Analysis of advanced European nuclear fuel cycle scenarios including transmutation and economic estimates

Four European fuel cycle scenarios involving transmutation options (in coherence with PATEROS and CPESFR EU projects) have been addressed from a point of view of resources utilization and economic estimates. Scenarios include: (i) the current fleet using Light Water Reactor (LWR) technology and open fuel cycle, (ii) full replacement of the initial fleet with Fast Reactors (FR) burning U?Pu MOX fuel, (iii) closed fuel cycle with Minor Actinide (MA) transmutation in a fraction of the FR fleet, and (iv) closed fuel cycle with MA transmutation in dedicated Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS). All scenarios consider an intermediate period of GEN-III+ LWR deployment and they extend for 200 years, looking for long term equilibrium mass flow achievement. The simulations were made using the TR_EVOL code, capable to assess the management of the nuclear mass streams in the scenario as well as economics for the estimation of the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and other costs. Results reveal that all scenarios are feasible according to nuclear resources demand (natural and depleted U, and Pu). Additionally, we have found as expected that the FR scenario reduces considerably the Pu inventory in repositories compared to the reference scenario. The elimination of the LWR MA legacy requires a maximum of 55% fraction (i.e., a peak value of 44 FR units) of the FR fleet dedicated to transmutation (MA in MOX fuel, homogeneous transmutation) or an average of 28 units of ADS plants (i.e., a peak value of 51 ADS units). Regarding the economic analysis, the main usefulness of the provided economic results is for relative comparison of scenarios and breakdown of LCOE contributors rather than provision of absolute values, as technological readiness levels are low for most of the advanced fuel cycle stages. The obtained estimations show an increase of LCOE ? averaged over the whole period ? with respect to the reference open cycle scenario of 20% for Pu management scenario and around 35% for both transmutation scenarios. The main contribution to LCOE is the capital costs of new facilities, quantified between 60% and 69% depending on the scenario. An uncertainty analysis is provided around assumed low and high values of processes and technologies

The pulse oximetry and its use in maximal exercise test

La pulsioximetria s’utilitza per determinar el percentatge de saturació d’oxigen que hi ha a la sang. La seva característica més important és que es tracta d’un mètode no invasiu i relativament econòmic. Hi ha pocs estudis que relacionin la pulsioximetria amb l’activitat física i la majoria són clínics. Els autors revisen la definició de l’oximetria de pols i els fonaments sobre els quals es basa. Es revisa l’aplicació de la pulsioximetria en les proves d’esforç màxim, així com el comportament de la saturació d’oxigen a la sang durant la realització de proves d’esforç màxim. A més, es revisen els diferents estudis sobre els valors de saturació d’oxigen a la sang durant la realització d’exercici físic i la seva correlació amb altres variables ventilatòries. S’analitzen les conseqüències de l’ús de la pulsioximetria en proves d’esforç màxim.Pulse oximetry is used to determine the percentage saturation of oxygen in blood. Its main feature is that it is a noninvasive and relatively inexpensive. There are few studies relating physical activity and pulse oximetry with most abundant studies are clinical trials. The authors review the definition of pulse oximetry, the grounds upon which it is based. We review the application of pulse oximetry to maximum exercise testing, and the behavior of oxygen saturation in the blood for testing of maximum effort. In addition, different studies on the oxygen saturation values in blood during physical exercise and its correlation with other ventilatory variables. We analyze the consequences of the use of pulse oximetry in tests of maximal effort

A detailed chemistry model for transient hydrogen and carbon monoxide catalytic recombination on parallel flat Pt surfaces implemented in an integral code

A detailed chemistry model has been adapted and developed for surface chemistry, heat and mass transfer between H2/CO/air/steam/CO2 mixtures and vertical parallel Pt-coated surfaces. This model is based onto a simplified Deutschmann reaction scheme for methane surface combustion and the analysis by Elenbaas for buoyancy-induced heat transfer between parallel plates. Mass transfer is treated by the heat and mass transfer analogy. The proposed model is able to simulate the H2/CO recombination phenomena characteristic of parallel-plate Passive Autocatalytic Recombiners (PARs), which have been proposed and implemented as a promising hydrogen-control strategy in the safety of nuclear power stations or other industries. The transient model is able to approach the warm-up phase of the PAR and its shut-down as well as the dynamic changes within the surrounding atmosphere. The model has been implemented within the MELCOR code and assessed against results of the Battelle Model Containment tests of the Zx series. Results show accurate predictions and a better performance than traditional methods in integral codes, i.e., empirical correlations, which are also much case-specific. Influence of CO present in the mixture on the PAR performance is also addressed in this paper

Review and comparison of effective delayed neutron fraction calculation methods with Monte Carlo codes

The calculation of the effective delayed neutron fraction, beff , with Monte Carlo codes is a complex task due to the requirement of properly considering the adjoint weighting of delayed neutrons. Nevertheless, several techniques have been proposed to circumvent this difficulty and obtain accurate Monte Carlo results for beff without the need of explicitly determining the adjoint flux. In this paper, we make a review of some of these techniques; namely we have analyzed two variants of what we call the k-eigenvalue technique and other techniques based on different interpretations of the physical meaning of the adjoint weighting. To test the validity of all these techniques we have implemented them with the MCNPX code and we have benchmarked them against a range of critical and subcritical systems for which either experimental or deterministic values of beff are available. Furthermore, several nuclear data libraries have been used in order to assess the impact of the uncertainty in nuclear data in the calculated value of beff

Synthetic Strategies, Reactivity and Applications of 1,5-Naphthyridines

This review covers the synthesis and reactivity of 1,5-naphthyridine derivatives published in the last 18 years. These heterocycles present a significant importance in the field of medicinal chemistry because many of them exhibit a great variety of biological activities. First, the published strategies related to the synthesis of 1,5-naphthyridines are presented followed by the reactivity of these compounds with electrophilic or nucleophilic reagents, in oxidations, reductions, cross-coupling reactions, modification of side chains or formation of metal complexes. Finally, some properties and applications of these heterocycles studied during this period are examined.This research was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER; RTI2018-101818-B-I00, UE) and by Gobierno Vasco, Universidad del País Vasco (GV, IT 992-16; UPV)

Fused 1,5-Naphthyridines: Synthetic Tools and Applications

Heterocyclic nitrogen compounds, including fused 1,5-naphthyridines, have versatile applications in the fields of synthetic organic chemistry and play an important role in the field of medicinal chemistry, as many of them have a wide range of biological activities. In this review, a wide range of synthetic protocols for the construction of this scaffold are presented. For example, Friedländer, Skraup, Semmlere-Wolff, and hetero-Diels-Alder, among others, are well known classical synthetic protocols used for the construction of the main 1,5-naphthyridine scaffold. These syntheses are classified according to the nature of the cycle fused to the 1,5-naphthyridine ring: carbocycles, nitrogen heterocycles, oxygen heterocycles, and sulphur heterocycles. In addition, taking into account the aforementioned versatility of these heterocycles, their reactivity is presented as well as their use as a ligand for metal complexes formation. Finally, those fused 1,5-naphthyridines that present biological activity and optical applications, among others, are indicated.Financial support from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER; RTI2018-101818-B-I00, UE), and by Gobierno Vasco, Universidad del País Vasco (GV, IT 992-16; UPV) is gratefully acknowledged

Novel topoisomerase I inhibitors. Syntheses and biological evaluation of phosphorus substituted quinoline derivates with antiproliferative activity

This work describes the synthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolinylphosphine oxides, phosphanes and phosphine sulfides as well as that of quinolinylphosphine oxides and phosphine sulfides, which were synthesized in good to high overall yield. The synthetic route involves a multicomponent reaction of (2-phosphine-oxide)-, 2-phosphine- or (2-phosphine-sulfide)-aniline, aldehydes and olefins and allows the selective generation of two stereogenic centres in a short, efficient and reliable synthesis. The selective dehydrogenation of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolinylphosphine oxides and phosphine sulfides leads to the formation of corresponding phosphorus substituted quinolines. Some of the products which were prepared showed excellent activity as topoisomerase I (Top1) inhibitors. In addition, prolonged effect of the most potent compounds is maintained with the same intensity even after 3 min of the beginning of the enzymatic reaction. The cytotoxic effect on cell lines derived from human lung adenocarcinoma (A549), human ovarian carcinoma (SKOV03) and human embryonic kidney (HEK293) was also screened. 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroquinolinylphosphine oxide 6g with an IC50 value of 0.25 ± 0.03 μM showed excellent activity against the A549 cell line in vitro, while 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolinylphosphane 9c with an IC50 value of 0.08 ± 0.01 μM and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolinylphosphine sulfide derivative 10f with an IC50 value of 0.03 ± 0.04 μM are more active against the A549 cell line. Moreover, selectivity towards cancer cell (A549) over non-malignant cells (MRC5) has been observed. According to their structure, they may be excellent antiproliferative candidates.Financial support from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO, CTQ2015-67871-R) and by Gobierno Vasco (GV, IT 992-16) is gratefully acknowledged. Technical and human support provided by IZO-SGI, SGIker (UPV/EHU, MICINN, GV/EJ, ERDF and ESF) is gratefully acknowledged

Fluidodinámica computacional y sus aplicaciones en la industria nuclear

[ES] Los denominados códigos CFD o de fluidodinámica computacional se vienen aplicando cada vez con mayor frecuencia al análisis de procesos de sistemas de fluidos, en apoyo de tareas de diseño y análisis de seguridad. Esto sucede en todos los campos de la ingeniería, y la nuclear no es una excepción. ¿Qué nuevo conocimiento aportan estas herramientas en comparación con métodos clásicos?Aldama, J.; Batet, L.; Chiva Vicent, S.; Francisco Martín-Fuertes; Mas De Les Valls, E.; Miró Herrero, R. (2014). Fluidodinámica computacional y sus aplicaciones en la industria nuclear. Nuclear España. (114):1-11. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/98792S11111

Adaptación transcultural de un cuestionario para estudiar actitudes de adolescentes deportistas y no deportistas españoles ante el consumo de sustancias prohibidas [Transcultural adaptation of a questionnaire to assess the attitudes of Spanish adolescent athletes and non-athletes towards banned substances]

[Extract Spanish] Medir la influencia del impacto que generan los deportistas de élite sobre el comportamiento y las actitudes de los adolescentes que se inician en el deporte es un tema complicado y controvertido (Engelberg, Moston & Skinner, 2012). Para muchos, los atletas de élite son modelos a seguir y son posiblemente donde más se reflejan diferentes miembros de la comunidad, entre ellos los adolescentes. Sin embargo muchos atletas de élite rechazan el ser un "modelo a seguir", con el argumento de que otros (como los padres, los entrenadores y los compañeros) juegan un papel mucho más importante a la hora de influir en el comportamiento (Engelberg, Moston & Skinner, 2012). Cualquier intento de resolver este debate siempre se centra en el mecanismo por el cual un atleta de élite puede influir en los demás. Según la teoría del aprendizaje social, donde el comportamiento de modelos de conducta es imitado por otros, se suele utilizar para explicar sobre la probabilidad de una conducta desviada (Bandura, 1977). Sobre la base de la teoría del aprendizaje social, se puede argumentar que los atletas de élite cuyo consumo de drogas se hace pública están facilitando el comportamiento inadecuado por parte de los adolescentes (Strelan & Boeckmann, 2006). La investigación en ciencias sociales sobre el dopaje se ha convertido en un tema de investigación académica en Australia y en numerosos países del extranjero, sin embargo existen asombrosamente pocas comparaciones interculturales o transnacionales de poblaciones deportivas y no deportivas, entre los mismos. Teniendo en cuenta los diversos contextos culturales, políticos, sociales y deportes específicos que tienen un impacto en las actitudes y comportamientos de los deportistas, se trata de una omisión sorprendente. Este estudio es una adaptación transcultural, réplica parcial y una extensión de un estudio actualmente en curso en Australia (el desarrollo de actitudes de seguimiento al dopaje: un estudio longitudinal de jóvenes deportistas de élite) y un estudio (la relación entre el código moral, la participación en el deporte y las actitudes hacia las drogas en los jóvenes que mejoran el rendimiento). El estudio cuenta con una muestra de 339 jóvenes españoles (1217 años) atletas tanto en el ámbito recreativo y élite como no atletas. Los resultados de esta investigación ayudarán a futuras investigaciones financiadas tanto a nivel nacional como internacional. Abract (English): Despite the global growth of science research on doping in sport, there have been very few cross-national or cross-cultural comparisons of athletes and non-athletes. The present study is an adaptation and partial replication of a study of young development athletes previously conducted in Australia. The present study canvassed the attitudes and behaviours of 339 Spanish adolescents (ages 12-17, both athletes and non-athletes, all residing in Madrid, Spain). Its main aim was to explore the incidence of drug use amongst the sample (both of performance and image enhancing drugs [PIEDs] and of illicit drugs) and their knowledge of doping in sport. Surveys were distributed within schools. Each survey consisted of five sections covering demographic information, attitudes towards doping substances, attitudes towards deterrents to banned PIED use; questions examining perceptions of the consequences of the use of doping substances, and knowledge of doping substances. Selected findings include: Over half of the participants believed that banned PIEDs improve performance, (e.g., strength and power, speed); about 42% believed they are dangerous to health; the large majority of participants had never taken an anti-doping test (92%); 87% stated they would not use PIEDs to improve their sporting performance; and almost half of all participants believed that cycling was the sport in which PIEDs were most commonly used. Results are discussed in relation to current anti-doping campaigns that target adolescents and emphasise the need to focus on suitable deterrents for this population

Differential Study of Retinal Thicknesses in the Eyes of Alzheimer"s Patients, Multiple Sclerosis Patients and Healthy Subjects

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer"s disease (AD) cause retinal thinning that is detectable in vivo using optical coherence tomography (OCT). To date, no papers have compared the two diseases in terms of the structural differences they produce in the retina. The purpose of this study is to analyse and compare the neuroretinal structure in MS patients, AD patients and healthy subjects using OCT. Spectral domain OCT was performed on 21 AD patients, 33MS patients and 19 control subjects using the Posterior Pole protocol. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was used to analyse the differences between the cohorts in nine regions of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL) and outer nuclear layer (ONL). The main differences between MS and AD are found in the ONL, in practically all the regions analysed (AUROCFOVEAL = 0.80, AUROCPARAFOVEAL = 0.85, AUROCPERIFOVEAL = 0.80, AUROC_PMB = 0.77, AUROCPARAMACULAR = 0.85, AUROCINFERO_NASAL = 0.75, AUROCINFERO_TEMPORAL = 0.83), and in the paramacular zone (AUROCPARAMACULAR = 0.75) and infero-temporal quadrant (AUROCINFERO_TEMPORAL = 0.80) of the GCL. In conclusion, our findings suggest that OCT data analysis could facilitate the differential diagnosis of MS and AD