bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clearance of Bulk Materials From Decommissioning Projects: Regulatory and Cost Issues
Authors: Devgun J. , Demoss D. , Raupp S. 
Published: November 2014

Decommissioning of nuclear facilities requires management of bulk materials on a large scale. Clearance (also called “free release”) is an essential part of material management and is necessary to reduce the amount of radioactive waste generated. Cleared materials can either be recycled for other use or disposed of as conventional waste. While guidance for decommissioning of reactors in the United States is well established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and License Termination criteria as codified in 10 CFR 20 Subpart E are applied, there is no specific criteria or detailed guidance for the clearance of solid materials. The issue has been around for over three decades. The approach taken by the NRC is still on a case by case basis.
In contrast, the guidance at the international scene is more detailed and clearance of solid materials (for recycling or disposition) from the decommissioning of nuclear facilities is regularly practiced in European countries (such as, Sweden, Belgium and Germany). The cost of disposal of bulk materials from decommissioning, such as demolition debris that may or may not be contaminated, as radioactive waste is prohibitive. A path to free release under some criteria is necessary. It is not a question of radiological safety since there is consensus on extremely low dose criteria and these are accepted at the international level. It is rather, an issue of regulatory void in the United States where clarity and explicit guidance at the national level is pending.
This paper provides an overview of national and international guidance and regulatory developments for the clearance of solid materials from nuclear decommissioning projects including dose risk based methodologies. It will summarize the cost dimension of the issue and the field experience gained from the Big Rock Point decommissioning project.
Analysis on Ultimate Load Capacity of Cylinder With Local Discontinuity Under High Temperature Gradient
Authors: Li Yuebing , Zhu Jianwei , Bao Shiyi , Gao Zengliang 
Published: November 2014

A severe accident management concept, known as ‘in-vessel retention (IVR)’, is widely used in advanced pressurized water reactor, such as AP600, AP1000, and so on. The severe accident management strategy is to flood the reactor cavity, submerging the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). In such condition, the temperature on the inside of RPV may exceed the melting point (about 1327 °C) of RPV material, and results in the localized wall thinning. On the outside, the temperature is remained at about 127 °C, by assuming the flow regime is kept to be nucleate boiling. So it will form a high temperature gradient on the wall, and caused high thermal stress.
It will bring about the local discontinuity on the PRV wall because of the wall molten under the elevated temperature. A cylinder model is established to simulate the local discontinuity. The model is composed of the cylinder with the same external radius, but different wall thickness in the local discontinuity zone. Two elastic perfectly plastic models are used to analyze the stress and strain distributions on the wall and ultimate load capacity, based on the hot tensile curves and isochronous stress-strain curves at 100 hour with the change of temperature. The effect of local discontinuity is discussed, under the case of high temperature gradient and internal pressure. The results show that the Mises stress on the whole wall-thickness in the region of local discontinuity will achieve yield stress, under the high thermal stress. Appling internal pressure, the stress decreases in the zone of local discontinuity. The weakest link takes place in the thin segment of the cylinder model, and the ultimate pressure is obtained.
Review of Zion Station Active Decommissioning Project
Authors: Roth Donald F. 
Published: November 2014

Review of Zion Station Active Decommissioning Project
The paper will provide a review of project activities at the Zion Station during the forty-five months of active decommissioning. A discussion of project planning strategy, project successes and unanticipated project challenges experienced to date will be provided. A discussion of construction, demolition and waste handling issues, including compliance with railroad car loading rules will also be provided. Innovations and management techniques enlisted to address project challenges will be discussed.
Steam Blowing Techniques for Large Solar Thermal Power Plants
Authors: Brenner Matthew J. , Babel Paul J. , Jarvis Julie M. , Vieira Allen T. , Singh Jyoti 
Published: November 2014

Steam line blowing is an operational cleaning method used to clean steam piping and reheaters prior to turbine powering for steam power plants. This paper focusses on the application and challenges associated with the steam blowing of large solar thermal collection power plants.
The boiler configuration, located atop an over 400 foot tall tower, in a large solar thermal collection plant poses some challenges not associated with other steam supply methods. As a result of the flow path configurations and steam mass required for blowing the cold reheat, reheater, and hot reheat portions of the plant, attemperation is required to control temperatures in the reheater. The use of multiple flow paths and stages through the reheater also requires some additional consideration. Where in a fossil powered plant the losses through the reheater are based on the inlet vs. outlet conditions, additional vendor data is required to model the internal sections of the reheater in greater detail.
Methodologies developed for fossil powered plants can be applied to large solar thermal collectors with special consideration for the unique configurations and constantly changing solar conditions associated with the plants. The smaller margins associated with these plants requires more rigorous modeling of the system components.
Case Study on a Complex Seal Design for a High Pressure Vessel Application
Authors: Slee Adam J. , Stobbart John , Gethin David T. , Hardy Stephen J. 
Published: November 2014

The results from a project to investigate the design and optimisation of a metallic seal ring as part of an end cap for a 140 tonne pressure vessel are presented. A vessel loading condition of 4483 bar (65,000 psi) internal pressure was stipulated. The design of a metallic seal of 762 mm (30″) bore diameter provided a challenging task, due to the extremely high pressure application.
A detailed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was carried out to evaluate a proposed seal and the initial conclusion was that it required complete re-design. In this work, analysis and interpretation were used to establish the modelling method for the seal. The FEA model that was developed for seal optimisation contained elasto-plastic material response, frictional contact modelling and advanced pressure field application.
To maintain sealing contact pressure, the seal has to overcome differential radial deflections between the vessel and the end cap during pressure loading. The optimisation process developed a novel profiled seal contact that reduced contact stresses by 48%. This eliminated seat damage occurring during pressure loadings, whilst maintaining an adequate contact pressure ratio during a complete loading cycle.
Structural deformations cause the seal contact point to shift, providing the opportunity for liquid to penetrate up to the contact point. Limitations were recognised within the FE software, which allowed unidirectional pressure penetration only. To overcome this limitation, a bespoke user subroutine was written to revise the contact algorithms within the Abaqus FE program. This enabled the model to capture ‘contact pressure zones’ to correctly progress by opening and (for the first time) close in response to seal and seat deflections.
Experimental Study on Seismic Behavior of a Typical Sprinkler Piping System in Hospitals
Authors: Lin Fan-Ru , Chang Kuo-Chun , Chai Juin-Fu , Lin Zhen-Yu , Liao Wen-I , Huang Jhen-Gang , Jheng Hao-Ze , Chung Ming-Fong 
Published: November 2014

Based on the immediate needs of emergency medical services provided by hospitals after strong earthquakes, this paper is to introduce a research program on assessment and improvement strategies for typical configuration of sprinkler piping systems in hospitals. The study involved component tests and subsystem tests. Cyclic loading tests were conducted to investigate inelastic behavior of components including concrete anchorage, screwed fittings of small bore piping and mechanical couplings. Parts of horizontal piping systems of the aforementioned seismic damaged sprinkler piping system were tested using shaking table tests. Furthermore, the horizontal piping subsystems with seismic resistant devices such as braces, flexible pipes and mechanical couplings were tested.
The test results show that the main cause of the damaged case is the poor shear capacity of the screwed fitting of the small-bore tee branch. The optimum improvement strategy to achieve higher nonstructural performance level for the horizontal piping subsystem is to strengthen the main pipe with braces and to decrease shear demands on the tee branch by flexible pipes. The hysteresis loops and failure modes of components were further discussed and will be used to conduct numerical analysis of sprinkler piping systems in future studies.
Impact of spot size on plan quality of spot scanning proton radiosurgery for peripheral brain lesions
Authors: Wang Dongxu , Dirksen Blake , Hyer Daniel E. , Buatti John M. , Sheybani Arshin , Dinges Eric , Felderman Nicole , TenNapel Mindi , Bayouth John E. , Flynn Ryan T. 
Published: November 2014

Purpose:To determine the plan quality of proton spot scanning (SS) radiosurgery as a function of spot size (in‐air sigma) in comparison to x‐ray radiosurgery for treating peripheral brain lesions.Methods:Single‐field optimized (SFO) proton SS plans with sigma ranging from 1 to 8 mm, cone‐based x‐ray radiosurgery (Cone), and x‐ray volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans were generated for 11 patients. Plans were evaluated using secondary cancer risk and brain necrosis normal tissue complication probability (NTCP).Results:For all patients, secondary cancer is a negligible risk compared to brain necrosis NTCP. Secondary cancer risk was lower in proton SS plans than in photon plans regardless of spot size (p = 0.001). Brain necrosis NTCP increased monotonically from an average of 2.34/100 (range 0.42/100–4.49/100) to 6.05/100 (range 1.38/100–11.6/100) as sigma increased from 1 to 8 mm, compared to the average of 6.01/100 (range 0.82/100–11.5/100) for Cone and 5.22/100 (range 1.37/100–8.00/100) for VMAT. An in‐air sigma less than 4.3 mm was required for proton SS plans to reduce NTCP over photon techniques for the cohort of patients studied with statistical significance (p = 0.0186). Proton SS plans with in‐air sigma larger than 7.1 mm had significantly greater brain necrosis NTCP than photon techniques (p = 0.0322).Conclusions:For treating peripheral brain lesions—where proton therapy would be expected to have the greatest depth‐dose advantage over photon therapy—the lateral penumbra strongly impacts the SS plan quality relative to photon techniques: proton beamlet sigma at patient surface must be small (<7.1 mm for three‐beam single‐field optimized SS plans) in order to achieve comparable or smaller brain necrosis NTCP relative to photon radiosurgery techniques. Achieving such small in‐air sigma values at low energy (<70 MeV) is a major technological challenge in commercially available proton therapy systems.
In Vitro
Cytotoxic Effects of Gold Nanoparticles Coated with Functional Acyl Homoserine Lactone Lactonase Protein from Bacillus licheniformis and Their Antibiofilm Activity against Proteus Species
Authors: Vinoj Gopalakrishnan , Pati Rashmirekha , Sonawane Avinash , Vaseeharan Baskaralingam 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACT

N-acylated homoserine lactonases are known to inhibit the signaling molecules of the biofilm-forming pathogens. In this study, gold nanoparticles were coated with N-acylated homoserine lactonase proteins (AiiA AuNPs) purified from
Bacillus licheniformis
. The AiiA AuNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The synthesized AiiA AuNPs were found to be spherical in shape and 10 to 30 nm in size. Treatment with AiiA protein-coated AuNPs showed maximum reduction in exopolysaccharide production, metabolic activities, and cell surface hydrophobicity and potent antibiofilm activity against multidrug-resistant
Proteus
species compared to treatment with AiiA protein alone. AiiA AuNPs exhibited potent antibiofilm activity at 2 to 8 μM concentrations without being harmful to the macrophages. We conclude that at a specific dose, AuNPs coated with AiiA can kill bacteria without harming the host cells, thus representing a potential template for the design of novel antibiofilm and antibacterial protein drugs to decrease bacterial colonization and to overcome the problem of drug resistance. In summary, our data suggest that the combined effect of the lactonase and the gold nanoparticles of the AiiA AuNPs has promising antibiofilm activity against biofilm-forming and multidrug-resistant
Proteus
species.
16S rRNA Gene Mutations Associated with Decreased Susceptibility to Tetracycline in Mycoplasma bovis
Authors: Amram E. , Mikula I. , Schnee C. , Ayling R. D. , Nicholas R. A. J. , Rosales R. S. , Harrus S. , Lysnyansky I. 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACT

Mycoplasma bovis
isolates with decreased susceptibilities to tetracyclines are increasingly reported worldwide. The acquired molecular mechanisms associated with this phenomenon were investigated in 70 clinical isolates of
M. bovis
. Sequence analysis of the two 16S rRNA-encoding genes (
rrs3
and
rrs4
alleles) containing the primary binding pocket for tetracycline (Tet-1 site) was performed on isolates with tetracycline hydrochloride MICs of 0.125 to 16 μg/ml. Mutations at positions A965T, A967T/C (
Escherichia coli
numbering) of helix 31, U1199C of helix 34, and G1058A/C were identified. Decreased susceptibilities to tetracycline (MICs, ≥2 μg/ml) were associated with mutations present at two (A965 and A967) or three positions (A965, A967, and G1058) of the two
rrs
alleles. No
tet
(M),
tet
(O), or
tet
(L) determinants were found in the genome of any of the 70
M. bovis
isolates. The data presented correlate (
P
< 0.0001) the mutations identified in the Tet-1 site of clinical isolates of
M. bovis
with decreased susceptibility to tetracycline.
Daptomycin plus Fosfomycin, a Synergistic Combination in Experimental Implant-Associated Osteomyelitis Due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Rats
Authors: Lingscheid Tilman , Poeppl Wolfgang , Bernitzky Dominik , Veletzky Luzia , Kussmann Manuel , Plasenzotti Roberto , Burgmann Heinz 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to evaluate the combination of daptomycin and fosfomycin in experimental chronic implant-associated osteomyelitis due to methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA). Infection was induced in the tibiae of rats by the insertion of a bacterial inoculum (1 to 5 × 10
8
CFU/ml) of a clinical MRSA isolate and a titanium wire. Four weeks after infection, each animal was assigned to a treatment group: daptomycin monotherapy at 60 mg/kg of body weight once daily (
n
= 10), fosfomycin monotherapy at 40 mg/kg once daily (
n
= 10), or daptomycin and fosfomycin combined at 60 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg, respectively, once daily (
n
= 9). Ten animals were left untreated. After a 3-week treatment period, the animals were euthanized, and the infected tibiae and implants were processed for quantitative bacterial cultures. The bacterial cultures from bones were positive for MRSA in all animals in the untreated group, the daptomycin group, and the fosfomycin group, with median bacterial counts of 2.34 × 10
6
CFU/g bone, 1.57 × 10
6
CFU/g bone, and 3.48 × 10
2
CFU/g bone, respectively. In the daptomycin-fosfomycin group, 6 out of 9 animals were positive for MRSA, with a median count of 7.92 CFU/g bone. Bacterial cultures derived from the titanium wires were negative in the fosfomycin- and daptomycin-fosfomycin-treated groups. Based on bacterial counts in bones, treatment with daptomycin-fosfomycin was statistically significantly superior to all that of the other groups (
P
≤ 0.003). Fosfomycin was superior to daptomycin and no treatment (
P
< 0.0001). No development of resistance was observed in any treatment arm. The combination of daptomycin and fosfomycin demonstrated synergism against MRSA in experimental implant-associated osteomyelitis.
Ultrasound-guided shoulder girdle injections are more accurate and more effective than landmark-guided injections: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Aly Abdel-Rahman , Rajasekaran Sathish , Ashworth Nigel 
Published: November 2014

ObjectiveTo compare the accuracy and efficacy of ultrasound (US)-guided injections versus landmark-guided injections of the subacromial space, biceps tendon sheath, acromioclavicular (AC) joint and glenohumeral (GH) joint.MethodsPubMed, Medline and Cochrane libraries were searched up to 31 July 2013. Two independent authors selected and evaluated randomised controlled trials comparing the accuracy and/or efficacy of US versus landmark-guided injection of the shoulder girdle. A meta-analysis of accuracy, pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS), function score and reported adverse events were performed.ResultFour cadaveric studies (300 cadaveric shoulders) and nine live human studies (514 patients) were reviewed. Based on three studies for AC joint, the accuracy of US versus a landmark-guided injection was 93.6% vs 68.2% (p<0.0001). Based on single studies, the accuracy of US versus a landmark-guided injection was 65% vs 70% for the subacromial space (p>0.05), 86.7% vs 26.7% for the biceps tendon sheath (p<0.05), and 92.5% vs 72.5% for the GH joint (p=0.025). Based on three studies for the subacromial space, the US group had a significantly greater reduction in pain (mean difference (MD)=1.47, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.93), and improvement in function (standardised MD=0.70, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.01) at 6 weeks postinjection. Based on a single study for the biceps tendon sheath, the US group had a significantly greater reduction in pain (MD 1.9, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.6) and improvement in function (MD=10.9, 95% CI 6.57 to 15.23).ConclusionsUS-guided injections showed greater accuracy for all shoulder girdle injections, with the exception of the subacromial space. There was improved efficacy for the subacromial space and biceps tendon sheath injections.
Diabetes care and outcomes for American Indians and Alaska natives in commercial integrated delivery systems: a SUrveillance, PREvention, and ManagEment of Diabetes Mellitus (SUPREME-DM) Study
Authors: Schmittdiel Julie A , Steiner John F , Adams Alyce S , Dyer Wendy , Beals Janette , Henderson William G , Desai Jay , Morales Leo S , Nichols Gregory A , Lawrence Jean M , Waitzfelder Beth , Butler Melissa G , Pathak Ram D , Hamman Richard F , Manson Spero M 
Published: November 2014

ObjectiveTo compare cardiovascular disease risk factor testing rates and intermediate outcomes of care between American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients with diabetes and non-Hispanic Caucasians enrolled in nine commercial integrated delivery systems in the USA.Research design and methodsWe used modified Poisson regression models to compare the annual testing rates and risk factor control levels for glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and systolic blood pressure (SBP); number of unique diabetes drug classes; insulin use; and oral diabetes drug medication adherence between insured AI/AN and non-Hispanic white adults with diabetes aged ≥18 in 2011.Results5831 AI/AN patients (1.8% of the cohort) met inclusion criteria. After adjusting for age, gender, comorbidities, insulin use, and geocoded socioeconomic status, AI/AN patients had similar rates of annual HbA1c, LDL-C, and SBP testing, and LDL-C and SBP control, compared with non-Hispanic Caucasians. However, AI/AN patients were significantly more likely to have HbA1c >9% (>74.9 mmol/mol; RR=1.47, 95% CI 1.38 to 1.58), and significantly less likely to adhere to their oral diabetes medications (RR=0.90, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.93) compared with non-Hispanic Caucasians.ConclusionsAI/AN patients in commercial integrated delivery systems have similar blood pressure and cholesterol testing and control, but significantly lower rates of HbA1c control and diabetes medication adherence, compared with non-Hispanic Caucasians. As more AI/ANs move to urban and suburban settings, clinicians and health plans should focus on addressing disparities in diabetes care and outcomes in this population.
Improving the percentage of electronic discharge summaries completed within 24 hours of discharge
Authors: Haycock Michael , Stuttaford Laura , Ruscombe-King Oliver , Barker Zoe , Callaghan Kathryn , Davis Timothy 
Published: November 2014

AbstractEDSs are an important part of patient care and medical communication. The GWH has a financially motivated target stating that 95% of EDS are to be completed within 24 hours of patient discharge. On review of a six-week pre-intervention period, the medical ward mean weekly EDS completion rate within 24 hours was 74.3%.EDSs form a significant part of junior doctor workload. We found that on a medical ward the mean completion time for one EDS was 18.25 minutes. In January 2014, 387 EDSs were written between four medical wards. This equates to 29.25 hours per week of junior doctor time spent completing EDSs on the four main medical wards.Our aim was to improve the percentage of EDSs completed within 24 hours of discharge from medical wards in the GWH.We proposed and implemented two interventions:1) Five day EDS summary2) Protected EDS hour.The five day EDS summary was implemented on wards 1 and 2. The protected EDS hour on ward 3.Ward 1: mean pre-intervention EDS completion rate: 81.1% (six months pre-intervention). This increased by 7.9% to 89% (four week mean EDS completion rate post-intervention)Ward 2: mean pre-intervention EDS completion rate: 75.2%. This increased by 11.6% to 86.8%Ward 3: mean pre-intervention EDS completion rate: 71%. This increased by 4.5% to 75.5%Control ward: mean pre-intervention EDS completion rate: 85.1%. This increased by 5.1% to 90.2%Our results show the five day EDS summary led to a mean 9.75% improvement and the protected EDS hour a mean 4.5% improvement in EDS completion rates. A 5.1% increase was seen on the control ward suggesting confounding factors in this data which are most likely the trust EDS working group, junior doctor experience and EDS project publicity.