RELAP5 Simulation of PKL Facility Experiments under Midloop Conditions

[EN] Nuclear power plant risk has to be quantified in full power and in other modes of operation. This latter situation corresponds to low power and shutdown modes of operation in which the residual heat removal (RHR) system is required to extract the heat generated in the core. These accidental sequences are great contributors to the total plant risk. Thus, it is important to analyze the plant behavior to establish the accident mitigation measures required. In this way, PKL facility experimental series were undertaken to analyze the plant behavior in other modes of operation when the RHR is lost. In these experiments, the plant configurations were changed to analyze the influence of steam generators secondary side configurations, the temperature inside the pressurizer, and the inventory level on the plant behavior. Moreover, different accident management measures were proposed in each experiment to reach the conditions to restart the RHR. To understand the physical phenomena that takes place inside the reactor, the experiments are simulated with thermal-hydraulic codes, and this makes it possible to analyze the code capabilities to predict the plant behavior. This work presents the simulation results of four experiments included in PKL experimental series obtained using RELAP5/Mod3.3.This study is part of the work developed by the Polytechnic University of Valencia within a project of the OECD, in which authors are participating under the leadership of the Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (STN/4524/2015/640). The authors thank PKL III, especially AREVA, program organizers for the information supplied.Villanueva López, JF.; Carlos Alberola, S.; Sánchez Sáez, F.; Martón Lluch, I.; Martorell Alsina, SS. (2017). RELAP5 Simulation of PKL Facility Experiments under Midloop Conditions. Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations. 2017:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/6140323S111201

Arginine Vasopressin Enhances Sympathetic Constriction Through the V1 Vasopressin Receptor in Human Saphenous Vein

Background—Arginine vasopressin (AVP) not only acts directly on blood vessels through V1 receptor stimulation but also may modulate adrenergic-mediated responses in animal experiments in vivo and in vitro. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether AVP can contribute to an abnormal adrenergic constrictor response of human saphenous veins. Methods and Results—Saphenous vein rings were obtained from 32 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. The vein rings were suspended in organ bath chambers for isometric recording of tension. AVP (331029 mol/L) enhanced the contractions elicited by electrical field stimulation at 1, 2, and 4 Hz (by 80%, 70%, and 60%, respectively) and produced a leftward shift of the concentration-response curve to norepinephrine (half-maximal effective concentration decreased from 6.8731027 to 1.0431027 mol/L; P,.05). The V1 vasopressin receptor antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)AVP (1026 mol/L) prevented the potentiation evoked by AVP. The selective V1 receptor agonist [Phe,2 Orn8]-vasotocin (331029 mol/L) induced potentiation of electrical stimulation– evoked responses, which was also inhibited in the presence of the V1 receptor antagonist (1026 mol/L). In contrast, the V2 receptor agonist desmopressin (1029 to 1027 mol/L) did not modify neurogenic responses, and the V2 receptor antagonist [d(CH2)5, D-Ile,2 Ile,4 Arg8]-vasopressin (1028 to 1026 mol/L) did not prevent the potentiation induced by AVP. The dihydropyridine calcium antagonist nifedipine (1026 mol/L) did not affect the potentiating effect of AVP. Conclusions—The results suggest that low concentrations of AVP facilitate sympathetic neurotransmission and potentiate constrictor effects of norepinephrine in human saphenous veins. These effects appear to be mediated by V1 receptor stimulation and are independent of calcium entry through dihydropyridine calcium channels. Thus, AVP may contribute to vascular mechanisms involved in acute ischemic syndromes associated with venous grafts, particularly if the sympathetic nervous system is activated. (Circulation. 1998;97:865-870.)Medina Besso, Pascual, [email protected] ; Acuña Torre, Antonio, [email protected] ; Martinez Leon, Juan Baustista, [email protected] ; Vila Salinas, José M, [email protected] ; Aldasoro Celaya, Martin, [email protected] ; Lluch Lopez, Salvador, [email protected]

Contractile responses of human thyroid arteries to vasopressin

Aims: In the present study we investigated the intervention of nitric oxide and prostacyclin in the responses to vasopressin of isolated thyroid arteries obtained from multi-organ donors. Main methods: Paired artery rings from glandular branches of the superior thyroid artery, one normal and the other deendothelised, were mounted in organ baths for isometric recording of tension. Concentration-response curves to vasopressin were determined in the absence and in the presence of either the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)AVP (10−8 M), the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-Larginine (L-NMMA, 10−4 M), or the inhibitor of prostaglandins indomethacin (10−6 M). Key findings: In artery rings under resting tension, vasopressin produced concentration-dependent, endotheliumindependent contractions. The vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)AVP (10−8 M) displaced the control curve to vasopressin 19-fold to the right in a parallelmanner. The contractile response to vasopressinwas unaffected by L-NMMA or by indomethacin. Significance: Vasopressin causes constriction of human thyroid arteries by stimulation of V1 vasopressin receptors located on smooth muscle cells. These effects are not linked to the presence of an intact endothelium or to the release of nitric oxide or prostaglandins. The constriction of thyroid arteries may be particularly relevant in certain pathophysiological circumstances in which vasopressin is released in amounts that could interfere with the blood supply to the thyroid gland

Toma de decisiones informada en el riesgo en el análisis probabilista de cambios de AOT mediante el tratamiento de incertidumbres de completitud

La mejora de la seguridad y competitividad de la explotación en las centrales nucleares se basa en los requisitos operacionales establecidos en las Especificaciones Técnicas de funcionamiento (ETF), que forman parte de las bases de licencia de explotación, tanto en los requisitos de vigilancia (RV) como en las condiciones límite de operación (CLO), tales como el tiempo entre mantenimientos (STI) y el tiempo permitido de inoperabilidad (AOT). Para ello en los últimos años se han desarrollado metodologías para a partir de métodos probabilistas estudiar cambios en ETF informado en el riesgo, utilizando los modelos y datos del análisis probabilista de seguridad (APS), pero sin tener en cuenta el tratamiento sistemático que las incertidumbres, tanto de completitud, de modelo o de parámetro, tienen en los resultados obtenido. La Nuclear Regulatoty Comission (NCR), siguiendo su política de seguridad en las centrales nucleares, reconoce la importancia de abordar la incertidumbre con el uso del APS como una parte integral en la toma de decisiones, estableciendo el impacto potencial de estas incertidumbres con la comparación de los resultados obtenidos con unos criterios de aceptación dados.Martorell Alsina, SS.; Sánchez Galdón, AI.; Marton Lluch, I.; Carlos Alberola, S.; Villamizar León, MP.; Villanueva López, JF. (2012). Toma de decisiones informada en el riesgo en el análisis probabilista de cambios de AOT mediante el tratamiento de incertidumbres de completitud. Sociedad Nuclear Española. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/71524

Metodología de evaluación del impacto en el riesgo de cambios de requisitos de vigilancia de equipos de seguridad integrando tratamiento y análisis de incertidumbres de modelo y parámetro

Los requisitos de Vigilancia de equipos de seguridad forman partes de las Especificaciones Técnicas de Funcionamiento incluidas en las bases de licencia de operación de Centrales Nucleares, por lo que son centro de atención en el estudio de mejoras para la seguridad de la explotación de la planta utilizando diferentes métodos, tanto deterministas tradicionales como probabilistas. Esta ponencia presenta una aproximación basada en tres etapas (modelado, cuantificación y análisis), para la evaluación del impacto en la fiabilidad (a nivel de sistema) y el riesgo (a nivel de planta), ocasionado por cambios de dichos Requisitos de vigilancia, utilizando como base el Análisis Probabilista del Seguridad APS, la cual integra, por primera vez, la identificación, tratamiento y análisis del efecto de las incertidumbres en la toma de decisiones sobre la aceptabilidad de los cambios propuestos. La viabilidad de la metodología propuesta se ha puesto de manifiesto con los resultados obtenidos en un caso de aplicación para el análisis de cambios en los requisitos de vigilancia del Sistema de Protección del Reactor utilizando un APS de nivel 1, a nivel sistema y a nivel de planta. La metodología propuesta es coherente con la propuesta por la guía reguladora americana RG 1.174, aplicable a los diseños LWR en centrales españolas, aunque amplia su nivel de desarrollo técnico.Martorell Alsina, SS.; Villamizar León, MP.; Marton Lluch, I.; Villanueva López, JF.; Carlos Alberola, S.; Sánchez Galdón, AI. (2013). Metodología de evaluación del impacto en el riesgo de cambios de requisitos de vigilancia de equipos de seguridad integrando tratamiento y análisis de incertidumbres de modelo y parámetro. Sociedad Nuclear Española. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/71613

Phase III Trial of Adjuvant Capecitabine After Standard Neo-/Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Early Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (GEICAM/2003-11_CIBOMA/2004-01)

Altres ajuts: Agustí Barnadas: Honoraria: Pfizer. Consulting or Advisory Role: Pfizer, Novartis, Eli Lilly. Speakers'Bureau: Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, Genomic Health International. Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Roche, Pfizer; Miguel A. Seguí: Consulting or Advisory Role: Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, Amgen, Eisai, Eli Lilly. Speakers' Bureau: Roche, Pfizer, Amgen. Research Funding: Roche (Inst), Novartis (Inst). Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, Amgen.Operable triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) have a higher risk of relapse than non-TNBCs with standard therapy. The GEICAM/2003-11_CIBOMA/2004-01 trial explored extended adjuvant capecitabine after completion of standard chemotherapy in patients with early TNBC. Eligible patients were those with operable, node-positive-or node negative with tumor 1 cm or greater-TNBC, with prior anthracycline- and/or taxane-containing chemotherapy. After central confirmation of TNBC status by immunohistochemistry, patients were randomly assigned to either capecitabine or observation. Stratification factors included institution, prior taxane-based therapy, involved axillary lymph nodes, and centrally determined phenotype (basal v nonbasal, according to cytokeratins 5/6 and/or epidermal growth factor receptor positivity by immunohistochemistry). The primary objective was to compare disease-free survival (DFS) between both arms. Eight hundred seventy-six patients were randomly assigned to capecitabine (n = 448) or observation (n = 428). Median age was 49 years, 55.9% were lymph node negative, 73.9% had a basal phenotype, and 67.5% received previous anthracyclines plus taxanes. Median length of follow-up was 7.3 years. DFS was not significantly prolonged with capecitabine versus observation [hazard ratio (HR), 0.82; 95% CI, 0.63 to 1.06; P =.136]. In a preplanned subgroup analysis, nonbasal patients seemed to derive benefit from the addition of capecitabine with a DFS HR of 0.53 versus 0.94 in those with basal phenotype (interaction test P =.0694) and an HR for overall survival of 0.42 versus 1.23 in basal phenotype (interaction test P =.0052). Tolerance of capecitabine was as expected, with 75.2% of patients completing the planned 8 cycles. This study failed to show a statistically significant increase in DFS by adding extended capecitabine to standard chemotherapy in patients with early TNBC. In a preplanned subset analysis, patients with nonbasal phenotype seemed to obtain benefit with capecitabine, although this will require additional validation

Challenge B: Human sciences in transition scenarios

Coordinators: Josep Martí Pérez (IMF, CSIC), Idoia Murga Castro (IH, CSIC).This challenge is formulated in terms of “humanities in transition,” that is, their approach and articulation in the face of the changes they must undergo to achieve the social weight that, due to their intrinsic relevance, should correspond to them. Faced with these situations that would demand a reinforcement in research and dissemination in diverse aspects of the humanities, from multiple perspectives, paradoxically an adverse panorama is drawn for the development and dissemination of humanistic knowledge, which concerns different factors. Some are related to the consideration of the area of knowledge itself, its organization within the scientific system, the questioning of its own limits, and the interaction with another knowledge. Considering current transition scenarios does not mean having to abandon old objectives, but it adds to the work conducted new objects of study closely related to current reality, such as: the informational revolution; the relations with the ecosystem and the environmental crisis; globalization; the intensification of human mobility and migration flows; the growing economic and social inequality; the frictions derived from the articulation of collective identities; the decolonization of discourses; demographic dynamics; integration of technological advances; and viability and support for alternative models of society.Peer reviewe

Fish assemblages in three arid mangrove systems of the Gulf of California: comparing observations from 1980 and 2010

We evaluated the fish community structure in three mangrove systems from la Paz bay, southwestern gulf of California, mexico, during two annual cycles separated by 30 yrs (1980-1981 and 2009-2010). The three mangrove system have suffered different degrees of anthropogenic impact that range from relatively pristine (Balandra) to minor impacts from development (Zacatecas), and to highly modified (Enfermería). A robust comparison between periods was attained by field sampling and identification of fishes using a museum collection. Species richness, density, biomass, shannon diversity, Pielou evenness, and average taxonomic distinctness (ATD) were computed using data collected during each period (12 monthly samples). During both periods, a few species dominated fish abundance in the three systems [Eucinostomus dowii (Gill, 1863), Diapterus brevirostris (Sauvage, 1879), and Mugil curema (Valenciennes, 1836)]. Enfermería showed the most substantial changes in ecological indices; there were significant differences in mean monthly richness, density, and evenness over time. MDS and ANOSIM analyses revealed no differences in assemblage structure; however, SIMPER analysis indicated greater similarity in the assemblage structure overtime in enfermería (38.06%) compared with Zacatecas (33.49%) and balandra (9.71%). ATD values were relatively consistent between periods at Balandra and Zacatecas. However, a few samples collected at Enfermería had ATD values that indicated that the dominant species were closely related. This is likely due to the extensive habitat modification the system has suffered. Our study emphasizes the importance of long-term studies for understanding the changes in community structure in mangrove systems that are caused by habitat alteration