's 2002 Health Barometer survey as it includes questions about consumer acceptance of generics in a country with exceptionally low generic uptake and substitution at the time of the study. Our findings suggest that at least 13% of the population would not accept generics as substitutes to the originator. These results confirm evidence of brand loyalty for a minority. Alongside high levels of awareness of generics, we find that low cost-sharing levels explain consumer brand loyalty but their impact on acceptance of generic substitution is very small. Higher cost-sharing and exempting fewer patients from cost-sharing have the potential to encourage generic acceptance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of generic substitution on the content of patient-pharmacist communication in Swedish community pharmacies.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsson, Erika; Wallach-Kildemoes, Helle; Ahmed, Ban; Ingman, Pontus; Kaae, Susanne; Kälvemark Sporrong, Sofia

2017-08-01

The objective was to study the relationship between the length and content of patient-pharmacist communication in community pharmacies, and generic substitution. The study was conducted in six community pharmacies in Sweden. Non-participant observations with audio recordings and short structured interviews were conducted. Out of 32 pharmacists 29 agreed to participate (90.6%), as did 282 out of 407 patients (69.3%). Logistic regression analysis was applied to calculate odds ratio for occurrence of generic substitution. Linear regression (β-coefficients) was applied to test for differences in time spent on different categories. In encounters where generic substitution occurred more time (19.2 s) was spent on non-medical (for instance administrative or economical) issues (P = 0.01, 95% confidence interval 4.8-33.6). However, the total time of the encounter was not significantly longer. The amount of time spent on non-medical issues increased with age of patient (age 60+: β, 33 s, P communicating on non-medical, but not on medical, issues. No extra time was spent on medical information for the groups normally overrepresented among those with low health literacy. This study suggests that pharmacists need to further embrace their role in promoting rational use of medicines, not least when generic substitution occurs. © 2016 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Influencers of generic drug utilization: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Jennifer N; Harris, Ilene; Frank, Gavriella; Kiptanui, Zippora; Qian, Jingjing; Hansen, Richard

2017-08-04

With an increase in prescription drug spending and rising drug costs there is a need to encourage the use of generic prescription drugs. However, maximizing generic drug use is not possible without the public's positive perception and meeting their informational needs about generic drugs. Thus, improving the public's confidence in, and knowledge of generic drugs on the market is critical. The objective of this systematic review is to examine and evaluate the studies focusing on the nature and extent of key factors influencing generic drug use in the United States in order to help guide policy, education and practice interventions. Using multiple search engines and key word screening criteria, empirical studies published in English between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2015 were identified. A qualitative synthesis of the evidence identified domains of key factors that influenced generic drug use across studies. Over 3000 citations met the key word screening criteria; 67 of these met inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Seven domains of factors that influence generic drug utilization were identified: 1) patient-related factors, 2) formulary management or cost containment, 3) healthcare policies, 4) promotional activities, 5) educational initiatives, 6) technology, and 7) physician-related factors. Patients, physicians, pharmacists, formulary managers, and policymakers play an important role in generic drug use. Understanding the factors influencing generic drug use can help guide future policy, education, and practice interventions to increase generic drug use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An introduction to a new IAEA safety guide: 'ageing management for nuclear power plants'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pachner, J.; Inagaki, T.; Kang, K.S.

2008-01-01

This paper reports on a new IAEA Safety Guide entitled 'Ageing Management for Nuclear Power Plants' which is currently in an advanced draft form, awaiting approval of publication. The new Safety Guide will be an umbrella document for a comprehensive set of guidance documents on ageing management which have been issued by the IAEA. The Safety Guide first presents basic concepts of ageing management as a common basis for the recommendations on: proactive management of ageing throughout the life cycle of a nuclear power plant (NPP); systematic approach to managing ageing in the operation of NPPs; managing obsolescence; and review of ageing management for long term operation (life extension). The Safety Guide is intended to assist operators in establishing, implementing and improving systematic ageing management programs in NPPs and may be used by regulators in preparing regulatory standards and guides, and in verifying that ageing in nuclear power plants is being effectively managed. (author)

Generic domain models in software engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Maiden, Neil

1992-01-01

This paper outlines three research directions related to domain-specific software development: (1) reuse of generic models for domain-specific software development; (2) empirical evidence to determine these generic models, namely elicitation of mental knowledge schema possessed by expert software developers; and (3) exploitation of generic domain models to assist modelling of specific applications. It focuses on knowledge acquisition for domain-specific software development, with emphasis on tool support for the most important phases of software development.

Aging management guidelines for commercial nuclear power plant equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakos, J.T.; Gazdzinski, R.F.; Toman, G.J.

1994-01-01

The US Department of Energy, in cooperation with the Electric Power Research Institute and nuclear power plant utilities, has prepared ''Aging Management Guidelines'' (AMGs) for commodity types of equipment (e.g., pumps, electrical switchgear) important to license renewal. For the most part, this is also consistent with the Maintenance Rule, 10 CFR 50.65 (1991). AMGs concentrate on technical, (not licensing) issues and are directed toward systems engineers and plant maintenance staff. AMGs include a detailed summary of operating history, stressors, aging mechanisms, and various types of maintenance practices that can be combined to create effective programs that manage aging. All aging mechanisms were addressed; no attempt was made to limit the evaluation to aging mechanisms ''unique to license renewal,'' as defined in the License Renewal Rule, 10 CFR 54 (1991). The first AMG on Electrical Switchgear was published in July 1993. Six (6) additional AMGs will be published by the first quarter of calendar year 1994. It is anticipated that two more AMGs will be started in 1994. The seven ongoing AMG topics are as follows: (1) battery chargers, inverters and uninterruptible power supplies; (2) batteries, stationary; (3) heat exchangers; (4) motor control centers; (5) pumps; (6) switchgear, electric; (7) transformers, power and distribution. In Section 7, industry feedback regarding AMGs is discussed. Overall, the response has been very positive

SALTO guidelines. Guidelines for peer review of long term operation and ageing management of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The average age of nuclear power plants (NPPs) connected to the grid worldwide is increasing. About 20% of all the power reactors operating worldwide have been in operation for more than 30 years, and almost 50% have been in operation for 20 to 30 years, while a rather limited number of new NPPs are being put into operation. In view of this trend, many countries are giving a high priority to continuing the operation of NPPs beyond the time frame originally anticipated (e.g. 30 or 40 years). Long term operation (LTO) for NPPs is operation beyond the established time frame originally set forth by the license term, design limits, standards or regulations. LTO needs to be justified by a safety assessment considering life limiting processes and features for structures, systems and components. Proper and safe LTO is based on the experience and practices of various countries in areas such as plant license renewal, life extension, continued operation and life management. Other activities, including periodic safety review, ageing management and plant modification, are also relevant to LTO. Ageing management of an NPP is an important activity that must be considered before and in conjunction with the decision to enter LTO. Ageing management of NPPs deals with the physical ageing of structures, systems and components (SSCs) that can result in the degradation of their performance characteristics. Thus ageing management helps ensure that SSCs important to safety remain capable of performing their required safety functions. An effective ageing management programme (AMP) is a key element of the safe and reliable operation of NPPs during the originally planned time frame originally planned for their operation, as well as for the period of LTO. In order to assist Member States in managing ageing effectively, the IAEA is developing related safety standards and guidance publications. International peer review is a useful tool for Member States to exchange experience, learn from each

A generic individual-based model to simulate morphogenesis, C-N acquisition and population dynamics in contrasting forage legumes.

Science.gov (United States)

Louarn, Gaëtan; Faverjon, Lucas

2018-04-18

Individual-based models (IBMs) are promising tools to disentangle plant interactions in multi-species grasslands and foster innovative species mixtures. This study describes an IBM dealing with the morphogenesis, growth and C-N acquisition of forage legumes that integrates plastic responses from functional-structural plant models. A generic model was developed to account for herbaceous legume species with contrasting above- and below-ground morphogenetic syndromes and to integrate the responses of plants to light, water and N. Through coupling with a radiative transfer model and a three-dimensional virtual soil, the model allows dynamic resolution of competition for multiple resources at individual plant level within a plant community. The behaviour of the model was assessed on a range of monospecific stands grown along gradients of light, water and N availability. The model proved able to capture the diversity of morphologies encountered among the forage legumes. The main density-dependent features known about even-age plant populations were correctly anticipated. The model predicted (1) the 'reciprocal yield' law relating average plant mass to density, (2) a self-thinning pattern close to that measured for herbaceous species and (3) consistent changes in the size structure of plant populations with time and pedo-climatic conditions. In addition, plastic changes in the partitioning of dry matter, the N acquisition mode and in the architecture of shoots and roots emerged from the integration of plant responses to their local environment. This resulted in taller plants and thinner roots when competition was dominated by light, and shorter plants with relatively more developed root systems when competition was dominated by soil resources. A population dynamic model considering growth and morphogenesis responses to multiple resources heterogeneously distributed in the environment was presented. It should allow scaling plant-plant interactions from individual to

Practicing the Generic (City)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lone Koefoed

2010-01-01

Flanagan proposes that most locative media artworks neglect the particularities of spaces, their historical and political layers. Koolhaas, on the other hand, states that all urban areas are alike, that we are facing a global Generic City. The paper analyses digital media artist Esther Polak......’s NomadicMILK project in light of the generic and particular properties of space as laid out by Flanagan and Koolhaas in order to discuss the possible reconfiguring practices of locative media....

Use of generic medicines by the Brazilian population: an evaluation of PNAUM 2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andréa Dâmaso Bertoldi

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze the existence of differences in the use of generic medicines in Brazil according to demographic and socioeconomic variables and acquisition sources of the medicines. METHODS Population-based cross-sectional study, conducted with data from the Pesquisa Nacional de Acesso, Utilização e Promoção do Uso Racional de Medicamentos (PNAUM – National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines. Data collection took place between September, 2013 and February, 2014 in homes of Brazilian cities (urban area. The use of medicines has been investigated in relation to the treatment of chronic diseases and, in the case of acute events, regarding use over the previous 15 days. Generics were identified by visualization of packaging presented by the users of the medicines. The independent variables used were sex, age, education level, economic class, and region of the Country. The statistical significance of differences between the groups was evaluated by Pearson’s Chi-squared test, considering a 5% significance level. RESULTS The prevalence of generic medicines use was 45.5% (95%CI 43.7–47.3. There was no difference considering education level. The prevalence was higher in females (47.0%; 95%CI 44.9–49.0 than in males (43.1%; 95%CI 40.5–45.8, and were higher with increasing age. Generic medicines were more used in the economic class C (47.0%; 95%CI 44.9–49.1 and in the South (50.6%; 95%CI 46.6–54.6 and Southeast (49.9%; 95%CI 46.8–53.0 regions. Generics accounted for 37.3% of the medicines provided by the Brazilian Unified Health System. CONCLUSIONS Currently, there is a choice of purchase or free provision by the Brazilian Unified Health System, characterized by quality assurance and reduced price regarding branded medicines considered as reference. In the private market, a considerable part of the population is choosing generic medicines thanks to the availability of this option for virtually

Thermal ageing of steels; from expertise and understanding of the ageing mechanisms to a maintenance strategy for operating nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezdikian, G.; Ould, P.

2004-01-01

Some parts of reactor coolant circuit on Nuclear PWR power plants, elbows on primary circuit, are made in cast duplex stainless steel material. It is now identify that the mechanical characteristic of this material should be decrease under thermal ageing mainly after a long time in operation in at reactor coolant circuit temperature conditions. The sensitiveness to the thermal ageing of these components is in relation with chemical composition and the ferrite content, especially the grade of Chromium equivalent (Ceq %Cr + %Si + %Mo). In the context of justification to maintain in operation on the plants these cat duplex components, an important programme of expertises was carried out on cast elbows after removing on the plants during the Steam Generators replacements (SGR). Several expertises, performed in the objective to understand the thermal ageing phenomenon and mechanism on cast components in service on plants, were permit to validate the prediction formulas established from a large database and programme in laboratories. The expertises were based on a lot of metallurgical, mechanical and chemical characteristics of components in operation Small Angle Neutrons Scattering (SANS), Thermal Electric Power (TEP), micro hardness and toughness measurement on small specimens from boat sample (CT10-5) The expertise carried out on one SG inlet elbows from DAMPIERRE, removed a during SGR after 100000 h in operation is shown, the toughness values are very high compared to the prediction formulas. The TEP measurements performed on the specimen cut off on two elbows and the ingots of the same material aged in laboratory in furnace, are very coherent; it is confirmed that this methodology is a good indicator to follow the ageing characteristic of material. The results of expertises on aged material are a mean of validation of the methodology applied on the file of demonstration of maintaining in operation of cast duplex stainless steel sensitive to thermal ageing. So the

Results from the Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program: Their use in inspection activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunther, W.; Taylor, J.

1990-09-01

The US NCR's Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program has determined the susceptibility to aging of components and systems, and the potential for aging to impact plant safety and availability. The NPAR Program also identified methods for detecting and mitigating aging in components. This report describes the NPAR results which can enhance NRC inspection activities. Recommendations are provided for communicating pertinent information to NRC inspectors. These recommendations are based on a detailed assessment of the NRC's Inspection Program, and feedback from resident and regional inspectors as described within. Examples of NPAR report summaries and aging inspection guides for components and systems are included. 13 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs

GENERIC, COMPONENT FAILURE DATA BASE FOR LIGHT WATER AND LIQUID SODIUM REACTOR PRAs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S. A. Eide; S. V. Chmielewski; T. D. Swantz

1990-02-01

A comprehensive generic component failure data base has been developed for light water and liquid sodium reactor probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) . The Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR) and the Centralized Reliability Data Organization (CREDO) data bases were used to generate component failure rates . Using this approach, most of the failure rates are based on actual plant data rather than existing estimates .

Brand and generic medications: Are they interchangeable

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Jazairi, Abdulrazak S.; Blhareth, S.; Eqtefan, Iyad S.; Al-Suwayeh, Saleh A.

2008-01-01

Generic substitution has become a common practice since the late 1970s in the United States. At that time, many of these generics caused bioavailability problems, which fueled suspicions about their efficacy and safety and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards for bioequivalence. In Saudi Arabia, the increasing number of local products raised several concerns with regard to switching from brands to generics. Our objective was to review and examine the basis of the controversy surrounding brand and generic interchangeability and to explore a practical approach in pursuing a switch. Articles indexed initially under terms such as generic medications, generic substitution, bioequivalence and bioinequivalence were identified. These terms were used to search the indexing service, MEDLINE (1966-2006). References from the extracted articles and additional data sources, including the Code of Federal Regulations and Regulatory Guidelines from the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and research were also reviewed. Foe most drugs, bioequivalence testing generally should enable clinicians to routinely substitute generic for innovator products. However, for narrow therapeutic, critical dose drugs, or for highly variable drugs, safe switching between products can not be assured. These drugs need special precautions and blood level monitoring upon switching. FDA firmly believes that approved generic and brand drugs can be dispensed with the full expectation that the consumer will receive the same clinical benefit. Performing the switch process is an advisable practice to reduce health care costs in countries with strong post-marketing surveillance program, but caution is to be exercised when narrow therapeutic index drugs or highly variable drugs are prescribed. (author)

Contact Geometry of Hyperbolic Equations of Generic Type

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dennis The

2008-08-01

Full Text Available We study the contact geometry of scalar second order hyperbolic equations in the plane of generic type. Following a derivation of parametrized contact-invariants to distinguish Monge-Ampère (class 6-6, Goursat (class 6-7 and generic (class 7-7 hyperbolic equations, we use Cartan's equivalence method to study the generic case. An intriguing feature of this class of equations is that every generic hyperbolic equation admits at most a nine-dimensional contact symmetry algebra. The nine-dimensional bound is sharp: normal forms for the contact-equivalence classes of these maximally symmetric generic hyperbolic equations are derived and explicit symmetry algebras are presented. Moreover, these maximally symmetric equations are Darboux integrable. An enumeration of several submaximally symmetric (eight and seven-dimensional generic hyperbolic structures is also given.

Retailing policies for generic medicines.

Science.gov (United States)

Narciso, Susana

2005-06-01

As there is general disagreement about the way generic medicines should be commercialized, two retailing policies are analyzed, taking into account their effects on the welfare of patients, government, pharmacies and physicians. In the first policy scenario, pharmacies are allowed to substitute generic medicines for branded ones, while in the second, substitution is forbidden. In both cases a pharmacies association is allowed to have a share in the production of generic medicines. The model predicts that under some conditions patients may prefer substitution by pharmacies but when doctors' decisions are binding, they are never "excessively bad". However, the policy choice belongs to the government, which prefers to allow for substitution more often than patients would like.

Ageing management of electrical and C/I-systems in power plants of RWE Power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hentschel, Reinhard; Kochs, Wolfgang; Zander, Ralf-Michael

2010-01-01

Maintenance and enhancement of the availability and safety of fossil-fired and nuclear power plants currently in operation are increasing in importance with plants' age. The paper deals with issues related to e.g. the operation of C and I-systems at the end of production and with the challenges involved in their replacement during plant operation and describes the various measures taken for monitoring electrical equipment. Taking the improvement of the existing protection systems against internal arcs in electrical bus bars as an example, practical approaches for ageing management are described. In addition, the strategic approaches will be explained that were developed within a VGB working group due to the introduction of a new regulation on ageing management in nuclear power plants. (orig.)

Childhood leukaemia incidence below the age of 5 years near French nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laurier, D; Hemon, D; Clavel, J

2008-01-01

A recent study indicated an excess risk of leukaemia among children under the age of 5 years living in the vicinity of nuclear power plants in Germany. We present results relating to the incidence of childhood leukaemia in the vicinity of nuclear power plants in France for the same age range. These results do not indicate an excess risk of leukaemia in young children living near French nuclear power plants. (note)

Regulatory analysis for the resolution of Generic Safety Issue 105: Interfacing system loss-of-coolant accident in light-water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-07-01

An interfacing systems loss of coolant accident (ISLOCA) involves failure or improper operation of pressure isolation valves (PIVs) that compose the boundary between the reactor coolant system and low-pressure rated systems. Some ISLOCAs can bypass containment and result in direct release of fission products to the environment. A cost/benefit evaluation, using three PWR analyses, calculated the benefit of two potential modifications to the plants. Alternative 1 is improved plant operations to optimize the operator's performance and reduce human error probabilities. Alternative 2 adds pressure sensing devices, cabling, and instrumentation between two PIVs to provide operators with continuous monitoring of the first PIV. These two alternatives were evaluated for the base case plants (Case 1) and for each plant, assuming the plants had a particular auxiliary building design in which severe flooding would be a problem if an ISLOCA occurred. The auxiliary building design (Case 2) was selected from a survey that revealed a number of designs with features that provided less than optimal resistance to ECCS equipment loss caused by a ISLOCA-induced environment. The results were judged not to provide sufficient basis for generic requirements. It was concluded that the most viable course of action to resolve Generic Issue 105 is licensee participation in individual plant examinations (IPEs)

Technical resolution of Generic Safety Issue A-29

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-09-01

This report summarizes key technical findings related to Generic Safety Issue A-29, ''Nuclear Power Plant Design for Reduction of Vulnerability to Industrial Sabotage.'' The findings in this report deal with (1) a historical review of reported sabotage-related events at nuclear facilities, (2) NRC physical security requirements, (3) industry measures to prevent/mitigate sabotage, (4) design and procedural approaches that could be used to deter sabotage, (5) current NRC and industry initiatives aimed at personnel screening and selection, and (6) design considerations applicable to Advanced Light Water Reactors (ALWRs). The results reveal that insider sabotage at operating nuclear plants has not been a significant problem in the United States to date and that there are no singular design modifications or procedures that by themselves would completely eliminate or mitigate the threat of insider sabotage. Rather, it will take a combination of systematic and focused improvements in the three areas of reliable personnel, effective design features, and plant procedures developed to provide a strategy to deal with prevention of insider sabotage and to be able to mitigate adverse actions. 24 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs

Validation of Persian Version of PedsQL™ 4.0™ Generic Core Scales in Toddlers and Children

Science.gov (United States)

Gheissari, Alaleh; Farajzadegan, Ziba; Heidary, Maryam; Salehi, Fatemeh; Masaeli, Ali; Mazrooei, Amin; Varni, James W; Fallah, Zahra; Zandieh, Fariborz

2012-01-01

Introduction: To evaluate the reliability, validity and feasibility of the Persian version of the Pediatric Quality of Life inventory (PedsQL™ 4.0™ 4.0) Generic Core Scales in Iranian healthy students ages 7-15 and chronically ill children ages 2-18. Methods: We followed the translation methodology proposed by developer to validate Persian version of PedsQL™ 4.0™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales for children. Six hundred and sixty children and adolescents and their parents were enrolled. Sample of 160 healthy students were chosen by random cluster method between 4 regions of Isfahan education offices and 60 chronically ill children were recruited from St. Alzahra hospital private clinics. The questionnaires were fulfilled by the participants. Results: The Persian version of PedsQL™ 4.0™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales discriminated between healthy and chronically ill children (healthy students mean score was 12.3 better than chronically ill children, Presearches. It is necessary to alternate scoring for 2-4 years old questionnaire and to find a way to increase reliability for healthy children aged 8-12 years especially, according to Iranian culture. PMID:22701775

Generic evaluation of small break loss-of-coolant accident behavior in Babcock and Wilcox designed 177-FA operating plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

Slow system depressurization resulting from small break loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs) in the reactor coolant system have not, until recently, received detailed analytical study comparable to that devoted to large breaks. Following the TMI-2 accident, the staff had a series of meetings with Babcock and Wilcox (B and W) and the B and W licensees. The staff requested that B and W and the licensees: (1) systematically evaluate plant response for small break loss-of-coolant accidents; (2) address each of the concerns documented in the Michelson report; (3) validate the computer codes used against the TMI-2 accident; (4) extend the break spectrum analysis to very small breaks, giving special consideration to failure of pressurizer valves to close; (5) analyze degraded conditions where AFW is not available; (6) prepare design changes aimed at reducing the probability of loss-of-coolant accidents produced by the failure of a PORV to close; and (7) develop revised emergency procedures for small breaks. This report describes the review of the generic analyses performed by B and W based on the requests stated above

Generic penetration in the retail atypical antipsychotic market.

Science.gov (United States)

Lenderts, Susan; Kalali, Amir H; Buckley, Peter

2010-03-01

In this article, we explore the penetration of generic atypical antipsychotics in the United States market before and after the availability of generic risperidone in July 2008. Analysis suggests that, overall, generic penetration into the atypical antipsychotic market has grown from approximately three percent in January 2008 to more than 25 percent in December 2009. Similar trends are uncovered when branded and generic prescriptions are analyzed by specialty.

Plant maintenance and aging management: Are they the same?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lofaro, R.J.

1995-01-01

As part of the NRC's Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program, a number of aging studies were performed on safety-related systems and components which found that, even with current maintenance and monitoring practices in place, a large number of the reported failures are related to aging. This suggests that current practices are not sufficient to completely manage aging degradation, and other factors need to be considered. This paper examines the aging management process and the degree to which maintenance plays a part in it. Component failures and degradation mechanisms identified in aging studies of several different safety systems are summarized and evaluated, then con-elated with the components most frequently failed. This information, along with an analysis of failure causes, is then used to determine the extent to which aging is managed by current maintenance practices. Conclusions and recommendations for proper aging management arc also presented

Mark I containment long-term program safety evaluation report, resolution of generic technical activity A-7. Report for February 1977-December 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-07-01

During testing for an advanced Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) containment system design (Mark III), suppression pool hydrodynamic loads were identified which had not been considered in the original design of the Mark I containment system. To address this issue, a Mark I Owners Group was formed and the assessment was divided into a short-term and long-term program. The results of the NRC staff's review of the Mark I Containment Short Term Program are described in NUREG-0408. This report describes the results of the NRC staff's review of the generic Mark I Containment Long Term Program (LTP). The LTP was conducted to provide a generic basis to define suppression pool hydrodynamic loads and the related structural acceptance criteria, such that a comprehensive reassessment of each Mark I containment system would be performed. A series of experimental and analytical programs were conducted by the Mark I Owners Group to provide the necessary bases for the generic load definition and structural assessment techniques. The generic methods proposed by the Mark I Owners Group, as modified by the NRC staff's requirements, will be used to perform plant-unique analyses, which will identify the plant modifications, if any, that will be needed to restore the originally intended margin of safety in the Mark I containment designs

Aging assessment of essential HVAC chillers used in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blahnik, D.E.; Klein, R.F.

1993-09-01

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory conducted a Phase I aging assessment of chillers used in the essential safety air-conditioning systems of nuclear power plants. Centrifugal chillers in the 75- to 750-ton refrigeration capacity range are the predominant type used. The chillers used, and air-conditioning systems served, vary in design from plant-to-plant. It is crucial to keep chiller internals very clean and to prevent the leakage of water, air, and other contaminants into the refrigerant containment system. Periodic operation on a weekly or monthly basis is necessary to remove moisture and noncondensable gases that gradually build up inside the chiller. This is especially desirable if a chiller is required to operate only as an emergency standby unit. The primary stressors and aging mechanisms that affect chillers include vibration, excessive temperatures and pressures, thermal cycling, chemical attack, and poor quality cooling water. Aging is accelerated by moisture, non-condensable gases (e.g., air), dirt, and other contamination within the refrigerant containment system, excessive start/stop cycling, and operating below the rated capacity. Aging is also accelerated by corrosion and fouling of the condenser and evaporator tubes. The principal cause of chiller failures is lack of adequate monitoring. Lack of performing scheduled maintenance and human errors also contribute to failures

Programming Languages or Generic Software Tools, for Beginners' Courses in Computer Literacy?

Science.gov (United States)

Neuwirth, Erich

1987-01-01

Discussion of methods that can be used to teach beginner courses in computer literacy focuses on students aged 10-12. The value of using a programing language versus using a generic software package is highlighted; Logo and Prolog are reviewed; and the use of databases is discussed. (LRW)

Managing aging in nuclear power plants: Insights from NRC's Maintenance Team Inspection reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fresco, A.; Subudhi, M.

1992-01-01

A plant's maintenance program is the principal vehicle through which age-related degradation is managed. From 1988 to 1991, the NRC evaluated the maintenance program of every nuclear power plant in the United States. Forty-four out of a total of sixty-seven of the reports issued on these in-depth team inspections have been reviewed for insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the programs as related to the need to understand and manage the effects of aging on nuclear plant structures, systems, and components (SSCs). Relevant information has been extracted from these inspection reports sorted into several categories; including Specific Aging Insights, Preventive Maintenance, Predictive Maintenance and Condition Monitoring, Post Maintenance Testing, Failure Trending, Root Cause Analysis and Usage of Probabilistic Risk Assessment in the Maintenance Process. Specific examples of inspection and monitoring techniques successfully used by utilities to detect degradation due to aging have been identified

Identification and Assessment of Recent Aging-Related Degradation Occurrences in U.S. Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, In Kil; Kim, Min Kyu; Choun, Young Sun; Hofmayer, Charles; Braverman, Joseph; Nie, Jinsou

2008-11-01

This report describes the research effort performed by BNL for the Year 1 scope of work. This research focused on collecting and reviewing degradation occurrences in US NPPs and identifying important aging characteristics needed for the seismic capability evaluations that will be performed in the subsequent evaluations in the years that follow. The report presents results of the statistical and trending analysis of this data and compares the results to prior aging studies. In addition, this report provides a description of current regulatory requirements, regulatory guidance documents, generic communications, industry standards and guidance, and past research related to aging degradation of SSCs. Finally, this report provides the conclusions reached from this research effort, which includes a summary of the findings from the identification and evaluation effort of degradation occurrences, an assessment of the degradation trending results, and insights into the important aging characteristics that should be considered in the tasks to be performed in the Year 2 through 5 research effort

40 CFR 721.2083 - Polysubstituted carbomonocyclic hydroxylamine (generic).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... hydroxylamine (generic). 721.2083 Section 721.2083 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.2083 Polysubstituted carbomonocyclic hydroxylamine (generic). (a... generically as a polysubstituted carbomonocyclic hydroxylamine (PMN P-97-878) is subject to reporting under...

Sharing, samples, and generics: an antitrust framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrier, Michael A

Rising drug prices are in the news. By increasing price, drug companies have placed vital, even life-saving, medicines out of the reach of consumers. In a recent development, brand firms have prevented generics even from entering the market. The ruse for this strategy involves risk-management programs known as Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies ("REMS"). Pursuant to legislation enacted in 2007, the FDA requires REMS when a drug's risks (such as death or injury) outweigh its rewards. Brands have used this regime, intended to bring drugs to the market, to block generic competition. Regulations such as the federal Hatch-Waxman Act and state substitution laws foster widespread generic competition. But these regimes can only be effectuated through generic entry. And that entry can take place only if a generic can use a brand's sample to show that its product is equivalent. More than 100 generic firms have complained that they have not been able to access needed samples. One study of 40 drugs subject to restricted access programs found that generics' inability to enter cost more than $5 billion a year. Brand firms have contended that antitrust law does not compel them to deal with their competitors and have highlighted concerns related to safety and product liability in justifying their refusals. This Article rebuts these claims. It highlights the importance of samples in the regulatory regime and the FDA's inability to address the issue. It shows how a sharing requirement in this setting is consistent with Supreme Court caselaw. And it demonstrates that the brands' behavior fails the defendant-friendly "no economic sense" test because the conduct literally makes no sense other than by harming generics. Brands' denial of samples offers a textbook case of monopolization. In the universe of pharmaceutical antitrust behavior, other conduct--such as "pay for delay" settlements between brands and generics and "product hopping" from one drug to a slightly modified

Results from the Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program: Their use in inspection activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gunther, W.; Taylor, J. (Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA))

1990-09-01

The US NCR's Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program has determined the susceptibility to aging of components and systems, and the potential for aging to impact plant safety and availability. The NPAR Program also identified methods for detecting and mitigating aging in components. This report describes the NPAR results which can enhance NRC inspection activities. Recommendations are provided for communicating pertinent information to NRC inspectors. These recommendations are based on a detailed assessment of the NRC's Inspection Program, and feedback from resident and regional inspectors as described within. Examples of NPAR report summaries and aging inspection guides for components and systems are included. 13 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.

Aging management of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Arndt, E.G.

1990-01-01

The Structural Aging Program has the overall objective of providing the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with an improved basis for evaluating nuclear power plants for continued service. In meeting this objective, a materials property data base is being developed as well as an aging assessment methodology for concrete structures in nuclear power plants. Furthermore, studies are well under way to review and assess inservice inspection techniques for concrete structures and to develop a methodology which can be used for performing current as well as reliability-based future conditions assessments of these structures. 16 refs., 2 tabs

A method to generate generic floor response spectra for operating nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curreri, J.; Costantino, C.; Subudhi, M.; Reich, M.

1985-01-01

A free-field earthquake response spectra was used to generate horizontal earthquake time histories. The excitation was applied through the soil and into the various structures to produce responses in equipment. An entire range of soil conditions was used with each structure, from soft soil to solid rock. Actual PWR and BWR - Mark I structural models were used as representative of a class of structures. For each model, the stiffness properties were varied, with the same mass, so as to extend the fundamental base structure natural frequency from 2 cps to 36 cps. This resulted in fundamental mode coupled natural frequencies as low as 0.86 cps and as high as 30 cps. From all of these models of soils and structures, floor response spectra were generated at each floor level. The natural frequencies of the structures were varied to obtain maximum response conditions. The actual properties were first used to locate the natural frequencies. The stiffness properties were than varied, with the same mass, to extend the range of the fundamental base structure natural frequency. The intention was to have the coupled structural material frequencies in the vicinity of the peak amplitude frequency content of the excitation spectrum. Particular attention was therefore given to the frequency band between 2 Hz and 4 Hz. A horizontal generic floor response spectra is proposed for the top level of a generic structure. Reduction factors are applied to the peak acceleration for equipment at lower levels. (orig./HP)

Associations between generic substitution and patients' attitudes, beliefs and experience

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard Rathe, Jette; Larsen, Pia Veldt; Andersen, Morten

2013-01-01

Abstract Background Generic substitution has been implemented in many countries, but knowledge about patients’ attitudes, beliefs and experiences is still sparse. Aim To assess associations between generic switching and patients’ attitudes, beliefs and experiences with previous generic switching...... on generic medicine and confidence in the healthcare system. Only prescriptions issued by the general practitioners were included. For each patient we focused on one purchase of a generically substitutable drug (index drug). Patients were identified by means of a dispensing database. Results Earlier generic...... switches within the index ATC code were statistically significantly associated with experience of a generic switch (adjusted OR 5.93 95% CI 4.70; 7.49). Having had more than 5 earlier switches within other ATC codes and having negative views on generic medicines reduced the odds of experiencing a generic...

Brain surgery breathes new life into aging plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Makansi, J. [Pearl Street Inc. (United States)

2006-04-15

Unlike managing the human aging process, extending the life of a power plant often includes brain surgery, modernizing its control and automation system. Lately, such retrofits range from wholesale replacing of existing controls to the addition of specific control elements that help optimize performance. Pending revisions to safety codes and cybersecurity issues also need to be considered. 4 figs.

Generics, Supergenerics and Patent Strategies--SMi's 13th Annual Meeting.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Catherine

2010-07-01

SMi's 13th Annual Meeting on Generics, Supergenerics and Patent Strategies, held in London, included topics covering new trends in the generics field, the difficulties faced by companies in entering the generics market and recent developments in IP. This conference report highlights selected presentations on generics in India, protecting pharmaceutical products in China, changes in generics law and litigation in the US and Europe, challenges for market selection and entry for generics companies, the influence of changes in the healthcare market on the generics industry, supergenerics, and biosimilars.

PROBLEM OF GENERIC REPLACEMENT: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. N. Tolpygina

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The main differences between original and generic drugs as well as registration criteria for generics are described. Possible reasons of discrepancy in bioequivalence and therapeutic equivalence of original and generic drugs are reviewed. The examples of such a discrepancy as a result of comparative clinical trails (enalapril maleate are discussed. Approaches to planning of comparative trails on drug therapeutic equivalence are presented. 

A generic coordinate system and a set of generic variables for MFE database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miner, W.H. Jr.; Ross, D.W.; Solano, E.R.; Valanju, P.M.; Wiley, J.C.

1993-01-01

Over the last several years, profile data from nine different tokamaks have been stored in the magnetic fusion energy database (MFEDB). These data sets have come from a variety of sources and most are given in different coordinate systems. In order to attempt any intermachine analysis, it is convenient to transform these data sets into one generic coordinate system and to choose a uniform set of variable names. The authors describe the data sets from each tokamak indicating the source of the data and the coordinate system in which it is given. Next, they discuss the generic coordinate that has been adopted and show how it is implemented for each tokamak. Finally, the generic naming convention that has been adopted is discussed. It follows closely that which was used by Christiansen et al. for the ITER Global Energy Confinement H-Mode Database. For further clarification, they discuss the characteristics of the magnetic geometry given a Fourier representation of the magnetic equilibria

Generic Software Architecture for Launchers

Science.gov (United States)

Carre, Emilien; Gast, Philippe; Hiron, Emmanuel; Leblanc, Alain; Lesens, David; Mescam, Emmanuelle; Moro, Pierre

2015-09-01

The definition and reuse of generic software architecture for launchers is not so usual for several reasons: the number of European launcher families is very small (Ariane 5 and Vega for these last decades); the real time constraints (reactivity and determinism needs) are very hard; low levels of versatility are required (implying often an ad hoc development of the launcher mission). In comparison, satellites are often built on a generic platform made up of reusable hardware building blocks (processors, star-trackers, gyroscopes, etc.) and reusable software building blocks (middleware, TM/TC, On Board Control Procedure, etc.). If some of these reasons are still valid (e.g. the limited number of development), the increase of the available CPU power makes today an approach based on a generic time triggered middleware (ensuring the full determinism of the system) and a centralised mission and vehicle management (offering more flexibility in the design and facilitating the long term maintenance) achievable. This paper presents an example of generic software architecture which could be envisaged for future launchers, based on the previously described principles and supported by model driven engineering and automatic code generation.

Leaf-age and soil-plant relationships: key factors for reporting trace-elements hyperaccumulation by plants and design applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Losfeld, Guillaume; L'Huillier, Laurent; Fogliani, Bruno; Mc Coy, Stéphane; Grison, Claude; Jaffré, Tanguy

2015-04-01

Relationships between the trace-elements (TE) content of plants and associated soil have been widely investigated especially to understand the ecology of TE hyperaccumulating species to develop applications using TE phytoextraction. Many studies have focused on the possibility of quantifying the soil TE fraction available to plants, and used bioconcentration (BC) as a measure of the plants ability to absorb TE. However, BC only offers a static view of the dynamic phenomenon of TE accumulation. Accumulation kinetics are required to fully account for TE distributions in plants. They are also crucial to design applications where maximum TE concentrations in plant leaves are needed. This paper provides a review of studies of BC (i.e. soil-plant relationships) and leaf-age in relation to TE hyperaccumulation. The paper focuses of Ni and Mn accumulators and hyperaccumulators from New Caledonia who were previously overlooked until recent Ecocatalysis applications emerged for such species. Updated data on Mn hyperaccumulators and accumulators from New Caledonia are also presented and advocate further investigation of the hyperaccumulation of this element. Results show that leaf-age should be considered in the design of sample collection and allowed the reclassification of Grevillea meisneri known previously as a Mn accumulator to a Mn hyperaccumulator.

Plant walkdown

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostov, M.

2000-01-01

This report covers the following: preparatory steps for performing plant walk-down; the objective of the first plant walk-down; plant walk-down procedures; earthquake screening evaluation; walk-down documentation; second plant walk-down. The following objectives concerning the plant walk-down(s) were achieved. The plant system configuration is verified in order to proceed with event tree and fault tree analyses. Systems interactions, other types of dependencies or plant unique features are identified. he safety related components that are judged to generically possess high capacities (i.e., larger than the earthquake review level) have been verified to contain no weaknesses. Further analyses needed to establish the capacities of remaining safety-related components are identified and necessary field data are obtained. Information on components is obtained to assist in HCLPF (fragility) evaluation and peer review of the seismic margin study

40 CFR 721.324 - Alkoxylated acrylate polymer (generic).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Alkoxylated acrylate polymer (generic... Substances § 721.324 Alkoxylated acrylate polymer (generic). (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as alkoxylated acrylate polymer...

Generic maintenance immunosuppression in solid organ transplant recipients.

Science.gov (United States)

Ensor, Christopher R; Trofe-Clark, Jennifer; Gabardi, Steven; McDevitt-Potter, Lisa M; Shullo, Michael A

2011-11-01

Survival after solid organ transplantation has increased in the era of tacrolimus and mycophenolate. This increased survival could be due in part to the broad clinical use of these potent and specific agents for maintenance immunosuppression. These drugs have enhanced specificity and potency for T and B lymphocytes compared with their predecessors, cyclosporine and azathioprine. Between 2008 and 2010, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved several generic formulations of both tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil. Deciding whether generic products can be safely substituted for the innovator product is a clinical dilemma similar to that which occurred when generic formulations of cyclosporine became available. We describe the concerns regarding generic immunosuppression use, summarize expert opinion and consensus statements in transplantation, analyze the potential impact of generic substitution, and provide estimates of populations affected based on generic drug market penetration. Formulary considerations such as cost, availability, and potential drug ordering and drug selection errors are described, and transplant coordinator and patient perspectives are reviewed. Finally, general recommendations about the use of generic maintenance immunosuppression in solid organ transplant recipients are provided. Although more research is needed to confirm clinical and therapeutic equivalence and pharmacoeconomic benefit, generic immunosuppressants can be safely substituted for innovator products as long as patients consistently receive the same product, patients and clinicians are aware of when substitutions occur, and enhanced therapeutic drug monitoring is provided during the transition.

Comparison of adherence to generic multi-tablet regimens vs. brand multi-tablet and brand single-tablet regimens likely to incorporate generic antiretroviral drugs by breaking or not fixed-dose combinations in HIV-infected patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Rwagitinywa, Joseph; Lapeyre-Mestre, Maryse; Bourrel, Robert; Montastruc, Jean-Louis; Sommet, Agnès

2018-03-05

Adherence to antiretroviral (ARV) is crucial to achieve viral load suppression in HIV-infected patients. This study aimed to compare adherence to generic multi-tablet regimens (MTR) vs. brand MTR likely to incorporate ARV drugs without breaking fixed-dose combinations (FDC) and brand single-tablet regimens (STR) likely to incorporate generics by breaking the FDC. Patients aged of 18 years or over exposed to one of the generic or the brand of lamivudine (3TC), zidovudine/lamivudine (AZT/TC), nevirapine (NVP), or efavirenz (EFV), or the brand STR of efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir (EFV/FTC/TDF). Adherence was measured by medication possession ratio (MPR) using both defined daily dose (DDD) and daily number of tablet recommended for adults (DNT). Adherence to generic MTR vs. brand MTR and brand STR was compared using Kruskal-Wallis. The overall median adherence was 0.97 (IQR 0.13) by DNT method and 0.97 (0.14) by DDD method. Adherence in patients exposed to generic MTR (n = 165) vs. brand MTR (n = 481) and brand STR (n = 470) was comparable by DNT and DDD methods. In conclusion, adherence to generic MTR was high and comparable with adherence to brand MTR and to STR. Utilization of DDD instead DNT to measure the MPR led to small but nonsignificant difference that has no clinical impact. © 2018 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

Co-ordinated research programme on benchmark study for the seismic analysis and testing of WWER-type nuclear power plants. V. 2. Generic material: Codes, standards, criteria. Working material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The Co-ordinated research programme on the benchmark study for the seismic analysis and testing of WWER-type nuclear power plants was initiated subsequent to the request from representatives of Member States. The conclusions adopted at the Technical Committee Meeting on Seismic Issues related to existing nuclear power plants held in Tokyo in 1991 called for the harmonization of methods and criteria used in Member States in issues related to seismic safety. The Consulltants' Meeting which followed resulted in producing a working document for CRP. It was decided that a benchmark study is the most effective way to achieve the principal objective. Two types of WWER reactors (WWER-440/213 and WWER-1000) were selected as prototypes for the benchmark exercise to be tested on a full scale using explosions and/or vibration generators. The two prototypes are Kozloduy Units 5/6 for WWER-1000 and Paks for WWER-440/213 nuclear power plants. This volume of Working material contains reports related to generic material, namely codes, standards and criteria for benchmark analysis

Co-ordinated research programme on benchmark study for the seismic analysis and testing of WWER-type nuclear power plants. V. 2. Generic material: Codes, standards, criteria. Working material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-07-01

The Co-ordinated research programme on the benchmark study for the seismic analysis and testing of WWER-type nuclear power plants was initiated subsequent to the request from representatives of Member States. The conclusions adopted at the Technical Committee Meeting on Seismic Issues related to existing nuclear power plants held in Tokyo in 1991 called for the harmonization of methods and criteria used in Member States in issues related to seismic safety. The Consulltants' Meeting which followed resulted in producing a working document for CRP. It was decided that a benchmark study is the most effective way to achieve the principal objective. Two types of WWER reactors (WWER-440/213 and WWER-1000) were selected as prototypes for the benchmark exercise to be tested on a full scale using explosions and/or vibration generators. The two prototypes are Kozloduy Units 5/6 for WWER-1000 and Paks for WWER-440/213 nuclear power plants. This volume of Working material contains reports related to generic material, namely codes, standards and criteria for benchmark analysis.

Skin rash during treatment with generic itraconazole

OpenAIRE

De Vuono, Antonio; Palleria, Caterina; Scicchitano, Francesca; Squillace, Aida; De Sarro, Giovambattista; Gallelli, Luca

2014-01-01

Generic drugs have the same active substance, the same pharmaceutical form, the same therapeutic indications and a similar bioequivalence with the reference medicinal product (branded). Although a similar efficacy is postulated, some cases of clinical inefficacy during treatment with generic formulations have been reported. In this case, we describe a woman with onychomycosis that developed a skin rash during treatment with a generic formulation of itraconazole. Drug administration and its re...

Generic medicine and prescribing: A quick assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mainul Haque

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Generic drugs are copies of brand-name drugs that have exactly the same dosage, intended use, effects, side effects, route of administration, risks, safety, and strength as the original drug. In other words, their pharmacological effects are exactly the same as those of their brand-name counterparts. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA describes that generic drugs are essential possibilities that allow better access to healthcare for all Americans. They are replicas of brand-name drugs and are the identical as those of brand-name drugs in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance features, and anticipated to use. Healthcare authorities and users can be guaranteed that FDA-approved generic drug products have met the same stiff principles as the innovator drug. The company that made Bayer aspirin fought in court enthusiastically to keep generic versions off the shelves, in the 1920s. The company lost in court, and consumers suddenly had an array of choices in generic aspirin. The Supreme Court of India uttering ‘the Supreme Court's ruling will prevent companies from further seeking unwarranted patents on HIV and other essential medicines.’ Generic medicine cannot be sold at a price higher than the branded medicine, so it is regularly a low-priced option. Thereafter, both the end user and the government who pay for part of the price of the medicine under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Australia are benefitted. The treatment of diseases using essential drugs, prescribed by their generic names, has been emphasised by the WHO and many national health policies. Although there are some improvements in generic medicine prescribing, it has been advised by the WHO that ‘countries should intensify efforts to measure and regularly monitor medicine prices and availability, and adopt policy measures to address the issues identified.’

Method to generate generic floor response spectra for operating nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curreri, J.; Costantino, C.; Subudhi, M.; Reich, M.

1985-01-01

The general approach in the development of the response spectra was to study the effects on the dynamic characteristics of each of the elements in the chain of events that goes between the loads and the responses. This includes the loads, the soils and the structures. A free-field earthquake response spectra was used to generate horizontal earthquake time histories. The excitation was applied through the soil and into the various structures to produce responses in equipment. An entire range of soil conditions was used with each structure, from soft soil to solid rock. Actual PWR and BWR - Mark I structural models were used as representative of a class of structures. For each model, the stiffness properties were varied, with the same mass, so as to extend the fundamental base structure natural frequency from 2 cps to 36 cps. This resulted in fundamental mode coupled natural frequencies as low as 0.86 cps and as high as 30 cps. From all of these models of soils and structures, floor response spectra were generated at each floor level. The natural frequencies of the structures were varied to obtain maximum response conditions. The actual properties were first used to locate the natural frequencies. The stiffness properties were then varied, with the same mass, to extend the range of the fundamental base structure natural frequency. The intention was to have the coupled structural material frequencies in the vicinity of the peak amplitude frequency content of the excitation spectrum. Particular attention was therefore given to the frequency band between 2 Hz and 4 Hz. A horizontal generic floor response spectra is proposed for the top level of a generic structure. Reduction factors are applied to the peak acceleration for equipment at lower levels

Managing aging in nuclear power plants: Insights from NRC's maintenance team inspection reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fresco, A.; Subudhi, M.

1994-01-01

Age-related degradation is managed through the maintenance program of a nuclear plant. From 1988 to 1991, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) evaluated the maintenance program of every nuclear power plant in the United States. The authors reviewed 44 out of a total of 67 of the reports issued by the NRC on these in-depth team inspections. The reports were reviewed for insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the programs as related to the need to understand and manage the effects of aging on nuclear plant structures, systems, and components. The authors' conclusions are presented. 6 refs

Lifetime extension of ageing nuclear power plants. Entering a new era of risk. Report comissionned by Greenpeace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-03-01

The abbreviated version of the Greenpeace report on the lifetime extension of aging nuclear power plants - entering a new era of risk - covers the following topics: age of the nuclear power plants in Europe, covered amounts of insurance in Europe in case of a nuclear accident, progress of the ageing of nuclear power plants, and the power up-rating of nuclear reactors. The economy of aged reactors is discussed in connection with the lifetime extension and the liabilities for the aging reactors.

40 CFR 721.5350 - Substituted nitrile (generic name).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Substituted nitrile (generic name... Substances § 721.5350 Substituted nitrile (generic name). (a) Chemical substances and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as a substituted nitrile (PMN P-83...

Generic Penetration of the SSRI Market.

Science.gov (United States)

Cascade, Elisa F; Kalali, Amir H

2008-04-01

In this article, we investigate the penetration of generic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the US market and the implications for patient out-of-pocket expense. The data suggest that generic penetration into the SSRI market has grown from approximately nine percent in 2000, the year that the patent for Prozac((R)) expired, to 72 percent in 2007. For December, 2007, the difference in patient out-of-pocket expense for branded vs. generic agents was, on average, $55.42 for patients paying by cash (i.e., they had no prescription drug insurance) and $22.39 for patients with insurance coverage.

40 CFR 721.555 - Alkyl amino nitriles (generic).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Alkyl amino nitriles (generic). 721... Substances § 721.555 Alkyl amino nitriles (generic). (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substances identified generically as alkyl amino nitriles (PMNs P-96...

A Generic Approach to Parameter Control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Karafotias, G.; Smit, S.K.; Eiben, A.E.

2012-01-01

On-line control of EA parameters is an approach to parameter setting that offers the advantage of values changing during the run. In this paper, we investigate parameter control from a generic and parameter-independent perspective. We propose a generic control mechanism that is targeted to

Aging and Plant Life Management with the Software Tool COMSY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nopper, Helmut; Rossner, Roland; Zander, Andre

2006-01-01

Within the scope of PLEX, a systematic and efficient ageing and plant life management system is becoming more and more important to ensure a safe and economical power plant operation in spite of continuous plant ageing. For the methodical implementation of PLIM and PLEX strategies, AREVA NP has developed the software tool COMSY. This knowledge-based program integrates degradation analysis tools with an inspection data management system. COMSY provides the capability to establish a program guided technical documentation by utilizing a virtual plant model which includes information regarding thermal hydraulic operation, water chemical conditions and materials applied for mechanical components. It provides the option to perform a plant-wide screening for identifying system areas, which are sensitive for degradation mechanisms typically experienced in nuclear power plants (FAC, corrosion fatigue, IGSCC, Pitting, etc.). If a system area is identified as being susceptible to degradation, a detailed analysis function enables the condition-oriented service life evaluation of vessels and piping systems in order to localize and conservatively quantify the effect of degradation. Based on these forecasts with COMSY, specific strategies can be developed to mitigate the effect of degradation and inspection activities can be focused on degradation sensitive areas. In addition, a risk-informed assessment tool serves to optimize inspection activities in respect to degradation potential and the associated damage consequence. After an in-service inspection is performed for a distinct location, the inspection data is to be evaluated according to generally accepted procedures. For this purpose an integrated inspection data management system module provides standardized, interactively operated evaluation functions. The key inspection results are transmitted as feedback in respect to the as-is condition of the component. Subsequently, all further life evaluations of the associated

Developing competitive and sustainable Polish generic medicines market.

Science.gov (United States)

Simoens, Steven

2009-10-01

To descriptively analyze the policy environment surrounding the Polish generic medicines retail market. The policy analysis was based on an international literature review. Also, a simulation exercise was carried out to compute potential savings from substituting generic for originator medicines in Poland using IMS Health pharmaceutical intelligence data. Poland has a mature, high-volume, low-value generic medicines market, primarily driven by the establishment of the reference price at the price of the cheapest medicine in combination with pricing regulation and the low level of medicine prices. The practice of discounting in the distribution chain implies that the National Health Fund and patients do not capture the potential savings from a generic medicines market where companies compete on price. This high-volume market has benefited in the past from the limited availability of originator medicines and a short data exclusivity period, even though there are no incentives for physicians to prescribe generic medicines and a financial disincentive for pharmacists to dispense generic medicines. Increased generic substitution would be expected to reduce public expenditure on originator medicines by 21%. To develop a competitive and sustainable market, Poland needs to consider moving away from competition by discount to competition by price. This could be achieved by replacing maximum distribution margins by fixed margins. Also, Poland may wish to raise reference prices as a temporary measure to boost market entry for medicine classes with few generic medicines.

The Clinical and Economic Impact of Generic Locking Plate Utilization at a Level II Trauma Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Mcphillamy, Austin; Gurnea, Taylor P; Moody, Alastair E; Kurnik, Christopher G; Lu, Minggen

2016-12-01

In today's climate of cost containment and fiscal responsibility, generic implant alternatives represent an interesting area of untapped resources. As patents have expired on many commonly used trauma implants, generic alternatives have recently become available from a variety of sources. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical and economic impact of a cost containment program using high quality, generic orthopaedic locking plates. The implants available for study were anatomically precontoured plates for the clavicle, proximal humerus, distal radius, proximal tibia, distal tibia, and distal fibula. Retrospective review. Level II Trauma center. 828 adult patients with operatively managed clavicle, proximal humerus, distal radius, proximal tibia, tibial pilon, and ankle fractures. Operative treatment with conventional or generic implants. The 414 patients treated with generic implants were compared with 414 patients treated with conventional implants. There were no significant differences in age, sex, presence of diabetes, smoking history or fracture type between the generic and conventional groups. No difference in operative time, estimated blood loss or intraoperative complication rate was observed. No increase in postoperative infection rate, hardware failure, hardware loosening, malunion, nonunion or need for hardware removal was noted. Overall, our hospital realized a 56% reduction in implant costs, an average savings of $1197 per case, and a total savings of $458,080 for the study period. Use of generic orthopaedic implants has been successful at our institution, providing equivalent clinical outcomes while significantly reducing implant expenditures. Based on our data, the use of generic implants has the potential to markedly reduce operative costs as long as quality products are used. Therapeutic Level III.

The Generic Data Capture Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Connell, Edward B.; Barnes, William P.; Stallings, William H.

1987-01-01

The Generic Data Capture Facility, which can provide data capture support for a variety of different types of spacecraft while enabling operations costs to be carefully controlled, is discussed. The data capture functions, data protection, isolation of users from data acquisition problems, data reconstruction, and quality and accounting are addressed. The TDM and packet data formats utilized by the system are described, and the development of generic facilities is considered.

Does educational intervention improve doctors’ knowledge and perceptions of generic medicines and their generic prescribing rate? A study from Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Zhi Yen; Alrasheedy, Alian A.; Saleem, Fahad; Mohamad Yahaya, Abdul Haniff; Aljadhey, Hisham

2014-01-01

Objectives: To investigate the impact of an educational intervention on doctors’ knowledge and perceptions towards generic medicines and their generic (international non-proprietary name) prescribing practice. Methods: This is a single-cohort pre-/post-intervention pilot study. The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Perak, Malaysia. All doctors from the internal medicine department were invited to participate in the educational intervention. The intervention consisted of an interactive lecture, an educational booklet and a drug list. Doctors’ knowledge and perceptions were assessed by using a validated questionnaire, while the international non-proprietary name prescribing practice was assessed by screening the prescription before and after the intervention. Results: The intervention was effective in improving doctors’ knowledge towards bioequivalence, similarity of generic medicines and safety standards required for generic medicine registration (p = 0.034, p = 0.034 and p = 0.022, respectively). In terms of perceptions towards generic medicines, no significant changes were noted (p > 0.05). Similarly, no impact on international non-proprietary name prescribing practice was observed after the intervention (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Doctors had inadequate knowledge and misconceptions about generic medicines before the intervention. Moreover, international non-proprietary name prescribing was not a common practice. However, the educational intervention was only effective in improving doctors’ knowledge of generic medicines. PMID:26770747

A without-prejudice list of generic names of fungi for protection under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kirk, P.M.; Stalpers, J.A.; Braun, U.; Crous, P.W.; Hansen, K.; Hawksworth, D.L.; Hyde, K.D.; Lücking, R.; Lumbsch, T.H.; Rossman, A.Y.; Seifert, K.A.; Stadler, M.

2013-01-01

As a first step towards the production of a List of Protected Generic Names for Fungi, a without-prejudice list is presented here as a basis for future discussion and the production of a List for formal adoption. We include 6995 generic names out of the 17072 validly published names proposed for

In-plant reliability data base for nuclear power plant components: data collection and methodology report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drago, J.P.; Borkowski, R.J.; Pike, D.H.; Goldberg, F.F.

1982-07-01

The development of a component reliability data for use in nuclear power plant probabilistic risk assessments and reliabiilty studies is presented in this report. The sources of the data are the in-plant maintenance work request records from a sample of nuclear power plants. This data base is called the In-Plant Reliability Data (IPRD) system. Features of the IPRD system are compared with other data sources such as the Licensee Event Report system, the Nuclear Plant Reliability Data system, and IEEE Standard 500. Generic descriptions of nuclear power plant systems formulated for IPRD are given

Ageing Management for Nuclear Power Plants. Safety Guide (Russian Edition); Upravlenie stareniem atomnykh ehlektrostantsij. Rukovodstvo po bezopasnosti

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2014-01-15

The median age of nuclear power plants connected to the grid worldwide is increasing. Ageing management has become an important issue in ensuring the availability of required safety functions throughout the service life of a plant. This Safety Guide provides recommendations on meeting the requirements for safe long term operation and identifies key elements of effective ageing management for nuclear power plants.

Testing of a naturally aged nuclear power plant inverter and battery charger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunther, W.E.

1988-09-01

A naturally aged inverter and battery charger were obtained from the Shippingport facility. This equipment was manufactured in 1974, and was installed at Shippingport in 1975 as part of a major plant modification. Testing was performed on this equipment under the auspices of the NRC's Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program to evaluate the type and extent of degradation due to aging, and to determine the effectiveness of condition monitoring techniques which could be used to detect aging effects. Steady state testing was conducted over the equipment's entire operating range. Step load changes were also initiated in order to monitor the electrical response. During this testing, component temperatures were monitored and circuit waveforms analyzed. Results indicated that aging had not substantially affected equipment operation. On the other hand, when compared with original acceptance test data, the monitoring techniques employed were sensitive to changes in measurable component and equipment parameters indicating the viability of detecting degradation prior to catastrophic failure. 7 refs., 34 figs., 12 tabs

Associations between generic substitution and patient-related factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard Rathe, Jette

Associations between generic substitution and patient-related factors Jette Østergaard Rathe1, Pia V. Larsen1, Morten Andersen2, Janus L. Thomsen3, Maja S. Paulsen1, Jens Søndergaard1 1. Research Unit of General Practice, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark 2. Centre...... for Pharmacoepidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Medicine Solna, Stockholm, Sweden 3. Danish Quality Unit of General Practice, Odense, Denmark Background Generic substitution means that chemically equivalent but less expensive drugs are dispensed in place of a brand name product. Although generic medicines...... by definition are bioequivalent to their brand name counterparts there are concerns about whether generic substitution is always accompanied by clinical equivalence in terms of effectiveness and that it may cause concerns and thereby causing some skepticism towards generic substitution. There is, however...

A review of electric cable aging effects and monitoring programs for plant license renewal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lofaro, R.J.

1999-01-01

As commercial nuclear power plants approach the end of their original license period, some utilities are considering the possibility of license renewal. The requirements for applying for license renewal are specified in the License Renewal Rule, which is in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 54 (10 CFR54). Among the requirements specified in the rule is the performance of an Integrated Plant Assessment (IPA) which identifies and lists structures and components subject to an aging management review. The intent of this requirement is to ensure that aging degradation will not adversely affect plant safety during the license renewal period. The aging management review includes an identification of the aging effects and monitoring programs for components within the scope of the rule. Among the components within the scope are electric cables since they are passive, long-lived components that are not replaced on a periodic basis. This paper examines the aging causes and effects of electric cables, along with the programs that are typically used to ensure that proper aging management practices are in place to monitor and mitigate the effects of aging on electric cables

Family Genericity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ernst, Erik

2006-01-01

Type abstraction in object-oriented languages embody two techniques, each with its own strenghts and weaknesses. The first technique is extension, yielding abstraction mechanisms with good support for gradual specification. The prime example is inheritance. The second technique is functional abst...... the result as family genericity. The presented language design has been implemented....

Hanford Generic Interim Safety Basis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavender, J.C.

1994-01-01

The purpose of this document is to identify WHC programs and requirements that are an integral part of the authorization basis for nuclear facilities that are generic to all WHC-managed facilities. The purpose of these programs is to implement the DOE Orders, as WHC becomes contractually obligated to implement them. The Hanford Generic ISB focuses on the institutional controls and safety requirements identified in DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports

Hanford Generic Interim Safety Basis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lavender, J.C.

1994-09-09

The purpose of this document is to identify WHC programs and requirements that are an integral part of the authorization basis for nuclear facilities that are generic to all WHC-managed facilities. The purpose of these programs is to implement the DOE Orders, as WHC becomes contractually obligated to implement them. The Hanford Generic ISB focuses on the institutional controls and safety requirements identified in DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports.

Ageing of polymers in electrical equipment used in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clavreul, R.

1999-01-01

Ageing of polymers in electrical equipment used in nuclear power plants has been studied in (Electricite de France) EDF for several years. The objective of such studies is to predict the polymers lifetime in normal and accidental conditions. The prediction of polymers behaviour in normal conditions requires accelerated tests in order to get rapidly experimental results. Experimental conditions must carefully be chosen and representative of real ageing. Accelerated ageing is usually done by applying higher temperature, (dose) or dose rate. When such experiments are done, the effects of temperature, (dose) or dose rate are first determined. In a second step, experimental results are extrapolated to real conditions. To predict lifetime of polymers, the following recommendations have to be checked: in order to assume that accelerated tests are representative of normal ageing, the observed mechanisms in experiments must be the same as those in real conditions. For accidental conditions, the same tests as those described in standards can be applied to polymers. The simulation of any accident occurring just after the installation of electrical equipment in nuclear power plants is easy to manage: only the accidental test can be carried out on the electrical equipment. To determine whether polymers in electrical equipment would have a good behaviour or not when an accident would occur after a period of several years or decades in normal conditions in a nuclear power plant, the accidental test must be done on aged materials; their physical, mechanical and electrical characteristics must be relevant to aged polymers in normal conditions. In order to detect any evolution of properties during ageing, the electrical, mechanical or chemical tests have to be proceeded on polymers samples. The characterisation tests which are applied on non-aged and aged samples depend on the nature of the polymers, their application in electrical equipment and their environment. The IEC 544

Use of plant-specific PRA in an EOP scope audit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Brien, J.J.

1991-01-01

Traditionally, decisions on which accident scenarios to proceduralize as emergency operating procedures (EOPs) have been based on existing design basis analyses, engineering judgment, and probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) on generic plants. This approach has important strengths and limits. The major limitation of generic PRAs is their inability to account for plant-specific features. Use of plant-specific PRA to determine the impact of proceduralizing, or not proceduralizing, responses to scenarios considers plant-specific features. This helps to eliminate unnecessary EOPs, thus allowing resources to be concentrated on scenarios that are more important for a particular plant. In preparation for a US Nuclear Regulatory Commission audit, a plant-specific PRA was used to assess and quantify the plant's previous decision not to implement six reference emergency response guidelines (ERGs) as procedures. The original justification for nonimplementation of the ERGs was based on engineering judgment. The PRA provided a quantitative justification for implementation/nonimplementation of each guidelines. This analysis accounted for plant-specific design features not common to all reference plants

An evaluation of information sources and requirements for nuclear plant-aging research with life-extension implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, P.T.

1986-01-01

Information requirements for plant-aging and life-extension research are discussed. Various information sources that have been used in plant-aging studies and reliability assessments are described. Data-base searches and analyses were performed for a specific system using several data bases and plant sources. Comments are provided on the results using the various information sources

Correlates of hyperdiversity in southern African ice plants (Aizoaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Valente, Luis M; Britton, Adam W; Powell, Martyn P; Papadopulos, Alexander S T; Burgoyne, Priscilla M; Savolainen, Vincent

2014-01-01

The exceptionally high plant diversity of the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) comprises a combination of ancient lineages and young radiations. A previous phylogenetic study of Aizoaceae subfamily Ruschioideae dated the radiation of this clade of > 1500 species in the GCFR to 3.8-8.7 Mya, establishing it as a flagship example of a diversification event triggered by the onset of a summer-arid climate in the region. However, a more recent analysis found an older age for the Ruschioideae lineage (17 Mya), suggesting that the group may in fact have originated much before the aridification of the region 10-15 Mya. Here, we reassess the tempo of radiation of ice plants by using the most complete generic-level phylogenetic tree for Aizoaceae to date, a revised calibration age and a new dating method. Our estimates of the age of the clade are even younger than initially thought (stem age 1.13-6.49 Mya), supporting the hypothesis that the radiation post-dates the establishment of an arid environment in the GCFR and firmly placing the radiation among the fastest in angiosperms (diversification rate of 4.4 species per million years). We also statistically examine environmental and morphological correlates of richness in ice plants and find that diversity is strongly linked with precipitation, temperature, topographic complexity and the evolution of highly succulent leaves and wide-band tracheids.

Proceeding of 27th domestic symposium on trends in aging management and current status of aging degradation studies in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-11-01

As the 27th domestic symposium of Atomic Energy Research Committee, the Japan Welding Engineering Society, the symposium was held titled as 'Trends of aging managements and current status of aging effect studies in nuclear power plants'. Six speakers gave lectures titled as 'Present status of research on mechanism and prediction method of neutron irradiation embrittlement of pressure vessel steels', 'Present status of research on mechanism and prediction method of environmentally assisted cracking in the LWR environments', 'Domestic and overseas trends of aging management of the LWR plants', 'Trends of prediction/evaluation, inspection/monitoring and repair/replacement technologies for aging of the LWR plants', 'Present status of research on mechanism and prediction method of high cycle thermal fatigue due to the thermal fluid-structure interaction in the LWR environments' and Present status of research on very high cycle fatigue of structural materials'. (T. Tanaka)

Towards Using a Generic Robot as Training Partner

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Anders Stengaard; Savarimuthu, Thiusius Rajeeth; Nielsen, Jacob

2014-01-01

In this paper, we demonstrate how a generic industrial robot can be used as a training partner, for upper limb training. The motion path and human/robot interaction of a non-generic upper-arm training robot is transferred to a generic industrial robot arm, and we demonstrate that the robot arm can...... implement the same type of interaction, but can expand the training regime to include both upper arm and shoulder training. We compare the generic robot to two affordable but custom-built training robots, and outline interesting directions for future work based on these training robots....

Innovation strategies for generic drug companies: moving into supergenerics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Malcolm S F

2010-04-01

Pharmaceutical companies that market generic products generally are not regarded as innovators, but rather as companies that produce copies of originator products to be launched at patent expiration. However, many generics companies have developed excellent scientific innovative skills in an effort to circumvent the defense patents of originator companies. More patents per product, in terms of both drug substances (process patents and polymorph patents) and formulations, are issued to generics companies than to companies that are traditionally considered to be 'innovators'. This quantity of issued patents highlights the technical knowledge and skill sets that are available in generics companies. In order to adopt a completely innovative model (ie, the development of NCEs), a generics company would require a completely new set of skills in several fields, including a sufficient knowledge base, project and risk management experience, and capability for clinical data evaluation. However, with relatively little investment, generics companies should be able to progress into the so-called 'supergeneric' drug space - an area of innovation that reflects the existing competencies of both innovative and generics companies.

Application of leak-before-break to primary loop piping to eliminate pipe whip restraints in a Spanish nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez, M.; Esteban, A.

1990-01-01

The Spanish plant described in this study is a 982 MWe PWR with a three-loop primary circuit of piping made from centrifugally-cast stainless steel SA351 CF8A. The licensee requested from Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (CSN) an exemption from the general design criterion, GDC-4, so as to avoid the need to postulate a guillotine rupture of the primary loop piping. The request was based on the generic work performed for a US PWR plant group in order to have such an exemption. As the piping material in the Spanish plant is different from that in the plants included in the generic work, CSN performed a review of the applicability of the generic results to the Spanish plant. Also, aspects such as fatigue evaluation, net section collapse, crack growth and leak detection, specifically analyzed for the Spanish plant, were reviewed. CSN found that fracture toughness test results from generic work are applicable to the Spanish plant; sufficient margin exists against unstable crack extension, and adequate leak detection capability exists with the leakage detection systems available in the plant. Exemption from GDC-4 was approved and CSN authorized the licensee to remove protection devices against dynamic loads from guillotine breaks in the primary coolant loops. (author)

Detection and mitigation of aging effects of nuclear power plant components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pachner, J.

1988-09-01

This paper describes the general principles of the methods for timely detection and mitigation of aging effects. These methods include condition monitoring, failure trending, system reliability monitoring, predictive maintenance and scheduled maintenance. In addition, developments of existing detection and mitigation methods needed to improve the capability for effective managing of nuclear power plant aging are discussed

The art and trend of nuclear power plants aging management and licenses renewal activity In USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong Zhimin; Li Jinsong; Zhang Mengyi

2014-01-01

This paper briefly introduced the history and the art of nuclear power plants licenses renewal in United State. The aims, working scope, methodology, the art and trend of aging management and its role in license renewal process in United State nuclear power plants license renewal process were discussed in details. Furthermore, the aging management current research focus in United State was described. Then, take into account the AP serials Pressurized Water Reactor and nuclear safety requirements in the regulatory and safety guide in China, some suggestions and recommendation on nuclear power plants aging management were introduced, which will be helpful when we developed related aging management works in China. (authors)

78 FR 22553 - Generic Drug Facilities, Sites, and Organizations

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-16

...] Generic Drug Facilities, Sites, and Organizations AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION.... Generic drug facilities, certain sites, and organizations identified in a generic drug submission are... active pharmaceutical ingredients and certain other sites and organizations that support the manufacture...

Effect of plant age on fresh rhizome yield and volatile oil composition of Acorus calamus linn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osman, M.A.; Bahl, J.R.; Darokar, M. P.; Garg, S.N.; Lal, R.K.; Khanuja, S.P.S.

2008-01-01

The effect of plant age on growth, yield and oil content and composition of sweet flag (Acorus calamus) was studied in four populations at four different ages, raised at CIMAP experimental research Farm, India. The plant age had significant effect on total fresh yield and leaves and rhizomes fresh weights. These parameters showed increasing trend with advancement of harvesting age up to 6 years, and age increase to more than 15 years resulted in their decrease . Significantly highest number of shoots per square meter was recorded in more than 15 year old crop, and the lowest number was recorded in the 6 year old crop. The highest oil yield of rhizomes was obtained from the six year old plants. Shoot length, rhizome leaf ratio (R/L) and oil yield of leaves did not show significant differences with the age of the plant. However, 6 year old plants recorded the highest average shoot length, and the three year old plants gave the highest oil yield of leaves. The total fresh yield showed a highly significant positive correlation with rhizomes fresh weight (r = 0.999), leaves fresh weight (r=0.994) and with rhizome: leaf ratio (r = 0.998). Highly significant positive correlations (r = 0.999) were also obtained between rhizomes oil content and rhizomes oil yield and between leaves oil content and leaves oil yield. β-asarone was the most dominant constituent in the oils of both leaves and rhizomes , constituting an average of 84.2% in the leaves and 88.9% in the rhizomes oil. The study indicated that the oil content of fresh rhizomes and leaves is the main contributor to their oil yields, and selection for high oil content will be effective. The constituents of the volatile oil remained the same irrespective of the plant age.(Author)

The effect of plant aging on equipment qualification and human performance issues related to license renewal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunther, W.E.; Higgins, J.C.; Aggarwal, S.K.

1991-01-01

The aging of nuclear power plants is one of the most important issues facing the nuclear industry worldwide. Aging encompasses as forms of degradation to nuclear power plant components, systems, and structures that result from exposure to environmental conditions or from operational stresses. Both the degradation from aging and actions taken to address the aging, such as increased maintenance and testing, can significantly impact human performance in the plant. Research into the causes and effects of aging as obtained through the assessment of operating experience and testing have raised questions regarding the adequacy of existing industry standards for addressing the concerns raised by this research. This paper discusses these issues, with particular emphasis in the area of equipment qualification and human performance

The effect of plant aging on equipment qualification and human performance issues related to license renewal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gunther, W.E.; Higgins, J.C. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Aggarwal, S.K. [Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)

1991-12-31

The aging of nuclear power plants is one of the most important issues facing the nuclear industry worldwide. Aging encompasses as forms of degradation to nuclear power plant components, systems, and structures that result from exposure to environmental conditions or from operational stresses. Both the degradation from aging and actions taken to address the aging, such as increased maintenance and testing, can significantly impact human performance in the plant. Research into the causes and effects of aging as obtained through the assessment of operating experience and testing have raised questions regarding the adequacy of existing industry standards for addressing the concerns raised by this research. This paper discusses these issues, with particular emphasis in the area of equipment qualification and human performance.

The effect of plant aging on equipment qualification and human performance issues related to license renewal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gunther, W.E.; Higgins, J.C. (Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)); Aggarwal, S.K. (Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States))

1991-01-01

The aging of nuclear power plants is one of the most important issues facing the nuclear industry worldwide. Aging encompasses as forms of degradation to nuclear power plant components, systems, and structures that result from exposure to environmental conditions or from operational stresses. Both the degradation from aging and actions taken to address the aging, such as increased maintenance and testing, can significantly impact human performance in the plant. Research into the causes and effects of aging as obtained through the assessment of operating experience and testing have raised questions regarding the adequacy of existing industry standards for addressing the concerns raised by this research. This paper discusses these issues, with particular emphasis in the area of equipment qualification and human performance.

Integration of generic issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thatcher, D.

1989-01-01

The NRC has recognized the need to integrate generic issues (GIs). The GI process includes a number of phases, all of which should recognize the potential for overlap and conflict among related issues. In addition to the issues themselves, other related NRC and industry programs and activities need to be factored into the GI process. Integration has taken place, or is taking place, for a number of GIs. Each case of integration involves a specific set of circumstances and, as a result, the way in which integration proceeds can vary. This paper discusses the integration of issues in the generic issue process and provides a number of examples

Regulatory instrument review: Aging management of LWR cables, containment and basemat, reactor coolant pumps, and motor-operated valves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werry, E.V.; Somasundaram, S.

1995-09-01

The results of Stage 2 of the Regulatory Instrument Review are presented in this volume. Selected regulatory instruments, such as the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Regulatory Guides, and ASME Codes, were investigated to determine the extent to which these regulations apply aging management to selected safety-related components in nuclear power plants. The Regulatory Instrument Review was funded by the NRC under the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program. Stage 2 of the review focused on four safety-related structures and components; namely, cables, containment and basemat, reactor coolant pumps, and motor-operated valves. The review suggests that the primary-emphasis of the regulatory instruments was on the design, construction, start-up, and operation of a nuclear power plant, and that aging issues were primarily addressed after an aging-related problem was recognized. This Stage 2 review confirms the results of the prior review; (see Regulatory Instrument Review: Management of Aging of LWR Major Safety-Related Components NUREG/CR-5490. The observations indicate that the regulations generally address management of age-related degradation indirectly. Specific age-related degradation phenomena frequently are dealt with in bulletins and notices or through generic issues, letters, etc. The major recommendation of this report, therefore, is that the regulatory instruments should more directly and explicitly address the aging phenomenon and the management of the age-related degradation process

Description of reference (model) plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, R.A.

1984-01-01

For the workshop on Safeguards System design for a fuel fabrication plant, a generic example of a LEU bulk-handling facility that is based on the Exxon LWR fuel fabrication plants is used. The model plant information is given in the following separate sections: (1) process assumptions; (2) six-month material balance model; (3) measurements; (4) error parameters, measurements, and sigma MUF calculations; (5) material control areas; (6) accounting, records, and reports; (7) tamper-safing; and (8) measurement control program

Levels of rhizome endophytic fungi fluctuate in Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis as plants age

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Liu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis is an important medicinal plant with abundant saponins that are widely used in the pharmaceuticals industry. It is unclear why the levels of active ingredients increase as these plants age. We speculated that the concentrations of those components in the rhizomes are mediated by fungal endophytes. To test this hypothesis, we took both culture-dependent and -independent (metagenomics approaches to analyze the communities of endophytic fungi that inhabit those rhizomes in plants of different age classes (four, six, and eight years old. In all, 147 isolates representing 18 fungal taxa were obtained from 270 segments (90 per age class. Based on morphological and genetic characteristics, Fusarium oxysporum (46.55% frequency of occurrence was the predominant endophyte, followed by Leptodontidium sp. (8.66% and Trichoderma viride (6.81%. Colonization of endophytic fungi was maximized in the eight-year-old rhizomes (33.33% when compared with four-year-old (21.21% and six-year-old (15.15% rhizomes. Certain fungal species were present only at particular ages. For example, Alternaria sp., Cylindrocarpon sp., Chaetomium sp., Paraphaeosphaeria sporulosa, Pyrenochaeta sp., Penicillium swiecickii, T. viride, and Truncatella angustata were found only in the oldest plants. Analysis of (metagenomics community DNA extracted from different-aged samples revealed that, at the class level, the majority of fungi had the highest sequence similarity to members of Sordariomycetes, followed by Eurotiomycetes and Saccharomycetes. These results were mostly in accord with those we obtained using culture methods. Fungal diversity and richness also changed over time. Our investigation is the first to show that the diversity of fungi in rhizomes of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis is altered as plants age, and our findings provide a foundation for future examinations of useful compounds.

South African patient's acceptance of generic drugs

African Journals Online (AJOL)

mechanism in this regard for final consumers, insurance providers, and ... facilities are viewed as inferior, treated with sus- picion and ... to choose a generic drug if the decision was supported by their doctor ... The effect of brand to generic and ...

Impact of generic substitution decision support on electronic prescribing behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Stenner, Shane P; Chen, Qingxia; Johnson, Kevin B

2010-01-01

To evaluate the impact of generic substitution decision support on electronic (e-) prescribing of generic medications. The authors analyzed retrospective outpatient e-prescribing data from an academic medical center and affiliated network for July 1, 2005-September 30, 2008 using an interrupted time-series design to assess the rate of generic prescribing before and after implementing generic substitution decision support. To assess background secular trends, e-prescribing was compared with a concurrent random sample of hand-generated prescriptions. Proportion of generic medications prescribed before and after the intervention, evaluated over time, and compared with a sample of prescriptions generated without e-prescribing. The proportion of generic medication prescriptions increased from 32.1% to 54.2% after the intervention (22.1% increase, 95% CI 21.9% to 22.3%), with no diminution in magnitude of improvement post-intervention. In the concurrent control group, increases in proportion of generic prescriptions (29.3% to 31.4% to 37.4% in the pre-intervention, post-intervention, and end-of-study periods, respectively) were not commensurate with the intervention. There was a larger change in generic prescribing rates among authorized prescribers (24.6%) than nurses (18.5%; adjusted OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.63). Two years after the intervention, the proportion of generic prescribing remained significantly higher for e-prescriptions (58.1%; 95% CI 57.5% to 58.7%) than for hand-generated prescriptions ordered at the same time (37.4%; 95% CI 34.9% to 39.9%) (p<0.0001). Generic prescribing increased significantly in every specialty. Implementation of generic substitution decision support was associated with dramatic and sustained improvements in the rate of outpatient generic e-prescribing across all specialties.

Essential to increase the use of generics in Europe to maintain comprehensive health care?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian Godman

2012-12-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Reforms have been introduced across Europe to increase prescribing efficiency with existing drugs. These include measures to lower prices of generics as well as increase their prescribing versus originators and patented products in a class or related class. This is essential to maintain comprehensive health care in Europe given continued pressures. The alternative is insufficient funds for new innovative drugs and increasing drug volumes with ageing populations. OBJECTIVE: To review the influence of measures and initiatives to increase the prescribing and dispensing of generics at low prices on ambulatory care prescribing efficiency. In view of this, provide guidance as authorities strive to introduce further reforms to meet their goals. METHODOLOGY: A narrative review of published papers combined with case histories. RESULTS: The different supply- and demand-side measures have reduced generic prices to as low as 2% to 3% of pre-patent loss prices in some cases as well as appreciably enhanced their utilisation. As a result, prescribing efficiency has increased without compromising care. In some cases, the reforms have led to expenditure actually falling despite appreciably increased volumes. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing use of generics at low prices will help maintain the European ideals of comprehensive and equitable health care. However, countries will continually need to learn from each other.

Generic Graph Grammar: A Simple Grammar for Generic Procedural Modelling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Asger Nyman; Bærentzen, Jakob Andreas

2012-01-01

in a directed cyclic graph. Furthermore, the basic productions are chosen such that Generic Graph Grammar seamlessly combines the capabilities of L-systems to imitate biological growth (to model trees, animals, etc.) and those of split grammars to design structured objects (chairs, houses, etc.). This results...

The importance of being first: evidence from Canadian generic pharmaceuticals.

Science.gov (United States)

Hollis, Aidan

2002-12-01

This paper uses pooled cross-section data on Canadian ethical drug sales to examine the effect of entry timing on sales of generic drugs. The data is for all drugs for which the first generic competitor entered during the years 1994-1997. It is found that the first generic entrant has a lasting competitive advantage: being first into the market appears to lead to an increase of around 30% in market share (among generics) over a period of at least 4 years. This finding has considerable implications for the current policy of allowing brandname drug companies to issue pseudo-generic equivalents as a preemptive strike against true generic competitors. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Assessment and management of ageing of major nuclear power plant components important to safety: CANDU reactor assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-02-01

At present, there are over four hundred operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) in IAEA Member States. Operating experience has shown that ineffective control of the ageing degradation of the major NPP components (e.g. caused by unanticipated phenomena and by operating, maintenance, design or manufacturing errors) can jeopardize plant safety and also plant life. Ageing in these NPPs must therefore be effectively managed to ensure the availability of design functions throughout the plant service life. From the safety perspective, this means controlling within acceptable limits the ageing degradation and wearout of plant components important to safety so that adequate safety margins remain, i.e. integrity and functional capability in excess of normal operating requirements. This TECDOC is one in a series of reports on the assessment and management of ageing of the major NPP components important to safety. The reports are based on experience and practices of NPP operators, regulators, designers, manufacturers, and technical support organizations and a widely accepted Methodology for the Management of Ageing of NPP Components Important to Safety which was issued by the IAEA in 1992. The current practices for the assessment of safety margins (fitness for service) and the inspection, monitoring, and mitigation of ageing degradation of selected components of Canada deuterium-uranium (CANDU) reactors, boiling water reactors (BWRs), pressurized water reactors (PWRs) including the Soviet designed water moderated and water cooled energy reactors (WWERs), are documented in the reports. These practices are intended to help all involved directly and indirectly in ensuring the safe operation of NPPs and also to provide a common technical basis for dialogue between plant operators and regulators when dealing with age-related licensing issues. Since the reports are written from a safety perspective, they do not address life or life-cycle management of the plant components, which

Assessment and management of ageing of major nuclear power plant components important to safety: BWR pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-10-01

At present, there are over four hundred operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) in IAEA Member States. Operating experience has shown that ineffective control of the ageing degradation of the major NPP components (caused for instance by unanticipated phenomena and by operating, maintenance or manufacturing errors) can jeopardize plant safety and also plant life. Ageing in these NPPs must be therefore effectively managed to ensure the availability of design functions throughout the plant service life. From the safety perspective, this means controlling, within acceptable limits, the ageing degradation and wear out of plant components important to safety so that adequate safety margins remain, i.e. integrity and functional capability in excess of normal operating requirements. This TECDOC is one in a series of reports on the assessment and management of ageing of the major NPP components important to safety. The reports are based on experience and practices of NPP operators, regulators, designers, manufacturers and technical support organizations and a widely accepted Methodology for the Management of Ageing of NPP Components Important to Safety, which was issued by the IAEA in 1992. Since the reports are written from a safety perspective, they do not address life or life cycle management of plant components, which involves economic considerations. The current practices for the assessment of safety margins (fitness for service) and the inspection, monitoring and mitigation of ageing degradation of selected components of Canada deuterium-uranium (CANDU) reactors, boiling water reactors (BWRs), pressurized water reactors (PWRs), and water moderated, water cooled energy reactors (WWERs) are documented in the reports. These practices are intended to help all involved directly and indirectly in ensuring the safe operation of NPPs, and also to provide a common technical basis for dialogue between plant operators and regulators when dealing with age related licensing issues