ABSTRACT
Recent in situ and remote observations suggest that the transport regime associated with shock-accelerated particles may be anomalous i.e. the mean square displacement (MSD) of such ...particles scales non-linearly with time. We use self-consistent hybrid particle-in-cell plasma simulations to simulate a quasi-parallel shock with parameters compatible with heliospheric shocks, and gain insights about the particle transport in such a system. For suprathermal particles interacting with the shock we compute the MSD separately in the upstream and downstream regions. Tracking suprathermal particles for sufficiently long times up and/or downstream of the shock poses problems in particle plasma simulations, such as statistically poor particle ensembles and trajectory fragments of variable length in time. Therefore, we introduce the use of time-averaged mean square displacement (TAMSD), which is based on single-particle trajectories, as an additional technique to address the transport regime for the upstream and the downstream regions. MSD and TAMSD are in agreement for the upstream energetic particle population, and both give a strong indication of superdiffusive transport, consistent with interplanetary shock observations. MSD and TAMSD are also in reasonable agreement downstream, where indications of anomalous transport are also found. TAMSD shows evidence of heterogeneity in the diffusion properties of the downstream particle population, ranging from subdiffusive behaviour of particles trapped in the strong magnetic field fluctuations generated at the shock to superdiffusive behaviour of particles transmitted and moving away from the shock.
Selective Production of Exotic Species is an innovative plant for advanced nuclear physic studies. A radioactive beam, generated by using an UCx target-ion source system, is ionized, selected and ...accelerated for experimental objects. Very high vacuum conditions and appropriate safety systems to storage exhaust gases are required to avoid radiological risk for operators and people. In this paper, Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis of a preliminary design of high activity gas recovery system is performed by using a modified Fuzzy Risk Priority Number to rank the most critical components in terms of failures and human errors. Comparisons between fuzzy approach and classic application allow to show that Fuzzy Risk Priority Number is able to enhance the focus of risk assessments and to improve the safety of complex and innovative systems such as those under consideration.
The Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) method for the production of Radioactive Ion Beams (RIB) is attracting significant interest in the worldwide nuclear physics community. Within this context the ...SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) RIB facility is now under construction at INFN LNL (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro). This technique is established as one of the main techniques for high intensity and high quality beams production. The SPES facility will produce n-rich isotopes by means of a 40 MeV proton beam, emitted by a cyclotron, impinging on a uranium carbide multi-foil fission target. The aim of this work is to describe the most important results obtained by the study of the on-line behavior of the SPES production target assembly. This target system will produce RIBs at a rate of about 1013 fissions per second, it will be able to dissipate a total power of up to 10 kW, and it is planned to work continuously for 2 week-runs of irradiation. ISOL beams of 24 different elements will be produced, therefore a target and ion source development is ongoing to ensure a great variety of produced isotopes and to improve the beam intensity and purity.
•Intra-articular anaesthesia was useful for pain management in canine arthroscopy.•Intra-articular dexmedetomidine provided successful intraoperative analgesia.•Intraoperative analgesia using ...intra-articular lidocaine-dexmedetomidine was successful.•Intra-articular treatments produced similar postoperative analgesia.•Intra-articular lidocaine-dexmedetomidine promoted atrioventricular blocks in dogs.
This study investigated the perioperative effects of preemptive intra-articular lidocaine (L group), dexmedetomidine (D group) and lidocaine-dexmedetomidine (LD group) in dogs. Physiological variables were intraoperatively recorded at 5 min intervals starting from baseline (5 min before intra-articular injection). If nociception occurred, IV fentanyl was administered. Postoperative pain was assessed using the Short Form-Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale. Twenty-four dogs (eight in each group) were included in this prospective, randomized, masked clinical study.
In the LD group, systolic arterial pressure significantly increased at T10 (P = 0.027), T15 (P = 0.021) and T20 (P = 0.022), compared with baseline. In the D and LD groups, mean arterial pressure significantly increased at T10 (P = 0.022; 0.024), T15 (P = 0.024; 0.09) and T20 (P = 0.019; 0.021), compared with baseline and diastolic arterial pressure significantly increased at T10 (P = 0.026; 0.047), T15 (P = 0.021; 0.023), T20 (P = 0.011; 0.012) and T25 (P = 0.019; 0.027), compared with baseline. In the LD group, heart rate significantly decreased at T5 (P = 0.031), T10 (P = 0.026) and T15 (P = 0.034), compared with baseline. Atrioventricular blocks appeared more frequently in the LD group than in L and D groups (P = 0.002). Group L received more fentanyl than the D and LD groups (P = 0.03). No differences in postoperative pain score were detected (P = 0.121). These findings suggested systemic absorption of intra-articular dexmedetomidine. Intra-articular lidocaine-dexmedetomidine was associated with a greater incidence of atrioventricular blocks. Intra-articular dexmedetomidine, alone and combined with lidocaine, provided better intraoperative analgesia than lidocaine in dogs undergoing arthroscopy, although the 12 h postoperative analgesic effect of the three treatments was similar.
•Human errors in Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) facility is performed.•Integrated approach of Hierarchical Task Analysis and Human Reliability Analysis is used.•A modified HEART approach is ...proposed.•HEART, SPAR-H, and CREAM are compared to each other.
SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) is a second-generation Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) facility for advanced nuclear physics applications, currently under construction at INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) of Legnaro, Italy. Despite the potentially important safety implications of human errors for ISOL facilities, only a limited number of studies addressing this issue have been performed worldwide. This paper tries to address this need by means of an integrated approach of Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) and three human error quantification methods: HEART (in an enhanced version), SPAR-H, and CREAM. The application of multiple Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) methods adds credibility to the analysis results and, for the present paper, this is required because the methods are applied to different performance conditions than typical, i.e. for operators in a nuclear power plant control room. The study emphasizes the potential range of task failure probabilities obtained in the analyses, rather than best-estimate values. Since the facility is being constructed, with elements such as the human-machine interface still undergoing design, some of the inputs typically required by HRA methods were not available; consequently, the produced HEP estimates may not fully represent future performance. The obtained results allowed informing some safety-enhancing recommendations that, coming at early stage, could be considered for implementation by the facility designers and managers.
► We present the effect of radiation on concrete as shielding material. ► The coupling between hydro-thermal-mechanical fields and radiation damage is shown. ► Attention is focused on numerical ...modelling of concrete in 3D domains. ► A new estimate of the radiation damage parameter is given. ► A risk assessment of concrete-radiation interactions is developed.
Concrete is commonly used as a biological shield against nuclear radiation. As long as, in the design of nuclear facilities, its load carrying capacity is required together with its shielding properties, changes in the mechanical properties due to nuclear radiation are of particular significance and may have to be taken into account in such circumstances. The study presented here allows for reaching first evidences on the behavior of concrete when exposed to nuclear radiation in order to evaluate the consequent effect on the mechanical field, by means of a proper definition of the radiation damage, strictly connected with the strength properties of the building material. Experimental evidences on the decay of the mechanical modulus of concrete have allowed for implementing the required damage law within a 3D F.E. research code which accounts for the coupling among moisture, heat transfer and the mechanical field in concrete treated as a fully coupled porous medium. The development of the damage front in a concrete shielding wall is analyzed under neutron radiation and results within the wall thickness are reported for long-term radiation spans and several concrete mixtures in order to discuss the resulting shielding properties.
Worldwide efforts to tackle the nature of exotic nuclei comprise the construction of new-generation Radioactive Ion Beam facilities. The Italian community is deeply involved in the process and the ...construction of SPES at Legnaro National Laboratories (INFN) is progressing. This contribution describes the layout of SPES in all its flavours, from Nuclear Physics to Applications in Nuclear Medicine and Neutron Physics. In particular, the status of the SPES-β ISOL facility, together with some of the relevant physics cases and the associated equipment are described.
The elastic scattering in the reaction
7
Li+
208
Pb was investigated in the bombarding energy range from 25 to 39 MeV. The real and imaginary parts of the optical potential were analyzed by using a ...phenomenological potential. A dispersion relation analysis is presented in order to investigate the threshold anomaly effect. It is concluded that
7
Li has an intermediate behavior between the tightly bound nuclei such as
16
O and the loosely bound nuclei such as
6
Li where the lack of the threshold anomaly is unambiguously observed. Reaction cross sections are also extracted from the elastic scattering data and its comparison with the ones of other systems has been performed to draw hints on the effect of the breakup channel.
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