Variational nodal perturbation calculations using simplified spherical harmonics

The simplified spherical harmonics (SP{sub N}) method has been used as an approximation to the transport equation in a number of situations. Recently, the SP{sub N} method has been formulated within the framework of the variational nodal method (VNM). Implementation in the VARIANT code indicated that for many two and three dimensional problems, near P{sub N} accuracy can be obtained at a fraction of the Cost. Perturbation methods offer additional computational cost reduction for reactor core calculations and are indispensable for performing a variety of calculations including sensitivity studies and the breakdown by components of reactivity worths. Here, we extend the perturbation method developed for the VNM in the full P{sub N} approximation to treat simplified spherical harmonics. The change in reactivity predicted by both first order and exact perturbation theory using the SP{sub N} approximation is demonstrated for a benchmark problem and compared to diffusion and full P{sub N} estimates

Video Endoscopy for Laser Photoresection in Tracheobronchial Pathology: Some Considerations After 9 Years Experience With 2105 Treatments

Between 1984 and 1993 we performed 2105 laser treatments in 1210 patients: 52% of treatments were done for malignant pathology, 45% for benign tracheal stenoses and 3% were in a miscellaneous group. The procedure was carried out with a rigid bronchoscope under general anaesthesia. In patients with malignant tumors, it is a good palliative treatment—safe, well tolerated and with immediate results; it can be repeated as many times as needed with and is well accepted by the patient. In patients without tumors, this method avoids emergency tracheotomies. The long term results are now under evaluation

Three-dimensional transport with variational nodal methods

The development of the variational nodal method contained in the three-dimensional transport code VARIANT is reviewed. This Argonne National Laboratory code treats two- and three- dimensional multigroup problems with anisotropic scattering in hexagonal and Cartesian geometries. The methodology couples hybrid finite elements in space, which enforce nodal balance, with spherical harmonics expansions in angle. The resulting response matrix equations are solved by red-black or four-color iterations. Several enhancements to VARIANT are discussed: The simplified spherical harmonics option provides near spherical harmonic accuracy for many problems at a fraction of the cost. Adjoint and perturbation calculations are performed without the physical- and mathematical adjoint dichotomy appearing in other nodal methods. Heterogeneous node methods extend the problem classes to which the method may be applied. Computational strategies and trade-offs are discussed and possible future research directions are outlined

Biceps, Bitches and Borgs: Reading <i>Jarhead</i>’s Representation of the Construction of the (Masculine) Military Body

This paper explores the relationship between masculinity, the body and the military through a close reading of the film Jarhead. Drawing on a Foucauldian frame of analysis, we consider three performances of the masculine military body that form key aspects of the film’s representational economy: the disciplined body, an outcome of the processes of basic training; the gendered body, realized through deployment of metaphors of the feminine to strengthen the masculine conception of the military body; and the cyborgian body, the result of the man-machine interface which is rapidly developing in many militaries around the world, and which poses significant questions for performances of military masculinity. We conclude by suggesting that the film’s rendering of the material and discursive body reveals an unexpected tension between the expectations of military bodies and the lived experience of their labour. As well as augmenting empirical explorations of male-worker-bodies and analysing the occupation of soldier as requiring a unique kind of body work, our contribution to the body-organization literature turns upon the claim that docile military bodies are made fit for purpose, but may actually no longer have a purpose for which to be fit

Do agile managed information systems projects fail due to a lack of emotional intelligence?

YesAgile development methodologies (ADM) have become a widely implemented project management approach in Information Systems (IS). Yet, along with its growing popularity, the amount of concerns raised in regard to human related challenges caused by applyingADMare rapidly increasing. Nevertheless, the extant scholarly literature has neglected to identify the primary origins and reasons of these challenges. The purpose of this study is therefore to examine if these human related challenges are related to a lack of Emotional Intelligence (EI) by means of a quantitative approach. Froma sample of 194 agile practitioners, EI was found to be significantly correlated to human related challenges in agile teams in terms of anxiety, motivation, mutual trust and communication competence. Hence, these findings offer important new knowledge for IS-scholars, project managers and human resource practitioners, about the vital role of EI for staffing and training of agile managed IS-projects