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Guide to verification and validation of the SCALE-4 radiation shielding software
Whenever a decision is made to newly install the SCALE radiation shielding software on a computer system, the user should run a set of verification and validation (V&V) test cases to demonstrate that the software is properly installed and functioning correctly. This report is intended to serve as a guide for this V&V in that it specifies test cases to run and gives expected results. The report describes the V&V that has been performed for the radiation shielding software in a version of SCALE-4. This report provides documentation of sample problems which are recommended for use in the V&V of the SCALE-4 system for all releases. The results reported in this document are from the SCALE-4.2P version which was run on an IBM RS/6000 work-station. These results verify that the SCALE-4 radiation shielding software has been correctly installed and is functioning properly. A set of problems for use by other shielding codes (e.g., MCNP, TWOTRAN, MORSE) performing similar V&V are discussed. A validation has been performed for XSDRNPM and MORSE-SGC6 utilizing SASI and SAS4 shielding sequences and the SCALE 27-18 group (27N-18COUPLE) cross-section library for typical nuclear reactor spent fuel sources and a variety of transport package geometries. The experimental models used for the validation were taken from two previous applications of the SASI and SAS4 methods
Solidification of Al-Sn-Cu based immiscible alloys under intense shearing
The official published version of the Article can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2009 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM InternationalThe growing importance of Al-Sn based alloys as materials for engineering applications
necessitates the development of uniform microstructures with improved performance. Guided by the recently thermodynamically assessed Al-Sn-Cu system, two model immiscible alloys, Al-45Sn-10Cu and Al-20Sn-10Cu, were selected to investigate the effects of intensive melt shearing provided by the novel melt conditioning by advanced shear technology (MCAST) unit on the uniform dispersion of the soft Sn phase in a hard Al matrix. Our experimental results have confirmed that intensive melt shearing is an effective way to achieve fine and uniform
dispersion of the soft phase without macro-demixing, and that such dispersed microstructure can be further refined in alloys with precipitation of the primary Al phase prior to the demixing reaction. In addition, it was found that melt shearing at 200 rpm and 60 seconds will be adequate to produce fine and uniform dispersion of the Sn phase, and that higher shearing speed and prolonged shearing time can only achieve minor further refinement.This work is funded by the EPSRC and
DT
The Cytomegalovirus gB/MF59 vaccine candidate induces antibodies against an antigenic domain controlling cell-to-cell spread
Vaccination against human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains high priority. A recombinant form of a protein essential for CMV entry, glycoprotein B (gB), demonstrated partial protection in a clinical trial (NCT00299260) when delivered with the MF59 adjuvant. Although the antibody titre against gB correlated with protection poor neutralising responses against the 5 known antigenic domains (AD) of gB were evident. Here, we show that vaccination of CMV seronegative patients induces an antibody response against a region of gB we term AD-6. Responses to the polypeptide AD-6 are detected inâ>70% of vaccine recipients yet inâ<5% of naturally infected people. An AD-6 antibody binds to gB and to infected cells but not the virion directly. Consistent with this, the AD-6 antibody is non-neutralising but, instead, prevents cell-cell spread of CMV in vitro. The discovery of AD-6 responses has the potential to explain part of the protection mediated by gB vaccines against CMV following transplantation
Classical Open String Models in 4-Dim Minkowski Spacetime
Classical bosonic open string models in fourdimensional Minkowski spacetime
are discussed. A special attention is paid to the choice of edge conditions,
which can follow consistently from the action principle. We consider
lagrangians that can depend on second order derivatives of worldsheet
coordinates. A revised interpretation of the variational problem for such
theories is given. We derive a general form of a boundary term that can be
added to the open string action to control edge conditions and modify
conservation laws. An extended boundary problem for minimal surfaces is
examined. Following the treatment of this model in the geometric approach, we
obtain that classical open string states correspond to solutions of a complex
Liouville equation. In contrast to the Nambu-Goto case, the Liouville potential
is finite and constant at worldsheet boundaries. The phase part of the
potential defines topological sectors of solutions.Comment: 25 pages, LaTeX, preprint TPJU-28-93 (the previous version was
truncated by ftp...
Laplacian growth with separately controlled noise and anisotropy
Conformal mapping models are used to study competition of noise and
anisotropy in Laplacian growth. For that, a new family of models is introduced
with the noise level and directional anisotropy controlled independently.
Fractalization is observed in both anisotropic growth and the growth with
varying noise. Fractal dimension is determined from cluster size scaling with
its area. For isotropic growth we find d = 1.7, both at high and low noise. For
anisotropic growth with reduced noise the dimension can be as low as d = 1.5
and apparently is not universal. Also, we study fluctuations of particle areas
and observe, in agreement with previous studies, that exceptionally large
particles may appear during the growth, leading to pathologically irregular
clusters. This difficulty is circumvented by using an acceptance window for
particle areas.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figure
Parton Densities in a Nucleon
In this paper we re-analyse the situation with the shadowing corrections (SC)
in QCD for the proton deep inelastic structure functions. We reconsider the
Glauber - Mueller approach for the SC in deep inelastic scattering (DIS) and
suggest a new nonlinear evolution equation. We argue that this equation solves
the problem of the SC in the wide kinematic region where \as \kappa = \as
\frac{3 \pi \as}{2 Q^2R^2} x G(x,Q^2) \leq 1. Using the new equation we
estimate the value of the SC which turn out to be essential in the gluon deep
inelastic structure function but rather small in . We claim that
the SC in is so large that the BFKL Pomeron is hidden under the SC
and cannot be seen even in such "hard" processes that have been proposed to
test it. We found that the gluon density is proportional to in the
region of very small . This result means that the gluon density does not
reach saturation in the region of applicability of the new evolution equation.
It should be confronted with the solution of the GLR equation which leads to
saturation.Comment: latex file 53 pages, 27 figures in eps file
Improvement in inner retinal function in glaucoma with nicotinamide (vitamin B3) supplementation: A crossover randomized clinical trial
IMPORTANCE: Retinal ganglion cells endure significant metabolic stress in glaucoma but maintain capacity to recover function. Nicotinamide, a precursor of NAD+ , is low in serum of glaucoma patients and its supplementation provides robust protection of retinal ganglion cells in preclinical models. However, the potential of nicotinamide in human glaucoma is unknown. BACKGROUND: To examine the effects of nicotinamide on inner retinal function in glaucoma, in participants receiving concurrent glaucoma therapy. DESIGN: Crossover, double-masked, randomized clinical trial. Participants recruited from two tertiary care centres. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-seven participants, diagnosed and treated for glaucoma. METHODS: Participants received oral placebo or nicotinamide and reviewed six-weekly. Participants commenced 6âweeks of 1.5 g/day then 6âweeks of 3.0 g/day followed by crossover without washout. Visual function measured using electroretinography and perimetry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in inner retinal function, determined by photopic negative response (PhNR) parameters: saturated PhNR amplitude (Vmax), ratio of PhNR/b-wave amplitude (Vmax ratio). RESULTS: PhNR Vmax improved beyond 95% coefficient of repeatability in 23% of participants following nicotinamide vs 9% on placebo. Overall, Vmax improved by 14.8% [95% CI: 2.8%, 26.9%], (P =â.02) on nicotinamide and 5.2% [-4.2%, 14.6%], (P =â.27) on placebo. Vmax ratio improved by 12.6% [5.0%, 20.2%], (P =â.002) following nicotinamide, 3.6% [-3.4%, 10.5%], (P =â.30) on placebo. A trend for improved visual field mean deviation was observed with 27% improving â„1âdB on nicotinamide and fewer deteriorating (4%) compared to placebo (P =â.02). CONCLUSIONS: Nicotinamide supplementation can improve inner retinal function in glaucoma. Further studies underway to elucidate the effects of long-term nicotinamide supplementation.Flora Hui, Jessica Tang, Pete A. Williams, Myra B. McGuinness, Xavier Hadoux, Robert J. Casson, Michael Coote, Ian A. Trounce, Keith R. Martin, Peter van Wijngaarden, Jonathan G. Crowsto
Impact of the COVIDâ19 pandemic on the productivity and career prospects of musculoskeletal researchers
Academic researchers faced a multitude of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including widespread shelter-in-place orders, workplace closures, and cessation of in-person meetings and laboratory activities. The extent to which these challenges impacted musculoskeletal researchers, specifically, is unknown. We developed an anonymous web-based survey to determine the pandemic's impact on research productivity and career prospects among musculoskeletal research trainees and faculty. There were 116 musculoskeletal (MSK) researchers with varying demographic backgrounds who completed the survey. Of respondents, 48.3% (nâ=â56) believed that musculoskeletal funding opportunities decreased because of COVID-19, with faculty members more likely to hold this belief compared to nonfaculty researchers (pâ=â0.008). Amongst MSK researchers, 88.8% (nâ=â103) reported research activity was limited by COVID-19, and 92.2% (nâ=â107) of researchers reported their research was not able to be refocused on COVID-19-related topics, with basic science researchers less likely to be able to refocus their research compared to clinical researchers (pâ=â0.030). Additionally, 47.4% (nâ=â55) reported a decrease in manuscript submissions since the onset of the pandemic. Amongst 51 trainee researchers, 62.8% (nâ=â32) reported a decrease in job satisfaction directly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. In summary, study findings indicated that MSK researchers struggled to overcome challenges imposed by the pandemic, reporting declines in funding opportunities, research productivity, and manuscript submission. Trainee researchers experienced significant disruptions to critical research activities and worsening job satisfaction. Our findings motivate future efforts to support trainees in developing their careers and target the recovery of MSK research from the pandemic stall
Heavy quarkonium: progress, puzzles, and opportunities
A golden age for heavy quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by
the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an
explosion of related experimental activity. The early years of this period were
chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in
2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that
time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the
broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles
could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII
program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the -factories and CLEO-c
flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the
Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the
deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality,
precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for
continuing investigations. The plethora of newly-found quarkonium-like states
unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such
as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the
spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of c\bar{c}, b\bar{b},
and b\bar{c} bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical
approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. The
intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have
emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and
cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark-gluon plasma studies. This review
systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing
directions for ongoing and future efforts.Comment: 182 pages, 112 figures. Editors: N. Brambilla, S. Eidelman, B. K.
Heltsley, R. Vogt. Section Coordinators: G. T. Bodwin, E. Eichten, A. D.
Frawley, A. B. Meyer, R. E. Mitchell, V. Papadimitriou, P. Petreczky, A. A.
Petrov, P. Robbe, A. Vair
Factors associated with a history of treatment interruption among pregnant women living with HIV in Malawi: A cross-sectional study
Long-term care engagement of women on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is essential to effective HIV public health measures. We sought to explore factors associated with a history of HIV treatment interruption among pregnant women living with HIV presenting to an antenatal clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study of pregnant women living with HIV who had a history of ART interruption presenting for antenatal care. Women were categorized as either retained in HIV treatment or reinitiating care after loss-to-follow up (LTFU). To understand factors associated with treatment interruption, we surveyed socio-demographic and partner relationship characteristics. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) for factors associated with ART interruption were estimated using modified Poisson regression with robust variance. We additionally present patientsâ reasons for ART interruption. Results We enrolled 541 pregnant women living with HIV (391 retained and 150 reinitiating). The median age was 30 years (interquartile range (IQR): 25â34). Factors associated with a history of LTFU were age <30 years (aPR 1.46; 95% CI: 1.33â1.63), less than a primary school education (aPR 1.25; CI: 1.08â1.46), initiation of ART during pregnancy or breastfeeding (aPR 1.49, CI: 1.37â1.65), nondisclosure of HIV serostatus to their partner (aPR 1.39, CI: 1.24â1.58), lack of awareness of partnerâs HIV status (aPR 1.41, CI: 1.27â1.60), and no contraception use at conception (aPR 1.60, CI 1.40â1.98). Access to care challenges were the most common reasons reported by women for treatment interruption (e.g., relocation, transport costs, or misplacing health documentation). Conclusions Interventions that simplify the ART clinic transfer process, facilitate partner disclosure, and provide counseling about the importance of lifelong ART beyond pregnancy and breastfeeding should be further evaluated for improving retention in ART treatment of women living with HIV in Malawi
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