Verification of the code DYN3D for calculations of neutron flux fluctuations

Insufficiently explained magnitudes and patterns of flux fluctuation observed mainly in KWU PWRs are recently investigated by various European institutions. Among the numerical tools used to investigate the\ua0neutron flux\ua0fluctuations is the time-domain reactor dynamics code\ua0DYN3D. As\ua0DYN3D\ua0and comparable codes have not been developed with the primary intention to simulate low-amplitude neutron flux fluctuations, their applicability in this field has to be verified.In order to contribute to the verification of\ua0DYN3D\ua0for the simulation of neutron flux fluctuations, two special cases of perturbations of the neutron flux (a localized absorber of variable/oscillatory strength and a travelling oscillatory perturbation) are considered with\ua0DYN3D\ua0on the one hand and with the frequency-domain neutron noise tool\ua0CORE SIM\ua0as well as analytical frequency-domain approaches, respectively, on the other hand. The obtained results are compared with respect to the distributions of the amplitude and the phase of the induced neutron flux fluctuations. The comparisons are repeated with varied amplitudes and frequencies of the perturbation.The results agree well both qualitatively and quantitatively for each of the conducted calculations. The remaining deviations between the\ua0DYN3D\ua0results and the reference results exhibit a dependence on the perturbation magnitude, which is attributed to the neglect of higher-order terms (linear theory) of the perturbed quantities in the calculation of the reference solutions

Combined Characterisation of GOME and TOMS Total Ozone Using Ground-Based Observations from the NDSC

Several years of total ozone measured from space by the ERS-2 GOME, the Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), and the ADEOS TOMS, are compared with high-quality ground-based observations associated with the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC), over an extended latitude range and a variety of geophysical conditions. The comparisons with each spaceborne sensor are combined altogether for investigating their respective solar zenith angle (SZA) dependence, dispersion, and difference of sensitivity. The space- and ground-based data are found to agree within a few percent on average. However, the analysis highlights for both Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) and TOMS several sources of discrepancies, including a dependence on the SZA at high latitudes and internal inconsistencies

Treatment of osteochondral lesions of the talus: a systematic review

The aim of this study was to summarize all eligible studies to compare the effectiveness of treatment strategies for osteochondral defects (OCD) of the talus. Electronic databases from January 1966 to December 2006 were systematically screened. The proportion of the patient population treated successfully was noted, and percentages were calculated. For each treatment strategy, study size weighted success rates were calculated. Fifty-two studies described the results of 65 treatment groups of treatment strategies for OCD of the talus. One randomized clinical trial was identified. Seven studies described the results of non-operative treatment, 4 of excision, 13 of excision and curettage, 18 of excision, curettage and bone marrow stimulation (BMS), 4 of an autogenous bone graft, 2 of transmalleolar drilling (TMD), 9 of osteochondral transplantation (OATS), 4 of autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), 3 of retrograde drilling and 1 of fixation. OATS, BMS and ACI scored success rates of 87, 85 and 76%, respectively. Retrograde drilling and fixation scored 88 and 89%, respectively. Together with the newer techniques OATS and ACI, BMS was identified as an effective treatment strategy for OCD of the talus. Because of the relatively high cost of ACI and the knee morbidity seen in OATS, we conclude that BMS is the treatment of choice for primary osteochondral talar lesions. However, due to great diversity in the articles and variability in treatment results, no definitive conclusions can be drawn. Further sufficiently powered, randomized clinical trials with uniform methodology and validated outcome measures should be initiated to compare the outcome of surgical strategies for OCD of the talus

Investigation of global and regional BWR instabilities with a four heated-channel Reduced Order Model

The development of an advanced Reduced Order Model (ROM) including four heated channels and meant to study global and regional Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) instabilities is described. The ROM contains three sub-models: a neutron-kinetic model (describing neutron transport), a thermal-hydraulic model (describing fluid transport) and a heat transfer model (describing heat transfer between the fuel and the coolant). All these three models are coupled to each other using two feedback mechanisms: the void feedback and the doppler feedback mechanisms. Each of the sub-models is described by a set of reduced ordinary differential equations, derived from the corresponding time- and space-dependent partial differential equations, by using different types of approximations and mathematical techniques that are explained in this paper.One of the novelties of the present ROM is that it takes the effect of the first three neutronic modes into account, namely the fundamental, first, and second azimuthal modes. In order to have a proper representation of both azimuthal modes and of their dependence on the thermal-hydraulic conditions in the heated channels, a four heated channel ROM was constructed. Another novelty of the present work is to develop a special methodology which guarantees the full consistency between the spatial discretization procedures used in the dynamical calculations and the ones implemented in the static case. Accordingly, a re-computation of the static solution based on the CORE SIM tool was embedded into the ROM in such a way that the balance equations expressing the conservation of neutron balance, heat generation, and mass, momentum, enthalpy for the flow, could be fulfilled for the steady-state solution of the coupled neutron-kinetic/thermal-hydraulic problem. Once the static problem is solved, the time-dependent solution in case of a perturbed system can be determined. Moreover, a non-uniform power profile representing different heat production rates in the one- and two-phase regions was introduced into the ROM. Careful attention was paid to the determination of the coupling coefficients for the reactivity effects related to both void fraction and fuel temperature, so that such coefficients correspond to the re-computed static solution. The evaluation of these coefficients was based on the cross-section perturbations estimated by the SIMULATE-3 code, and on the different neutronic eigenmodes of the heterogeneous core determined by the CORE SIM tool

Comparison of neutron noise solvers based on numerical benchmarks in a 2-D simplified UOX fuel assembly

In the CORTEX project, several solvers are developed and applied to analyze neutron noise problems. They are based on Monte Carlo and deterministic (higher-order transport and diffusion) methods. For the study of their validity and limitations, an extensive verification and validation work has been undertaken and includes the simulation of numerical exercises and experiments. In the current paper the solvers are compared over two neutron noise benchmarks defined in a 2-D simplified UOX fuel assembly, with Monte Carlo used as a reference. In the two exercises, a global neutron noise source and a combination of stationary perturbations of the various cross sections are respectively prescribed. The higher-order neutron transport methods provide consistent results with respect to Monte Carlo. The calculations obtained from the diffusion-based solvers show discrepancies that can be significant, in particular close to the neutron noise source

Low expression of the interleukin (IL)-4 receptor alpha chain and reduced signalling via the IL-4 receptor complex in human neonatal B cells

Diminished neonatal antibody responses following infection or immunization may stem in part from intrinsic characteristics of neonatal B cells. In this study, we used B-cell subset sorting combined with gene expression assays to investigate major differences in the expression of host genes in neonatal and adult naïve B cells. We discovered significantly reduced expression of the interleukin (IL)-4 receptor alpha chain and reduced IL-4-induced signalling in neonatal B cells. Neonatal naïve B cells were susceptible to more rapid and more profound levels of apoptosis when cultured in vitro. They also exhibited a limited response to IL-4 treatment compared with adult cells. The expression level of the IL-13 receptor alpha 1 chain, a key component of the IL-13 receptor/IL-4 type II receptor, and the response to IL-13 treatment for protection against apoptosis in neonatal B cells were similar to those of the adult B cells. These studies suggest a possible mechanism underlying the limited magnitude and durability of neonatal antibody responses