Instrumental methods for neutron spectroscopy in the MIT blanket test facility

"May, 1972."Also issued as an Sc. D. thesis by the first author and supervised by the third and fourth author, MIT Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, 1972Includes bibliographical references (pages 223-225)U.S. Atomic Energy Commission contractThe energy spectrum of the neutron flux in a realistic mockup of the blanket region of a large liquid-metal-cooled fast breeder reactor was measured using three different spectrometers: He-3 and Li-6 semiconductor detectors and a Proton-Recoil proportional counter. The He-3 detector was operated in the sum and difference modes, and the Li-6 detector in the sum, difference and triton modes. The experimental data was unfolded using direct, integral and derivative techniques. Methods were developed or perfected to enable use of the He-3 detector over the neutron energy range from 10 keV to 1.3 MeV and the Li-6 detector from 10 keV to 3.1 MeV; the Proton-Recoil detector was operated in the region from 2 keV to 1.5 MeV. In general, good agreement was found between the experimental measurements for all detector types, modes of operation and methods of unfolding, except for the low-energy He-3 data. The present experimental results and previously reported data obtained using a method based on gamma line broadening are in relatively good agreement in the high energy region above 0.8 MeV. The measured neutron spectrum is also similar in shape to neutron spectra measured at ANL in critical assembly mockups of large LMFBR cores, but systematically softer, as expected.. However, there is a large discrepancy in the energy region from 10 keV to 50 keV between the present results and either spectra unfolded from foil data or those numerically calculated using the 1-D ANISN code in the S8 option with 26 energy groups

A method and tool for ‘cradle to grave’ embodied energy and carbon impacts of UK buildings in compliance with the new TC350 standards

As operational impacts from buildings are reduced, embodied impacts are increasing. However, the latter are seldom calculated in the UK; when they are, they tend to be calculated after the building has been constructed, or are underestimated by considering only the initial materials stage. In 2010, the UK Government recommended that a standard methodology for calculating embodied impacts of buildings be developed for early stage design decisions. This was followed in 2011–12 by the publication of the European TC350 standards defining the ‘cradle to grave’ impact of buildings and products through a process Life Cycle Analysis. This paper describes a new whole life embodied carbon and energy of buildings (ECEB) tool, designed as a usable empirical-based approach for early stage design decisions for UK buildings. The tool complies where possible with the TC350 standards. Initial results for a simple masonry construction dwelling are given in terms of the percentage contribution of each life cycle stage. The main difficulty in obtaining these results is found to be the lack of data, and the paper suggests that the construction and manufacturing industries now have a responsibility to develop new data in order to support this task

E-learning as a tool for knowledge transfer through traditional and independent study at two UK higher educational institutes: a case study

Much has been made of the advances in computer aided learning activities. Websites, virtual campus, the increased use of Web CT and chat rooms and further advances in the use of WebCT are becoming more commonplace in UK universities. This paper looks for ways of changing higher education students’ perception of the usefulness of recommended internet web sites for learning purposes, with the intention of increasing the usage rate of recommended module web-sites. The change could represent an adaptation of the existing, well-known technology to change students’ perception regarding its potentially formative role. Subsequently, the outcomes from this preliminary research could be used in order to enhance the quality of the Internet use for teaching and learning purposes

Foodservice in hospital: development of a theoretical model for patient experience and satisfaction using one hospital in the UK National Health Service as a case study

Hospital foodservice does not operate in isolation but requires the cooperation and integration of several disciplines to provide the ultimate patient experience. The objective of this research was to explore the antecedents to patient satisfaction and experience, including the service element. Accordingly, focus groups were conducted with doctors (n = 4), nurses (n = 5), ward hostesses (n = 3) and patients together with their visitors (n = 10), while open-ended interviews were conducted with the foodservice manager, facilities manager, chief dietitian, orthopaedic ward dietitian and chief pharmacist. Themes centred on ‘patients’, ‘foodservice’ and ‘mealtimes’, and results show that food qualities, particularly temperature and texture, are important factors impinging on patient satisfaction, and the trolley system of delivery is an acceptable style of service. Service predisposition demonstrates little relevance to patient satisfaction towards overall meal enjoyment. A theoretical model has been developed that identifies hospital foodservice in a cyclic relationship with the community primary healthcare team

Psychosocial issues of women with type 1 diabetes transitioning to motherhood: a structured literature review

BACKGROUND: Life transitions often involve complex decisions, challenges and changes that affect diabetes management. Transition to motherhood is a major life event accompanied by increased risk that the pregnancy will lead to or accelerate existing diabetes-related complications, as well as risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, all of which inevitably increase anxiety. The frequency of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia often increases during pregnancy, which causes concern for the health and physical well-being of the mother and unborn child. This review aimed to examine the experiences of women with T1DM focusing on the pregnancy and postnatal phases of their transition to motherhood. METHODS: The structured literature review comprised a comprehensive search strategy identifying primary studies published in English between 1990-2012. Standard literature databases were searched along with the contents of diabetes-specific journals. Reference lists of included studies were checked. Search terms included: 'diabetes', 'type 1', 'pregnancy', 'motherhood', 'transition', 'social support', 'quality of life' and 'psychological well-being'. RESULT: Of 112 abstracts returned, 62 articles were reviewed in full-text, and 16 met the inclusion criteria. There was a high level of diversity among these studies but three common key themes were identified. They related to physical (maternal and fetal) well-being, psychological well-being and social environment. The results were synthesized narratively. CONCLUSION: Women with type 1 diabetes experience a variety of psychosocial issues in their transition to motherhood: increased levels of anxiety, diabetes-related distress, guilt, a sense of disconnectedness from health professionals, and a focus on medicalisation of pregnancy rather than the positive transition to motherhood. A trusting relationship with health professionals, sharing experiences with other women with diabetes, active social support, shared decision and responsibilities for diabetes management assisted the women to make a positive transition. Health professionals can promote a positive transition to motherhood by proactively supporting women with T1DM in informed decision-making, by facilitating communication within the healthcare team and co-ordinating care for women with type 1 diabetes transitioning to motherhood

Conceptualizing the clinical and professional development of child and adolescent mental health nurses

Article first published online: 11 AUG 2013Aspects of mental health nursing and its subspecialties are not easily defined. Child and adolescent mental health nursing is a sub specialty of mental health nursing and some of its characteristics are tacit. This paper presents a deeper understanding of the meaning that child and adolescent mental health nurses make of their role and work in the inpatient setting. The research was undertaken through a PhD candidature. The epistemological framework for the research was social constructionism which is concerned with the making of meaning and the social processes involved. Interpretive enquiry was the methodology as it allowed for the interpretation of multiple realities which resulted in a rich description of the role and work of child and adolescent mental health nurses. Methods of data collection in this research were document analysis, focus group interviews and individual interviews. Participants included current and past nurses as well as multidisciplinary staff associated with the inpatient unit. Iterative and aggregative analysis were utilised for the documents. The focus group and individual interview data were analysed utilising a thematic analysis process. This paper presents the findings of the entire analysis and the resultant holistic conceptual framework for the work of the child and adolescent mental health nurse in the inpatient unit. The findings have contributed new knowledge to mental health nursing, specifically child and adolescent mental health nursing making the parameters of practice more explicit. Implications for practice, education and research are identified.Philippa Rasmussen, Ann Henderson and Eimear Muir-Cochran

Genetics of tension-type headache

The objective of this study was to investigate the importance of genetics in tension-type headache. A MEDLINE search from 1966 to December 2006 was performed for “tension-type headache and prevalence” and “tension-type headache and genetics” The prevalence of tensiontype headache varies from 11 to 93%, with a slight female preponderance. Co-occurrence of migraine increases the frequency of tension-type headache. A family study of chronic tension-type headache suggests that genetic factors are important. A twin study analysing tension-type headache in migraineurs found that genetic factors play a minor role in episodic tension-type headache. Another twin study analysing twin pairs without co-occurrence of migraine showed a significantly higher concordance rate among monozygotic than same-gender dizygotic twin pairs with no or frequent episodic tension-type headache, while the difference was minor in twin pairs with infrequent episodic tensiontype headache. Frequent episodic and chronic tension-type headache is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, while infrequent episodic tensiontype headache is caused primarily by environmental factors

The development and application of a new tool to assess the adequacy of the content and timing of antenatal care

Abstract Background: Current measures of antenatal care use are limited to initiation of care and number of visits. This study aimed to describe the development and application of a tool to assess the adequacy of the content and timing of antenatal care. Methods: The Content and Timing of care in Pregnancy (CTP) tool was developed based on clinical relevance for ongoing antenatal care and recommendations in national and international guidelines. The tool reflects minimal care recommended in every pregnancy, regardless of parity or risk status. CTP measures timing of initiation of care, content of care (number of blood pressure readings, blood tests and ultrasound scans) and whether the interventions were received at an appropriate time. Antenatal care trajectories for 333 pregnant women were then described using a standard tool (the APNCU index), that measures the quantity of care only, and the new CTP tool. Both tools categorise care into 4 categories, from ‘Inadequate’ (both tools) to ‘Adequate plus’ (APNCU) or ‘Appropriate’ (CTP). Participants recorded the timing and content of their antenatal care prospectively using diaries. Analysis included an examination of similarities and differences in categorisation of care episodes between the tools. Results: According to the CTP tool, the care trajectory of 10,2% of the women was classified as inadequate, 8,4% as intermediate, 36% as sufficient and 45,3% as appropriate. The assessment of quality of care differed significantly between the two tools. Seventeen care trajectories classified as ‘Adequate’ or ‘Adequate plus’ by the APNCU were deemed ‘Inadequate’ by the CTP. This suggests that, despite a high number of visits, these women did not receive the minimal recommended content and timing of care. Conclusions: The CTP tool provides a more detailed assessment of the adequacy of antenatal care than the current standard index. However, guidelines for the content of antenatal care vary, and the tool does not at the moment grade over-use of interventions as ‘Inappropriate’. Further work needs to be done to refine the content items prior to larger scale testing of the impact of the new measure