Seismic proof test of a reinforced concrete containment vessel (RCCV): Part 2: Results of shaking table tests

A 1/8-scale model was constructed of a reinforced concrete containment vessel (RCCV) used in the latest advanced boiling water reactors (ABWR). Shaking table tests were conducted on it with input motions corresponding to or exceeding a design earthquake assumed for a real Nuclear Power Plant.The objectives of the tests were to verify the structural integrity and the leak-proof functional soundness of the RCCV subjected to design earthquakes, and to determine the ultimate strength and seismic margin by an excitation that led to the model's collapse. The model, the test sequence and the pressure and leak test results were addressed in Part 1. The shaking table test method, the input motions and the test results, including the transition of the model's stiffness, natural frequencies and damping factors and the effects of vertical input motions and internal pressure on the model's characteristics and behavior, the load–deformation, the ultimate strength, the failure mode of the reinforced concrete portion and the liner plate are described here. The seismic safety margin that was evaluated by the energy input during the failure test to a design basis earthquake will be described in Part 3. The analytical results of simulation using the multi-lumped mass model will be described in Part 4.     

Calcium isotope separation by band chromatography using 18-crown-6-ether resin

To develop the ⁴⁸Ca enrichment process, a feasibility study on a band chromatography was made using 9 M HCl solution and crown ether resin synthesized in porous silica beads. Prior to the chromatographic experiments, distribution coefficients, Kd, of Ca²⁺ and Sr²⁺ were measured at different concentrations of these ionic species. The frontal boundary of the chromatography was made by a usual manner of the breakthrough mode of calcium feeding, and the rear boundary was made by introducing strontium as a following ion on the basis of the observed Kd values. It was confirmed that the heavy isotope ⁴⁸Ca was depleted in the rear boundary region, while ⁴⁸Ca was enriched in the front boundary region. The values of separation coefficient ε (= α – 1) in three chromatographic operations at different temperatures were observed as 2 × 10^?3 ~ 3 × 10^?3. The separation coefficients observed in the front boundary regions, where ⁴⁸Ca was enriched, agreed with those observed in the rear boundary regions, where ⁴⁰Ca was enriched.     

Principle validation of nuclear fuel material isotopic composition measurement method based on photofission reactions

We have developed a new nondestructive assay technique based on the photonuclear reaction, which is aimed at measuring the isotopic composition of nuclear fuel materials without relying on their self-generated neutron information. This methodology enables measurement of the number of neutrons produced by the photofission reactions at different specific photon energies, and only information on the relative counts and not the absolute values or energies, which are considerably affected by backgrounds, are required for the enrichment induction according to a mathematical process. The present methodology estimated the ²³⁵U enrichment value with 8% accuracy when the cross section uncertainty is 5%.     

Maximization of representativity factors for experimental planning of cross-section measurements: An information theoretic approach

The similarity between two nuclear systems is expressed by the representativity factors and maximizing its value to unity reduces the uncertainty from its existing value. As the representativity factor is a function of covariance matrix of neutron cross-sections, the inherent systematic uncertainty in neutron cross-sections inhibits it from approaching unity and hence statistical procedures have to be resorted to minimize the systematic uncertainty. As the conventional statistical techniques fail when systematic uncertainty is dominant, we propose an entropy based information theoretic approach of maximizing the mutual information by the knowledge of bounds for the correlated elements. We show that maximizing the mutual information and the representativity factors express the similar phenomena of uncertainty reduction. We estimated the bounds for the correlated elements of the correlation matrix for minor actinides and show how the systematic uncertainty is reduced when lower bound values are considered. These lower bound values aid in experimental planning for future measurement of cross-sections with reduced systematic uncertainty.     

Effects of Phosphoryl Oligosaccharides of Calcium (POs-Ca) on Mycelial Growth and Fruiting Body Development of the Edible Mushroom,Pleurotus ostreatus

Phosphoryl oligosaccharides of calcium (POs-Ca) is a calcium salt of phosphoryl maltooligosaccharides made from potato starch. POs-Ca is highly water-soluble and can supply both the calcium ion and acidic oligosaccharides in an aqueous solution. In this study, we investigated the effects of POs-Ca on the mycelial growth and fruiting body yield of Pleurotus ostreatus , which is one of the most widely cultivated edible mushrooms in the world. We cultivated the mushroom using both potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium and sawdust-based medium, with added calcium salts. The addition of POs-Ca into the PDA medium with a calcium concentration of 10 mg increased mycelial growth significantly ( p < 0.05, vs . control). POs-Ca addition to the sawdust-based medium at concentrations of 1.0 to 3.0 g/100 g medium increased the amount of calcium in the fruiting bodies but did not affect the length of the cultivation period or the weight of the fruiting body. The calcium content in the fruiting body increased 12-fold when compared to the control. On the other hand, neither the CaHPO ₄ ･2H ₂ O group nor the CaHPO ₄ ･2H ₂ O with oligosaccharides group showed changes in the calcium content of the fruiting bodies. Our results indicate that the use of POs-Ca in mushroom cultivation allows for the possibility of developing new functional foods like calcium-enriched edible mushrooms. This is the first report describing the effects of POs-Ca on mushroom cultivation.     

Numerical simulation of pharyngeal bolus flow influenced by bolus viscosity and apparent slip

Pharyngeal bolus flow was simulated numerically using a finite element method. The bolus liquids were X-ray medium, glucose, and thickener solutions. For a low-viscosity bolus, the simulation showed a reasonable agreement of bolus velocity with X-ray measurements. The influence of bolus density on swallowing velocity was investigated numerically. Although a higher density resulted in a higher bolus velocity, the increase in velocity was modest. When the bolus viscosity was high, it was necessary to apply the slip boundary condition to obtain an agreement for bolus velocity between the simulation and X-ray measurements. The simulations also showed that the method of characteristic shear rate proposed by Zhu et al., Journal of Texture Studies, 2014, 45, 430–439 is effective for predicting the bolus velocity for shear-thinning fluids. In order to discuss the effect of saliva lubrication and the physical meaning of the characteristic shear rate, an immiscible two-layer flow of the core and wall layer was analyzed theoretically by analogy with mesopharyngeal bolus flow. The characteristic shear rate enabled us to correlate the macroscopic flow behavior and the viscosity of the core layer fluid. Lubrication due to the wall layer caused the apparent slip and enhanced the transfer of viscous core fluid. For viscous fluid that presented a large apparent slip in the two-layer model, the slip boundary condition was needed in the swallowing simulation. The numerical simulation and model flow analysis revealed the usefulness of characteristic shear rate and the importance of saliva-layer lubrication in swallowing.     

广州市老年人使用空气调节设备状况及对健康影响调查

老人的健康与建筑室内环境存在重要联系,为了给适老建筑的暖通系统优化设计提供理论依据,有必要探究室内空气调节设备与老人健康的关系。对广州市104位本地老年人进行了问卷调查,收集了老年人的基本健康信息和家庭使用空气调节设备的情况,包括制冷、除湿、采暖和空气净化4种设备及其使用时长,使用习惯。收集到的信息用SPSS20.0进行了统计分析。结果包括广州市老年人家中四种设备拥有率、设备平均使用龄、设备使用时间以及常见日均使用时长;所调查的老年人健康比例达到55.8%。患病老人中心血管疾病的比例最高,其余为风湿性疾病和关节炎等疾病。相关性分析表明,广州地区夏天家庭采取制冷措施的老人患病可能性更小;制冷设备常见日均使用时长与身处空调区域时长的比值越大,老人患病的可能性越小。     

香港部屋 日本新潟县

<正>香港部屋座落在日本新潟县中鱼沼郡津南町内的一个村落里。津南的上乡被大自然紧紧包围着,是一个有大树,有小草,充满着雪国风貌的青葱之地。为了不打扰这份自然和宁静,LAAB以融入作为设计理念,希望香港部屋成为这个村落的一部分。屋顶微微倾侧,和村落中此起彼落的民居建筑物互相呼应。LAAB用新潟当地的鱼沼杉木和常见的镀铁板     

Full scale investigation of GCL damage mechanisms in small earth dam retrofit applications under earthquake loading

This paper reports results of full scale testing to further explore potential GCL damage mechanisms in earth dam retrofit applications in seismically active areas; in particular, to a) investigate whether shear displacements could reduce the magnitude of GCL panel overlap during earthquake shaking; b) explore the influence of gravel particles on GCL thickness at localised point of contact; and c) observe the consequences of an accidental exposure of an uncovered GCL to short duration rainfall in terms of moisture content and effects during subsequent compaction. The results of these experiments indicate that even under severe shaking no movements were detected at the GCL panel overlap. Whereas gravel particles were observed to locally reduce the thickness of the GCL to 2.2 mm, no plowing of the particle into the GCL occurred due to a lack of shear displacement at the interface, resulting in no localised internal erosion through the barrier. Furthermore, hydration of GCL panels during construction due to surface wetting was observed to result in a state of hydration less than its post-construction state. These results indicate that although each of the three GCL damage mechanisms cannot be ruled out to ever be relevant in practice, the performance of the GCL retrofitted earth dam tested was satisfactory under even severe Level 2 earthquake shaking, and suggests that the retrofitting of small earth dams with GCLs is a promising strategy to improve their static and seismic resistance.