Mathematical model of the point kinetic equations of a fast reactor in LabVIEW

The reactor point kinetics equations have been subjected to intense research in an effort to find simple yet accurate numerical solution methods. Many solution techniques have been presented on the point kinetics equations with varying degrees of complexity including Power Series Solutions, CORE, PCA, Ganapol and Taylor series methods. In this paper, fast and simple algorithms were developed based on the first and second order Taylor series expansion and simulated in LabVIEW to solve the Reactor Point Kinetics. Simulations for a fast reactor are presented. At 1× 10-8 s the neutron population was 1.000220 neutrons / cm3, at 1× 10-2 s it was 2.007681 neutrons / cm3 and at 1× 10-1 s it was 2.075317 neutrons / cm3. Keywords: reactor point kinetics equations, taylor series approximations, neutron population density, fast reacto

Basic school teachers’ attitude and confidence level in teaching the computing common-core programme curriculum in Ghana

This study investigates the attitudes and confidence levels of Basic 7-9 teachers in Ghana regarding the implementation of the Computing Common Core Programme (CCP) curriculum. Utilizing Rogers\u27 Diffusion of Innovations Theory as a framework, the research explores factors influencing teacher confidence, including access to ICT resources and professional development opportunities. A descriptive survey design was employed, involving 287 teachers from public schools across Ghana. The findings reveal a high level of teacher confidence in teaching the CCP curriculum, despite limited access to ICT tools and resources. A positive, albeit insignificant, correlation was found between ICT resource availability and teacher confidence. However, professional development avenues significantly impact teacher confidence, aligning with Rogers\u27 theory on the role of communication channels and social systems in the diffusion of innovation. The study recommends prioritizing the provision of ICT tools in schools and expanding professional development opportunities for teachers to ensure the successful implementation of the CCP curriculum

Factors associated with the appropriate use of asthma medications among adult asthmatic patients attending asthma clinic in a teaching hospital

Introduction: asthma tends to be more severe with worse symptoms in Africa due to late diagnosis and delayed initiation of treatment. To identify patient and treatment-related factors which influence the appropriate use of asthma medications. Methods: the study was institution based cross-sectional design. Patients were invited to provide information regarding the use of their asthma medications and factors potentially associated with appropriate use of these medications. A stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the most important factor at a 0.05 level of significance. Results: respondents with better knowledge of their asthma medications were more likely to use them appropriately (OR 5.82 [CI 95% 2.25-15.04]) as were those with positive attitudes and beliefs towards asthma and asthma medications (OR 3.88 [CI 95% 1.44-10.44]). Conclusion: patients need to understand the importance of adhering to the prescribed regimen for their asthma medications even in the absence of overt symptoms in order to optimize clinical outcome

UTILITY OF FIBEROPTIC BRONCHOSCOPY FOR RETRIEVAL OF ASPIRATED HEADSCARF PINS

Background: Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration is a worldwide health problem which often results in life threatening complications.Headscarf pin aspiration is a common and unique form of foreign body aspiration among young Muslim women. Rigid bronchoscopy (RB) is considered the standard procedure for retrieval. Standard flexible bronchoscopy (FOB) is used increasingly in the treatment of tracheobronchial headscarf pins aspiration in adults.Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the utility (use) of FOB for the retrieval (extraction) of aspirated headscarf pins.Materials and Methods: Patients with the diagnosis of headscarf pin aspiration admitted to Sulaimanyah Teaching Hospital, department of cardiothoracic and vascular Surgery from January 2008 to September 2011 were included in the study. Standard FOB procedure using an oral approach with patient in recumbent position, under local anesthesia and conscious sedation was performed as the primary tool for retrieval.Results: A total of 20 cases were admitted during the study period. The mean age of the sample was 24 years (10-40 years).All patients presented with cough while two of them had hemoptysis (10%) and five had unilateral wheeze on chest auscultation (25%). The aspirated pin was successfully retrieved in 19/20 cases (95%) during the first attempt of FOB. However, FOB was not successful in 1/20 case (5%). The aspirated pin was successfully retrieved by RB under general anesthesia.Conclusions: FOB is a safe and successful method when performed by an experienced bronchoscopist, well educated staff, and at a well equipped bronchoscopy unit. Headscarf pin aspiration is a relatively common form of foreign body aspiration among young Muslim Iraqi women. It commonly occurs when women hold the pins in their teeth while wearing the hejaab and talking to others at the same time

Safety and Nonsafety Communications and Interactions in International Nuclear Power Plants

Current industry and NRC guidance documents such as IEEE 7-4.3.2, Reg. Guide 1.152, and IEEE 603 do not sufficiently define a level of detail for evaluating interdivisional communications independence. The NRC seeks to establish criteria for safety systems communications that can be uniformly applied in evaluation of a variety of safety system designs. This report focuses strictly on communication issues related to data sent between safety systems and between safety and nonsafety systems. Further, the report does not provide design guidance for communication systems nor present detailed failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) results for existing designs. This letter report describes communications between safety and nonsafety systems in nuclear power plants outside the United States. A limited study of international nuclear power plants was conducted to ascertain important communication implementations that might have bearing on systems proposed for licensing in the United States. This report provides that following information: 1.communications types and structures used in a representative set of international nuclear power reactors, and 2.communications issues derived from standards and other source documents relevant to safety and nonsafety communications. Topics that are discussed include the following: communication among redundant safety divisions, communications between safety divisions and nonsafety systems, control of safety equipment from a nonsafety workstation, and connection of nonsafety programming, maintenance, and test equipment to redundant safety divisions during operation. Information for this report was obtained through publicly available sources such as published papers and presentations. No proprietary information is represented

Diversity Strategies for Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control Systems

This report presents the technical basis for establishing acceptable mitigating strategies that resolve diversity and defense-in-depth (D3) assessment findings and conform to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requirements. The research approach employed to establish appropriate diversity strategies involves investigation of available documentation on D3 methods and experience from nuclear power and nonnuclear industries, capture of expert knowledge and lessons learned, determination of best practices, and assessment of the nature of common-cause failures (CCFs) and compensating diversity attributes. The research described in this report does not provide guidance on how to determine the need for diversity in a safety system to mitigate the consequences of potential CCFs. Rather, the scope of this report provides guidance to the staff and nuclear industry after a licensee or applicant has performed a D3 assessment per NUREG/CR-6303 and determined that diversity in a safety system is needed for mitigating the consequences of potential CCFs identified in the evaluation of the safety system design features. Succinctly, the purpose of the research described in this report was to answer the question, 'If diversity is required in a safety system to mitigate the consequences of potential CCFs, how much diversity is enough?' The principal results of this research effort have identified and developed diversity strategies, which consist of combinations of diversity attributes and their associated criteria. Technology, which corresponds to design diversity, is chosen as the principal system characteristic by which diversity criteria are grouped to form strategies. The rationale for this classification framework involves consideration of the profound impact that technology-focused design diversity provides. Consequently, the diversity usage classification scheme involves three families of strategies: (1) different technologies, (2) different approaches within the same technology, and (3) different architectures within the same technology. Using this convention, the first diversity usage family, designated Strategy A, is characterized by fundamentally diverse technologies. Strategy A at the system or platform level is illustrated by the example of analog and digital implementations. The second diversity usage family, designated Strategy B, is achieved through the use of distinctly different technologies. Strategy B can be described in terms of different digital technologies, such as the distinct approaches represented by general-purpose microprocessors and field-programmable gate arrays. The third diversity usage family, designated Strategy C, involves the use of variations within a technology. An example of Strategy C involves different digital architectures within the same technology, such as that provided by different microprocessors (e.g., Pentium and Power PC). The grouping of diversity criteria combinations according to Strategies A, B, and C establishes baseline diversity usage and facilitates a systematic organization of strategic approaches for coping with CCF vulnerabilities. Effectively, these baseline sets of diversity criteria constitute appropriate CCF mitigating strategies for digital safety systems. The strategies represent guidance on acceptable diversity usage and can be applied directly to ensure that CCF vulnerabilities identified through a D3 assessment have been adequately resolved. Additionally, a framework has been generated for capturing practices regarding diversity usage and a tool has been developed for the systematic assessment of the comparative effect of proposed diversity strategies (see Appendix A)

Basic school teachers’ attitude and confidence level in teaching the new standards-based computing curriculum in Ghana: Basic school teachers’ attitude and confidence level in teaching the new standards-based computing curriculum in Ghana

This study assessed the attitude and level of confidence of Basic 1-6 teachers in Ghana in implementing the new standard-based computing curriculum. The study employed the survey design. Simple random sampling and stratified sampling were used to select 127 teachers from five regions in Ghana. Frequencies, percentages and Pearson correlation statistics were used to analyse the data collected. The findings showed that most of the teachers have high confidence in handling the revised computing curriculum. In addition, most teachers have positive attitude towards using ICT tools for teaching and learning. Availability of ICT resources in basic schools in Ghana remains a challenge. The findings further indicated that some basic school teachers had taken academic courses to improve their academic qualifications within the last three years. However, most teachers said they had not attended any ICT-based workshop in the last one year. The study recommended more in-service training for teachers who teach computing to bring them up to speed on the computing curriculum

Socio- Economic Impact of Lake Bosomtwe Shoreline Changes on Catchment Residents in Ghana

relies largely on fishing in the lake and farming on the marginal lands. The relationship between the land use practices in the catchments, people’s livelihood and the lake fishing environment is fascinating, because of the belief that the catchment forests and streams help make the lake basin a rich habitat. However, recent human activities and shoreline changes of the lake are believed to have subjected the catchment areas to undue deforestation from uncoordinated farming practices. The unparalleled degradation of the catchments has disrupted the fish ecology, hence dwindling livelihood opportunities. The local population has had to diversify livelihood strategies. This study examined the impacts of the shoreline changes on the livelihood of the surrounding communities. The study employed the mixed methods approach to undertake the research by triangulating primary and secondary source data. In-depth interview and questionnaire were used to solicit information from eighty seven (87) respondents on their knowledge and perception on Lake Bosomtwe shoreline change and its impacts on their livelihoods. The main findings of the study are that the gradual depletion of the lake is being felt by the population who depend on the lake for their means of livelihood. It is recommended that committees be set up within the three districts to provide environmental education and proper management of the lake as it serves as the highest income generating venture

Diversity Strategies for Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control Systems

This report presents the technical basis for establishing acceptable mitigating strategies that resolve diversity and defense-in-depth (D3) assessment findings and conform to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requirements. The research approach employed to establish appropriate diversity strategies involves investigation of available documentation on D3 methods and experience from nuclear power and nonnuclear industries, capture of expert knowledge and lessons learned, determination of best practices, and assessment of the nature of common-cause failures (CCFs) and compensating diversity attributes. The research described in this report does not provide guidance on how to determine the need for diversity in a safety system to mitigate the consequences of potential CCFs. Rather, the scope of this report provides guidance to the staff and nuclear industry after a licensee or applicant has performed a D3 assessment per NUREG/CR-6303 and determined that diversity in a safety system is needed for mitigating the consequences of potential CCFs identified in the evaluation of the safety system design features. Succinctly, the purpose of the research described in this report was to answer the question, 'If diversity is required in a safety system to mitigate the consequences of potential CCFs, how much diversity is enough?' The principal results of this research effort have identified and developed diversity strategies, which consist of combinations of diversity attributes and their associated criteria. Technology, which corresponds to design diversity, is chosen as the principal system characteristic by which diversity criteria are grouped to form strategies. The rationale for this classification framework involves consideration of the profound impact that technology-focused design diversity provides. Consequently, the diversity usage classification scheme involves three families of strategies: (1) different technologies, (2) different approaches within the same technology, and (3) different architectures within the same technology. Using this convention, the first diversity usage family, designated Strategy A, is characterized by fundamentally diverse technologies. Strategy A at the system or platform level is illustrated by the example of analog and digital implementations. The second diversity usage family, designated Strategy B, is achieved through the use of distinctly different technologies. Strategy B can be described in terms of different digital technologies, such as the distinct approaches represented by general-purpose microprocessors and field-programmable gate arrays. The third diversity usage family, designated Strategy C, involves the use of variations within a technology. An example of Strategy C involves different digital architectures within the same technology, such as that provided by different microprocessors (e.g., Pentium and Power PC). The grouping of diversity criteria combinations according to Strategies A, B, and C establishes baseline diversity usage and facilitates a systematic organization of strategic approaches for coping with CCF vulnerabilities. Effectively, these baseline sets of diversity criteria constitute appropriate CCF mitigating strategies for digital safety systems. The strategies represent guidance on acceptable diversity usage and can be applied directly to ensure that CCF vulnerabilities identified through a D3 assessment have been adequately resolved. Additionally, a framework has been generated for capturing practices regarding diversity usage and a tool has been developed for the systematic assessment of the comparative effect of proposed diversity strategies (see Appendix A)