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The core of a subcritical, low-power research reactor in a lead matrix has been designed using the MCNPX code. The main parameters, like geometry, material composition in the fuel assembly and reflector size, have been optimized for a k eff ∼ 0.95 and a thermal power around 200 Kw. A 70 Mev, 1 mA proton beam incident on a beryllium target has been assumed as neutron source and the corresponding thermal power distribution and neutron fluxes in the reactor have been simulated.

The global need for energy in the world is constantly increasing. Critical fission reactors have proved great efficiency in the energy production, but the fear of nuclear wastes and accidents due to an uncontrolled chain reaction makes these unpleasant to public. More safe fusion reactors, on the opposite, have low efficiency. Hybrid reactors capable of using the advantages of both are studied, but not yet developed. In this paper, a simple fusion–fission pilot experiment model has been developed. A Tokamak with the same characteristics of DTT (Divertor Tokamak Test facility) has been considered as a reference machine for the fusion component. The fusion system has been coupled with a relatively simple low-power fission blanket configured into three different modes by using different fuels and materials. This model could be useful in order to investigate the properties of the fusion–fission hybrid coupling from a neutronic point of view.

The currently dominant open fuel cycles have resulted in the gradual accumulation of (relatively) large quantities of highly radioactive or fertile materials in the form of depleted uranium, plutonium, minor actinides (MA) and long-lived fission products (LLFP). For low-activity wastes a heavily shielded surface repository is required. Spent fuel can be instead directly buried in deep geological repositories or reprocessed in order to separate U and Pu and eventually also MA and LLFP from other materials. These elements can be further burnt by modern reactors but not yet in sufficient quantities to slow down the steady accumulation of these materials in storage. Using ADS, the residual long-lifetime isotopes can be transmuted by nuclear reactions into shorter-lifetime isotopes again storable in surface repositories. However, in order to perform transmutations at a practical level, high-power reactors (and consequently high-power accelerators) are required; particularly, a significant transmutation can be reached not only by increasing the beam current to something of the order of a few tens of mA, but also by increasing the beam energy above 500MeV in order to reach the spallation regime. Such high-power infrastructures require intermediate test facilities with lower power and higher safety level for the investigation of their dynamics and transmutation capabilities: the ADS proposed in this study could accomplish many of these constraints.

Background/Objectives: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major public health problem. The supplementation of lactating women could be an effective strategy to combat it. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of maternal vitamin A supplementation on the mother–infant pair. Subjects/Methods: This was a double blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical assay in which 33 women received 200 000 IU of vitamin A and 33 women received soy oil between 20th and 30th postpartum days. Maternal blood and milk samples were collected immediately before supplementation and 3 months after delivery, when blood was also collected from the babies. Retinol concentrations 0.70 μmol/l in serum and 1.05 μmol/l in milk were considered to indicate VAD. Results: Increase in serum retinol level was observed in the supplemented group compared with the pre-supplementation levels (1.05 and 1.17 μmol/l, respectively; P=0.026) and to the post-supplementation levels of the control group (1.02 μmol/l; P=0.032). Reduction in breast milk retinol was observed in the control group compared with the pre-supplementation levels (1.93 and 1.34 μmol/l, respectively; P<0.0001) and to the post-supplementation levels of the supplemented group (1.56 μmol/l; P=0.0003). There was significant difference in the prevalence of VAD in breast milk after supplementation, 55.6% (15/27) in the control group and 16.1% (5/31) in the supplemented group (P=0.002). VAD was present in 66.1% (39/59) of infants, with mean serum retinol levels of 0.64±0.30 μmol/l in the control group and of 0.69±0.26 μmol/l in the supplemented group. Conclusions: Supplementation had a positive impact on maternal vitamin A status. No effect on infant status was detectable 2 months after supplementation with a single dose.

In this short paper the motivations for the development of fast spectrum lead-cooled reactors are briefly summarized. In particular the importance of subcritical research reactors, like the one described in this Focus Point , for the investigation of various scientifical and technological aspects and the training of students, is discussed.

Background/Objectives: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a world public health problem contributing to the increase in childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries and severe deficiency of vitamin A may lead to xerophthalmia and blindness. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of VAD among Brazilian school-aged children attended at a primary health unit and to verify if some considered risk factor was associated with VAD in this group. Subjects/Methods: A descriptive prospective transverse study was conducted on 103 randomly selected children. A total of 54 boys and 49 girls aged 5.5-11 years had the relative dose-response (RDR) test performed on. Possible ocular alterations related to vitamin A and the status of anemia, serum zinc, some acute-phase proteins, and anthropometric situation were determinate by an analytic design. Results: No child presented xerophthalmia. Serum retinol values lower than 1.05 and 0.7 mol l-1, respectively were found in 26.2 and 5.8% of the children. The prevalence of hypovitaminosis detected by RDR test was 20.4%. The following variables and their relationship with VAD were evaluated: sex (P=0.33; 95% confidence interval 0.61-4.34), weight and height (P0.5), hemoglobin (P=0.15), C-reactive protein (P=0.56; 95% confidence interval 0.75-18.26), -1-acid-glycoprotein (P=0.56; 95% confidence interval 0.15-15.42) and serum zinc (P=0.31). None of these variables was related to VAD. Conclusions: In this population, the prevalence of VAD detected could be considered a public health problem. School-aged children can be considered at risk for VAD mainly of a subclinical level, even without some associated risk factors.

We describe a dedicated experiment to measure the neutron yield produced by a 62MeV proton beam impinging on a beryllium thick target. The energy was chosen as close as possible to the 70MeV considered for the ADS layout described in this Focus Point . The neutron yield and energy spectra were measured at several angles with respect to the beam direction. The experiment was performed at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud in Catania, Italy, using the proton beam delivered by the Superconducting Cyclotron (CS).

In the framework of research on IVth generation reactors and high intensity neutron sources a low-power prototype neutron amplifier was recently proposed by INFN. It is based on a low-energy, high current proton cyclotron, whose beam, impinging on a thick Beryllium converter, produces a fast neutron spectrum. The world database on the neutron yield from thick Beryllium target in the 70 MeV proton energy domain is rather scarce. The new measurement was performed at LNS, covering a wide angular range from 0 to 150 degrees and an almost complete neutron energy interval. In this contribution the preliminary data are discussed together with the proposed ADS facility.

To analyze malpractice trials in radiation oncology and assess how ASTRO APEx and RO-ILS™ apply to such cases. The Westlaw database was reviewed using PICOS/PRISMA methods. Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to find factors associated with outcomes. Of 34 cases identified, external beam was used in 26 (77%). The most common factors behind malpractice were excessive toxicity (80%) and lack of informed consent (66%). ASTRO APEx pillars and ROI-LS had applicability to all but one case. Factors favoring the defendant included statute of limitations (odds ratio: 8.1; 95% CI: 1.3-50); those favoring the plaintiff included patient death (odds ratio: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.54-0.94). APEx and RO-ILS are applicable to malpractice trials in radiation oncology.

Background: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is endemic in Brazil and health professionals have difficulty in recognizing its subclinical form. In addition, serum retinol concentrations do not always represent vitamin A status in the organism. Objective: To identify VAD in preschool children by the serum 30-day dose-response test (+S30DR) and to examine its potential as a tool for the assessment of vitamin A status in the community. Design: A prospective transverse study in which blood samples were obtained from 188 preschool children for the determination of serum retinol concentrations and the children were submitted to ocular inspection and anthropometric measurements. Information about the presence of diarrhea and/or fever during the 15 days preceding the study was also obtained. The children received an oral dose of 200,000 IU vitamin A immediately after the first blood collection. A second blood sample was obtained 30-45 days after supplementation in order to determine the +S30DR. Results: In all, 74.5% (140/188; 95% confidence interval: 68.3-80.7%) of the children presented +S30DR values indicative of low hepatic reserves. The mean serum retinol concentration was significantly lower before supplementation (0.92 and 1.65 micromol/l, respectively; P < 0.0001). No child presented xerophthalmia; 3.7% (7/188) of the children were malnourished. The presence of fever and/or diarrhea during the 15 days preceding the first blood collection did not affect the +S30DR value. Conclusions: The prevalence of VAD in the study group was elevated. +S30DR proved to be a good indicator of subclinical VAD in children from an underdeveloped country.