bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Do We Accurately Know the Radioactive Inventory Inside a Waste Package? A Résumé After 5 Years Experience in the Development and Operation of Advanced Gamma Scanning Systems
Authors: Sanden H.-J. , Caspary G. , Kroth K. , Bruggeman M. , Bücherl T. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
This paper gives a survey of the main results of research projects performed by members of ENTRAP to improve gamma-ray scanning techniques for radioactive waste packages. Performance characteristics, advantages and restrictions of different assay procedures and correction techniques investigated in these projects are discussed. Case studies are presented which demonstrate the difference in performance between ‘standard’ and ‘improved’ assay techniques. Consideration is also given to bias effects resulting from a limited knowledge on gamma-ray attenuation and/or source distribution in the waste matrix. Procedures and tools are presented which may help to decrease respective bias effects or to assess the overall uncertainty. The achievements emphasise that quality control of assay results requires, in nearly all applications, that additional assay techniques are implemented in order to verify the validity of conventional gamma-ray scanning methods.
Utilization of Radioactive Waste for Solidifying Material to Fill Waste Forms
Authors: Ishikura Takeshi , Oguri Daiichiro 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Minimizing the volume of radioactive waste generated during dismantling of nuclear power plants is a matter of great importance. In Japan waste forms buried in shallow burial disposal facility as low level radioactive waste (LLW) must be solidified by cement with adequate strength and must extend no harmful openings. The authors have developed an improved method to minimize radioactive waste volume by utilizing radioactive concrete and metal for mortar to fill openings in waste forms. Performance of a method to pre-place large sized metal or concrete waste and to fill mortar using small sized metal or concrete was tested. It was seen that the improved method substantially increases the filling ratio, thereby decreasing the numbers of waste containers.
The MONOLITH Container: A New Development for Transportation and Storage of Reactor Vessel Equipment and Reactor Vessel Parts
Authors: Brüning D. , Gestermann G. , Kalwa H. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
The cast iron container MONOLITH is a shielding container corresponding to the Konrad VI container with a max weight of 20 t. As cask content only dry activated and contaminated metallic material is allowed. After loading with this radioactive material the empty spaces inside the container are filled with other contaminated liquid iron through a lid opening to create a monolithic cask. Until now five MONOLITH containers are created with go on success and stored inside at the storage site Mitterteich.
Effects of Uncertainty and Spatial Variability on Seepage Into Drifts in the Yucca Mountain Total System Performance Assessment Model
Authors: Kalinich Donald A. , Wilson Michael L. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Seepage into the repository drifts is an important factor in total-system performance. Uncertainty and spatial variability are considered in the seepage calculations. The base-case results show 13.6% of the waste packages (WPs) have seepage. For 5th percentile uncertainty, 4.5% of the WPs have seepage and the seepage flow decreased by a factor of 2. For 95th percentile uncertainty, 21.5% of the WPs have seepage and the seepage flow increased by a factor of 2. When seepage was forced on 100% of the WPs the seepage flow increased by a factor of 3.
Local Partnerships: Towards a New Approach in Nuclear Waste Management in Belgium
Authors: Bergmans Anne 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Over the last few years the Belgian government organisation responsible for the Belgian nuclear waste, NIRAS-ONDRAF, experienced increased public resistance against its efforts to create a low level nuclear waste repository. In response to this resistance, the Universities of Antwerp (Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen - UIA) and Luxemburg (Fondation Universitaire Luxembourgoise - FUL) assisted in the establishment of local partnerships between NIRAS-ONDRAF and representatives of the local communities involved. These partnerships are intended to bring the decision making process closer to the public concerned and to lower the threshold for active participation. This model of collective decision making in a democratic environment is a process of negotiation. These negotiations should lead to a mutual project in which both experts and local stakeholders participated and which should replace the unsuccessful top-down approach formerly used.
Abrasive Blasting, a Technique for the Industrial Decontamination of Metal Components From Decommissioning to Unconditional Release Levels
Authors: Walthéry Robert , Teunckens Lucien , Lewandowski Patrick , Millen Danny , Baumann Sven 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
When decommissioning nuclear installations, large quantities of metal components are produced as well as significant amounts of other radioactive materials, which mostly show low surface contamination. Having been used or having been brought for a while in a controlled area marks them as ‘suspected material’. In view of the very high costs for radioactive waste processing and disposal, alternatives have been considered, and much effort has gone to recycling through decontamination, melting and unconditional release of metals.
In a broader context, recycling of materials can considered to be a first order ecological priority in order to limit the quantities of radioactive wastes for final disposal and to reduce the technical and economic problems involved with the management of radioactive wastes. It will help as well to make economic use of primary material and to conserve natural resources of basic material for future generations.
In a demonstration programme, Belgoprocess has shown that it is economically interesting to decontaminate metal components to unconditional release levels using dry abrasive blasting techniques, the unit cost for decontamination being only 30% of the global cost for radioactive waste treatment, conditioning, storage and disposal. As a result, an industrial dry abrasive blasting unit was installed in the Belgoprocess central decontamination infrastructure.
At the end of May 2001, after 6 years of operation, 523 Mg of contaminated metal has been treated. 182 Mg of this material was unconditionally released, having been monitored twice by the in-house health physics department. About 303 Mg of the metal, presenting surfaces that could not be measured due to their shape, were melted for unconditional release in a controlled melting facility. The suitability of the abrasive blasting system was verified, and it was proved that there was no intrusion of contamination into the material surface. The paper gives an overview of the experience relating to the decontamination of metal material by abrasive blasting at the decommissioning of the Eurochemic reprocessing plant in Dessel, Belgium.
The Results of Specific Efforts to Improve Techniques for the Decontamination of Concrete Surfaces in Nuclear Facilities
Authors: Baumann Sven , Teunckens Lucien , Walthéry Robert , Lewandowski Patrick , Millen Danny 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Belgoprocess started the industrial decommissioning of the main process building of the former EURO-CHEMIC reprocessing plant in 1990, after completion of a pilot project in which two buildings were emptied and decontaminated to background levels. The remaining structures were demolished and the concrete debris was disposed of as industrial waste and green field conditions restored.
Decommissioning involves the removal and decontamination of equipment from each cell, the decontamination of the cell walls, ceilings and floors, and the dismantling of the ventilation system. These activities are followed by a complete monitoring in order to obtain the unconditional release of the remaining structures.
In the earlier days, concrete walls with limited in depth contamination, were decontaminated using commercially available pneumatic hand scabblers. In addition, 3-headed, 5-headed and 7-headed hand-operated floor scabblers have been used. The pneumatic powered machines have adapted dust extraction systems around the scabbier heads. To improve the working conditions for the operators, and to increase capacity, scabblers have been progressively automised.
Operation efficiency was significantly improved when shaving machines were introduced, using a diamond tipped rotary head, designed to give a smooth surface finish, which is easier to measure. The use of these machines resulted in a higher efficiency and a 30% reduction of secondary waste production. It also reduced the physical load to the operators due to the absence of machine vibration.
The paper gives an overview of the specific efforts that have been put in improving the techniques for the decontamination of concrete surfaces at the decommissioning of the Eurochemic reprocessing plant in Dessel, Belgium.
CASTOR® BR3: Design of a Transport and Storage Cask for Spent Fuel From a Belgian Nuclear Power Plant
Authors: Knopp Ulrich 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
The CASTOR® BR3 cask has been designed and manufactured to accomodate irradiated fuel (U and MOX) from the BR3 test reactor at the nuclear research centre SCK/CEN in Dessel near Mol, Belgium, which is currently being dismantled. The CASTOR® BR3 is designed as a Type B(U)F package for transport and will be licensed in Belgium. In addition, the CASTOR® BR3 needs a license as a storage cask to be operated in an interim cask storage facility. To obtain these licenses, the cask design has to observe the international regulations for the safe transport of radioactive material as well as the special requirements for the cask storage.
The CASTOR® BR3 is a member of the CASTOR® family of spent fuel casks, delivered by the German company GNB. In this way, the cask has such typical features as the following:
• monolithic cask body made of ductile cast iron;
• double-lid system consisting of primary and secondary lid for long-term interim storage of the fuel.
This family of casks has been used for over 20 years for transport and storage of spent fuel.
In this paper, the IAEA regulatory requirements for transport casks are summarized and it is shown by selected examples how these requirements have been converted into the cask design and the analyses performed for the cask. Finally, the cask features for an interim storage period of up to 50 years will be spotlighted. Main topics are the evaluation of the long term behaviour of selected cask components and the cask monitoring system for the surveillance of the leak tightness of the cask during the storage period.
Quality Assurance System for Collection and Check of Radioactive Waste
Authors: Dogaru Gheorghe C. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
A component of the quality assurance system applied at Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant refers to the collection, identification and characterisation of radioactive waste including spent sealed radioactive sources before their treatment and conditioning.
One of the most important challenges to be solved is to apply this procedure to the collection and characterisation of the “historical” radioactive waste for which is not recorded and no analyse bulletin for characterisation and identification is existing.
The procedure “Collection and characterization of radioactive waste” applied at the Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant is based on regulatory requirements concerning collection, characterization and identification of all radioactive materials including sealed spent radioactive sources.
Staying afloat: community perspectives on health system resilience in the management of pregnancy and childbirth care during floods in Cambodia
Authors: Saulnier Dell D , Hean Hom , Thol Dawin , Ir Por , Hanson Claudia , Von Schreeb Johan , Mölsted Alvesson Helle 
Published: April 2020

IntroductionResilient health systems have the capacity to continue providing health services to meet the community’s diverse health needs following floods. This capacity is related to how the community manages its own health needs and the community and health system’s joined capacities for resilience. Yet little is known about how community participation influences health systems resilience. The purpose of this study was to understand how community management of pregnancy and childbirth care during floods is contributing to the system’s capacity to absorb, adapt or transform as viewed through a framework on health systems resilience.MethodsEight focus group discussions and 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with community members and leaders who experienced pregnancy or childbirth during recent flooding in rural Cambodia. The data were analysed by thematic analysis and discussed in relation to the resilience framework.ResultsThe theme ‘Responsible for the status quo’ reflected the community’s responsibility to find ways to manage pregnancy and childbirth care, when neither the expectations of the health system nor the available benefits changed during floods. The theme was informed by notions on: i) developmental changes, the unpredictable nature of floods and limited support for managing care, ii) how information promoted by the public health system led to a limited decision-making space for pregnancy and childbirth care, iii) a desire for security during floods that outweighed mistrust in the public health system and iv) the limits to the coping strategies that the community prepared in case of flooding.ConclusionsThe community mainly employed absorptive strategies to manage their care during floods, relieving the burden on the health system, yet restricted support and decision-making may risk their capacity. Further involvement in decision-making for care could help improve the health system’s resilience by creating room for the community to adapt and transform when experiencing floods.
Evidence-based quality indicators for primary healthcare in association with the risk of hospitalisation: a population-based cohort study in Switzerland
Authors: Huber Carola A , Scherer Martin , Rapold Roland , Blozik Eva 
Published: April 2020

ObjectivesThe quality of ambulatory care in Switzerland is widely unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the recently proposed quality indicators (QIs) based on a nationwide healthcare claims database and determine their association with the risk of subsequent hospitalisation at patient-level.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingInpatient and outpatient claims data of a large health insurance in Switzerland covering all regions and population strata.Participants520 693 patients continuously insured during 2015 and 2016.MeasuresA total of 24 QIs were obtained by adapting the existing instruments to the Swiss national context and measuring at patient-level. The association between each QI and hospitalisation in the subsequent year was assessed using multiple logistic regression models.ResultsThe proportion of patients with good adherence to QIs was high for the secondary prevention of diabetes and myocardial infarction (glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) control, 89%; aspirin use, 94%) but relatively low for polypharmacy (53%) or using potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in the elderly (PIM, 33%). Diabetes-related indicators such as the HbA1c control were significantly associated with a lower risk of hospitalisation (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.80 to 0.95), whereas the occurrence of polypharmacy and PIM increased the risk of hospitalisation in the following year (OR, 1.57/1.08; 95% CI, 1.51 to 1.64/1.05 to 1.12).ConclusionsThis is the first study to evaluate the recently presented QIs in Switzerland using nationwide real-life data. Our study suggests that the quality of healthcare, as measured by these QIs, varied. The majority of QIs, in particular QIs reflecting chronic care and medication use, are considered beneficial markers of healthcare quality as they were associated with reduced risk of hospitalisation in the subsequent year. Results from this large practical test on real-life data show the feasibility of these QIs and are beneficial in selecting the appropriate QIs for healthcare implementation in general practice.
Effect of vitamin D supplementation on pain and physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA): an OA Trial Bank protocol for a systematic review and individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis
Authors: Jin Xingzhong , Antony Benny , Wang Xia , Persson Monica SM , McAlindon Timothy , Arden Nigel K , Srivastava Sudeepti , Srivastava Rajeshwar , Van Middelkoop Marienke , Bierma-Zeinstra Sita MA , Zhang Weiya , Cicuttini Flavia , Ding Changhai 
Published: April 2020

IntroductionObservational data suggest that vitamin D deficiency is associated with the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to date investigating the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in knee OA have reported conflicting results. Further research is needed to clarify the effects of vitamin D on patient-reported outcomes and determine whether there are patient subgroups who may benefit from the supplementation. The aim of this individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis is to identify patient-level predictors of treatment response to vitamin D supplementation on pain and physical function.Methods and analysisA systematic literature search will be conducted for RCTs of vitamin D supplementation on knee OA. Authors of original RCTs will be contacted to obtain the IPD. The primary outcomes will include long-term (≥12 months) pain and physical function. Secondary outcomes will include medium-term (≥6 months and <12 months) and short-term (<6 months) pain and physical function, as well as patient global assessment, quality of life and adverse events. Potential treatment effect modifiers to be examined in the subgroup analyses include age, gender, body mass index, baseline knee pain severity and physical function, baseline vitamin D level, radiographic stage, presence of bone marrow lesions on MRI, presence of clinical signs of local inflammation and concomitant depressive symptoms. Both one-step and two-step modelling methods will be used to determine the possible modifiable effect of each subgroup of interest.Ethics and disseminationResearch ethical or governance approval is exempt for this study as no new data are being collected. This study will be the first IPD meta-analysis to clarify the effect of vitamin D supplementation on clinical symptoms in different subgroups of patients with knee OA. The findings will be disseminated through peer-review publications and conference presentations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018107740.
Incidence, types and acceptability of pharmaceutical interventions about drug related problems in a general hospital: an open prospective cohort
Authors: Saldanha Valdjane , Randall Martins Rand , Lima Sara Iasmin Vieira Cunha , Batista de Araujo Ivonete , Gouveia Oliveira Antonio 
Published: April 2020

ObjectivesTo evaluate the incidence and types of drug-related problems (DRP) in a general teaching hospital and to evaluate the acceptability of pharmaceutical interventions by the medical team.DesignProspective cohort study during 2 years.SettingConducted in a Brazilian University Hospital.ParticipantsThe patient cohort consisted of 9303 patients with a total of 12 286 hospitalisation episodes.Primary outcome measuresDRP detected by pharmacists’ review of 100% medication orders using Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe 6.2 classification.ResultsPatients with a mean age of 52.6±17.7 years and 50.9% females. A total of 3373 DRP in 1903 hospital episodes were identified, corresponding to a cumulative incidence of 15.5%. ‘Treatment ineffectiveness’ (11.5%) and ‘Treatment costs’ (5.90%) were the most common DRP and ‘Drug use process’ (18.4%) and ‘Treatment duration’ (31.0%) the main causes of DRP. The medicines involved most often involved in DRP were anti-infectives (36.0%), mainly cephalosporins (20.2%), antiulcer (38.6%), analgesics/antipyretics (61.2%), propulsives (51.2%), opioids (38.5%) and antiemetics (57.4%). From 1939 pharmaceutical interventions, at least, 21.4% were not approved by the medical team.ConclusionDRP detected by 100% medication order review by hospital pharmacists occur in a significant proportion of hospital episodes, the most frequent being related to treatment effectiveness and treatment costs. The medications mostly involved were cephalosporins, penicillins, antidyspeptics, analgesics, antipyretics, opioids and antiemetics. Pharmaceutical interventions had low acceptability by the medical staff.
Impact of workplace injury on opioid dependence, abuse, illicit use and overdose: a 36-month retrospective study of insurance claims
Authors: Asfaw Abay , Boden Leslie I 
Published: April 2020

ObjectivesTo examine the impact of workplace injury on opioid dependence, abuse and overdose (opioid-related morbidity) and if severity of injury increases the hazard of these health effects.MethodsWe used MarketScan databases to follow injured and propensity score matched non-injured workers, both without prior opioid-related diagnoses. Using a Cox proportional hazard model, we examined the impact of workplace injury on opioid-related morbidity.ResultsThe hazard of opioid-related morbidity for injured workers was 1.79 times than that of matched non-injured workers (95% CI 1.89 to 3.60). For medical-only and lost-time injured workers, it was respectively 1.54 (95% CI 1.02 to 2.32) and 2.91 (95% CI 1.75 to 4.84) times that of non-injured workers.ConclusionsReducing workplace injury or severity of workplace injury, as well as efforts to ensure appropriate opioid prescribing for injured workers, may help to reduce the societal costs of opioid use.