Chemical Gradients in Crud on Boiling Water Reactor Fuel Elements

Crud (radioactive corrosion products formed inside nuclear reactors is a major problem in commercial power-producing nuclear reactors. Although there are numerous studies of simulated (non-radioactive) crud, characteristics of crud from actual reactors are rarely studied. This study reports scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies of fragments of crud from a commercially operating boiling water reactor. Chemical analyses in the SEM indicated that the crud closest to the outer surfaces of the fuel pins in some areas had Fe:Zn ratios close to 2:1, which decreased away from the fuel pin in some of the fragments. In combination with transmission electron microsope analyses (published elsewhere), these results suggest that the innermost layer of crud in some areas may consist of franklinite (ZnFe2O4, also called zinc spinel), while outer layers in these areas may be predominantly iron oxides

Effects of Heat Treatment and Formulation on the Phase Composition and Chemical Durability of the EBR-Ll Ceramic Waste Form.

High-level radioactive waste salts generated during the electrometallurgical treatment of spent sodium-bonded nuclear fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II will be immobilized in a ceramic waste form (CWF). Tests are being conducted to evaluate the suitability of the CWF for disposal in the planned federal high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain. In this report, the results of laboratory tests and analyses conducted to address product consistency and thermal stability issues called out in waste acceptance requirements are presented. The tests measure the impacts of (1) variations in the amounts of salt and binder glass used to make the CWF and (2) heat treatments on the phase composition and chemical durability of the waste form. A series of CWF materials was made to span the ranges of salt and glass contents that could be used during processing: between 5.0 and 15 mass% salt loaded into the zeolite (the nominal salt loading is 10.7%, and the process control range is 10.6 to 11.2 mass%), and between 20 and 30 mass% binder glass mixed with the salt-loaded zeolite (the nominal glass content is 25% and the process control range is 20 to 30 mass%). In another series of tests, samples of two CWF products made with the nominal salt and glass contents were reheated to measure the impact on the phase composition and durability: long-term heat treatments were conducted at 400 and 500 C for durations of 1 week, 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year; short-term heat treatments were conducted at 600, 700, 800, and 850 C for durations of 4, 28, 52, and 100 hours. All of the CWF products that were made with different amounts of salt, zeolite, and glass and all of the heat-treated CWF samples were analyzed with powder X-ray diffraction to measure changes in phase compositions and subjected to 7-day product consistency tests to measure changes in the chemical durability. The salt loading had the greatest impact on phase composition and durability. A relatively large amount of nepheline, Na{sub 4}(AlSiO{sub 4}){sub 4}, was formed in the material made with 5.0 mass% salt loading, which was also the least durable of the materials that were tested. Nepheline was not detected in materials made with salt-loaded zeolites containing 15 or 20 mass% salt. Conversely, halite was not detected with XRD in materials made with 5.0 or 7.5 mass% salt loading, but similar amounts of halite were measured in the other CWF materials. The sodalite contents of all materials were similar. The halite content in the CWF source material used in the short-term heat-treatment study, which had the nominal salt and binder glass loadings, was determined to be about 1.3 mass% by standard addition analysis. Heat treatment had only a small effect on the phase composition: the amount of halite increased to as much as 3.7 mass%, and trace amounts of nepheline were detected in samples treated at 800 and 850 C. The CWF samples treated at high temperatures had lower amounts of halite detected in the rapid water-soluble test. The releases of B, Na, and Si in the product consistency tests (PCTs) were not sensitive to the heat-treatment conditions. The PCT responses of all salt-loaded and heat-treated CWF materials were well below that of the Environmental Assessment (EA) glass

Results of Recent Microstructural Characterization of Irradiated U-Mo Dispersion Fuels with Al Alloy Matrices that Contain Si

RERTR U-Mo dispersion fuel plates are being developed for application in research reactors throughout the world. As part of this development, reactor experiments are being conducted in the Advanced Test Reactor to determine the irradiation performance of different dispersion fuels that contain U-Mo alloys with different Mo contents and Al alloy matrices with different Si contents. Of particular interest is the performance of the dispersion fuels depending on the Si content of the Al alloy matrix, since the addition of Si is being looked to for improving the performance of these dispersion fuels. This paper will describe the results of recent microstructural examinations that have been performed using optical metallography and scanning electron microscopy on as-fabricated and as-irradiated dispersion fuels with different amounts of Si added to the Al matrix. Differences in the microstructural development during irradiation as a function of the Si content in the Al matrix will be discussed, and comments will be made about the development and stability of the fuel/matrix interaction layers that are commonly present in irradiated dispersion fuels

Evidence of random magnetic anisotropy in ferrihydrite nanoparticles based on analysis of statistical distributions

We show that the magnetic anisotropy energy of antiferromagnetic ferrihydrite depends on the square root of the nanoparticles volume, using a method based on the analysis of statistical distributions. The size distribution was obtained by transmission electron microscopy, and the anisotropy energy distributions were obtained from ac magnetic susceptibility and magnetic relaxation. The square root dependence corresponds to random local anisotropy, whose average is given by its variance, and can be understood in terms of the recently proposed single phase homogeneous structure of ferrihydrite.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Mitigation of Moral Hazard and Adverse Selection in Venture Capital Financing: The Influence of the Country’s Institutional Setting

A venture capitalist (VC) needs to trade off benefits and costs when attempting to mitigate agency problems in their investor-investee relationship. We argue that signals of ventures complement the VC’s capacity to screen and conduct a due diligence during the pre-investment phase, but its attractiveness may diminish in institutional settings supporting greater transparency. Similarly, whereas a VC may opt for contractual covenants to curb potential opportunism by ventures in the post-investment phase, this may only be effective in settings supportive of shareholder rights enforcement. Using an international sample of VC contracts, our study finds broad support for these conjectures. It delineates theoretical and practical implications for how investors can best deploy their capital in different institutional settings whilst nurturing their relationships with entrepreneurs

Barriers encountered during enrollment in an internet-mediated randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Online technology is a promising resource for conducting clinical research. While the internet may improve a study's reach, as well as the efficiency of data collection, it may also introduce a number of challenges for participants and investigators. The objective of this research was to determine the challenges that potential participants faced during the enrollment phase of a randomized controlled intervention trial of Stepping Up to Health, an internet-mediated walking program that utilized a multi-step online enrollment process.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a quantitative content analysis of 623 help tickets logged in a participant management database during the enrollment phase of a clinical trial investigating the effect of an automated internet-mediated walking intervention. Qualitative coding was performed by two trained coders, and 10% of the sample was coded by both coders to determine inter-coder reliability. Quantitative analyses included standard descriptive statistics on ticket characteristics and theme frequency, and a Poisson regression analysis identified characteristics of potential participants who reported more frequent problems during enrollment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In total, 880 potential participants visited the study website and 80% completed the enrollment screening. Of the potential participants who visited the study website, 38% had help tickets logged in the participant management database. The total number of help tickets associated with individual potential participants ranged from 0 to 7 (M = .71). Overall, 46% of help tickets were initiated by email and 54% were initiated by phone. The most common help ticket theme was issues related to the study process (48%). The next most prominent theme was discussion related to obtaining medical clearance (34%), followed by issues related to pedometers and uploading (31%). Older individuals, women, and those with lower self-rated internet ability were more likely to report problems during the enrollment process.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Prospective participants in an online clinical trial encountered a number of barriers to enrollment that led them to request help from study staff. Questions about the complex enrollment process itself were common. In a complex multi-step enrollment process, providing personalized feedback to potential participants indicating their status within the enrollment process may be beneficial.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00729040</p

How Do Employees Perceive Corporate Responsibility? Development and Validation of a Multidimensional Corporate Stakeholder Responsibility Scale

Recent research on the microfoundations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has highlighted the need for improved measures to evaluate how stakeholders perceive and subsequently react to CSR initiatives. Drawing on stakeholder theory and data from five samples of employees (N = 3,772), the authors develop and validate a new measure of corporate stakeholder responsibility (CStR), which refers to an organization’s context-specific actions and policies designed to enhance the welfare of various stakeholder groups by accounting for the triple bottom line of economic, social, and environmental performance; it is conceptualized as a superordinate, multidimensional construct. Results from exploratory factor analyses, first- and second-order confirmatory factor analyses, and structural equation modeling provide strong evidence of the convergent, discriminant, incremental, and criterion-related validities of the proposed CStR scale. Two-wave longitudinal studies further extend prior theory by demonstrating that the higher-order CStR construct relates positively and directly to organizational pride and perceived organizational support, as well as positively and indirectly to organizational identification, job satisfaction, and affective commitment, beyond the contribution of overall organizational justice, ethical climate, and prior measures of perceived CSR

Multi-Informant Predictors of Social Inclusion for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Attending Mainstream School

This study examined differential profiles of behavioural characteristics predictive of successful inclusion in mainstream education for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and comparison students. Multiple regression analyses using behavioural ratings from parents, teachers and peers found some evidence for differential profiles predicting peer acceptance and rejection. High levels of peer-rated shyness significantly predicted social rejection in comparison students only. Parent-rated prosocial behaviour also differentially predicted social acceptance; high-levels of prosocial behaviour predicted acceptance in comparison students, but low-levels were predictive for students with ASD. These findings suggest that schools may seek to augment traditional social skills programmes with awareness raising about ASD among mainstream pupils to utilise peers’ apparent willingness to discount characteristics such as ‘shyness’

Integrating an internet-mediated walking program into family medicine clinical practice: a pilot feasibility study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Regular participation in physical activity can prevent many chronic health conditions. Computerized self-management programs are effective clinical tools to support patient participation in physical activity. This pilot study sought to develop and evaluate an online interface for primary care providers to refer patients to an Internet-mediated walking program called Stepping Up to Health (SUH) and to monitor participant progress in the program.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In Phase I of the study, we recruited six pairs of physicians and medical assistants from two family practice clinics to assist with the design of a clinical interface. During Phase II, providers used the developed interface to refer patients to a six-week pilot intervention. Provider perspectives were assessed regarding the feasibility of integrating the program into routine care. Assessment tools included quantitative and qualitative data gathered from semi-structured interviews, surveys, and online usage logs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In Phase I, 13 providers used SUH and participated in two interviews. Providers emphasized the need for alerts flagging patients who were not doing well and the ability to review participant progress. Additionally, providers asked for summary views of data across all enrolled clinic patients as well as advertising materials for intervention recruitment. In response to this input, an interface was developed containing three pages: 1) a recruitment page, 2) a summary page, and 3) a detailed patient page. In Phase II, providers used the interface to refer 139 patients to SUH and 37 (27%) enrolled in the intervention. Providers rarely used the interface to monitor enrolled patients. Barriers to regular use of the intervention included lack of integration with the medical record system, competing priorities, patient disinterest, and physician unease with exercise referrals. Intention-to-treat analyses showed that patients increased walking by an average of 1493 steps/day from pre- to post-intervention (<it>t </it>= (36) = 4.13, <it>p </it>< 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Providers successfully referred patients using the SUH provider interface, but were less willing to monitor patient compliance in the program. Patients who completed the program significantly increased their step counts. Future research is needed to test the effectiveness of integrating SUH with clinical information systems over a longer evaluation period.</p