MYRRHA, a Pb-Bi experimental ADS: specific approach to radiation protection aspects

Since 1998, SCK*CEN, in partnership with IBA s.a. and many European research laboratories, is designing a multipurpose accelerator driven system (ADS) for Research and Development (R&D) applications-MYRRHA-and is conducting an associated R&D support programme. MYRRHA is an ADS under development at Mol in Belgium and is aiming to serve as a basis for the European experimental ADS to provide protons and neutrons for various R&D applications. It consists of a proton accelerator delivering a 350 MeV x 5 mA proton beam to a liquid Pb-Bi spallation target that in turn couples to a Pb-Bi cooled, subcritical fast core. In the first stage, the project focuses mainly on demonstration of the ADS concept, safety research on sub-critical systems and nuclear waste transmutation studies. In a later stage, the device will also be dedicated to research on structural materials, nuclear fuel, liquid metal technology and associated aspects, and on sub-critical reactor physics. Subsequently, it will be used for research on applications such as radioisotope production. A first preliminary conceptual design file of MYRRHA was completed by the end of 2001 and has been reviewed by an International Technical Guidance Committee, which concluded that there are no show stoppers in the project and even though some topics such as the safety studies and the fuel qualification need to be addressed more deeply before concluding it. In this paper, we are reporting on the state-of-the art of the MYRRHA project at the beginning of 2004 and in particular on the radiation shielding assessment and the radiation protection particular aspects through a remote handling operation approach in order to minimise the personnel exposure to radiation.     

Measurement of kinetic parameters in the fast subcritical core MASURCA

In the MUSE shared cost action of the European Fifth Framework Program measurements have been performed to investigate the neutronic behavior of the fast subcritical core MASURCA coupled with the GENEPI accelerator. The aim is to examine the applicability of different measurement techniques for the determination of the main kinetic parameters. The measurement of Rossi-alpha distributions, recorded with the accelerator turned off, showed that the analysis of the obtained distributions is feasible for deep subcritical levels, but with strongly deteriorated statistics. From Rossi-alpha distributions, recorded with the pulsed neutron source in operation, the alpha decay constant was easily derived due to good statistics on the correlated signal resulting from the strong intensity of the neutron pulse. When applying the pulsed neutron source analysis, the reactivity (in dollars) together with the ratio of the mean neutron lifetime l and the effective delayed neutron fraction β_eff is immediately derived. Although these first results are very promising, further measurements are needed to qualify the method at larger subcritical levels which are representative for future ADS.     

Hybrid-particulate composites based on an epoxy matrix,a reactive rubber,and glass beads: Morphology,viscoelastic, and mechanical properties

The deformation and fracture behaviors of hybrid-particulate epoxy composites have been examined. These materials were based on a DGEBA/DDA matrix with various volume fractions of glass beads and different rubber contents. Young's modulus, yield stress, dynamic mechanical spectra, and fracture energy have been determined at room temperature. The Kerner model fits well the Young's modulus for the hybrid complexes with various glass bead contents. The analysis of the relaxation peak recorded from viscoelastic measurements allow us to discuss the influence of the introduction of the glass beads on the mobility of macromolecular chains and the characteristics of the rubber-separated phase. The fracture energy displays a strong improvement and a synergism effect due to the presence of both kinds of particules. The toughening mechanisms were discussed. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of core–shell acrylate rubber particles on the thermomechanical and physical properties of biocomposites from polylactic acid and olive solid waste

Biocomposites from polylactic acid (PLA) and olive solid waste (OSW) were melt‐blended with core–shell acrylate rubber particles (ACR) in order to enhance the thermal stability upon melt processing and the mechanical performances of these biocomposites, thereby expanding their area of application. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicated that the ACR particles imparted more flexibility to the PLA/OSW biocomposites and thermal analysis showed that the incorporation of ACR significantly restrained the ability of the PLA chains to crystallize. The values of complex viscosity and storage modulus were significantly increased with the introduction of ACR. These results could be assigned to the entanglements between the PLA chains and those of the ACR shell, giving rise to a physical network that limited the segmental mobility of PLA and induced a high melt elasticity. Mechanical tests revealed that the elongation at break and the impact strength of the biocomposites were considerably improved. Moreover, morphological observations showed a clear adhesion enhancement between the PLA matrix and the OSW fillers in the presence of the ACR additive. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:894–902, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers     

RIALS: RSU/INS‐aided localization system for GPS‐challenged road segments

This paper introduces a new vehicle localization approach for global positioning system‐challenged road segments (e.g., tunnels), which takes advantage of roadside units (RSUs) and in‐vehicle inertial navigation system (INS). In the proposed approach, namely RSU/INS‐aided localization system (RIALS), vehicles only need one RSU in their transmission range for an accurate positioning. The beacons received from the RSU along with the information provided by the INS system are used for establishing and maintaining particular locus circles. After linearization, the system of locus circle equations is solved using the linear least square estimation technique, and the estimated vehicle's position is obtained. In the presence of speed variations and existing ranging and INS estimation errors, the proposed RIALS adaptively sets the sufficient number of required locus circles, aiming at keeping the localization error below a given threshold. We study the effects of ranging and INS estimation errors on localization accuracy of RIALS from analytical and simulation perspectives. Results of extensive simulations show that the localization error is more sensitive to the ranging error than the INS error. Moreover, the network traffic overhead of the proposed method is considerably lower than other competitive localization approaches. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of Sodium Dichloroacetate Alone and in Combination Therapies on Lung Tumor Growth and Metastasis

Metabolic reprogramming has been recognized as an essential emerging cancer hallmark. Dichloroacetate (DCA), an inhibitor of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK), has been reported to have anti-cancer effects by reversing tumor-associated glycolysis. This study was performed to explore the anti-cancer potential of DCA in lung cancer alone and in combination with chemo- and targeted therapies using two non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, namely, A549 and LNM35. DCA markedly caused a concentration- and time-dependent decrease in the viability and colony growth of A549 and LNM35 cells in vitro. DCA also reduced the growth of tumor xenografts in both a chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane and nude mice models in vivo. Furthermore, DCA decreased the angiogenic capacity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro. On the other hand, DCA did not inhibit the in vitro cellular migration and invasion and the in vivo incidence and growth of axillary lymph nodes metastases in nude mice. Treatment with DCA did not show any toxicity in chick embryos and nude mice. Finally, we demonstrated that DCA significantly enhanced the anti-cancer effect of cisplatin in LNM35. In addition, the combination of DCA with gefitinib or erlotinib leads to additive effects on the inhibition of LNM35 colony growth after seven days of treatment and to synergistic effects on the inhibition of A549 colony growth after 14 days of treatment. Collectively, this study demonstrates that DCA is a safe and promising therapeutic agent for lung cancer.