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Monte Carlo simulations provide accurate results for the neutronic response of the system under consideration if modeling is performed appropriately since it has great influence on the results. Sensitivity analysis of modeling approaches for geometry and fissile material composition distributions in the reactor core was performed by taking ITU TRIGA Mark II Research Reactor into consideration. The method of defining fuel element positions in the core by using circular or hexagonal lattice was considered as one case and three different methods of lumping material compositions in the fuel elements was considered as another case since these approaches are used by deterministic codes hence the accuracy of deterministic codes were also investigated. The validation study showed that both MCNP and Serpent Monte Carlo codes resulted in good agreement with the experimental data. It was observed that the handling of fuel composition in different ways did not influence the results significantly (up to 11.1 cents in reactivity). However, the influence of fuel arrangement is more pronounced (deviation in reactivity calculations is around 1$). These deviations at the results may affect the nuclear safety conclusion of reactors having small shutdown margins. It was also concluded that users of the deterministic codes should be aware of the fact that the simplifications in geometry and fuel composition in the core will result in significant deviation from the reality.

Surgical glove integrity is important in preventing wound infections and reducing patient mortality. Rates of perforations have been studied in many surgical subspecialties, but glove perforations specific to urology have not been investigated previously. This study aims to determine the incidence of glove perforations during urological surgeries and to investigate differences between open, laparoscopic, and endoscopic procedures.A total of 180 gloves were collected from various urological procedures performed at our institution: 59 from endoscopic, 72 from laparoscopic, and 49 from open cases. The gloves were tested for defects by both the water load test and electrical conductance testing. The frequency of defects for each type of procedure along with the length of wear, surgeon experience, and glove brand was analyzed.Glove defects were detected in 29% of all cases. Microperforations encompassed the majority of the glove defects (23.3%) and were detected in 15.2%, 25.0 %, and 30.6% of the endoscopy, laparoscopic and open surgical cases, respectively. The frequency of perforations noted in the minimally invasive procedures was significantly different across the groups (p0.01). There was no statistical significant correlation between glove defects and operation time, surgeon experience, and glove brand.The rates of glove perforation (29%) in urological procedures were higher than expected. Given the high rates of glove perforations found, double gloving in urological surgeries may offer a solution to the increased risk for cross contamination from microscopic perforations.

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