Books on the topic 'Nuclear physics. eng'

Nuclear Engineering and Technology for the 21st Century - Monograph Series Jovica Riznic, Series Editor With more than 75 years of combined working experience in the area of reactor physics and safety, the intention of the authors of this monograph is to provide a practical book on reactor physics, particularly for the safe operation of aged CANDU reactors, with minimal mathematics or equations. The book gives a glimpse of first principles and their engineering application in reactor physics, for those who are interested in or are working in the Canadian nuclear industry. The book is also ideal as a reference for physicists, operators, regulatory staff, and for those who need to interact with reactor physicists at CANDU sites, nuclear laboratories, institutes, universities, or engineering companies. This book assumes prior knowledge of nuclear physics offered at the secondary level. As very few equations appear in the monograph, it is not considered suitable for specialists whose focus is only on calculations or on the development of software on reactor physics. Such readers should refer to the books listed in the bibliography at the end of the monograph.

Bohr, inspired by Fermi’s discovery of slow neutrons, conceived his theory of the compound nucleus by the end of 1935. He went on to speculate that if the energy of a neutron incident on a nucleus were increased to the fantastically high energy of 1000 million electron volts, the compound nucleus would explode. Using small wooden models Otto Robert Frisch had constructed, Bohr lectured widely on his theory on a trip around the world in the first half of 1937. By then, Russian-born theoretical physicist Gregory Breit and Hungarian-born theoretical physicist Eugene Wigner in Princeton had conceived their fundamentally equivalent theory of neutron+nucleus resonances. Together, their theory and Bohr’s transformed the theory of nuclear reactions. Orso Mario Corbino, Fermi’s mentor, friend, and protector, died on January 23, 1937, at age sixty. Ernest Rutherford, the greatest experimental physicist since Michael Faraday, died on October 19, 1937, at age sixty-six.

Readable, practical, and concise, the Oxford Specialist Handbook in Nuclear Cardiology is a self-contained guide to this cardiac imaging subspecialty. Including both technical and clinical aspects, it provides a foundation of essential knowledge common to practitioners from any background.This title covers radiation physics, biology and protection, and addresses all areas of imaging including the design and operation of the gamma camera (including solid-state cameras), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) acquisition and processing, and image interpretation and writing of reports. Stress testing and radiopharmaceuticals are explained in detail, as is the evidence base underpinning myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. Newer radionuclide imaging techniques are well covered (e.g. phosphate scintigraphy in cardiac amyloidosis), as is the expanding field of cardiac positron emission tomography (PET). Fully updated with coverage of new indications for gamma camera imaging, increased focus on attenuation correction and SPECT-CT, and detail on the design use and clinical implications of solid-state gamma cameras throughout, this second edition of the essential text for nuclear cardiology trainees and practitioners is fully illustrated with colour plates to aid clinical practice. Presented in the bestselling Oxford Handbook format, Nuclear Cardiology provides core knowledge for those training in the subspecialty, whether at a basic or advanced level or from a medical or technical background, and is a key resource for those seeking to accredit in the subspecialty.

The book describes the fundamentals of particle detectors in their different forms as well as their applications, presenting the abundant material as clearly as possible and as deeply as needed for a thorough understanding. The target group for the book are both, students who want to get an introduction or wish to deepen their knowledge on the subject as well as lecturers and researchers who intend to extent their expertise. The book is also suited as a preparation for instrumental work in nuclear, particle and astroparticle physics and in many other fields (addressed in chapter 2). The detection of elementary particles, nuclei and high-energetic electromagnetic radiation, in this book commonly designated as ‘particles’, proceeds through interactions of the particles with matter. A detector records signals originating from the interactions occurring in or near the detector and (in general) feeds them into an electronic data acquisition system. The book describes the various steps in this process, beginning with the relevant interactions with matter, then proceeding to their exploitation for different detector types like tracking detectors, detectors for particle identification, detectors for energy measurements, detectors in astroparticle experiments, and ending with a discussion of signal processing and data acquisition. Besides the introductory and overview chapters (chapters 1 and 2), the book is divided into five subject areas: – fundamentals (chapters 3 to 5), – detection of tracks of charged particles (chapters 6 to 9), – phenomena and methods mainly applied for particle identification (chapters 10 to 14), – energy measurement (accelerator and non-accelerator experiments) (chapters 15, 16), – electronics and data acquisition (chapters 17 and 18). Comprehensive lists of literature, keywords and abbreviations can be found at the end of the book.

This book deals with a central topic at the interface of chemistry and physics—the understanding of how the transformation of matter takes place at the atomic level. Building on the laws of physics, the book focuses on the theoretical framework for predicting the outcome of chemical reactions. The style is highly systematic with attention to basic concepts and clarity of presentation. Molecular reaction dynamics is about the detailed atomic-level description of chemical reactions. Based on quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics or, as an approximation, classical mechanics, the dynamics of uni- and bimolecular elementary reactions are described. The first part of the book is on gas-phase dynamics and it features a detailed presentation of reaction cross-sections and their relation to a quasi-classical as well as a quantum mechanical description of the reaction dynamics on a potential energy surface. Direct approaches to the calculation of the rate constant that bypasses the detailed state-to-state reaction cross-sections are presented, including transition-state theory, which plays an important role in practice. The second part gives a comprehensive discussion of basic theories of reaction dynamics in condensed phases, including Kramers and Grote–Hynes theory for dynamical solvent effects. Examples and end-of-chapter problems are included in order to illustrate the theory and its connection to chemical problems. The book has ten appendices with useful details, for example, on adiabatic and non-adiabatic electron-nuclear dynamics, statistical mechanics including the Boltzmann distribution, quantum mechanics, stochastic dynamics and various coordinate transformations including normal-mode and Jacobi coordinates.

The clinical presentation of myocarditis is multifaceted and electrocardiogram (ECG) changes as well as biomarkers tend to be non-specific. Therefore, the diagnosis of myocarditis can be challenging and should be based on an integrated approach including patient history, physical examination, non-invasive tests such as ECG and serum biomarkers, and non-invasive cardiac imaging. As myocarditis may lead to global ventricular dysfunction, regional wall motion abnormalities, and/or diastolic dysfunction, echocardiography should be routinely performed. However, hallmarks of acute myocarditis comprise structural changes such as cardiomyocyte swelling, an increase in extracellular space and water content, accumulation of inflammatory cells, potential necrosis or apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, and myocardial remodelling with fibrotic tissue replacement that can be depicted by cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Nuclear techniques are still not routinely recommended for the work-up of myocarditis—with the possible exception of suspected sarcoidosis—due to limited data, limited diagnostic specificity, limited availability, and risk from radiation exposure. This chapter focuses on those non-invasive cardiac imaging techniques that are used in daily clinical practice for work-up of suspected myocarditis. However, as research continues and novel imaging techniques become available, it is hoped that even more accurate and timely diagnosis of myocarditis will be possible in the near future.

Left unilateral spatial neglect is the most frequent and disabling neuropsychological syndrome caused by lesions to the right hemisphere. Over 50% of right-brain-damaged patients show neglect, while right neglect after left-hemispheric damage is less frequent. Neglect patients are unable to orient towards the side contralateral to the lesion, to detect and report sensory events in that portion of space, as well as to explore it by motor action. Neglect is a multicomponent disorder, which may involve the contralesional side of the body or of extra-personal physical or imagined space, different sensory modalities, specific domains (e.g. ‘neglect dyslexia’), and worsen sensorimotor deficits. Neglect is due to higher-order unilateral deficits of spatial attention and representation, so that patients are not aware of contralesional events, which, however, undergo a substantial amount of unconscious processing up to the semantic level. Cross-modal sensory integration is also largely preserved. Neglect is primarily a spatially specific disorder of perceptual consciousness. The responsible lesions involve a network including the fronto-temporo-parietal cortex (particularly the posterior-inferior parietal lobe, at the temporo-parietal junction), their white matter connections, and some subcortical grey nuclei (thalamus, basal ganglia). Damage to primary sensory and motor regions is not associated to neglect. A variety of physiological lateralized and asymmetrical sensory stimulations (vestibular, optokinetic, prism adaptation, motor activation), and transcranial electrical and magnetic stimulations, may temporarily improve or worsen neglect. Different procedures have been successfully developed to rehabilitate neglect, using both ‘top down’ (training the voluntary orientation of attention) and ‘bottom up’ (the above-mentioned stimulations) approaches.

The study is funded by Doha International Family Institute (DIFI), a member of Qatar Foundation, and is a collaboration between the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration of London, Ontario; University of Guelph, Ontario; and University of Calgary, Alberta, all located in Canada; and the Doha International Family Institute, Qatar. The study received research ethics approval from the University of Guelph and the University of Calgary. This study aims to assess the impact of pre- and post-migration on marital relationships and family dynamics for Arab refugee families resettled in Canada. The study also examines the role of professional service providers in supporting these Arab refugee families. The unique experiences of Arab families displaced from their countries due to war and political conflict, and the various hardships experienced during their stay in transit countries, impact their family relations and interactions within the nuclear family context and their interconnectedness with their extended families. Furthermore, these families encounter various challenges within their resettlement process that interrupt their integration. Understanding the impact of traumatic experiences within the pre-migration journey as well as the impact of post-migration stressors on recently settled Arab refugee families in Canada provides insight into the shift in spousal and family relationships. Refugee research studies that focus on the impact of pre-migration trauma and displacement, the migration journey, and post-migration settlement on family relationships are scarce. Since the majority of global refugees in recent years come from Arab regions, mainly Syria, as a result of armed conflicts, this study is focused on the unique experiences of Arab refugee families fleeing conflict zones. The Canadian role in recently resettling a large influx of Arab refugees and assisting them to successfully integrate has not been without challenges. Traumatic pre-migration experiences as a result of being subjected to and/or witnessing violence, separation from and loss of family members, and loss of property and social status coupled with experiences of hardships in transit countries have a profound impact on families and their integration. Refugees are subjected to individual and collective traumatic experiences associated with cultural or ethnic disconnection, mental health struggles, and discrimination and racism. These experiences have been shown to impact family interactions. Arab refugee families have different definitions of “family” and “home” from Eurocentric conceptualizations which are grounded in individualistic worldviews. The discrepancy between collectivism and individualism is mainly recognized by collectivist newcomers as challenges in the areas of gender norms, expectations regarding parenting and the physical discipline of children, and diverse aspects of the family’s daily life. For this study, we interviewed 30 adults, all Arab refugees (14 Syrian and 16 Iraqi – 17 males, 13 females) residing in London, Ontario, Canada for a period of time ranging from six months to seven years. The study participants were married couples with and without children. During the semi-structured interviews, the participants were asked to reflect on their family life during pre-migration – in the country of origin before and during the war and in the transit country – and post-migration in Canada. The inter - views were conducted in Arabic, audio-recorded, and transcribed. We also conducted one focus group with seven service providers from diverse sectors in London, Ontario who work with Arab refugee families. The study used the underlying principles of constructivist grounded theory methodology to guide interviewing and a thematic analysis was performed. MAXQDA software was used to facilitate coding and the identification of key themes within the transcribed interviews. We also conducted a thematic analysis of the focus group transcription. The thematic analysis of the individual interviews identified four key themes: • Gender role changes influence spousal relationships; • Traumatic experiences bring suffering and resilience to family well-being; • Levels of marital conflict are higher following post-migration settlement; • Post-migration experiences challenge family values. The outcome of the thematic analysis of the service provider focus group identified three key themes: • The complex needs of newly arrived Arab refugee families; • Gaps in the services available to Arab refugee families; • Key aspects of training for cultural competencies. The key themes from the individual interviews demonstrate: (i) the dramatic sociocul - tural changes associated with migration that particularly emphasize different gender norms; (ii) the impact of trauma and the refugee experience itself on family relation - ships and personal well-being; (iii) the unique and complex aspects of the family journey; and (iv) how valued aspects of cultural and religious values and traditions are linked in complex ways for these Arab refugee families. These outcomes are consist - ent with previous studies. The study finds that women were strongly involved in supporting their spouses in every aspect of family life and tried to maintain their spouses’ tolerance towards stressors. The struggles of husbands to fulfill their roles as the providers and protec - tors throughout the migratory journey were evident. Some parents experienced role shifts that they understood to be due to the unstable conditions in which they were living but these changes were considered to be temporary. Despite the diversity of refugee family experiences, they shared some commonalities in how they experi - enced changes that were frightening for families, as well as some that enhanced safety and stability. These latter changes related to safety were welcomed by these fami - lies. Some of these families reported that they sought professional help, while others dealt with changes by becoming more distant in their marital relationship. The risk of violence increased as the result of trauma, integration stressors, and escalation in marital issues. These outcomes illustrate the importance of taking into consideration the complexity of the integration process in light of post-trauma and post-migration changes and the timespan each family needs to adjust and integrate. Moreover, these families expressed hope for a better future for their children and stated that they were willing to accept change for the sake of their children as well. At the same time, these parents voiced the significance of preserving their cultural and religious values and beliefs. The service providers identified gaps in service provision to refugee families in some key areas. These included the unpreparedness of professionals and insufficiency of the resources available for newcomer families from all levels of government. This was particularly relevant in the context of meeting the needs of the large influx of Syrian refugees who were resettled in Canada within the period of November 2015 to January 2017. Furthermore, language skills and addressing trauma needs were found to require more than one year to address. The service providers identified that a longer time span of government assistance for these families was necessary. In terms of training, the service providers pinpointed the value of learning more about culturally appropriate interventions and receiving professional development to enhance their work with refugee families. In light of these findings, we recommend an increased use of culturally integrative interventions and programs to provide both formal and informal support for families within their communities. Furthermore, future research that examines the impact of culturally-based training, cultural brokers, and various culturally integrative practices will contribute to understanding best practices. These findings with regard to refugee family relationships and experiences are exploratory in their nature and support future research that extends understanding in the area of spousal relationships, inter - generational stressors during adolescence, and parenting/gender role changes.