Analysis of Factors Affecting Thermodynamic Efficiency in Generation III+ PWR Nuclear Power Plants.

Generation III+ reactors are the latest generation of Nuclear Power Plants to enter the market. The key evolution in these reactors is the introduction of stringent safety standards. This is done through thorough incident scenario analysis and preparation, resulting in the addition of novel active and passive auxiliary safety systems, affecting the power consumption in the balance of plant. This paper analyses the parameters of PWR power plants of similar design, to determine the parameters for optimal efficiency, regarding gross and net electrical output, determining the impact the balance of plant has on this efficiency. While two of the three main factors affecting the Rankine cycle – boiler pressure and steam temperature – behaved as theoretically expected, there was a notable point of departure with the third parameter – condenser pressure. The relationship between steam temperature and gross electrical efficiency was linear across all reactors but the relation between the steam temperature and the net electrical efficiency ceased to be linear for secondary loop steam temperatures above 290°C. The relationship between boiler pressure and both gross and net electrical efficiency was linear, proving the Rankine cycle. A relationship was not observed between the condenser pressure and either the gross or net electrical efficienc

Anthropometric correlates of human anger

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Evolution and Human Behavior. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.The recalibrational theory of human anger predicts positive correlations between aggressive formidability and anger levels in males, and between physical attractiveness and anger levels in females. We tested these predictions by using a three-dimensional body scanner to collect anthropometric data about male aggressive formidability (measures of upper body muscularity and leg–body ratio) and female bodily attractiveness (waist–hip ratio, body mass index, overall body shape femininity, and several other measures). Predictions were partially supported: in males, two of three anger measures correlated significantly positively with several muscularity measures; in females, self-perceived attractiveness correlated significantly positively with two anger measures. However, most of these significant results were observed only after excluding from the sample 27 participants who were older than undergraduate age, leaving a subsample of 40 males and 51 females. Evidence for relationships between anthropometric attractiveness indicators and anger measures was weak, but there was some evidence for relationships between anthropometric attractiveness indicators and self-perceived attractiveness measures. While our results support the recalibrational theory's prediction that anger usage and formidability are positively correlated in males and suggest that this formidability can be assessed via anthropometric measures alone, they also suggest that this prediction may not apply to populations older than undergraduate age. Further, our results suggest that while female anger levels relate positively to self-perceived attractiveness, they are unrelated to most anthropometric measures of bodily attractiveness

Perturbed CD8+ T cell TIGIT/CD226/PVR axis despite early initiation of antiretroviral treatment in HIV infected individuals.

HIV-specific CD8+ T cells demonstrate an exhausted phenotype associated with increased expression of inhibitory receptors, decreased functional capacity, and a skewed transcriptional profile, which are only partially restored by antiretroviral treatment (ART). Expression levels of the inhibitory receptor, T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), the co-stimulatory receptor CD226 and their ligand PVR are altered in viral infections and cancer. However, the extent to which the TIGIT/CD226/PVR-axis is affected by HIV-infection has not been characterized. Here, we report that TIGIT expression increased over time despite early initiation of ART. HIV-specific CD8+ T cells were almost exclusively TIGIT+, had an inverse expression of the transcription factors T-bet and Eomes and co-expressed PD-1, CD160 and 2B4. HIV-specific TIGIThi cells were negatively correlated with polyfunctionality and displayed a diminished expression of CD226. Furthermore, expression of PVR was increased on CD4+ T cells, especially T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, in HIV-infected lymph nodes. These results depict a skewing of the TIGIT/CD226 axis from CD226 co-stimulation towards TIGIT-mediated inhibition of CD8+ T cells, despite early ART. These findings highlight the importance of the TIGIT/CD226/PVR axis as an immune checkpoint barrier that could hinder future "cure" strategies requiring potent HIV-specific CD8+ T cells

Strained tetragonal states and Bain paths in metals

Paths of tetragonal states between two phases of a material, such as bcc and fcc, are called Bain paths. Two simple Bain paths can be defined in terms of special imposed stresses, one of which applies directly to strained epitaxial films. Each path goes far into the range of nonlinear elasticity and reaches a range of structural parameters in which the structure is inherently unstable. In this paper we identify and analyze the general properties of these paths by density functional theory. Special examples include vanadium, cobalt and copper, and the epitaxial path is used to identify an epitaxial film as related uniquely to a bulk phase.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

BlueFix: Using Crowd-sourced Feedback to Support Programming Students in Error Diagnosis and Repair

Feedback is regarded as one of the most important influences on student learning and motivation. But standard compiler feedback is designed for experts - not novice programming students, who can find it difficult to interpret and understand. In this paper we present BlueFix, an online tool currently integrated into the BlueJ IDE which is designed to assist programming students with error diagnosis and repair. Unlike existing approaches, BlueFix proposes a feedback algorithm based upon frameworks combined from the HCI and Pedagogical domains, which can provide different students with dynamic levels of support based upon their compilation behaviour. An evaluation revealed that students' viewed our tool positively and that our methodology could identify appropriate fixes for uncompilable source code with a significantly higher rate of speed and precision over related techniques in the literature

Accessing methadone within Moldovan prisons: Prejudice and myths amplified by peers.

BACKGROUND: The volatile HIV epidemic in Moldova, driven primarily by people who inject drugs (PWIDs), is concentrated in prisons. Although internationally recommended opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is available in Moldovan prisons, coverage remains inadequate and expansion efforts have failed to meet national and international goals. METHODS: To better understand why eligible prisoners are reluctant to initiate OAT, we surveyed recently released prisoners who met criteria for opioid dependence and compared those who had and had not been enrolled in within-prison OAT (N=56) using standardized scales on OAT knowledge and attitudes as well as within-prison harassment experiences. RESULTS: Knowledge about OAT was similar between both groups, but this knowledge and myths about OAT had independent and opposite direct effects on OAT attitudes. Those who were enrolled in OAT in prison were significantly more likely to perceive it as an effective form of treatment and had more tolerable attitudes toward OAT but were also more likely to have been bullied and to express concerns about their personal safety. Prisoners who had not been enrolled in OAT were more likely to endorse negative myths about methadone; only one person among them intended to receive OAT in the future. CONCLUSION: In Moldovan prisons, OAT enrollment and treatment continuation are influenced by ideological biases and myths that are largely formed, amplified, and reinforced behaviorally in restricted prison settings. Future interventions that expand OAT in prisons should target individual-level ideological prejudices and myths, as well as the prison environment.<br/

Tubulin nucleotide status controls Sas-4-dependent pericentriolar material recruitment

Regulated centrosome biogenesis is required for accurate cell division and for maintaining genome integrity1. Centrosomes consist of a centriole pair surrounded by a protein network known as pericentriolar material (PCM)1. PCM assembly is a tightly regulated, critical step that determines a centrosome’s size and capability2–4. Here, we report a role for tubulin in regulating PCM recruitment via the conserved centrosomal protein Sas-4. Tubulin directly binds to Sas-4; together they are components of cytoplasmic complexes of centrosomal proteins5,6. A Sas-4 mutant, which cannot bind tubulin, enhances centrosomal protein complex formation and has abnormally large centrosomes with excessive activity. These suggest that tubulin negatively regulates PCM recruitment. Whereas tubulin-GTP prevents Sas-4 from forming protein complexes, tubulin-GDP promotes it. Thus, tubulin’s regulation of PCM recruitment depends on its GTP/GDP-bound state. These results identify a role for tubulin in regulating PCM recruitment independent of its well-known role as a building block of microtubules7. Based on its guanine bound state, tubulin can act as a molecular switch in PCM recruitment

Prolyl hydroxylase domain 2 protein is a strong prognostic marker in human gastric cancer

Objective: According to recent research, prolyl hydroxylase domain 2 protein (PHD2) plays an important role in human carcinogenesis by inducing neovascularization and tumor growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate PHD2 expression patterns in primary gastric adenocarcinoma and to test for a potential predictive value of PHD2 expression in gastric cancer patients. Methods: In a total of 121 patients, PHD2 expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry in paraffin- embedded tissue and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival. Results: 64 of 121 gastric carcinomas (52.9%) showed PHD2 expression in tumor cell cytoplasm. In univariate analysis, PHD2- negative patients had a significantly shortened survival in compariso