THERMAL HYDRAULIC ISSUES OF CONTAINMENT FILTERED VENTING SYSTEM FOR A LONG OPERATING TIME

This study investigated the thermal hydraulic issues in the Containment Filtered Venting System (CFVS) for a long operating time using the MELCOR computer code. The modeling of the CFVS, including the models for pool scrubbing and the filter, was added to the input file for the OPR-1000, and a Station Blackout (SBO) was chosen as an accident scenario. Although depressurization in the containment building as a primary objective of the CFVS was successful, the decontamination feature by scrubbing and filtering in the CFVS for a long operating time could fail by the continuous evaporation of the scrubbing solution. After the operation of the CFVS, the atmosphere temperature in the CFVS became slightly above the water saturation temperature owing to the release of an amount of steam with high temperature from the containment building to the scrubbing solution. Reduced pipe diameters at the inlet and outlet of the CFVS vessel mitigated the evaporation of scrubbing water by controlling the amount of high-temperature steam and the water saturation temperature

Oral contraceptive use in girls and alcohol consumption in boys are associated with increased blood pressure in late adolescence

Aims: Lifestyle behaviours established during adolescence may adversely affect blood pressure (BP) and contribute to gender differences in cardiovascular risk in adulthood. We aimed to assess the association of health behaviours with BP in adolescents, using data from the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Study. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis on 1248 Raine Study adolescents aged 17 years, to examine associations between lifestyle factors and BP. Results: Boys had 8.97 mmHg higher systolic BP, as compared with girls. The 30% of girls using oral contraceptives (OC) had 3.27 and 1.74 mmHg higher systolic and diastolic BP, respectively, compared with non-users. Alcohol consumption in boys, increasing body mass index (BMI) and the sodium-potassium ratio were associated with systolic BP. We found a continuous relationship between BMI and systolic BP in both genders; however, the gradient of this relationship was significantly steeper in boys, compared with girls not taking OC. In boys, systolic BP was 5.7 mmHg greater in alcohol consumers who were in the upper quartile of BMI and the urinary sodium-potassium ratio compared with teetotallers in the lowest quartile. In girls, systolic BP was 5.5 mmHg higher in those taking OC, in the highest BMI and urinary sodium-potassium ratio quartile as compared to those not taking the OC pill and in the lowest quartile. Conclusion: In addition to gender-related differences in the effects of adiposity on BP, we found lifestyle-related health behaviours such as high salt intake for both sexes, consumption of alcohol in boys, and OC use in girls were important factors associated with BP measurements in late adolescence. This suggests that gender-specific behavioural modification in adolescence may prevent adult hypertension

Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Testis: A Case Report

A 51-yr-old man presented with an enlarged right testis for two months. The radically resected testis showed a relatively well-circumscribed ovoid mass, nearly replacing the normal architecture with central cystic changes. Microscopically, the mass was composed of ovoid shaped tumor cells of a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The central portion of the mass was filled with well-formed laminated keratinous materials and the remnant cavity lined by dysplastic squamous epithelium, indicated SCC may be derived from an epidermal cyst. SCC is among the most common types of neoplasm afflicting human beings, but it is rare in the testis. To our knowledge, this is the second report of the testicular squamous cell carcinoma occurring in a patient without other primary tumors, and the firstly reported case in Korea

Intramedullary Clear Cell Ependymoma in the Thoracic Spinal Cord: A Case with Its Crush Smear and Ultrastructural Findings

Clear cell ependymoma was included in the World Health Organization classification of the nervous system in 1993, and all the reported cases, except for two in the spinal cord, were located in the brain, mainly in the supratentorial compartment. Astrocytomas outnumber ependymomas in the spinal cord, and the two entities partly share cytologic findings such as long, bipolar glial processes and oval to round nuclei resembling those seen in pilocytic astrocytoma. Here, we report the first Korean case of intramedullary clear cell ependymoma of the spinal cord, which is the third case situated in the spinal cord in the literature. The crush smear revealed round-to-oval nuclei with occasional nuclear eosinophilic inclusion and rare nuclear grooves. Cytoplasm had fluffy eosinophilic glial processes, and acellular fibrillary zone. On hematoxylin-eosin stain, oval to round tumor cells had large central nuclei with indistinct nucleoli and a moderate amount of clear cytoplasm, i.e. perinuclear halo, mimicking oligodendroglioma. Perivascular pseudorosettes and ependymal clefts were rarely found. In retrospect, perinuclear halo was absent on crush smears. Ultrastructurally, they had extensive surface microvilli and edematous cytoplasm filled with abundant glial filaments and microlumens with or without microvilli. Intercellular long cell junctions of the zipper-like zonula adherens type were found

Marginal Zone B-cell Lymphoma of MALT in Small Intestine Associated with Amyloidosis: A Rare Association

A 62-yr-old man presented with a 5-yr history of intermittent abdominal distention and pain. These symptoms persisted for several months and subsided without treatment. A diagnosis of suspected small bowel lymphoma was made based on plain radiograph and computerized tomogram findings, and he was referred to our institution for further evaluation. Segmental resection of the small intestine was performed and the diagnosis of marginal zone B-cell lymphoma associated with amyloidosis was made. This is the first case of marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) in the small intestine associated with amyloidosis in Korea

Microwave amplification with nanomechanical resonators

Sensitive measurement of electrical signals is at the heart of modern science and technology. According to quantum mechanics, any detector or amplifier is required to add a certain amount of noise to the signal, equaling at best the energy of quantum fluctuations. The quantum limit of added noise has nearly been reached with superconducting devices which take advantage of nonlinearities in Josephson junctions. Here, we introduce a new paradigm of amplification of microwave signals with the help of a mechanical oscillator. By relying on the radiation pressure force on a nanomechanical resonator, we provide an experimental demonstration and an analytical description of how the injection of microwaves induces coherent stimulated emission and signal amplification. This scheme, based on two linear oscillators, has the advantage of being conceptually and practically simpler than the Josephson junction devices, and, at the same time, has a high potential to reach quantum limited operation. With a measured signal amplification of 25 decibels and the addition of 20 quanta of noise, we anticipate near quantum-limited mechanical microwave amplification is feasible in various applications involving integrated electrical circuits.Comment: Main text + supplementary information. 14 pages, 3 figures (main text), 18 pages, 6 figures (supplementary information

The effects of ambient He pressure on the oxygen density of Er-doped SiO x thin films grown by laser ablation of a Si:Er 2 O 3 target

Abstract Er-doped SiO x thin films were fabricated by laser ablation of a Si:Er 2 O 3 target in He atmosphere. We have measured the photoluminescence (PL) at 1.54 mm for the films grown at different He pressures and found that the oxygen density of the grown film that strongly influences the PL intensity is highly correlated with the ambient He pressure. This manifests that oxygen density of the film can be controlled in an inert atmosphere to maximize PL intensity when we adopt pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique to deposit Er-doped SiO x thin films. Also, we have examined the temperature dependence of PL and observed that the thermal quenching is greatly reduced for the PLD-grown films.

Exposure to ambient fine particulate matter is associated with changes in fasting glucose and lipid profiles: a nationwide cohort study

Ambient fine particulate matter is a rising concern for global public health. It was recently suggested that exposure to fine particulate matter may contribute to the development of diabetes and dyslipidaemia. This study aims to examine the potential associations of ambient particulate matter exposure with changes in fasting glucose and lipid profiles in Koreans. We used the data from the National Health Insurance Service–National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC), a nationwide database representative of the Korean population. A total of 85,869 individuals aged ≥20 years were included. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations between exposure to particulate matter and changes in fasting glucose and lipid profiles at 2-year intervals after adjusting for confounders. Significant associations were observed between an increase in interquartile range for particulate matter < 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) and elevated levels of fasting glucose and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p for trend = 0.015 and 0.010, respectively), while no association for particulate matter sized 2.5–10 μm in diameter (PM10–2.5) was noted after adjusting for the other covariates. Sub-group analyses showed stronger associations in individuals who were older (≥60 years) or physically inactive. Fine particulate matter exposure affects worsening fasting glucose and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, with no evidence of an association for coarse particulate matter