Emotional Linkage as a Moderator of Emotional Reactivity Effect on Partners' Depressive Symptoms

Introduction: Romantic partners’ emotions show a degree of interdependence, a process that is often described as emotional linkage. The current study sought to test the effects of emotional linkage in emotionally reactive individuals (i.e., those who easily become emotionally aroused and find it hard to regulate their emotions) and their partners. Specifically, we examined the interplay between emotional linkage and reactivity in predicting partners’ depressive symptoms over time. Method: To assess emotional linkage and reactivity, we collected daily diary data from two samples of cohabiting couples (Ncouples=76 and 84 in samples 1 and 2, respectively). Partners’ depressive symptoms were assessed before and after the diary. Results: In dyads with low emotional linkage men's emotional reactivity predicted their greater depressive symptoms in Sample 1, and women's greater depressive symptoms in Sample 2. Discussion: The study's results suggest that dyads’ emotional linkage can moderate the negative effects of men's emotional reactivity on their and their partners’ psychological distress.

Reactivity Effect Evaluation of Fast Reactor Based on Angular-Dependent Few-Group Cross Sections Generation

Among all the possible occurring reactivity effects of a fast reactor, the situations whereby the control rod was inserted, or the coolant was voided could lead to strong anisotropy of neutron flux distribution, therefore the angular dependence on neutron flux should be considered during the few-group cross-sections generation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to compare the influence whether the angular dependence on neutron flux is considered in the calculation of few-group cross sections for the reactivity effect calculation. In the study, the 1-D SN finite difference neutron transport equation solver was implemented in the TULIP of SARAX code system so that the high-order neutron flux could be obtained. Meanwhile, the improved Tone’s method was also applied. The numerical results were obtained based on three experimental FR cores, the JOYO MK-I core, ZPPR-9 core, and ZPPR-10B core. Both control rod worth and sodium void reactivity were calculated and compared with the measurement data. By summarizing and comparing the results of 46 cases, significant differences were found between different consideration of the neutronic analysis. The consideration of angular dependence on neutron flux distribution in the few-group cross-sections generation was beneficial to the neutronic design analysis of FR, especially for the reactivity effect calculation.

Simultaneous Sensing of Codeine and Diclofenac in Water Samples Using an Electrochemical Bi-MIP Sensor and a Voltammetric Electronic Tongue

Codeine and diclofenac overdoses have been widely reported. Here, a biomimetic sensor (bi-MIP) was devised, and an electronic tongue was used to analyze water samples simultaneously containing both these drugs. The bi-MIP sensor limits of detection for diclofenac and codeine taken individually were 0.01 µg/mL and 0.16 µg/mL, respectively. Due to a cross-reactivity effect when using the bi-MIP sensor, the electronic tongue was shown to differentiate samples containing both analytes. The results confirm the feasibility of simultaneous detection of two target analytes via a bi-MIP sensor. Additionally, they demonstrate the ability of a multi-sensor to classify different water samples.

Reactivity Effect of Calcium Carbonate on the Formation of Carboaluminate Phases in Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag Blended Cements

The reactivity effect of calcium carbonate, present in ground oyster shells and limestone filler, on the formation of carboaluminate phases in ground granulated blast furnace slag blended cement pastes was reported in this paper. Six different binary and ternary blended cement pastes were prepared using ground granulated blast furnace slag, ground oyster shells and limestone filler with different replacement levels (from 5 to 35%). The carboaluminate formation was assessed and quantified directly using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and indirectly by following the aluminate phase’s reaction (heat flow) and consumed calcium carbonate using Isothermal Calorimetry (IC) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), respectively. Further, the overall reaction degree calculated based on TGA results and the compressive strength were determined to support the findings obtained. The results revealed that the calcium carbonate present in ground oyster shells is more reactive when compared to that present in limestone filler, where more formed hemi- and monocarboaluminate phases were observed in mixtures containing ground oyster shells. An enhancement in compressive strength and overall reaction degree was observed by adding 5% ground oyster shells as cement replacement.

Coupled Neutronics-mechanics Analysis Method for Evaluation of Reactivity Change Due to Core Distortion in Sodium Fast Reactor

In this paper, a reactor core mechanical analysis method is introduced to provide a tool to calculate the reactivity effect of the fuel subassembly displacement in the reactor core which is an important problem for reactor types such as the Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR). The presented method relies on the following two main steps: 1) Core deformation calculation through a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) based finite element solver and 2) Static neutronic simulation on the original undeformed and deformed core models with a Mode Carlo code to quantify the reactivity effect. The technique makes it possible to accurately simulate the deformed geometry of the reactor core and to use this deformed shape model directly in the neutronic analysis. The paper includes the verification process which was conducted to compare the accuracy of the finite element solver to the theoretical solutions regarding the deformation of a hexagonal subassembly. Moreover, the neutronic calculation accuracy has been demonstrated. Following this, a validation work has been performed on the Phenix Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor based on the data obtained from previous, end-of-life test, experimental set-up. This procedure proved the accuracy of the presented methodology for both the verification and the validation cases, giving the capability to assess the reactivity effect of a non-uniform core deformation in an SFR.

Serpent and MCB Comparison for Neutronics Calculations of the European Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor

As part of the GENIV systems, the European Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (ELFR) is one of the most promising candidates to be part of the European energy framework in the near future. Alike most of the GENIV systems, the ELFR is still under development and having reliable computational tools, that allow fast and accurate results, becomes in an important task in the modelling and simulation levels. In this work, the Serpent code, which is a continuous Monte Carlo code suitable for reactor physic calculations, is used for the modelling of the ELFR system. The results were compared with the reference data which were obtained with the MCB Monte Carlo code. In order to verify the ELFR Serpent model, several neutronic parameters were compared with the reference: the effective neutron multiplication factor (keff), the Doppler constant, the reactivity effect of the coolant density, the effective delayed neutron fraction and the effective prompt neutron lifetime. In addition, the axial and radial power distributions were also obtained and verified, and a good approximation between Serpent and MCB values was obtained.

Sensitivity of the neutron multiplication factor to water ingress into a spent fuel cask

An essential component of safety analyses is the investigation of accident scenarios. In this paper water ingress scenarios of spent fuel containers, as they may occur during transport or storage, are examined. In the main body of this paper, a number of paths are studied through which water can gain access to the spent fuel cask and eventually reach the fuel pellet, potentially resulting in an increase in reactivity as a result of over-moderation. The primary objective of this project was to perform an assessment of what, in the unlikely event of a Fukushima- type accident, the impact would be on the reactivity of the cask by analyzing a gradual increase in water level in the spent fuel casks. In addition, the way the keff of the system responds to such an increase is discussed. The paper also provides the results of an assessment of the reactivity effect of water ingress via various pathways/channels.