Experimental Validation of Ex-Vessel Neutron Spectrum by Means of Dosimeter Materials Activation Method

Neutron spectrum information in reactor core and around of ex-vessel reactor needs to be known with a certain degree of accuracy to support the development of fuels, materials, and other components. The most common method to determine neutron spectra is by utilizing the radioactivation of dosimeter materials. This report presents the evaluation of neutron flux incident on M3dosimeter sets which were irradiated outside the reactor vessel,as well as the validation of neutron spectrum calculation. Al capsules containing both dosimeter set covered withCd and dosimeter set without Cd cover have been irradiated during the 35th operational cycle in the M3 ex-vessel irradiation hole position207 cmfrom core centerline at the space between the reactor vessel and the safety vessel. The capsules were positioned at Z=0.0 cm of core midplane. Each dosimeter set consists of Co-Al, Sc, Fe, Np, Nb, Ni, B, and Ta. The gamma-ray spectra of irradiated dosimeter materials were measured by 63 cc HPGe solid-state detector and photo-peak spectra were analyzed using BOB75 code. The reaction rates of each dosimeter materials and its uncertainty were analyzed based on 59Co (n,g) 60Co, 237Np (n,f) 95Zr-103Ru, 45Sc (n,g) 46Sc, 58Fe (n,g) 59Fe, 181Ta (n,g) 182Ta, and 58Ni (n,p)58Co reactions. The measured Cd ratios indicate that neutron spectrum at the irradiated dosimeter sets was dominated by low energy neutron. The experimental result shows that the calculated neutron spectra by DORT code at the ex-vessel positions need correction, especially in the fast neutron energy region, so as to obtain reasonable unfolding result consistent with the reaction rate measurement without any exception. Using biased DORT initial spectrum, the neutron spectrum and its integral quantity were unfolded by NEUPAC code. The result shows that total neutron flux, flux above 1.0 MeV, flux above 0.1 MeV, and the displacement rate of the dosimeter set not covered with Cd were 1.75× 1012 n cm2 s-1, 1.83× 108 n cm2 s-1, 2.94× 1010 n cm2 s-1, and 2.39× 10-11 dpa s-1, respectively. The uncertainty of neutron flux by NEUPAC was mainly due to the error of the initial spectrum.Received: 10 December 2015; Revised: 14 July 2016; Accepted: 25 September 201

Exchange Losses from International Electronic Funds Transfers: Time to Unify the Law

This Comment is divided into four parts. Section II briefly characterizes the nature of the foreign exchange loss problem in EFTs.24 Section III broadly reviews the current law respecting exchange losses and discusses the increased complexity of the exchange loss problem due to the introduction of message-switching and clearinghouse intermediaries in EFTs.25 Section IV reviews and evaluates the proposal to extend the SWIFT interest loss allocation rules to the exchange loss problem, ultimately concluding that the proposal does not sufficiently resolve the exchange problem as it relates to EFT intermediaries.26 Finally, Section V presents two alternatives to deal specifically and exclusively with the allocation of exchange loss liability resulting from delays in EFTs

Markov Chain Model and its Application Yearly Rainfall Data in Nagapattinam District

A stochastic model expresses a sequence of possible events in which the possible event of each event depends on the previous event and is called a Markov chain.  This paper has analyzed yearly rainfall in the Nagapattinam district and formulated three-state models. The first-order Markov chain to determine the long-term probability of rainfall in the following years and the steady-state. It can be used to make a forecast of the annual rainfall pattern. This model can give some information about rainfall to farmers and the government to plan strategies for high crop production in the Nagapattinam distric

Faktor-faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Niat Mahasiswa Untuk Berwirausaha

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi niat mahasiswa untuk berwirausaha dengan menggunakan faktor imbalan, peluang, efikasi diri, dan pengetahuan kewirausahaan. Dalam penelitian ini teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner yang disebarkan kepada para mahasiswa Fakultas Ekonomi pada dua universitas. Sampel yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini sebanyak 106 reponden dengan menggunakan purposive sampling dan cluster sampling. Pada tahap analisis dilakukan uji asumsi klasik, analisis regresi linear berganda, uji F serta uji-t. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan terdapat pengaruh positif dan signifikan dari faktor imbalan, faktor peluang, efikasi diri dan pengetahuan kewirausahaan terhadap niat mahasiswa berwirausaha

HST and ground-based eclipse observations of V2051 Ophiuchi: Binary parameters

We report on high-speed eclipse photometry of the dwarf nova V2051 Oph while it was in a low brightness state, at B ~ 16.2 mag. In comparison to the average IUE spectra, the ultraviolet continuum and emission lines appear reduced by factors of, respectively, ~4 and ~5. Flickering activity is mostly suppressed and the lightcurve shows the eclipse of a compact white dwarf at disc centre which contributes ~60 per cent of the total light at 3900--4300 A. We use measurements of contact phases in the eclipse lightcurve to derive the binary geometry and to estimate masses and relevant dimensions. We find a mass ratio of q= 0.19+/-0.03 and an inclination of i= 83+/-2 degrees. The masses of the component stars are M_1 = 0.78+/-0.06 M_dot and M_2 = 0.15+/-0.03 M_dot. Our photometric model predicts K_1 = 83+/-12 km/s and K_2= 435+/-11 km/s. The predicted value of K_1 is in accordance with the velocity amplitude obtained from the emission lines after a correction for asymmetric line emission in the disc is made (Watts et al. 1986). The secondary of V2051 Oph is significantly more massive than the secondaries of the other ultra-short period dwarf novae. V2051 Oph is probably a relatively young system, whose secondary star had not enough time to evolve out of thermal equilibrium.Comment: 16 pages, 7 postscript figures, coded using MNRAS latex style. To appear in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Revised version with changes in section 4.3. For related papers and files see ftp://fsc01.fsc.ufsc.br/pub/bap and http://www.fsc.ufsc.br/~astr

DGR mutagenic transposition occurs via hypermutagenic reverse transcription primed by nicked template RNA.

Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) are molecular evolution machines that facilitate microbial adaptation to environmental changes. Hypervariation occurs via a mutagenic retrotransposition process from a template repeat (TR) to a variable repeat (VR) that results in adenine-to-random nucleotide conversions. Here we show that reverse transcription of the Bordetella phage DGR is primed by an adenine residue in TR RNA and is dependent on the DGR-encoded reverse transcriptase (bRT) and accessory variability determinant (Avd ), but is VR-independent. We also find that the catalytic center of bRT plays an essential role in site-specific cleavage of TR RNA for cDNA priming. Adenine-specific mutagenesis occurs during reverse transcription and does not involve dUTP incorporation, indicating it results from bRT-catalyzed misincorporation of standard deoxyribonucleotides. In vivo assays show that this hybrid RNA-cDNA molecule is required for mutagenic transposition, revealing a unique mechanism of DNA hypervariation for microbial adaptation

Linking cardiorespiratory fitness classification criteria to early subclinical atherosclerosis in children

It is unclear if cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) can be used as a screening tool for premature changes in carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in paediatric populations. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was 3-fold: (i) to determine if CRF can be used to screen increased cIMT; (ii) to determine an optimal CRF cut-off to predict increased cIMT; and (iii) to evaluate its ability to predict increased cIMT among children in comparison with existent CRF cut-offs. cIMT was assessed with high-resolution ultrasonography and CRF was determined using a maximal cycle test. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted in boys (n = 211) and girls (n = 202) aged 11-12 years to define the optimal sex-specific CRF cut-off to classify increased cIMT (≥75th percentile). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between the CRF cut-offs with the risk of having an increased cIMT. The optimal CRF cut-offs to predict increased cIMT were 45.81 and 34.46 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1) for boys and girls, respectively. The odds-ratios for having increased cIMT among children who were unfit was up to 2.8 times the odds among those who were fit (95% confidence interval: 1.40-5.53). Considering current CRF cut-offs, only those suggested by Adegboye et al. 2011. (Br. J. Sports Med. 45(9): 722-728) and Boddy et al. 2012 (PLoS One, 7(9): e45755) were significant in predicting increased cIMT. In conclusion, CRF cut-offs (boys: ≤ 45.8; girls: ≤ 34.5 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) are associated with thickening of the arterial wall in 11- to 12-year-old children. Low CRF is an important cardiovascular risk factor in children and our data highlight the importance of obtaining an adequate CRF.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Beliefs about others' intentions determine whether cooperation is the faster choice

Is collaboration the fast choice for humans? Past studies proposed that cooperation is a behavioural default, based on Response Times (RT) findings. Here we contend that the individual’s reckoning of the immediate social environment shapes her predisposition to cooperate and, hence, response latencies. In a social dilemma game, we manipulate the beliefs about the partner’s intentions to cooperate and show that they act as a switch that determines cooperation and defection RTs; when the partner’s intention to cooperate is perceived as high, cooperation choices are speeded up, while defection is slowed down. Importantly, this social context effect holds across varying expected payoffs, indicating that it modulates behaviour regardless of choices’ similarity in monetary terms. Moreover, this pattern is moderated by individual variability in social preferences: Among conditional cooperators, high cooperation beliefs speed up cooperation responses and slow down defection. Among free-riders, defection is always faster and more likely than cooperation, while high cooperation beliefs slow down all decisions. These results shed new light on the conflict of choices account of response latencies, as well as on the intuitive cooperation hypothesis, and can help to correctly interpret and reconcile previous, apparently contradictory results, by considering the role of context in social dilemmas