Investigation of mitigation and detection methods of Open Phase Conditions (OPCs) in nuclear power plants based on the operating experience

Safety in a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is of utmost importance, as the implications of a nuclear event have dire consequences on people, animals, and the environment and on unborn generations. This dissertation is about Open Phase Conditions (OPCs), which occur when one or two of the three electrical phases are lost or open circuited, e.g. one circuit breaker phase doesn’t open or close. The study of this condition is important, as it can affect important-to-safety equipment, which is critical to the safe shutdown systems of the reactor in a nuclear power plant. The OPC can occur in the transmission (TX) switchyard or at the transformers connected to the nuclear plant. It also has the capability to make the offsite supply inoperable, which is the alternate source of power for the nuclear safety systems. As many as sixteen (16) cases of Open Phase events have occurred in different countries worldwide from 1994 till 2015. An event also occurred in the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station (KNPS) in South Africa on the 11th November 2005. When these events occurred, the protection schemes did not “see” nor isolate the condition, as this was discovered to be a design vulnerability. This was due to oversight in the design of the protection to detect this condition. This dissertation seeks to answer the following research question: Is it possible to prevent or mitigate an open phase condition from occurring in the switchyard of a nuclear power plant? Previous work has attempted to address the lack of awareness of people working in close proximity to a Nuclear power station i.e. amongst staff working in the switchyard and operators in a nuclear plant, by sharing the operating experience (OE) of OPC occurrences. The approach to answer the research question lies in the analysis of the awareness of the people involved, as the condition cannot be prevented if it is not known. Case studies of the documented OE were categorised and analysed using a simplified root cause analysis method. A survey was conducted to assess the OPC awareness and perceptions of people in the system operator, i.e. TX division and at the Koeberg nuclear power station, within the Eskom Holdings utility. The results demonstrate that there is insufficient overall knowledge and understanding of this condition within the system operator. Operators in the nuclear plants all over the world have been required by the US Nuclear regulator, to be trained and to be aware of this condition. The results of this dissertation highlight the focus areas in people’s awareness that need attention. And that educating the system operator through training will strengthen the relationship between transmission and the nuclear plant within Eskom holdings

Osteoporosis: A Home Health Care Issue

Osteoporosis is a serious health issue causing premature disability to millions of Americans. Costs associated with this disease exceed 13.8 billion dollars per year. Women have a greater risk for osteoporosis than men. However, men are also susceptible to bone loss and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis education for the health care professional is warranted. Understanding risk factors and utilizing bone measurement techniques will result in earlier detection of osteoporosis. Adequate calcium intakes and weight bearing exercise is essential in prevention and maintenance of osteoporosis. This article discusses osteoporosis as a home health care issue

Recent Graduate Donor Motivations

The purpose of this study was to examine what motivates recent graduates to give to athletic department fundraising campaigns. Recent graduates involved alumni who had graduated from the institution within the past five years, and were contacted via email to participate in an online survey. Data was obtained involving demographic information, giving levels, family history of athletic giving, and motivations for giving to an athletic fundraising campaign. Motives to be tested were determined through prior research of motives for charitable and athletic contributions. Using independent t-tests, significant motivations were found for recent graduates to give to athletics. There were no differences in motivations or giving levels between males and females. Motivations were statistically significant between recent graduates with a family history of giving and those without a family history of giving, but giving levels were not significantly different between the two groups.Master of Art

Agile Method Tailoring in a CMMI Level 5 Organization

We investigate the use and tailoring of agile methods in a highly disciplined CMMI Level 5 organization. We explore gaps between traditional agile practices and those required for enhanced levels of governance required by CMMI appraisal. We conducted a case study with recorded interviews from practitioners at NIIT Technology Ltd. The interviews were iteratively analysed and coded. Our findings show that agile methods must be supplemented with pre-sprint planning, evidence recording, project metrics, team self-organization, process standardization, and process base-lining to support the CMMI appraisal. There are challenges around Agile compliance with CMMI Level 4 processes and misconceptions about agile methods precluding documentation of the rationale for design decisions. This research contributes data to the tailoring of agile methods in a high-maturity CMMI context and will be useful for agile teams conducting level 5 appraisal

Screening for depression among a sample of US college students who engage in recreational prescription opioid misuse

© 2020 The Author(s). Background: Among student populations, literature has identified associations between prescription opioid misuse and symptoms of depression such as hopelessness, sadness, and emotional pain. Thus far, existing literature has yet to investigate associations between prescription opioid misuse and depression using validated screening instruments for depression when exploring such associations. The purpose of this study was to utilize a validated screening tool to explore quantifiable presence of depression among college students who engage in recreational prescription opioid misuse (RPOM). Additionally, gender differences in depression and co-occurring substance use are examined. Methods: Students (n = 104) of a large university in the Southeastern United States who reported RPOM within the past 6 months completed instrumentation assessing demographics, substance use, as well as, screening tools for depression and possible opioid use disorder (OUD). Results: Positive depression screens were significantly higher among females, however, nearly 56% of participants screened positive for major depression. Though high levels of co-occurring substance use were observed among the entire sample, males were significantly more likely to report cocaine use, more frequent use of alcohol and marijuana, as well as, exhibit a positive screen for disordered opioid use, at a rate 5 times that of their female counterparts. Conclusion: Students who engage in RPOM are a particularly heightened-risk subsample of the college population who exhibit high levels of depressive symptomatology and substance use behavior. Targeted programming and further investigations are needed among this specific population. Future studies are encouraged to utilize validated instruments when assessing depression among students

Osteoporosis Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Beliefs among College Students in the USA and China

This study investigated differences in osteoporosis knowledge, self-efficacy, and health beliefs among Chinese and American college students. Information obtained will be used in developing osteoporosis prevention programs for younger adults. Methods. Chinese (n = 409) and US (n = 408) college students completed the Osteoporosis Health Belief, Self-Efficacy, and Knowledge Tests. Results. Differences were seen in osteoporosis knowledge (Mus = 14.52, MChinese = 11.82), exercise knowledge (Mus = 8.16, MChinese = 9.04), calcium knowledge (Mus = 8.47, MChinese = 9.73), perceptions of exercise benefits (Mus = 24.07, MChinese = 21.09), calcium benefits (Mus = 23.17, MChinese = 18.36), exercise barriers (Mus = 11.75, MChinese = 14.96), calcium barriers (Mus = 13.04, MChinese = 15), and exercise self-efficacy (Mus = 73.71, MChinese = 63.81). Conclusion. US college students know more about osteoporosis and its risk factors; however, there are similarities in perception of risk between US and Chinese students. Chinese students perceive greater barriers to reducing their risk through exercise and dietary calcium intake

Implementing an application programming interface for PROMIS measures at three medical centers

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing body of literature advocating for the collection of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in clinical care. Unfortunately, there are many barriers to integrating PRO measures, particularly computer adaptive tests (CATs), within electronic health records (EHRs), thereby limiting access to advances in PRO measures in clinical care settings. OBJECTIVE: To address this obstacle, we created and evaluated a software integration of an Application Programming Interface (API) service for administering and scoring Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures with the EHR system. METHODS: We created a RESTful API and evaluated the technical feasibility and impact on clinical workflow at three academic medical centers. RESULTS: Collaborative teams (i.e., clinical, information technology [IT] and administrative staff) performed these integration efforts addressing issues such as software integration as well as impact on clinical workflow. All centers considered their implementation successful based on the high rate of completed PROMIS assessments (between January 2016 and January 2021) and minimal workflow disruptions. CONCLUSION: These case studies demonstrate not only the feasibility but also the pathway for the integration of PROMIS CATs into the EHR and routine clinical care. All sites utilized diverse teams with support and commitment from institutional leadership, initial implementation in a single clinic, a process for monitoring and optimization, and use of custom software to minimize staff burden and error

Bone mineral density among men and women aged 35 to 50 years

© 2019 American Osteopathic Association. Context: Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and has been thought to only be a major health concern for postmenopausal women. However, osteoporosis and its risk factors have been greatly understudied in the middle-aged and male populations. Objective: To assess the likelihood of low BMD and its association with related risk factors in early–middle-aged (defined in this study as 35-50 years) men and women.Methods: Eligible men and women completed a questionnaire assessing calcium intake, hours per week of exercise, and other related risk factors associated with osteoporosis and osteopenia. The primary outcome variable, BMD, was attained using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans taken at the femoral neck, trochanter, intertrochanteric crest, total femur, and lumbar spine.Results: Of the 173 participants in this study, 23 men (28%) and 24 women (26%) had osteopenia at the femoral neck. In men, there was a significant and negative correlation between exercise and femoral neck BMD (r=−0.296, P=.01). In women, correlation analyses showed significant positive correlations between exercise and BMD of the trochanter (r=0.329, P=.003), intertrochanteric crest (r=0.285, P=.01), total femur (r=0.30, P=.01), and lumbar spine (r=0.29, P=.01).Conclusions: Osteopenia was found in more than 25% of both male and female participants, which suggests that more osteoporosis screening and prevention programs need to be targeted to persons in the studied age group because osteopenia can lead to osteoporosis

Factors Influencing Sun Protection Behaviors among Patients with Skin Cancer: An Application of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model

© 2019 by the Dermatology Nurses\u27 Association. This study aimed to assess predictors of sun protection behaviors based on the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model among people diagnosed with nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). For this descriptive, cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 311 patients with NMSC was recruited at a medical center in Mississippi. Patients were invited to complete a face- A nd content-valid, IMB-model-based questionnaire. The average age of the participants was 64.12 (±12.02) years, and most (58.8%) were male. Most participants indicated not using sun protection behaviors while outdoors. Findings showed that sun protection behaviors were directly predicted by self-efficacy (standardized path coefficient = 0.504, p \u3c.001) and social support (standardized path coefficient = 0.199, p =.010). In addition, sun protection behavior was indirectly predicted (through self-efficacy) by social support (standardized indirect effect = 0.160, p \u3c.001) and attitudes (standardized indirect effect = 0.192, p =.001). The explained variances for self-efficacy and sun protection behaviors were 43% and 35.4%, respectively. In conclusion, the IMB model appears to be a useful theoretical framework for predicting sun protection behaviors among patients with NMSC. Sun safety intervention programs should be developed based on this theoretical model for patients with NMSC