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Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Nuclear Technology
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July 2025
Latest News
The U.S. Million Person Study of Low-Dose-Rate Health Effects
There is a critical knowledge gap regarding the health consequences of exposure to radiation received gradually over time. While there is a plethora of studies on the risks of adverse outcomes from both acute and high-dose exposures, including the landmark study of atomic bomb survivors, these are not characteristic of the chronic exposure to low-dose radiation encountered in occupational and public settings. In addition, smaller cohorts have limited numbers leading to reduced statistical power.
J. M. O. Pinto, P. F. Frutuoso E Melo, P. L. C. Saldanha
Nuclear Technology | Volume 188 | Number 1 | October 2014 | Pages 20-33
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-48
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A methodology comprising Dynamic Flowgraph Methodology (DFM) and A Technique for Human Error Analysis (ATHEANA) is applied to a digital control system proposed for the pressurizer of current pressurized water reactor plants. The methodology consists of modeling this control system and its interactions with the controlled process and operator through an integrated DFM/ATHEANA approach. The results were complemented by the opinions of experts in conjunction with fuzzy theory. In terms of human reliability, DFM, along with ATHEANA, can model equipment failure modes, operator errors (omission/commission), and human factors that, combined with plant conditions, influence human performance. The results show that the methodology provides an efficient fault analysis of digital systems identifying all possible interactions among components. Through prime implicants, the methodology shows the event combinations that lead to system failure. Quantitative results obtained are in agreement with literature data, with a few percentage value discrepancies.