Advanced Reactor Licensing: Experience with Digital I&C Technology in Evolutionary Plants

This report presents the findings from a study of experience with digital instrumentation and controls (I&C) technology in evolutionary nuclear power plants. In particular, this study evaluated regulatory approaches employed by the international nuclear power community for licensing advanced l&C systems and identified lessons learned. The report (1) gives an overview of the modern l&C technologies employed at numerous evolutionary nuclear power plants, (2) identifies performance experience derived from those applications, (3) discusses regulatory processes employed and issues that have arisen, (4) captures lessons learned from performance and regulatory experience, (5) suggests anticipated issues that may arise from international near-term deployment of reactor concepts, and (6) offers conclusions and recommendations for potential activities to support advanced reactor licensing in the United States

Sexual health and fertility in Duchenne muscular dystrophy—An exploratory study

\ua9 2024 The Author(s). Muscle & Nerve published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.Introduction/Aims: Recent clinical guidelines recommend that adolescents with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who are on daily glucocorticoid treatment should be offered pubertal induction in order to ensure adult levels of sex hormones as they reach adulthood. However, it remains unclear how gonadal status, including androgen concentrations, impacts physical function and future fertility. The aim of this study was to give a voice to adults with DMD, exploring their perspectives around sexual health, hormone treatment, and fertility. Methods: Qualitative data was collected from six adults with DMD through two online focus groups. Participants were recruited through Pathfinders Neuromuscular Alliance and Duchenne UK and invited to take part if they had DMD and were 18 years of age or older. Conversations were transcribed verbatim and an interpretivist paradigm was used with thematic analysis. Results: The main themes identified were (1) the need for communication and information about sexual health, (2) dealing with the potential fear of rejection, (3) physical barriers to relationships including sex, (4) testosterone supplementation in DMD, and (5) parenthood and fertility. Discussion: We recommend that clinicians work with young people with DMD individually, to explore the benefits of testosterone treatment for them and their personal sexual health needs. If they are offered treatment, this should always be accompanied by the opportunity for psychological support. This work highlights the need for further research to establish the role of testosterone supplementation in adults with DMD and its effects on fertility and the value of specific emotional and practical support for sexual health

Zekerheid op Lading: Pandrecht en retentierecht op roerende zaken en cognossement in het handelsverkeer

Een zekerheidsrecht functioneert in het recht ongeveer op dezelfde manier als de grijper van een kraan in de haven. Zoals de machinist van een kraan de grijper kan openen of sluiten, zo heeft de zekerheidshouder de bevoegdheid om de zaken onder zich te houden totdat de verschuldigde vordering is betaald, dan wel om de zaken af te geven aan de schuldenaar of een derde. Door de uitoefening van zijn zekerheidsrecht houdt de schuldeiser dus grip op de lading. Dit aspect van het zekerheidsrecht is van groot belang voor logistieke dienstverleners en banken. De door hen verrichte handelingen, zoals kredietverlening, fysieke distributie, expeditie, vervoer, bewaarneming, laden, lossen, opdracht en lastgeving, brengen kosten met zich mee die in beginsel verhaalbaar zijn op de contractuele wederpartij, de schuldenaar. In veel gevallen wordt het verschuldigde loon echter pas betaald na het verrichten van de handeling ten behoeve van de zaken. Daardoor loopt de schuldeiser steeds het risico dat de schuldenaar, om wat voor reden dan ook, verzuimt zijn verbintenis uit de overeenkomst, namelijk de verplichting tot het betalen van het loon, na te komen. Hier komt het belang van het zekerheidsrecht naar voren: door middel van een zekerheidsrecht kan de schuldeiser het risico van wanbetaling door de schuldenaar beperken. De schuldeiser behoeft de zaken niet af te geven zolang het loon niet is betaald en hij kan zich zelfs onder bepaalde omstandigheden op de zaken verhalen. Uiteraard zal niet in alle gevallen waar sprake is van een betalingsverzuim een zekerheidsrecht worden ingeroepen. Vaak volstaat een commerciële oplossing, zoals het bieden van uitstel van betaling. Het zekerheidsrecht komt pas in beeld wanneer een commerciële oplossing geen resultaat (meer) geeft. Dat is het geval wanneer de schuldenaar failliet is gegaan of op andere wijze ervan blijk geeft niet aan zijn betalingsverplichtingen te kunnen voldoen. In deze gevallen waarin een commerciële oplossing niet meer baat, vervullen zekerheidsrechten een onmisbare rol. Dit boek handelt over twee zekerheidsrechten, het pandrecht en het retentierecht, en hun rol in het internationaal handelsverkeer

Fine sediment reduces vertical migrations of Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in response to surface water loss

Surface and subsurface sediments in river ecosystems are recognized as refuges that may promote invertebrate survival during disturbances such as floods and streambed drying. Refuge use is spatiotemporally variable, with environmental factors including substrate composition, in particular the proportion of fine sediment (FS), affecting the ability of organisms to move through interstitial spaces. We conducted a laboratory experiment to examine the effects of FS on the movement of Gammarus pulex Linnaeus (Crustacea: Amphipoda) into subsurface sediments in response to surface water loss. We hypothesized that increasing volumes of FS would impede and ultimately prevent individuals from migrating into the sediments. To test this hypothesis, the proportion of FS (1–2 mm diameter) present within an open gravel matrix (4–16 mm diameter) was varied from 10 to 20% by volume in 2.5% increments. Under control conditions (0% FS), 93% of individuals moved into subsurface sediments as the water level was reduced. The proportion of individuals moving into the subsurface decreased to 74% at 10% FS, and at 20% FS no individuals entered the sediments, supporting our hypothesis. These results demonstrate the importance of reducing FS inputs into river ecosystems and restoring FS-clogged riverbeds, to promote refuge use during increasingly common instream disturbances

A new insight for monitoring ungulates : density surface modelling of roe deer in a Mediterranean habitat

We would like to thank the University of Aveiro (Department of Biology) and FCT/MEC for the financial support to CESAM RU (UID/AMB/50017) through national funds and, where applicable, co-financed by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. TAM is partially funded by FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, through the project UID/MAT/00006/2013.Ungulates are especially difficult to monitor, and population estimates are challenging to obtain; nevertheless, such information is fundamental for effective management. This is particularly important for expanding species such as roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), whose populations dramatically increased in number and geographic distribution over the last decades. In an attempt to follow population trends and assess species ecology, important methodological advances were recently achieved by combining line or point sampling with geographic information systems (GIS). In this study, we combined density surface modelling (DSM) with line transect survey to predict roe deer density in northeastern Portugal. This was based on modelling pellet group counts as a function of environmental factors while taking into account the probability of detecting pellets and conversion factors to relate pellet density to animal density. We estimated a global density of 3.01 animals/100 ha (95 % CI 0.37–3.51) with a 32.82 % CV. Roe deer densities increased with increasing distance to roads as well as with higher percentage of cover areas and decreased with increasing distance to human populations. This recently developed spatial method can be advantageous to predict density over space through the identification of key factors influencing species abundance. Furthermore, surface maps for subset areas will enable to visually depict abundance distribution of wild populations. This will enable the assessment of areas where ungulate impacts should be minimized, allowing an adaptive management through time.PostprintPeer reviewe

A Gonococcal Vaccine Has the Potential to Rapidly Reduce the Incidence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection among Urban Men Who Have Sex with Men

Background: A gonococcal vaccine is urgently needed due to increasing gonorrhea incidence and emerging multidrug-resistant gonococcal strains worldwide. Men who have sex with men (MSM) have among the highest incidences of gonorrhea and may be a key target population for vaccination when available. Methods: An individual-based, anatomical site-specific mathematical model was used to simulate Neisseria gonorrhoeae transmission in a population of 10000 MSM. The impact of vaccination on gonorrhea prevalence was assessed. Results: With a gonococcal vaccine of 100% or 50% protective efficacy, gonorrhea prevalence could be reduced by 94% or 62%, respectively, within 2 years if 30% of MSM are vaccinated on presentation for sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing. Elimination of gonorrhea is possible within 8 years with vaccines of≥50% efficacy lasting 2 years, providing a booster vaccination is available every 3 years on average. A vaccine's impact may be reduced if it is not effective at all anatomical sites. Conclusions: Our study indicates that with a vaccine of modest efficacy and an immunization strategy that targets MSM presenting for STI screening, the prevalence of gonorrhea in this population could be rapidly and substantially reduced

Understanding COVID-19 dynamics and the effects of interventions in the Philippines: A mathematical modelling study

Background: COVID-19 initially caused less severe outbreaks in many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) compared with many high-income countries, possibly because of differing demographics, socioeconomics, surveillance, and policy responses. Here, we investigate the role of multiple factors on COVID-19 dynamics in the Philippines, a LMIC that has had a relatively severe COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: We applied an age-structured compartmental model that incorporated time-varying mobility, testing, and personal protective behaviors (through a “Minimum Health Standards” policy, MHS) to represent the first wave of the Philippines COVID-19 epidemic nationally and for three highly affected regions (Calabarzon, Central Visayas, and the National Capital Region). We estimated effects of control measures, key epidemiological parameters, and interventions. Findings: Population age structure, contact rates, mobility, testing, and MHS were sufficient to explain the Philippines epidemic based on the good fit between modelled and reported cases, hospitalisations, and deaths. The model indicated that MHS reduced the probability of transmission per contact by 13-27%. The February 2021 case detection rate was estimated at ~8%, population recovered at ~9%, and scenario projections indicated high sensitivity to MHS adherence. Interpretation: COVID-19 dynamics in the Philippines are driven by age, contact structure, mobility, and MHS adherence. Continued compliance with low-cost MHS should help the Philippines control the epidemic until vaccines are widely distributed, but disease resurgence may be occurring due to a combination of low population immunity and detection rates and new variants of concern

Air pollution, ethnicity and telomere length in east London schoolchildren: An observational study

This study was funded/supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, Dr. and Mrs. Lee Iu Cheung Fund, and Hackney Primary Care Trust (PCT)

Giant Anharmonic Phonon Scattering in PbTe

Understanding the microscopic processes affecting the bulk thermal conductivity is crucial to develop more efficient thermoelectric materials. PbTe is currently one of the leading thermoelectric materials, largely thanks to its low thermal conductivity. However, the origin of this low thermal conductivity in a simple rocksalt structure has so far been elusive. Using a combination of inelastic neutron scattering measurements and first-principles computations of the phonons, we identify a strong anharmonic coupling between the ferroelectric transverse optic (TO) mode and the longitudinal acoustic (LA) modes in PbTe. This interaction extends over a large portion of reciprocal space, and directly affects the heat-carrying LA phonons. The LA-TO anharmonic coupling is likely to play a central role in explaining the low thermal conductivity of PbTe. The present results provide a microscopic picture of why many good thermoelectric materials are found near a lattice instability of the ferroelectric type

Wheldone Revisited: Structure Revision via DFT-GIAO chemical shift calculations, 1,1-HD-ADEQUATE NMR Spectroscopy, and X-ray Crystallography Studies

Wheldone was reported recently as a fungal metabolite isolated from the co-culture of Aspergillus fischeri and Xylaria flabelliformis, and it displayed cytotoxic activity against breast, melanoma, and ovarian cancer cell lines. Initially, its structure was characterized as an unusual 5-methyl-bicyclo[5.4.0]undec-3,5-diene scaffold with a 2‑hydroxy-1-propanone side chain and a 3-(2-(1-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-2,5-dihydrofuran-3-yl)acrylic acid moiety. Upon further examination, minor inconsistencies in the data suggested the need for structural revision. Thus, the structure of wheldone has been revisited herein using an orthogonal experimental-computational approach, which combines 1,1-HD-ADEQUATE NMR experiments, DFT-GIAO chemical shift calculations, and single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) analysis of a semi-synthetic p‑bromobenzylamide derivative, formed via a Steglich-type reaction. The summation of these data, in conjunction with previously reported Mosher’s ester analysis, now permit the unequivocal assignment of both the structure and absolute configuration of the natural product