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- Creators: Martin, Thomas
- Status: Published
Description
There are three known materials that readily undergo fission, allowing their use as a base for nuclear fuel: uranium-235, a naturally-occurring but uncommon isotope; plutonium, created from irradiated natural uranium; and uranium-233, produced from thorium. Of the three, uranium-235 and plutonium feature heavily in the modern nuclear industry, while uranium-233 and the thorium fuel cycle have failed to have significant presence in the field. Historically, nuclear energy development in the United States, and thorium development in particular, has been tied to the predominant societal outlook on the field, and thorium was only pursued seriously as an option during a period when nuclear energy was heavily favored, and resources seemed scarce. Recently, thorium-based energy has been experiencing a revival in interest in response to pollution concerns regarding fossil fuels. While public opinion is still wary of uranium, thorium-based designs could reduce reliance on fossil fuels while avoiding traditional drawbacks of nuclear energy. The thorium fuel cycle is more protected against proliferation, but is also much more expensive than the uranium-plutonium cycle in a typical reactor setup. Liquid-fueled molten salt reactor designs, however, bypass the prohibitive expense of U-233 refabrication by avoiding the stage entirely, keeping the chain reaction running with nothing but thorium input required. MSRs can use any fissile material as fuel, and are relatively safe to operate, due to passive features inherent to the design.
ContributorsGalbiati, Joseph Nicco (Author) / Martin, Thomas (Thesis director) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis has been to examine how culture affects healthcare experiences and outcomes for women. This analysis started by gaining a historical perspective of the influences of medical research policies and recent social movements in the U.S. which have affected women's healthcare. A lack of fundamental gender and sex-specific research has contributed to disparities in women's healthcare outcomes today. When seeking medical care today, women may be affected broadly by cultural factors such as gender bias or stigmatization. A woman seeking healthcare in a medical system with a culture different from her own may experience unique cultural barriers, or she may have personal beliefs which interfere with or contradict the healthcare she receives. Our approach has been to analyze both subjective healthcare experiences and objective healthcare outcomes, in order to make recommendations for improving cross-cultural experiences in women's healthcare.
ContributorsWilkinson, Katie (Author) / Headley, Kayla (Co-author) / Martin, Thomas (Thesis director) / Ivey, Philip (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis has been to examine how culture affects healthcare experiences and outcomes for women. This analysis started by gaining a historical perspective of the influences of medical research policies and recent social movements in the U.S. which have affected women's healthcare. A lack of fundamental gender and sex-specific research has contributed to disparities in women’s healthcare outcomes today. When seeking medical care today, women may be affected broadly by cultural factors such as gender bias or stigmatization. A woman seeking healthcare in a medical system with a culture different from her own may experience unique cultural barriers, or she may have personal beliefs which interfere with or contradict the healthcare she receives. Our approach has been to analyze both subjective healthcare experiences and objective healthcare outcomes, in order to make recommendations for improving cross-cultural experiences in women's healthcare.
ContributorsHeadley, Kayla (Author) / Wilkinson, Katie (Co-author) / Martin, Thomas (Thesis director) / Ivey, Philip (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05