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Objective Methods Results Conclusion To study the impact of respectful maternity care (RMC) training of health care providers on RMC and birth satisfaction in mothers undergoing normal vaginal birth.A prospective interventional study was performed comparing RMC and birth satisfaction in women undergoing vaginal births before and after RMC training of health care providers from November 2021 to March 2023 in a tertiary care center in India. Person‐centered maternity care (PCMC) and birth satisfaction scale‐revised (BSSR) scales were used to study women's RMC and birth satisfaction, respectively.A total of 100 women undergoing normal vaginal birth were enrolled in pre‐ and post‐intervention phases. The intervention was done through formal and onsite training of health care providers in RMC. The mean total PCMC scale score in the post‐training group demonstrated a remarkable increase to 51.95 ± 6.50, significantly higher than the pre‐training mean of 32.82 ± 8.47 (P < 0.0001). The mean ± SD of the BSSR scale total score in the post‐training group increased significantly to 27.17 ± 3.67, surpassing the pre‐training mean of 21.19 ± 5.48 (P < 0.0001).The study showed significant improvement in RMC and birth satisfaction score in the post‐training group thereby emphasizing the importance of RMC training of health care providers in the facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study assesses the effects of three forms of concrete: geopolymer concrete, reactive powder concrete (RPC), and ready-mix concrete (RMC) on the environment, the economy, and sustainability. Evaluating their cost-effectiveness for construction, embodied energy (EE), and embodied carbon (EC) is the aim. The research method employed involves calculating the EE, EC, and cost of materials used during the production stage only. The results show that although RMC gives ease at a high carbon emission cost, RPC delivers great strength at a high cost and emissions. Utilizing waste resources, geopolymer concrete lowers emissions while providing sustainability. Reusing waste materials improves the performance of concrete and lowers pollution. The study emphasizes that, especially when waste is used well, strength need frequently translate into expense. RMC has a major negative influence on the environment while guarantees consistent quality. Despite its strength, RPC has issues with cost and material availability. The strength and emission reduction of geopolymer concrete are excellent. In geopolymers, alkali activators and steel fibers are the source of EE and EC, whereas cement and steel fibers are the reason for their high levels in RMC and RPC. Overall, the research indicates that favorable, ecologically friendly results are feasible obtained by improving the composition of concrete. To provide cost-effective and sustainable concrete compositions and enable well-informed decision-making in building projects, ongoing research and innovation are crucial.

Abstract Background Having a good provision of respectful maternity care (RMC) to a woman who gives childbirth is a crucial component of maternal health care to result in positive maternal and neonatal outcomes. Disrespect and lack of women-centered care in birth discourage a woman from seeking healthcare during childbirth contributing to poor healthcare-seeking behaviour and dissatisfaction with the maternity service. The current study aimed to assess key determinants of RMC during childbirth at selected public health facilities of the Gofa zone, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study design was conducted from March to April 2021 among 390 women who gave birth in eight randomly selected public health facilities of Gofa zone, Southern Ethiopia. The level of RMC was measured using structured exit interview items. A structured-interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data and then entered into Epi-data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for further analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify determinants of RMC among women. Results A total of 390 women responded to the exit interview making a response rate of 100%. The mean (± SD) age of the 390 women was 27.9 (± 4.85) years. The overall prevalence of women who received RMC was 40.5%, 95% CI (36-45%). Two hundred and ninety-seven (76.2%; n = 297/390) women had antenatal care (ANC) attendance in the index pregnancy. A woman who had planned pregnancy (AOR = 1.72, CI: 1.04, 2.85), planned to deliver in a health facility (AOR = 1.68, CI: 1.00, 2.81), presence of familial support (AOR = 2.04, CI: 1.20, 3.48), and had information about service availability (AOR = 4.44, CI: 2.09, 9.42) were associated with RMC among women. Conclusion The provision of respectful maternity care in the study area was low when compared with local studies. Planned pregnancy, plan to deliver in a health facility, family support, and presence of information about service availability were factors associated with RMC among women. More attention should be given to training and supportive supervision of health care professionals on respectful maternity care and its standards to increase service uptake and make service more women-centred.

Background: Having a good provision of respectful maternity care (RMC) to a woman who gives childbirth is a crucial component of maternal health care to result in positive maternal and neonatal outcomes. Disrespect and lack of women-centered care in birth discourage a woman from seeking healthcare during childbirth contributing to poor healthcare-seeking behaviour and dissatisfaction with the maternity service. The current study aimed to assess key determinants of RMC during childbirth at selected public health facilities of the Gofa zone, Southern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted from March to April 2021 among 390 women who gave birth in eight randomly selected public health facilities of Gofa zone, Southern Ethiopia. The level of RMC was measured using structured exit interview items. A structured-interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data and then entered into Epi-data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for further analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify determinants of RMC among women. Results: A total of 390 women responded to the exit interview making a response rate of 100%. The mean (± SD) age of the 390 women was 27.9 (± 4.85) years. The overall prevalence of women who received RMC was 40.5%, 95% CI (36-45%). Two hundred and ninety-seven (76.2%; n = 297/390) women had antenatal care (ANC) attendance in the index pregnancy. A woman who had planned pregnancy (AOR = 1.72, CI: 1.04, 2.85), planned to deliver in a health facility (AOR = 1.68, CI: 1.00, 2.81), presence of familial support (AOR = 2.04, CI: 1.20, 3.48), and had information about service availability (AOR = 4.44, CI: 2.09, 9.42) were associated with RMC among women. Conclusion: The provision of respectful maternity care in the study area was low when compared with local studies. Planned pregnancy, plan to deliver in a health facility, family support, and presence of information about service availability were factors associated with RMC among women. More attention should be given to training and supportive supervision of health care professionals on respectful maternity care and its standards to increase service uptake and make service more women-centred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractAccurate estimation of energy deposition is important in core physics and severe accident analyses for design optimizations. In this study, a new energy deposition treatment is implemented in the Reactor Monte Carlo (RMC) code, offering multiple modes with varying levels of fidelity and computational requirements. The most precise mode is utilized in coupling simulations between RMC and the subchannel thermal-hydraulic analysis code SUBCHAN, incorporating an explicit moderator heating fraction in the coupling interface. The new treatment is verified against references from MCNP, Serpent, and OpenMC for three light water reactor (LWR) assembly cases, and great agreement is achieved. Energy deposition in different materials and components is emphasized in Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY) modeling, and the results obtained using different modes are compared. The RMC-SUBCHAN coupling calculations for the three LWR assembly cases, employing the most accurate model, reveal a maximum increase of 94.6 K in the control rod centerline temperature, with a normalized energy deposition of 35.9% in the control rod regions. In the assembly case with gadolinium (Gd) burnable poison, a temperature increase of 7.3 K is observed in the Gd rod centerline, while the coolant outlet temperature decreases by 1.6 K due to the reduced explicit moderator heating fraction of 2.1%, compared to the constant 2.6% in the previous coupling scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the proportion of women who experienced disrespect and abuse (D&A) and the type of D&A during labor and postpartum, and to determine the factors significantly associated with D&A. Methods: A cross‐sectional mixed‐methods study undertaken in tertiary care teaching institute South India. After ethical approval, 380 postpartum women within 72 h of delivery were recruited for the study. The determinants of respectful maternity care (RMC) were assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. For quantitative assessment, they were interviewed using questionnaires adopted from the United States Agency for International Development‐ Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (USAID‐MCHIP) protocol, which has verification criteria for RMC. As a second method for quantitative assessment, they were asked to rate the care from their perspective on a 10‐point score. For the qualitative component, they were asked to identify the healthcare workers associated with D&A by their designation and to answer three open‐ended questions. IBM SPSS Statistics 25 (IBM Corporation, Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 25) was used for analysis. D&A as per RMC standards I–VII and its severity were expressed as frequencies and percentages with 95% confidence interval. Univariate analysis was used to determine the associated factors, and severity was determined by χ2 test. Results: The prevalence of D&A was high (85%) according to the RMC standards of the USAID‐MCHIP questionnaire, whereas it was only 33% according to women's perspective. The most common type of D&A was non‐dignified care. The factors significantly associated with D&A were women over 25 years, those admitted as an emergency referral, having a recommendation letter, and relatives working at the same healthcare facility. Conclusion: The prevalence of D&A was high as measured by the USAID‐MCHIP questionnaire, and the most common type was non‐dignified care followed by physical abuse. Synopsis: The prevalence of disrespect and abuse during childbirth is high according to the standards of the USAID‐MCHIP, but it is lower from the women's perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to calculate the material density sensitivity coefficients of power with respect to the material density has broad application prospects for accelerating Monte Carlo-Thermal Hydraulics iterations. The second-order material density sensitivity coefficients for the general Monte Carlo score have been derived based on the differential operator sampling method in this paper, and the calculation of the sensitivity coefficients of cell power scores with respect to the material density has been realized in continuous-energy Monte Carlo code RMC. Based on the power-density sensitivity coefficients, the sensitivity coefficients of power scores to some other physical quantities, such as power-boron concentration coefficients and power-temperature coefficients considering only the thermal expansion, were subsequently calculated. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated in the power-density coefficients problems of the pressurized water reactor (PWR) moderator and the heat pipe reactor (HPR) reflectors. The calculations were carried out using RMC and the ENDF/B-VII.1 neutron nuclear data. It is shown that the calculated sensitivity coefficients can be used to predict the power scores accurately over a wide range of boron concentration of the PWR moderator and a wide range of temperature of HPR reflectors.

Effectively managing the delivery of Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) for diverse construction projects poses a significant challenge for concrete batch plant supervisors. The formulation of an efficient schedule for dispatching concrete truck mixers is paramount, requiring a delicate balance between practicality and adaptability. The concrete batch plant administrator must establish a productive timetable that aligns activities at the concrete batch facility and construction sites. RMC delivery requests inundate the ready mixed concrete batch plant during specific operational hours, necessitating swift decision-making by the concrete batch plant administrator to create a dispatching schedule that meets the varied requirements of different construction projects. The dispatching schedule time for all batch plants is primarily influenced by the dispatcher administrator's experience and preferences. For instance, a ready mixed concrete batch plant administrator may opt to dispatch as many truck mixers as possible to the busiest construction project. However, while the batch plant waits for the RMC trucks to arrive, this strategy may cause truck congestion at the project site. Clearly, an effective dispatching schedule is crucial for enhancing the overall system efficiency of construction projects and batch plants. This paper initially presents various optimization methods and subsequently analyses the ready mixed concrete system and its transportation strategy, delineating the factors impacting the dispatching schedule. The study then introduces a systematic model employing simulation processes and Genetic Algorithms to optimize the dispatching schedule while minimizing the waiting time of RMC truck mixers at construction projects. The goal of this optimisation is to meet the needs for RMC delivery from various building projects while minimising the impact on casting processes. Ultimately, concrete batch plant administrators will find assistance in organising and managing the dispatching procedure from an automated software that was created utilising the C-sharp programming language and included all pertinent modules. Three cases from the available research were examined, and field data from the DECOM batching facility was applied over the course of three working days to evaluate the software's effectiveness.

Effectively managing the delivery of Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) for diverse construction projects poses a significant challenge for concrete batch plant supervisors. The formulation of an efficient schedule for dispatching concrete truck mixers is paramount, requiring a delicate balance between practicality and adaptability. The concrete batch plant administrator must establish a productive timetable that aligns activities at the concrete batch facility and construction sites. RMC delivery requests inundate the ready mixed concrete batch plant during specific operational hours, necessitating swift decision-making by the concrete batch plant administrator to create a dispatching schedule that meets the varied requirements of different construction projects. The dispatching schedule time for all batch plants is primarily influenced by the dispatcher administrator's experience and preferences. For instance, a ready mixed concrete batch plant administrator may opt to dispatch as many truck mixers as possible to the busiest construction project. However, while the batch plant waits for the RMC trucks to arrive, this strategy may cause truck congestion at the project site. Clearly, an effective dispatching schedule is crucial for enhancing the overall system efficiency of construction projects and batch plants. This paper initially presents various optimization methods and subsequently analyses the ready mixed concrete system and its transportation strategy, delineating the factors impacting the dispatching schedule. The study then introduces a systematic model employing simulation processes and Genetic Algorithms to optimize the dispatching schedule while minimizing the waiting time of RMC truck mixers at construction projects. The goal of this optimisation is to meet the needs for RMC delivery from various building projects while minimising the impact on casting processes. Ultimately, concrete batch plant administrators will find assistance in organising and managing the dispatching procedure from an automated software that was created utilising the C-sharp programming language and included all pertinent modules. Three cases from the available research were examined, and field data from the DECOM batching facility was applied over the course of three working days to evaluate the software's effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine whether ready-mixed concrete (RMC) production in Nigeria is sustainable. This study proposes that RMC production will be sustainable, assuming the RMC plant, RMC products, plant management, RMC supply, RMC quality, and demand for RMC are sustainable. Based on a constructivist worldview, the proposition of RMC production's sustainability was assessed by conducting a contextual analysis of five RMC plants in Lagos State, Nigeria. It was observed that the RMC plants required sustainability in power supply, plant output, and plant capacity. The plants have a sustainable supply of raw materials. The management methods and product control strategies were found to be unsustainable. Fair supply time, supply methods, and quality control systems were established in the findings. Challenges, such as administrative issues, economic problems, poor technology, and the absence of an innovative business model, influenced the sustainable demand for RMC products. This study concludes that alternative power supplies and methods such as just-in-time (JIT) purchasing systems and learning frameworks ought to be considered for RMC plants. Likewise, improving the ease of doing business would significantly help the sustainability of RMC production. This study presumes that RMC production is, as of now, not sustainable in Nigeria. Still, the sustainability of RMC production could be ensured through measures such as the reuse of waste, the adoption of innovative RMC production and delivery, and technological development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finite size effects in partial pair distribution functions generate artefacts in the scattering structure factor and scattering intensity. It is shown how they can be overcome using a binned version of the Debye scattering equation. Accordingly, reverse Monte Carlo simulations are used for very small nanoparticles of LaFeO3 with diameters below 10 nm to simultaneously analyse X‐ray scattering data and extended X‐ray absorption fine structure spectra at the La K and Fe K edges. The structural information obtained is consistent regarding local structure and long‐range order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction Respectful maternity care (RMC) is fundamental to women’s and families’ experience of care and their decision about where to give birth. Studies from multiple countries describe the mistreatment of women during facility-based childbirth, though only a small number of studies from Guatemala have been published. Less information is available on women’s negative and positive experiences of childbirth care and health workers’ perceptions and experiences of providing maternity care. Methods As part of a program implemented in the Western Highlands of Guatemala to improve quality of reproductive maternal newborn and child health care, a mixed methods assessment was conducted in three hospitals and surrounding areas to understand women’s and health workers’ experience and perceptions of maternity care. The quantitative component included a survey of 31 maternity health workers and 140 women who had recently given birth in these hospitals. The qualitative component included in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with women and maternity health workers and managers. Results Women reported a mix of positive and negative experiences of childbirth care related to interpersonal and health system factors. 81% of surveyed women reported that health workers had treated them with respect while 21.4% of women reported verbal abuse. Fifty-five percent and 12% of women, respectively, reported not having access to a private toilet and bath or shower. During IDIs and FGDs, many women described higher rates of verbal abuse directed at women who do not speak Spanish. A regression analysis of survey results indicated that speaking Ixil or K’iche at home was associated with a higher likelihood of women being treated negatively during childbirth in a facility. Health worker survey results corroborated negative aspects of care described by women and also reported mistreatment of health workers by clients and families (70.9%) and colleagues (48.2%). Conclusions This study adds to the literature on women’s experience of institutional childbirth and factors that influence this experience by triangulating experience and perceptions of both women and health workers. This assessment highlights opportunities to address mistreatment of both women and health workers and to build on positive care attributes to strengthen RMC for all women.

Coupling fuel performance and neutronics can help improve the prediction accuracy of fuel rod behavior, which is important for fuel design and performance evaluation. A fuel rod multiphysics coupled system was developed with multiphysics software COMSOL and 3D Monte Carlo neutron transport code RMC. The fuel performance analysis module was built on top of COMSOL with the ability to simulate the fuel behavior in two-dimensional axisymmetric (2D-RZ) or three-dimensional (3D) mode. RMC was innovatively wrapped as a component of COMSOL to communicate with the fuel performance analysis module. The data transferring and the coupling process was maintained using COMSOL’s functionality. Two-way coupling was achieved by mapping power distribution and fast neutron flux fields from RMC to COMSOL and the temperature and coolant density fields from COMSOL to RMC. A fuel rod pin lattice was modeled to demonstrate the coupling. Results show that the calculated power and temperature distributions are reasonable. Considering the flexibility of the coupled system, it can be applied to the performance evaluation of new fuel design.

In order to improve the safety and economy of nuclear reactors, it is necessary to analyze the sensitivity and uncertainty (S/U) of the nuclear data. The capabilities of S/U analysis has been developed in the Reactor Monte Carlo code RMC, using the iterated fission probability (IFP) method and the superhistory method. In this paper, the S/U capabilities of RMC are applied to a typical PWR benchmark B&W's Core XI, and compared with the multigroup and continuous-energy S/U capabilities in the SCALE code system. The S/U results of the RMC-IFP method and the RMC-superhistory method are compared with TSUNAMI-CE/MG in SCALE. The sensitivity results and the uncertainty results of major nuclides that contribute a lot to the uncertainties in keff are in good agreement in both RMC and SCALE. The RMC-superhistory method has the same precision as the IFP method, but it reduces the memory footprint by more than 95% and only doubles the running time. The superhistory method has obvious advantages when there are many nuclides and reaction types to be analyzed. In addition, the total uncertainties in the keff of the first-order uncertainty quantification method are compared with the stochastic sampling method, and the maximum relative deviation of total uncertainties in the keff is 8.53%. Verification shows that the capabilities of S/U analysis developed in the RMC code has good accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of SiO2-Li2O-CaO-Fe2O3 glass is studied by neutron diffraction together with Reverse Monte Carlo simulation as well as by Raman and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure spectroscopy. In order to check for the extent to which iron oxide can be successfully included in the glass, 15 mol% iron was tried but resulted in partial devitrification. Average local structure parameters are presented. The first neighbour distances were found to be independent of concentration within the limits of error: rSi-O = 1.60 Å; rFe-O = 1.90 Å; rLi-O = 1.95/2.0 Å and rCa-O = 2.30 Å. Tetrahedral units of Si(O) – from SiO2 - and Fe(O) – from Fe2O3 - with average coordination numbers 3.48 and 4.59 respectively, were found. Raman spectral analyses show the Q1 and Q2 connections to be more numerous (~50%) for the purely glassy (10Fe), than for 15Fe (~60%), with Q3 connections occurring twice as often (~35%) for the glass as the devitrified sample (~17%). Thus, the devitrified sample may have a more open structure capable of accommodating Fe ions in nano-sized iron-rich regions as indicated by the RMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a three-dimensional full-scale neutronic/thermal–hydraulic coupled analysis for the plate-type reactor is proposed based on the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) and Monte Carlo code RMC. For fast thermal–hydraulic calculation, two-dimensional heat transfer model and one-dimensional coolant subchannel model are established, and integrated into the thermal–hydraulic analysis code SPhase. The verification of SPhase is first implemented through analytical solutions and numerical codes. The three-dimensional neutronic model and calculation schemes are verified through RMC to ensure the accuracy of physics calculation. The full-scale JRR-3M critical coupled simulation under steady state is realized through cell-level resolution, and the criticality search is implemented using the dichotomous method. Comparisons between calculation results with and without thermal feedback are herein proposed for safety analysis of JRR-3M. In the critical condition, the thermal feedback introduces a negative activity of about 400 pcm. The insertion of absorbers renders the complexity of core power distribution. The reflection effect results in peak thermal neutrons flux near the reflector, and the maximum assembly temperature reaches 340 K at the edge of the core. This work provides a reference for correlational studies on neutronic/thermal–hydraulic characteristics and safety analysis of plate-type reactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the effects of three forms of concrete: geopolymer concrete, reactive powder concrete (RPC), and ready-mix concrete (RMC) on the environment, the economy, and sustainability. Evaluating their cost-effectiveness for construction, embodied energy (EE), and embodied carbon (EC) is the aim. The research method employed involves calculating the EE, EC, and cost of materials used during the production stage only. The results show that although RMC gives ease at a high carbon emission cost, RPC delivers great strength at a high cost and emissions. Utilizing waste resources, geopolymer concrete lowers emissions while providing sustainability. Reusing waste materials improves the performance of concrete and lowers pollution. The study emphasizes that, especially when waste is used well, strength need frequently translate into expense. RMC has a major negative influence on the environment while guarantees consistent quality. Despite its strength, RPC has issues with cost and material availability. The strength and emission reduction of geopolymer concrete are excellent. In geopolymers, alkali activators and steel fibers are the source of EE and EC, whereas cement and steel fibers are the reason for their high levels in RMC and RPC. Overall, the research indicates that favorable, ecologically friendly results are feasible obtained by improving the composition of concrete. To provide cost-effective and sustainable concrete compositions and enable well-informed decision-making in building projects, ongoing research and innovation are crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The material footprint (raw material consumption) was proposed as a basis for monitoring SDGs 8.4 and 12.2. However, there is no institutionalized procedure providing globally consistent national material footprints. The OECD aims to institutionalize the material footprint through the development of one official inter-country input–output (ICIO) database applicable for its calculation. Inherent to input–output analysis is the aggregation error, which may impair the results. Therefore, in the case of the EU I analyze the aggregation error which can be expected if NACE rev2 classification is utilized for this ICIO database, and investigate the most important disaggregations, depending on the desired focus of the results. I conclude that the disaggregation level should reflect the intended purpose of the RME indicators. For their deeper analysis, and determination of strategies for their decrease, I conclude that NACE rev2 classification is inappropriate, and recommend high disaggregation and utilization of hybrid units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the capability of computing adjoint-weighted kinetic parameters, including effective delayed neutron fraction and neutron generation time, was implemented in the Reactor Monte Carlo (RMC) code based on the iterated fission probability (IFP) method. Three algorithms, namely, the Non-Overlapping Blocks (NOB) algorithm, the Multiple Overlapping Blocks (MOB) algorithm and the superhistory algorithm, were implemented in RMC to investigate their accuracy, computational efficiency and estimation of variance. The algorithms and capability of computing kinetic parameters in RMC were verified and validated by comparison with MCNP6 as well as experimental results through a set of multi-group problems and continuous-energy problems.

In this work, the capability of computing adjoint-weighted kinetic parameters, including effective delayed neutron fraction and neutron generation time, was implemented in the Reactor Monte Carlo (RMC) code based on the iterated fission probability (IFP) method. Three algorithms, namely, the Non-Overlapping Blocks (NOB) algorithm, the Multiple Overlapping Blocks (MOB) algorithm and the superhistory algorithm, were implemented in RMC to investigate their accuracy, computational efficiency and estimation of variance. The algorithms and capability of computing kinetic parameters in RMC were verified and validated by comparison with MCNP6 as well as experimental results through a set of multi-group problems and continuous-energy problems.

The design of high-performance lead-based fast reactors (LFRs) has become a hotspot in the advanced reactor system. This study evaluates the neutronics performance improvement based on the small LFR SLBR-50. Parameter sensitivity analyses are conducted, including height-to-diameter ratio (H/D), reflector assembly arrangement, and pitch-to-diameter ratio in fuel assembly, fuel material, and fuel enrichment partitioning. Numerical results of eigenvalue in burnup procedure, assembly power distribution, and energy spectrum are analyzed using the Monte-Carlo code RMC. Our findings indicate that the fuel material, fuel partitioning, and H/D are the three most important factors in LFR design. The neutronics performance analyses will assist in LFR design.

Introduction: Respectful maternity care (RMC) is fundamental to women's and families' experience of care and their decision about where to give birth. Studies from multiple countries describe the mistreatment of women during facility-based childbirth, though only a small number of studies from Guatemala have been published. Less information is available on women's negative and positive experiences of childbirth care and health workers' perceptions and experiences of providing maternity care.Methods: As part of a program implemented in the Western Highlands of Guatemala to improve quality of reproductive maternal newborn and child health care, a mixed methods assessment was conducted in three hospitals and surrounding areas to understand women's and health workers' experience and perceptions of maternity care. The quantitative component included a survey of 31 maternity health workers and 140 women who had recently given birth in these hospitals. The qualitative component included in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with women and maternity health workers and managers.Results: Women reported a mix of positive and negative experiences of childbirth care related to interpersonal and health system factors. 81% of surveyed women reported that health workers had treated them with respect while 21.4% of women reported verbal abuse. Fifty-five percent and 12% of women, respectively, reported not having access to a private toilet and bath or shower. During IDIs and FGDs, many women described higher rates of verbal abuse directed at women who do not speak Spanish. A regression analysis of survey results indicated that speaking Ixil or K'iche at home was associated with a higher likelihood of women being treated negatively during childbirth in a facility. Health worker survey results corroborated negative aspects of care described by women and also reported mistreatment of health workers by clients and families (70.9%) and colleagues (48.2%).Conclusions: This study adds to the literature on women's experience of institutional childbirth and factors that influence this experience by triangulating experience and perceptions of both women and health workers. This assessment highlights opportunities to address mistreatment of both women and health workers and to build on positive care attributes to strengthen RMC for all women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The connection calculation between the weak neutron field and the strong neutron field is implemented in the RMC code. • A connection calculation method between the three-dimensional Direct Kinetics Simulation method and the Predictor-Corrector Quasi-Static method is proposed. • The connection calculation method is about 3 times faster than the pure Direct Kinetics Simulation method. In the future, it will be used in simulation calculations of reactor start-up without external neutron source. Reactor startup without external neutron source is beneficial to improve the economics of nuclear energy, especially in a more and more competitive energy market with the rapid development and deployment of renewable energy. This paper conducts the research on the connection calculation of Monte Carlo Direct Kinetics Simulation (DKS) method and Predictor-Corrector Quasi-Static (PCQS) method during the weak source start-up process of the reactor based on the Monte Carlo code RMC, addressing the calculation methods for time absorption source, delayed neutron source, reactivity, effective delayed neutron fraction and neutron generation time. It achieves advantages in the calculation efficiency in three-dimensional simulations of the connection calculation between DKS in weak neutron field based on stochastic neutron transport equation and PCQS in strong neutron field based on time-dependent Boltzmann neutron transport equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capabilities for nuclear data sensitivity and uncertainty analysis have been recently implemented in numerous continuous-energy Monte Carlo codes, including the Reactor Monte Carlo (RMC) code. Previous work developed the capability for RMC of computing sensitivity coefficients of the effective multiplication factor and related uncertainties, due to nuclear data. In this work, such capability was extended to generalized responses in the form of ratios of linear response functions of the forward flux based on the collision history-based approach as implemented in SERPENT2. The superhistory algorithm was also adopted in RMC to reduce memory consumption for generalized sensitivity calculations. These new capabilities of RMC were verified by comparing results of TSUNAMI-1D in SCALE6.1 code package, and SERPENT2 through Jezebel, Flattop and the UAM TMI PWR pin cell benchmark problems.

Capabilities for nuclear data sensitivity and uncertainty analysis have been recently implemented in numerous continuous-energy Monte Carlo codes, including the Reactor Monte Carlo (RMC) code. Previous work developed the capability for RMC of computing sensitivity coefficients of the effective multiplication factor and related uncertainties, due to nuclear data. In this work, such capability was extended to generalized responses in the form of ratios of linear response functions of the forward flux based on the collision history-based approach as implemented in SERPENT2. The superhistory algorithm was also adopted in RMC to reduce memory consumption for generalized sensitivity calculations. These new capabilities of RMC were verified by comparing results of TSUNAMI-1D in SCALE6.1 code package, and SERPENT2 through Jezebel, Flattop and the UAM TMI PWR pin cell benchmark problems.

The spatial distribution of neutron flux or reaction rate was calculated by cell or mesh tally in traditional Monte Carlo simulation. However, either cell or mesh tally leads to the increase of memory consumption and simulation time. In this paper, the function expansion tally (FET) method was developed in Reactor Monte Carlo code RMC to solve this problem. The FET method was applied to the tallies of neutron flux distributions of uranium block and PWR fuel rod models. Legendre polynomials were used in the axial direction, while Zernike polynomials were used in the radial direction. The results of flux, calculation time and memory consumption of different expansion orders were investigated, and compared with the mesh tally. Results showed that the continuous distribution of flux can be obtained by FET method. The flux distributions were consistent with that of mesh tally, while the memory consumption and simulation time can be effectively reduced. Finally, the convergence analysis of coefficients of polynomials were performed, and the selection strategy of FET order was proposed based on the statistics uncertainty of the coefficients. The proposed method can help to determine the order of FET, which was meaningful for the efficiency and accuracy of FET method.

With growing interest in Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) such as Fully Ceramic Micro-Encapsulated (FCM) fuel, explicit modeling processes play an increasingly important role in the precise simulation of particle transport in stochastic media. Current explicit modeling methods in RMC utilize Random Sequential Addition (RSA), where particles are randomly and sequentially packed into fuel. However, at high packing fractions, the RSA process becomes highly inefficient as simulation times increase exponentially. An improved RSA algorithm was developed by employing Octree-based Acceleration and Parallel Processing. The accuracy of the algorithm was then verified against particle distributions generated via Serpent2. The Iterative RSA-DEM Method for simulating stochastic geometry was then developed to generate explicit particle distributions beyond the RSA infinite-time saturation limit. The results show that the improved algorithms can produce highly accurate results with greatly reduced simulation time, with the capability to be easily adapted for different nuclear fuel configurations. • We have successfully developed a precise and effective RSA algorithm for the purposes of explicitly modeling dispersion fuel. With the new algorithm, we are able to induce more than 99% in time savings when generating particles near the particle packing fraction limit. • Using the algorithm mentioned above, we have successfully developed the capability to simulate annular fuel designs in RMC code, and we have simultaneously verified the capabilities of the algorithm against particle distributions generated in Serpent2. • We showcase an application of this Improved RSA algorithm with the Iterative RSA-DEM Method, a novel method to develop particle packings for volumetric fractions above the infinite-time saturation limit of RSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper studies the space nuclear energy propulsion system using fission fragments for propulsion. • The uniform magnetic field model and the magnetic collimation structure model are proposed for analysis. • RMC and MATLAB were used to simulate the critical characteristics and propulsion performance of the system, respectively. • Using Am-242 m as fuel, the calculation finds that the system can achieve criticality with good safety. • The I SP of the magnetic collimation system can reach 6*105s, which is 40 % higher than that of the uniform model. Deep space exploration holds immense significance for the future of space exploration, and it requires propulsion systems with high specific impulse characteristics to accomplish long-duration space missions. This paper focuses on studying a space nuclear propulsion system based on the direct propulsion of fission fragments. Am-242 m is utilized as fuel, and two system models, namely uniform magnetic field and magnetic collimation system, are proposed. The system's critical and propulsion characteristics are analyzed using RMC and MATLAB, respectively. The calculation results demonstrate that the system with magnetic collimation exhibits superior comprehensive performance, with a specific impulse of approximately 6 × 105s. By adjusting the system materials and parameters, the k eff of the system is optimized to reach about 1.02, while the utilization rates of fission fragments and energy are approximately 20 % and 10 %, respectively. The results also indicate that the fission fragment direct propulsion system possesses excellent safety features and can play a crucial role in deep space exploration. Furthermore, the paper highlights the exploration of propulsion systems utilizing Pu239 and U235 in the future, as well as the investigation of enhancing the fission fragment escape rate and energy utilization rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To access the lipid profiles and their association with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in nulliparous pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 234 nulliparous pregnant women with a gestation period of > 20 weeks and aged 15-45 years, at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (IBMS), Khyber Medical University (KMU), Peshawar, Pakistan with cooperation from gynecology and obstetrics departments of three tertiary-care hospitals of Peshawar & Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Subjects were assigned to three groups i.e., group A, group B, and group C. For performing biochemical assays and lipid profiling, through ELISA, blood samples were collected from already subjects both with the disease and the controls. Results: Both subjects having pre-eclampsia and eclampsia showed significantly elevated levels (p < 0.001) for low-density lipoproteins cholesterols (LDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), total cholesterol (TC)/HDL-c and LDLc/HDL-c ratio. But TC of pre-eclampsia subjects was found significantly elevated (p < 0.001) in relation to controls. LDLc/HDL-c and TC/HDL-c also revealed an elevated significant change (p < 0.001) both for pre-eclamptic and eclamptic subjects. On the other hand, only TG/HDL-c in pre-eclamptic patients was found significantly higher (p<0.004) when compared to the control group. Conclusion: Serum lipid levels were observed higher in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia patients hence an early assessment is necessary to prevent complications in such patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choosing suppliers only on price and quality will never yield the best outcomes, so look for an ethical and transparent supplier. Being a mindful consumer makes sense as sustainability becomes one of the most pressing challenges of our time. In industries such as construction, where each stage from raw material mining to end product finishing has a significant impact on the environment and the socio-economic position of the industry's dependents, it makes more sense for construction supply chains to be sustainable. Choosing a source for a product has always been a difficult undertaking. Participants in the construction sector are seeking for suppliers who are willing to work with them in the long run and supply high-quality products, not just the cheapest. In this article, Ready Mix Concrete suppliers in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Area will be evaluated using three sustainability indicators: environmental management, social responsibility, and economic performance. A machine learning optimization based on Python will be utilised to identify an optimum supplier based on the sustainability score and transportation distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New versions of ENDF/B and JEFF data libraries have been released during the past two years with significant updates in the neutron reaction sublibrary and the thermal neutron scattering sublibrary. In order to get a more comprehensive impression of the criticality quality of these two latest neutron data libraries, and to provide reference for the selection of the evaluated nuclear data libraries for the science and engineering applications of the Reactor Monte Carlo code RMC, the criticality benchmarking of the two latest neutron data libraries has been performed. RMC was employed as the computational tools, whose processing capability for the continuous representation ENDF/B-Ⅷ.0 thermal neutron scattering laws was developed. The RMC criticality validation suite consisting of 116 benchmarks was established for the benchmarking work. The latest ACE format data libraries of the neutron reaction and the thermal neutron scattering laws for ENDF/B-Ⅷ.0, ENDF/B-Ⅶ.1, and JEFF-3.3 were downloaded from the corresponding official sites. The ENDF/B-Ⅶ.0 data library was also employed to provide code-to-code validation for RMC. All the calculations for the four different data libraries were performed by using a parallel version of RMC, and all the calculated standard deviations are lower than 30pcm. Comprehensive analyses including the C/E values with uncertainties, the δk/σ values, and the metrics of χ2 and , were conducted and presented. The calculated keff eigenvalues based on the four data libraries generally agree well with the benchmark evaluations for most cases. Among the 116 criticality benchmarks, the numbers of the calculated keff eigenvalues which agree with the benchmark evaluations within 3σ interval (with a confidence level of 99.6%) are 107, 109, 112, and 113 for ENDF/B-Ⅶ.0, ENDF/B-Ⅶ.1, ENDF/B-Ⅷ.0 and JEFF-3.3, respectively. The present results indicate that the ENDF/B-Ⅷ.0 neutron data library has a better performance on average.

CENDL-3.2 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 referring to the latest version of CENDL and ENDF/B, respectively, evaluated nuclear data library. To examine the applicability the libraries to high-temperature reactors (HTRs), the HTR-10 benchmark calculations are conducted by adopting CENDL-3.2, ENDF/B-VIII.0, and ENDF/B-VII.1 library. The calculated results are compared with the experimental results. As indicated from the comparison, the results of ENDF/B-VIII.0 show the optimal consistency with the experimental results, and CENDL-3.2 outperforms ENDF/B-VII.1. A semi-quantitative analysis method, on the basis of the sensitivity result, is employed to assess the effect of the cross-section change to keff. As revealed from the further calculations and analyses, the difference between cross-sections of C-12 (n, γ) channel primarily causes the inconsistent performance of CENDL-3.2 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 on the benchmark.

A non-road diesel engine meeting China IV emission regulation was selected, the RMC and NRSC test procedures of the EU non-road Stage V emission regulation were run on the engine test bench. The emissions of particle number (PN) with particle sizes above 23 nm and 10 nm were tested simultaneously using direct exhaust sampling and full-flow dilution channel CVS dilution sampling equipment. The results showed that the emission characteristics of particulate matter above 23 nm and above 10 nm in the RMC test had the same trend, and the cumulative PN emissions were 1.9×1012 and 2.3×1012 for the whole test cycle, respectively. The PN23 values of dilution sampling were higher than those of direct sampling. The main reason for the difference in PN emission values at the same working modes in RMC and NRSC is the change in DPF capture efficiency caused by the different order of working modes and conditions.

In order to improve the safety and economy of nuclear reactors, it is necessary to analyze the sensitivity and uncertainty (S/U) of the nuclear data. The capabilities of S/U analysis has been developed in the Reactor Monte Carlo code RMC, using the iterated fission probability (IFP) method and the superhistory method. In this paper, the S/U capabilities of RMC are applied to a typical PWR benchmark B&W’s Core XI, and compared with the multigroup and continuous-energy S/U capabilities in the SCALE code system. The S/U results of the RMC-IFP method and the RMC-superhistory method are compared with TSUNAMI-CE/MG in SCALE. The sensitivity results and the uncertainty results of major nuclides that contribute a lot to the uncertainties in keff are in good agreement in both RMC and SCALE. The RMC-superhistory method has the same precision as the IFP method, but it reduces the memory footprint by more than 95% and only doubles the running time. The superhistory method has obvious advantages when there are many nuclides and reaction types to be analyzed. In addition, the total uncertainties in the keff of the first-order uncertainty quantification method are compared with the stochastic sampling method, and the maximum relative deviation of total uncertainties in the keff is 8.53%. Verification shows that the capabilities of S/U analysis developed in the RMC code has good accuracy.

Background: Respectful maternity care is one of the facilitators of women's access to maternity healthcare services. However, it has been evidenced that maternal healthcare services are compromised during the pandemic of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Moreover, there was a dearth of evidence on healthcare provider's adherence to respectful maternity care guidelines through direct observation. Hence, this study intended to assess healthcare provider's adherence to respectful maternity care guidelines during COVID-19 in northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A multicenter observational cross-sectional study was conducted at hospitals in northwest Ethiopia from November 15th/2020 to March 10th/2021. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select 406 healthcare providers. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and direct observation using a structured questionnaire and standardized checklist respectively. The data were entered into Epi Info 7.1.2 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. A binary logistic regression model was fitted. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were undertaken. The level of significance was claimed based on the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) at a p-value of ≤0.05. Results: The proportion of healthcare providers adhering to respectful maternity care guidelines during COVID-19 was 63.8% (95% CI: 59.1, 68.4). Job satisfaction (AOR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.04, 3.18), professional work experience of 3–5 years (AOR = 2.84; 95% CI: 1.74, 4.6) and ≥6 years (AOR = 2.21; 95% CI: 1.11, 4.38), and having education parallel to work (AOR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.51) have an independent statistical significant association with adherence to respectful maternity care guidelines. Conclusion: In this study, six out of ten healthcare providers had good adherence to respectful maternity care guidelines. Ensuring health worker's job satisfaction and providing education opportunities by the government would improve healthcare provider's adherence to respectful maternity care standards.

In the design of a nuclear reactor, improving fuel utilization and extending burnup are two of the most important goals. A concept design of spectral-shift control rods is presented to extend cycle length and fuel utilization. First, a small lead-based reactor, SLBR-50, is preliminarily designed, and the design rationality is proved. Next, the concept design of spectral-shift control rods is presented and analyzed. Finally, numerical results of the small reactor design show that the burnup depth is extended by 73.3% and the fuel utilization rate for 235U and 238U is improved by 66.6 and 68.4%. All results are calculated using a Monte-Carlo code RMC. These results show advantages of the concept design for the spectral-shift control rod.

In ISAR imaging, a self-rotating target induces a nonuniform rotational motion (RM) between the radar and the target. Because the non-uniform RM results in the range cell migration (RCM) in the range-compressed data and blurring effects in the obtained ISAR images, it is highly desirable to properly compensate for the non-uniform RM of the target for the purpose of focusing ISAR images. Fortunately, in conventional ISAR imaging methods, the aforementioned effects due to the non-uniform RM can be eliminated by performing RCMC and RMC, respectively. Nonetheless, in the existing methods, RCMC and RMC have been conducted separately, yielding unfocused ISAR images of self-rotating targets. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an ISAR imaging processing chain that combines RCMC and RMC. Furthermore, experimental results based on simulated and real measured data are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC) es una disciplina de alto interés actualmente para académicos y profesionales, pero que, sin embargo, no goza todavía de consenso en cuanto a definición y enfoques fundamentales. A lo largo de las últimas décadas, han aparecido nuevos componentes de la RSC, así como otros conceptos derivados que incorporan, en la mayoría de los casos y al hilo de la creciente concienciación por el deterioro natural, una dimensión medioambiental muy marcada que condiciona el resto de sus componentes. A pesar de tener su origen en las expectativas y demandas de individuos y grupos sociales, la responsabilidad corporativa es fuente de ventajas competitivas, entre las que se incluyen una mejora en la imagen y la reputación de las empresas que la implementan y ejecutan positivamente, por lo que resultan de alto interés para las mismas. El objetivo de este trabajo, basado en el contenido de la tesis doctoral de González-Masip (2017), es la realización de una revisión teórica, fundamentada principalmente en artículos de investigación, del concepto de responsabilidad social corporativa, identificando algunos de sus fundamentos, componentes y evolución temporal, analizando su relación con la responsabilidad medioambiental corporativa e incluyendo una revisión otros conceptos relacionados con RSC, como sostenibilidad corporativa o ciudadanía corporativa. Este articulo ayuda a comprender el fenómeno de la responsabilidad empresarial, la actuación social corporativa y sus diferentes derivados, identificando las relaciones y conexiones existentes entre similares conceptos para conseguir una visión general de la cuestión. También permite comprender los diversos planteamientos de imagen social corporativa que la empresa puede reflejar a través de sus iniciativas de comunicación y que influyen en el nivel de aceptación y efectividad de las mismas entre consumidores y otros grupos de interés.

• A UBGCS capability is developed to solve geometry criticality search problems. • A NCSI method is proposed and tested to accelerate the criticality search process. • The first detailed MC model of NHR200-II is established and analyzed in RMC. • The feasibility of using MC code to analyzereactor lifecycle problems are proved. Criticality search is one of the important aspects to perform accurate lifecycle analysis of nuclear reactor in Monte Carlo code, in which the geometry criticality search is particularly important for some kinds of reactor systems, such as BWR and so on, to use control rods to adjust the criticality and power in lifecycle. To solve the Monte Carlo geometry criticality search problem correctly and efficiently, the Universe Based Geometry Criticality Search (UBGCS) capability along with the Non-Converged Sub-Iteration (NCSI) acceleration method is newly developed and implemented in reactor physics Monte Carlo code RMC. The UBGCS capability relies on the multi-layer universe geometry description structure in RMC and could perform eigenvalue criticality search not only to single or several surfaces, but also complex cells and universes combination. By using the NCSI method, the RMC's UBGCS capability could achieve accurate and efficient Monte Carlo criticality search for complex problems. Based on the newly developed UBGCS capability and other advanced techniques in RMC, the lifecycle analysis of a nuclear heating small modular reactor concept NHR200-II is taken out to have a better understanding of the reactor physics characteristics of this reactor. NHR200-II is a new 200 MWt commercial size heating reactor using control rods as power regulating system developed by INET, Tsinghua University according to the new energy and environment requirements in China. In this article, the first detailed Monte Carlo model of NHR200-II has been build including different types of complex fuel assemblies, cruciform control rods, full core structures and so on. The cold zero power and hot zero power state of the NHR200-II reactor are analyzed based on the detailed model. Also using the Monte Carlo reactor physics/thermal hydraulics and UBGCS capabilities in RMC, the full core pin-by-pin burnup calculation of NHR200-II are performed and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special off-grid power generations require the energy system to be reliable and compact. The heat pipe cooled reactor (HPR) is passively safe and highly modular, and is well suitable for energy demands ranging from a few kW to several MW. This study proposes a compact HPR design in which the ceramic metal composite (CERMET) fuel is used (HPR-CF). The CERMET fuel has advantages such as high temperature resistance and thermal conductivity. The fuel assembly using the CERMET fuel contains 6 heat pipes and fuel blocks with the hexagonal prism shape. The HPR-CF consists of 36 CERMET fuel assemblies containing 216 lithium heat pipes, 12 control drums, 1 safety control rod and peripheral beryllium dioxide reflector, all of which are mounted in a reactor vessel. The Monte Carlo code RMC is used to calculate the neutronics characteristics. The excess reactivity of the HPR-CF reactor is sufficient for operating at high temperature and 3 MWt for over 3000 days. The power distribution and the criticality safety are calculated and discussed. The results show the neutronics availability of the HPR-CF design. • A heat pipe cooled reactor design for land-based power generations is proposed. • The proposed design uses the CERMET fuel which operates in high temperature and has high thermal conductivity. • The neutronics performance of the reactor meets the design requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]