Typical Time Research Articles

Optimization of saliva sampling methods for analysis of bile acids by UHPLC-MS

This study investigated methods for sampling bile acids in saliva, a potential non-invasive diagnostic biofluid. Bile acids have been implicated in causing damage and permanent changes to the esophageal mucosa and increasing the risk of developing Barrett's esophagus, a condition that can potentially progress to esophageal cancer. Three saliva collection methods were compared: spitting, Salivette® swabs, and Salivette Cortisol® swabs. Spitting emerged as the superior method with the highest recoveries and the least interference, likely due to Salivette swabs retaining bile acids or introducing unknown interferences. All saliva samples were analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS using the Zorbax RRHD Eclipse Plus C18 column (3 × 50 mm, 1.8 µm) in gradient elution of 0.1 % formic acid in water and methanol. Saliva sample stability was assessed over 14 days, reflecting typical storage times. The levels of detected bile acids were stable for the measured period (RSD ≤ 22 %) and no degradation was observed. Bile acid levels in saliva fluctuated throughout the day, with the greatest changes observed for glycine-conjugated bile acids after meals. To minimize sampling variability, saliva collection by spitting after overnight fasting is recommended for future studies. Our findings are applicable for standardized bile acid sampling and are currently applied in a large clinical study evaluating bile acids as potential susceptibility markers for Barrett's esophagus diagnostics.

Real-time data processing in colorimetry camera-based single-molecule localization microscopy via CPU-GPU-FPGA heterogeneous computation.

Because conventional low-light cameras used in single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) do not have the ability to distinguish colors, it is often necessary to employ a dedicated optical system and/or a complicated image analysis procedure to realize multi-color SMLM. Recently, researchers explored the potential of a new kind of low-light camera called colorimetry camera as an alternative detector in multi-color SMLM, and achieved two-color SMLM under a simple optical system, with a comparable cross-talk to the best reported values. However, extracting images from all color channels is a necessary but lengthy process in colorimetry camera-based SMLM (called CC-STORM), because this process requires the sequential traversal of a massive number of pixels. By taking advantage of the parallelism and pipeline characteristics of FPGA, in this paper, we report an updated multi-color SMLM method called HCC-STORM, which integrated the data processing tasks in CC-STORM into a home-built CPU-GPU-FPGA heterogeneous computing platform. We show that, without scarifying the original performance of CC-STORM, the execution speed of HCC-STORM was increased by approximately three times. Actually, in HCC-STORM, the total data processing time for each raw image with 1024 × 1024 pixels was 26.9 ms. This improvement enabled real-time data processing for a field of view of 1024 × 1024 pixels and an exposure time of 30 ms (a typical exposure time in CC-STORM). Furthermore, to reduce the difficulty of deploying algorithms into the heterogeneous computing platform, we also report the necessary interfaces for four commonly used high-level programming languages, including C/C++, Python, Java, and Matlab. This study not only pushes forward the mature of CC-STORM, but also presents a powerful computing platform for tasks with heavy computation load.

Polarity transitions of narrow bipolar events in thundercloud tops reaching the lower stratosphere

Blue corona discharges are often generated in thunderclouds penetrating into the stratosphere and are the optical manifestation of narrow bipolar events (NBEs) observed in radio signals. While their production appears to depend on convection, the cause and nature of such discharges are not well known. Here we show the observations by a lightning detection array of unusual amounts of 982 NBEs during a tropical storm on the coastline of China. NBEs of negative polarity are predominantly observed at the cloud top reaching the stratosphere, and positive NBEs are primarily at lower altitudes. We find that the dominant polarity changes with the typical time of development of thunderstorm cells, suggesting that the polarity depends on the phase of the storm cells. Furthermore, we find that the lightning jump of negative NBEs is associated with above-anvil cirrus plumes of ice crystals and water vapor in the lower stratosphere. We propose that variations in updrafts induce changes in the altitude and charge concentrations of the cloud layers, which lead to the polarity transition. Our results have implications for studies of the chemical perturbations of greenhouse gas concentrations by corona discharges at the tropopause.

Female pumas exhibit behavioral plasticity through partitioning temporal activity at communication hubs based on life stage

AbstractIntraspecific communication among carnivores can be complex and risky, and many solitary carnivores (including pumas; Puma concolor) primarily communicate with potential mates and competitors indirectly via scent marking at communication hubs. We used multiple temporal analyses to understand if pumas of three classes (males, solo females, and females traveling with dependent kittens) varied in their temporal use of communication hubs to reduce risk while gathering information. We hypothesized that males would visit scrapes at typical times (nighttime), but that female behavioral strategies might vary based on whether they had dependent kittens or not. We found that pumas of different classes varied in their temporal patterns: male pumas concentrated their temporal activity at night (which is typical for pumas), solo females also tended to visit during the nighttime (although slightly earlier on average than males), while females with kittens were more active in the daytime. Our findings highlight the importance of communication hubs for intersexual communication in pumas and the flexibility that is inherent in puma behavioral ecology. Females adjusted their temporal behavior and visitation based on their reproductive status and life history stage, likely to assess dominant territorial males while also limiting their risk. Our study provides a mechanistic view of how communication through scent marking allows both long‐term and spatially separated communication to occur and that may allow pumas at different life stages with different risk tolerances to communicate with each other.

Coherence of a field gradient driven singlet-triplet qubit coupled to multielectron spin states in 28Si/SiGe

Engineered spin-electric coupling enables spin qubits in semiconductor nanostructures to be manipulated efficiently and addressed individually. While synthetic spin-orbit coupling using a micromagnet is widely investigated for driving and entangling qubits based on single spins in silicon, the baseband control of encoded spin qubits with a micromagnet in isotopically purified silicon has been less well investigated. Here, we demonstrate fast singlet-triplet qubit oscillation (~100 MHz) in a gate-defined double quantum dot in 28Si/SiGe with an on-chip micromagnet with which we show the oscillation quality factor of an encoded spin qubit exceeding 580. The coherence time T2* is analyzed as a function of potential detuning and an external magnetic field. In weak magnetic fields, the coherence is limited by frequency-independent noise whose time scale is faster than the typical data acquisition time of ~100 ms, which limits the T2* below 1 μs in the ergodic limit. We present evidence of sizable and coherent coupling of the qubit with the spin states of a nearby quantum dot, demonstrating that appropriate spin-electric coupling may enable a charge-based two-qubit gate in a (1,1) charge configuration.

An investigation of the electrical dynamics in electroactive polymer transducers with resistive electrodes

To pursue a variable-capacitance working principle, transducers based on soft electroactive polymers (EAPs) need deformable electrodes that match the compliance and stretchability of the EAP polymeric substrates. A variety of manufacturing procedures are available to create conductive materials that can achieve this, including solutions that can provide remarkably low resistivity. However, the simplest and most feasible options often involve the use of particle-filled (e.g. carbon-filled) polymer composites, which, while easy to produce, tend to exhibit relatively high resistivity. This high level of resistivity, combined with the inherent capacitance of EAP transducers, introduces dynamic effects in the devices electrical activation, which may affect performance. This paper investigates the impact of electrode resistivity on the electrical dynamics of EAP devices, combining continuum models and experimental validations. We use a continuum generalisation of known resistive-capacitive (RC) transmission line models to accurately predict voltage gradients on the surfaces of electrostatic transducers subject to rapidly varying voltages. We then present an experimental validation by measuring the spatial voltage distributions over carbon-based polymeric electrodes of dielectric elastomer (DE) transducers, and find a good agreement with our model predictions. We use our validated model to provide general estimates of the typical charging time and limit working frequency ranges of DE devices as a function of their dimensional scale and electrode sheet resistance. Our model provides useful indications for designing compliant electrodes in EAP transducers given target performance, or to understand the working limits of devices with given geometry and dielectric-electrode properties.

Prediction of axial compressive stresses in ultra-high-performance concrete blocks using non-destructive ultrasonic techniques

The application of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) in civil engineering structures is growing rapidly. On the other hand, previous non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques mainly focused on determining the relationship between the acoustic characteristics and elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, cracking resistance, and strength. This study presents an experimental approach utilizing ultrasonic techniques to predict the axial compressive stresses in UHPC structures. Both cubic and prismatic UHPC blocks were designed and tested under different compressive axial loading conditions, and their ultrasonic acoustic characteristics were evaluated in detail. Normal strength concrete (NSC) blocks were also included in the investigation for comparison purposes. A detailed account of the tests results is provided, including the relationships between the compressive stresses in UHPC blocks and the typical time- and frequency-domain acoustic parameters. Based on the experimental results, an analytical working stress evaluation method for UHPC components using the ultrasonic acoustic parameters is proposed. It is shown that there is close correlation and high prediction stability between the compressive stress in UHPC blocks and the ultrasonic velocity, which is suggested as the main acoustic parameter for stress detection. The correlation between the acoustic amplitude parameters and concrete compressive stress is also shown to be significant, yet is associated with relatively low prediction stability. Moreover, in comparison with conventional NSC blocks, greater correlation and regularity ratios are observed between the typical acoustic parameters and the axial compressive stress in UHPC specimens. Overall, the analytical models proposed in this study are shown to be in close agreement with the experimental results, and can be used, in conjunction with the ultrasonic NDT techniques, to provide a reliable prediction of the level of compressive stresses in UHPC members.

Development and application of a simplified biophysical model to study deltaic and coastal ecosystems

Many coastal regions around the globe experience land loss due to high relative sea level rise rates, declining sediment supply, and a host of other anthropogenic factors. To evaluate possible restoration strategies, we developed a computationally efficient Simplified Biophysical Model (SBM). The SBM includes hydrodynamic, morphodynamic, and marsh inundation components. The hydrodynamic and mineral sediment processes of the SBM are based on open source Delft3D models. The marsh inundation MATLAB module is a simplified vegetation response to salinity and inundation used to estimate annual organic accretion rates. Organic accretion is added annually to the morphodynamic calculations of mineral sediment. The typical run time for the SBM for an area of 4500 km2 is ∼0.8, 2.5, and 4.7 days real time for one, three, and five decade simulations, respectively which is considered a computationally efficient for modeling decadal landscape evolution. The utility of the SBM was demonstrated through an application to assess the performance of a sediment diversion in the Barataria Basin in Louisiana, USA. The model results demonstrate the importance of incorporating the impact of salinity and inundation effects on the resilience of marshes subjected to high rates of relative sea level rise. Further, the sediment reduction analysis confirms the critical impact of the Mississippi River sediment decline on potential land building from sediment diversions where 1.5%, and 3% annual declining rates show a reduction in net land gain due to Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion operation of 30% and 50 %, respectively. This highlights the importance of considering the Mississippi River sediment supply decline in restoration projects’ planning and specifically, sediment diversions.

The detection of organic polymers as contaminants in foodstuffs by means of the fluorescence decay of their auto fluorescence

Products such as food can become contaminated during their manufacture or afterwards. Depending on the type of substance causing the contamination, these contaminants can be harmful to health and difficult to detect by visible inspection. The suitability of fluorescence decay and FD-FLIM for the detection of plastics contamination in foodstuffs is demonstrated. Therefore, a procedure for the detection of contaminating organic polymers (plastics) in processed meat such as salami by means of the fluorescence decay time of auto fluorescence is described. The auto fluorescence of processed meat was found to decay according to first order with a typical time constant of about 2 ns, whereas the time constant of significant polymers for the processing of meat is generally appreciably higher (2.5 ns – 5.5 ns depending on the polymer). As a consequence, contaminating organic polymers can not only be globally detected by means of the fluorescence decay but also localised in two-dimensional imaging. The present study reports a high potential of FD-FLIM for rapidly identifying and differentiating different plastics on and in different foodstuffs. The method allows an improved quality control of foodstuffs.

Sensor Fault Detection in Smart Extraterrestrial Habitats Using Unsupervised Learning

Various types of sensors are needed to monitor the health state of smart deep-space habitats. However, measured data can be affected by sensor faults, which influence the health management system and consequently the decision-making. In this paper, an unsupervised learning approach based on convolutional autoencoders (CAEs) is developed to detect anomalies in temperature and pressure sensors. The proposed method is systematically investigated using a habitat simulator (HabSim). Several illustrative examples are demonstrated in the nominal and hazardous states of the habitat, including micrometeorite impact and fire scenarios. The performance of the proposed method using CAEs is compared with that of existing methods using auto-associative neural networks (AANNs) and variational autoencoders. This comparison is based on typical evaluation metrics, including precision, recall, F1 score, training time, and testing time. The effect of temperature–pressure coupling on the detection performance of CAEs and AANNs is explored by training different data-driven models, including one with temperature sensors, one with pressure sensors, and one with both temperature and pressure sensors. The effect of the number of faulty sensors on the performance of CAEs is studied, as with an increase in the number of faulty sensors, redundant information among the sensors is reduced. The capability of CAEs to change the number of sensors without redesigning the network architecture and retraining the neural network is investigated and demonstrated. The capabilities and limitations of the proposed solution are discussed.

The influence of spatial variability of solar radiation on the mass balance of glaciers in the Grønfjorden Bay area (the Svalbard archipelago)

In this article, we investigate how the irregular insolation of two low-elevated Svalbard glaciers exerts effect on rates of their surface melting. We compare the spatial distribution of rates of the surface lowering of glaciers Vøringbreen (0.76 km2) and Aldegondabreen (5.5 km2), both are located near Barentsburg settlement in the western part of Nordenskiöld Land (the Spitsbergen Island). As an approximation of the solar radiation flux, we used the potential incoming solar radiation calculated by the ArcticDEM digital elevation model for the period July 15–September 15, which is a typical time of ice ablation in the region under consideration. Motions of both glaciers are extremely slow, which allows assuming that lowering of their surfaces are identical to the rates of surface melting. We have found that both glaciers are distinctly divided into two parts, more and less sunlit. The spatial pattern of insolation of the Vøringbreen glacier is controlled by the shading of the walls surrounding the cirque, while the Aldegondabreen one due to its concave shape has two different areas with a more southern and more northern exposure. The lowering of the surface shows that the more and less illuminated parts differ significantly in ice ablation. The maximum differences in melting caused by the irregular insolation are 2.1 m of ice depth over five years for the Aldegondabreen Glacier (2008–2013 and 2013–2018) and 2.2 m over six years for the Vøringbreen Glacier (2013–2019), that is 40, 30 and 25% of the total values of the surface depression for the corresponding periods. Within every 50-meter altitude interval, correlation coefficients between surface ablation and insolation vary from –0.33 to –0.62 for the Aldegondabreen and from –0.50 to –0.92 for the Vøringbreen glacier. When compared with the vertical gradient of the ice melting, the variability of ablation caused by the irregular insolation correspond to a difference in altitudes of 45–50 m in vertical for the Aldegondabreen and 60 m for Vøringbreen. These values are significant taking into account the small altitudinal range of the glaciers in that part of Spitsbergen.

Assessing the viability of enhancing logistics and supply chain operations: a case study of the Eastern Economic Corridor

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) rail project on Thailand’s logistics and supply chain operations using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Pearson’s correlation analysis reveals a negative correlation of −0.3354 for economic factors and a positive correlation of 0.3179 for logistic performance, indicating a moderate to strong negative correlation with the EEC line’s progress. Survey results show that 62.30% of respondents live in urban areas of Chonburi or Rayong. Transportation preferences indicate that 72.13% use a single mode, mainly private cars, with public transport rarely used (1.64% daily) and typical travel times of 30 minutes to an hour for 60.66%. Awareness of the HSR project is low, with over 57% unfamiliar, but 54.10% strongly agree on its importance for regional economic growth. Feasibility studies show 54.10% find it highly feasible to use HSR, expecting benefits in job creation, tourism, and business opportunities. Environmental and social concerns suggest affordable pricing, targeted job creation, and support for vulnerable groups to ensure social equity. Recommendations include improving transport integration, fostering economic and social equity, and prioritising environmental sustainability to support Thailand’s long-term development goals.

Slow 7Be and the primordial 7Li abundance

The cross sections of neutron-induced nuclear reactions are commonly large at low energies. Given this feature, the 7Be(n, p)7Li process with slow 7Be is studied in connection with the cosmological lithium problem. An idea is tested whether slow (non-Maxwellian) 7Be born in the radiative capture 3He(α, γ)7Be reaction can boost the 7Be(n, p)7Li(p, α)α mechanism of 7Li burn-up in the early universe, reducing the amount of primordial 7Li. The rate of this sequential process is examined and its effect on the 7Li abundance is clarified. In the absence of 7Be thermalization in the primordial plasma, the above mechanism can decrease 7Li/H by several percent, leaving unchanged the abundances of D and 4He which are consistent with observations. However, taking into account the 7Be thermalization due to scattering off electrons, positrons, nuclei, and photons radically suppresses the effect. It is found that the typical thermalization time of 7Be is less than 10−5 s, while the fraction of non-Maxwellian particles in the 7Be component is at most 2 × 10−7. Under this condition, the corresponding impact on 7Li/H is estimated to be no more than 10−5%.

Time-dependent characteristics of analytical measurands.

Biological variation is a relevant component of diagnostic uncertainty. In addition to within-subject andbetween-subject variation, preanalytical variation also includes components that contribute to biological variability. Among these, daily recurring, i.e.,diurnal physiological variation is of particular importance, as it contains both a random and a non-random component ifthe exact time of blood collection is not known. We introduce four time-dependent characteristics (TDC) of diurnal variations for measurands to assess the relevance and extent of time dependence on the evaluation of laboratory results. TDC address (i)a threshold for considering diurnality, (ii) the expected relative changes per time unit, (iii) the permissible time interval between two blood collections at different daytimes within which the expected time dependence does not exceed a defined analytical uncertainty, and (iv) a rhythm-expanded reference change value. TDC and their importance will be exemplified by the measurands aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, glucose, thyroid stimulating hormone, and total bilirubin. TDCs are calculated for four time slots that reflect known blood collection schedules, i.e.,07:00-09:00, 08:00-12:00, 06:00-18:00, and 00:00-24:00. The amplitude and the temporal location of the acrophase are major determinates impacting the diagnostic uncertainty and thus the medical interpretation, especially within the typical blood collection time from 07:00 to 09:00. We propose to check measurands for the existence of diurnal variations and, if applicable, to specify their time-dependent characteristics as outlined in our concept.

A Prospective Study of Contracture of the Finger and its Management in a Tertiary Care Center.

When the range of motion between two finger segments, both active and passive, is restricted, finger contracture occurs. The aim of this study is to investigate the best procedure to eliminate finger contracture and the functional and esthetic results of the different surgical procedures. A total of 31 patients with soft-tissue abnormalities of the hand were included in this prospective study. They underwent either contracture removal with K-wire and skin grafts or various flap procedures in the department of plastic surgery. Complaints of stiffness and discomfort were classified into five categories: none, mild, moderate, marked, and severe. The difficulty a person had in picking up objects, grasping, writing, etc., was used to determine the degree of disability. Absenteeism from work and surgical site infections were also recorded. The mean age was 20.25 years, with a mean age of 23.05 for men and 15.83 for women. Overall, most cases occurred in the age range of 3-10 years. For K-wire surgery with skin grafting, the typical time off work was 24 days. The average recovery time ranged from 15.2 days for skin grafts to 16.9 days for tenolysis, 28.33 days for groyne flaps, and 41 days for abdominal flaps. Of all cases, 12 (38.00%) had a fair result, 10 (31.04%) had a moderate result, and 9 (30.96%) had an excellent result. The most feasible method for treating these situations, which offers the greatest potential for a functional and cosmetic result, is contracture reduction with skin grafting.

Structural Color Out of the Blue: A Quantitative Framework for the Self-Assembly Kinetics of Cholesteric Cellulosic Mesophases.

Cholesteric mesophases based on cellulose ethers, such as ethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose, have been studied widely for their remarkable ability to display macroscopic structural color. However, the typical time scales involved in the multiscale self-assembly of cholesteric liquid crystals, from individual nanoscale helical arrangements to discrete microscopic domains, and their dependence on the gel's viscoelastic properties remain underexplored. Here, we establish a quantitative relationship between the kinetics of structural color formation after shear deformation and cholesteric order development at the nano- and microscales. Utilizing rheology in tandem with static and time-resolved reflectivity measurements, we underscore the strong influence of polymer diffusivity and chain elasticity on self-assembly kinetics in cholesteric cellulose ether gels. We show that our phenomenological model can be employed to assess the structure-property relationships of multiple polysaccharide systems, elucidating key design guidelines for the development and processing of structurally colored cholesteric mesophases.

The relationship between ischemic penumbra progression and the oxygen content of cortex microcirculation in acute ischemic stroke

The precise oxygen content thresholds of ischemic deep parenchymal (OCIDP) and that in cortical microcirculation (OCCM), which leads to ischemic penumbra converting into the infarcted core, remain uncertain. This study employed an invasive fiber-optic oxygen meter and a newly developed oxygen-responsive probe called RuA3-Cy5-rtPA (RC-rtPA) based on recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rtPA) to examine the oxygen content thresholds. A mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion was generated and animals were randomly divided into a sham, 24-h reperfusion after 3-h ischemia (IR 3-h), and IR 6-h groups, all of which were sacrificed following reperfusion. Stroke severity was evaluated based on the infarction area, neurological symptoms, microcirculation perfusion, and microemboli in microcirculation. OCIDP was characterized based on its extent and distribution, whereas OCCM was measured using RC-rtPA. During ischemia, stroke severity escalation manifested as increasing infarction area, severe neurologic symptoms, and poorer microcirculation perfusion with more microthrombi depositions. OCIDP presented rapid decline following artery occlusion along with a gradual increase in the hypoxic area. Within 3 ​h following ischemia induction, the ischemic tissue that experienced hypoxia could be rescued, and this reversibility would disappear after 6 ​h. Within 6 ​h, OCCM continued to decrease. A significant decrease in oxygen content in cortical venules and cortical parenchyma was observed. These findings assist in establishing the extent of the ischemic penumbra at the microcirculation level and offer a foundation for assessing the ischemic penumbra that could respond positively to reperfusion therapy beyond the typical time window.

Время жизни поляризационного джета при длительных магнитных бурях

The paper examines conditions of occurrence and typical time scales of a polarization jet by measuring ionospheric parameters from DMSP satellites (h~830 km) and using data from the ground-based ionospheric station Yakutsk (YA462) during strong and long-term geomagnetic storms. The polarization jet at the ionospheric station Yakutsk was recorded in the dusk sector at the background of substorm disturbances when the geomagnetic index SME reached values from 1000 to ~3000 nT, and, according to data from the magnetic observatory Yakutsk (YAK), there was a positive bay ~50–100 nT in the geomagnetic field H component and ~100–200 nT in its Z component. We show that the lifetime of the polarization jet or narrow troughs in ionospheric plasma in the subauroral ionosphere during strong and long-term magnetic storms can be as long as 12 hrs.

An MPMD approach coupling electromagnetic continuum mechanics approximations in ALEGRA

Two complementary approximations for describing aspects of continuum electromagnetics in moving media are discussed: electroquasistatic and magnetoquasistatic. Each has been implemented in the finite element shock code ALEGRA for modeling dynamic electromechanical phenomena on typical engineering time scales, with fully integrated circuit coupling (Niederhaus et al. 2023). The approximations can be obtained by consistent asymptotic balancing of Maxwell’s equations relative to timescales associated with magnetic diffusion, charge relaxation, and electromagnetic wave propagation. In ALEGRA, the electroquasistatic approximation is used for ferroelectric (FE) modeling, while the magnetoquasistatic approximation is used for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling. In this paper we introduce for the first time a detailed derivation of a useful quasi-steady “low-Rm” variant of the MHD approximation applicable for cases, such as with detonators, where the thermodynamic pressure arising from Joule heating dominates over magnetic forces. An additional purpose of this paper is to present a coupling mode using Multiple Program-Multiple Data (MPMD) message passing communication that allows the user to run 3D FE problems together with 2D and/or 3D MHD problems with the respective simulation domains coupled through a common circuit equation. The MPMD coupling capability is used here to model the dynamic coupling of a notional ferroelectric generator with an RP-87 exploding bridgewire detonator. The simulated bridgewire heats up and bursts under current generated by simulated depoling of the ferroelectric generator, as a demonstration of the MPMD capability.

Refueling Considerations for 99Mo Production in a CANDU Reactor

Operating CANDU reactors have the potential to produce significant quantities of molybdenum-99 (99Mo) because of their ability to be refueled online, high thermal neutron flux, and fuel design flexibility. A new molybdenum-producing fuel bundle (MPB), previously designed for CANDU reactors, has as its principal attribute that it is neutronically and thermal hydraulically equivalent to the standard 37-element fuel bundle typically used in CANDU reactors. Given that the typical irradiation time for MPBs is 20 days while the typical refueling period for a channel is on average 6 months, the refueling strategy needs to be adjusted to accommodate the shorter irradiation time of MPBs. This study evaluates a new refueling strategy suitable for employing the new MPBs in the core. A full-core, three-dimensional model is constructed in the diffusion code DONJON, and a fueling strategy for achieving the desired weekly yield of 99Mo is developed. The adequacy of the proposed refueling scheme is evaluated using a series of time-average calculations, which show that a small increase in the core reactivity (<0.4 mk) can be expected when irradiating a set of four MPBs in three different fuel channels in the inner region of the core. The small increase in the core reactivity can be managed by slightly increasing the discharge burnup in the non-MPB-bearing fuel channels, thus also improving slightly the fuel utilization in the reactor.