Radiobiological Impact Evaluation Within Monte-Carlo Shielding Calculations of CANDU Spent Fuel

The radiobiological effect on the human health of CANDU spent fuel is assessed using Monte Carlo shielding estimates. The examination of spent fuel occurs after it has been discharged from the reactor. A specific cooling interval is considered, with the radiation dose rates that characterize the used fuel being of interest. Two kinds of fuel were studied in a CANDU standard fuel bundle with 37 fuel components: natural uranium (NU) fuel and slightly enriched uranium (SEU) fuel. The fuel burnup was simulated using the ORIGEN-S algorithm, and the photon sources describing the wasted fuel were retrieved. A generic stainless steel shipping cask type B was used for spent fuel transfer, and radiation doses at the cask wall and in the air up to 8 m away from the shipping cask were computed using the Monte Carlo MORSE-SGC algorithm. To ensure nuclear safety and radiation protection, spent fuel must be maintained in temporary wet cooling storage for six months. The projected dosage rates were modest, allowing for the safe handling of the used fuel shipping cask. The corresponding dosages on human body organs for the two considered spent fuels were estimated without and with shielding. Due to the varied sensitivity and reaction of organs/tissue, the effective dosage was evaluated for the human body by applying a tissue-weighting factor; these weighting factors are not equal, and functional coefficients specified by ICRP are used. The equivalent doses calculation modeling findings for the present study underlined the complete effectiveness of the applied shielding and attained the acceptable dose level

Sensory evaluation of different preparations of cassava leaves from three species as a leafy vegetable

Cassava leaves are largely consumed in Africa and are among the top three African indigenous vegetables rich in nutrients. Leaves from bitter (Manihot utilissima), sweet (Manihot dulcis) and wild (Manihot glaziovii) species of cassava were cooked by boiling in salted (sodium bicarbonate and table salt) water with the addition of palm oil and ground-nut paste, following processing by “pounding”, “pounding and then drying” and, “drying and then pounding”. The drying was done in tunnel solar drier at temperature of 65°C on average. Nine samples (three species x three processing methods) were evaluated by 31 panelists, using a five point hedonic scale, where 5 = like very much and 1= dislike very much. Cassava species affected significantly (p = 0.0047; 0.0206) scoring for texture and overall acceptability, respectively, but not for colour, aroma and taste. Processing method highly significantly (p< 0.0001) affected all the sensory attributes scoring. Leaves from all three  species were liked as leafy vegetable, except when pounded after drying.Key words: Cassava leaves, cassava species, sensory characteristics, tunnel solar drying, processing methods, Rwanda

Numerical investigation of dusty tri-hybrid Ellis rotating nanofluid flow and thermal transportation over a stretchable Riga plate

Due to high-ultra thermic significances, the nanosize materials are used in various chemical and mechanical engineering, modern technology and thermic engineering eras. For industrial growth of a country, one of the biggest challenges for engineers and scientists is improvement in thermal production and resources. In this study we analyzed the momentum and thermic aspects of MHD Ellis ternary nano material embedded with dust particles via stretchable Riga plate including volume concentration of dust material. The flow generating PDE's for two phase models are minimized into dimensionless nonlinear ODE's by using the right modification. To acquire the graphical results the BVP4c method was adopted in MATLAB software. Fundamental aspects affecting velocity and temperature have investigated through graphs. Additionally Nusselt number and skin friction have also been evaluated. Compared it with previous literature to check the validity of results. Finding reveals that as compared to dusty phase the performance of trihybrid nano phase thermal transport is improved. Moreover, the temperature profile increases for rotational and volume fraction dust particles parameter. Dusty fluids are used in numerous manufacturing and engineering sectors, like petroleum transport, car smoke emissions, caustic granules in mining and power plant pipes.Scopu

Immunogenic Mycobacterium africanum Strains Associated with Ongoing Transmission in The Gambia

In West Africa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains co-circulate with M. africanum, and both pathogens cause pulmonary tuberculosis in humans. Given recent findings that M. tuberculosis T-cell epitopes are hyperconserved, we hypothesized that more immunogenic strains have increased capacity to spread within the human host population. We investigated the relationship between the composition of the mycobacterial population in The Gambia, as measured by spoligotype analysis, and the immunogenicity of these strains as measured by purified protein derivative-induced interferon-γ release in ELISPOT assays of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We found a positive correlation between strains with superior spreading capacity and their relative immunogenicity. Although our observation is true for M. tuberculosis and M. africanum strains, the association was especially pronounced in 1 M. africanum sublineage, characterized by spoligotype shared international type 181, which is responsible for 20% of all tuberculosis cases in the region and therefore poses a major public health threat in The Gambia

Cancer and thrombosis: Managing the risks and approaches to thromboprophylaxis

Patients with cancer are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared with patients without cancer. This results from both the prothrombotic effects of the cancer itself and iatrogenic factors, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, indwelling central venous devices and surgery, that further increase the risk of VTE. Although cancer-associated thrombosis remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality, it is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. However, evidence is accumulating to support the use of low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) in the secondary prevention of VTE in patients with cancer. Not only have LMWHs been shown to be at least as effective as coumarin derivatives in this setting, but they have a lower incidence of complications, including bleeding, and are not associated with the practical problems of warfarin therapy. Furthermore, a growing number of studies indicate that LMWHs may improve survival among patients with cancer due to a possible antitumor effect. Current evidence suggests that LMWHs should increasingly be considered for the long-term management of VTE in patients with cancer

Distinct genetic architectures and environmental factors associate with host response to the γ2-herpesvirus infections

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) establish life-long infections and are associated with malignancies. Striking geographic variation in incidence and the fact that virus alone is insufficient to cause disease, suggests other co-factors are involved. Here we present epidemiological analysis and genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 4365 individuals from an African population cohort, to assess the influence of host genetic and non-genetic factors on virus antibody responses. EBV/KSHV co-infection (OR = 5.71(1.58–7.12)), HIV positivity (OR = 2.22(1.32–3.73)) and living in a more rural area (OR = 1.38(1.01–1.89)) are strongly associated with immunogenicity. GWAS reveals associations with KSHV antibody response in the HLA-B/C region (p = 6.64 × 10−09). For EBV, associations are identified for VCA (rs71542439, p = 1.15 × 10−12). Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) and trans-ancestry fine-mapping substantiate that distinct variants in HLA-DQA1 (p = 5.24 × 10−44) are driving associations for EBNA-1 in Africa. This study highlights complex interactions between KSHV and EBV, in addition to distinct genetic architectures resulting in important differences in pathogenesis and transmission