Reactivity Initiated Accident Test Series RIA Scoping Test Quick Look Report

The Reactivity Initiated Accident Scoping Test (RIA-ST) was successfully completed August 30, 1978. The test was introductory to the RIA Series 1 tests and was designed to investigate and resolve several anticipated problem areas prior to performance of the first test of the series, Test RIA 1-1. The RIA Scoping Test, as performed, consisted of four separate single-rod experiment phases. The first three phases were performed with shrouded fuel rods of 5.8 wt.% enrichment. They were subjected to power bursts resulting in total fuel surface energies ranging from 205 to 261 cal/q at the axial peak elevation. The fourth phase consisted of a 20 wt.% enriched, shrouded fuel rod which was subjected to a power hurst that deposited a total radially averaged energy of 527 cal/g. The primary objectives of the Scoping Test were defined as follows: (1) Determine the applicability of extrapolating low-power steady state calorimetric measurements and self-powered neutron detector (SPND) output to determine fuel rod energy depositions during a power burst. (2) Determine the enerqy deposition failure threshold for unirradiated fuel rods at BWR hot-startup coolant conditions. (3) Determine the magnitudes of oossible pressure pulses resulting from rod failure. (4) Determine the sensitivity of the test instrumentation to high transient radiation exposures. In general, the energy deposition values for the Scoping Test derived from the SPND output were 25% higher than those obtained from the core ion chamber data. Determining which values are correct will require radiochemical analysis of the fuel rods which will take several months. At present, it apoears that the SPND derived energies are in error because of excellent agreement between the calculated and measured power calibration results and the agreement between the predicted failure threshold and that seen using the core ion chamber derived energies. Meeting the second objective was accomplished during the first three test phases by subjecting the fuel rods to energy depositions which bracketed the failure threshold. The failure threshold in terms of total pellet surface energy at the axial flux peak was found to be between 218 cal/g where no rod failure occurred and 256 cal/g where · rod failure did occur. The experiment predictions indicated that the failure threshold would be 262 cal/g at the pellet surface. Only the fourth experiment phase (527 cal/g) resulted in a pressure pulse upon rod failure. The best indication of source pressure was the reading from a 69 MPa EG&G pressure transducer at the flow shroud inlet. This pressure transducer indicated a pressure pulse upon rod failure of 28.2 MPa with a rise time of 1.6 ms. The source pressure was attenuated considerably outside the shroud region as indicated by pressure transducers in the upper plenum of the in-pile tube and in the flow bypass region. The maximum pressure indicated outside the flow shroud was 2.1 MPa. In general, instrumentation sensitivity to radiation was minimal. The most significant instrumentation problem during the power bursts was a false flowrate indication by the flow turbines. This problem is being examined. The Kaman and Bell & Howell pressure transducers showed the least sensitivity to radiation of the pressure measurement devices. The EG&G transducers were most sensitive. The locked linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) gave no indication of radiation sensitivity as its response during the burst was a straight line. The strain gages were very sensitive to radiation, indicating a strain increase of 70% with the second burst of RIA-ST-1. The Type S thermocouple did not exhibit significant radiation sensitivity. In addition, the RIA Scoping Test has provided data on the consequences of fuel rod failure during a RIA event at BWR hot startup conditions. Posttest examination of the fuel rods from the first two phases of the test revealed large quantities of UO{sub 2} fuel missing from the cladding. Fuel rod failures for energy depositions near the failure threshold in previous closed capsule tests without forced coolant flow resulted in only a slight amount of fuel loss

Emotional intelligence buffers the effect of physiological arousal on dishonesty

We studied the emotional processes that allow people to balance two competing desires: benefitting from dishonesty and keeping a positive self-image. We recorded physiological arousal (skin conductance and heart rate) during a computer card game in which participants could cheat and fail to report a certain card when presented on the screen to avoid losing their money. We found that higher skin conductance corresponded to lower cheating rates. Importantly, emotional intelligence regulated this effect; participants with high emotional intelligence were less affected by their physiological reactions than those with low emotional intelligence. As a result, they were more likely to profit from dishonesty. However, no interaction emerged between heart rate and emotional intelligence. We suggest that the ability to manage and control emotions can allow people to overcome the tension between doing right or wrong and license them to bend the rules

The development and validation of the Addiction-like Eating Behaviour Scale

Background: Overeating and obesity are frequently attributed to an addiction to food. However, there is currently a lack of evidence to support the idea that certain foods contain any specific addictive substance. An alternative approach is to focus on dimensions of observable behaviour, which may underpin a behavioural addiction to eating. To facilitate this, it is necessary to develop a tool to quantify addiction-like eating behaviour, which is not based on the clinical criteria for substance dependence. The current study provides initial validation of the Addiction-like Eating Behaviour Scale (AEBS). Methods: English speaking male and female participants (N=511) from a community sample completed the AEBS, alongside a range of other health- and eating-related questionnaires including the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) and Binge Eating Scale (BES). Participants also provided their height and weight to enable calculation of body mass index (BMI). Finally, to assess test–retest reliability, an additional 70 participants completed the AEBS twice, 2 weeks apart. Results: Principle components analysis revealed that a two-factor structure best accounted for the data. Factor 1 consisted of items that referred to appetitive drive, whereas factor two consisted of items that referred to dietary control practices. Both subscales demonstrated good internal reliability and test–retest reliability, and a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor scale structure. AEBS scores correlated positively with body mass index (BMI) (P<0.001) and other self-report measures of overeating. Importantly, the AEBS significantly predicted variance in BMI above that accounted for by both the YFAS and BES (P=0.027). Conclusions: The AEBS provides a valid and reliable tool to quantify the behavioural features of a potential ‘eating addiction’. In doing so, the AEBS overcomes many limitations associated with applying substance-dependence criteria to eating

Extreme variations of pCO2 and pH in a macrophyte meadow of the Baltic Sea in summer: evidence of the effect of photosynthesis and local upwelling

The impact of ocean acidification on benthic habitats is a major preoccupation of the scientific community. However, the natural variability of pCO2 and pH in those habitats remains understudied, especially in temperate areas. In this study we investigated temporal variations of the carbonate system in nearshore macrophyte meadows of the western Baltic Sea. These are key benthic ecosystems, providing spawning and nursery areas as well as food to numerous commercially important species. In situ pCO2, pH (total scale), salinity and PAR irradiance were measured with a continuous recording sensor package dropped in a shallow macrophyte meadow (Eckernförde bay, western Baltic Sea) during three different weeks in July (pCO2 and PAR only), August and September 2011.The mean (± SD) pCO2 in July was 383±117 µatm. The mean (± SD) pCO2 and pHtot in August were 239±20 µatm and 8.22±0.1, respectively. The mean (± SD) pCO2 and pHtot in September were 1082±711 µatm and 7.83±0.40, respectively. Daily variations of pCO2 due to photosynthesis and respiration (difference between daily maximum and minimum) were of the same order of magnitude: 281±88 µatm, 219±89 μatm and 1488±574 µatm in July, August and September respectively. The observed variations of pCO2 were explained through a statistical model considering wind direction and speed together with PAR irradiance. At a time scale of days to weeks, local upwelling of elevated pCO2 water masses with offshore winds drives the variation. Within days, primary production is responsible. The results demonstrate the high variability of the carbonate system in nearshore macrophyte meadows depending on meteorology and biological activities. We highlight the need to incorporate these variations in future pCO2 scenarios and experimental designs for nearshore habitats

Heart rate variability and the relationship between trauma exposure age, and psychopathology in a post-conflict setting

BACKGROUND: Cumulative exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) increases risk for mental distress in conflict-affected settings, but the psychophysiological mechanisms that mediate this dose-response relationship are unknown. We investigated diminished heart rate variability (HRV) - an index of vagus nerve function and a robust predictor of emotion regulation capacity - as a vulnerability marker that potentially mediates the association between PTE exposure, age and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychological distress and aggressive behavior, in a community sample from Timor-Leste - a post-conflict country with a history of mass violence. METHOD: Resting state heart rate data was recorded from 45 cases of PTSD, depression and intermittent explosive disorder (IED); and 29 non-case controls. RESULTS: Resting HRV was significantly reduced in the combined case group compared with non-cases (p = .021; Cohen's d = 0.5). A significant mediation effect was also observed, whereby a sequence of increased age, reduced HRV and elevated PTSD symptoms mediated the association between PTE exposure and distress (B = .06, SE = .05, 95% CI = [.00-.217]) and aggression (B = .02, SE = .02, 95% CI = [.0003-.069])). CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate an association between diminished resting HRV and psychopathology. Moreover, age-related HRV reductions emerged as a potential psychophysiological mechanism that underlies enhanced vulnerability to distress and aggression following cumulative PTE exposure

Leptin concentrations in response to acute stress predict subsequent intake of comfort foods

Both animals and humans show a tendency toward eating more “comfort food” (high fat, sweet food) after acute stress. Such stress eating may be contributing to the obesity epidemic, and it is important to understand the underlying psychobiological mechanisms. Prior investigations have studied what makes individuals eat more after stress; this study investigates what might make individuals eat less. Leptin has been shown to increase following a laboratory stressor, and is known to affect eating behavior. This study examined whether leptin reactivity accounts for individual differences in stress eating. To test this, we exposed forty women to standardized acute psychological laboratory stress (Trier Social Stress Test) while blood was sampled repeatedly for measurements of plasma leptin. We then measured food intake after the stressor in 29 of these women. Increasing leptin during the stressor predicted lower intake of comfort food. These initial findings suggest that acute changes in leptin may be one of the factors modulating down the consumption of comfort food following stress